Security Guard Sets Fire to Polish Soccer Fan after Match
In yet another proud moment for soccer hooliganism, a recent match in Poland had a rather unusual aftermath.
In something called the Polish Ekstraklasa League, Slask Wroclaw defeated visiting Zaglebie Lubin 1-0. While this outcome is not terribly interesting, it was what took place afterwards that is noteworthy.
It seems Lubin fans were not particularly pleased with the outcome of the game, deciding to stick around a while for some good old-fashioned loitering. There appeared to be several hundred fans in the group, and the demonstration was quite spirited, with flag waving and loud chanting in unison.
A more pressing concern for the phalanx of security guards -- who had surrounded the group in the stands -- was the presence of countless flares that were being waved around by some of the fans, causing the section to be obscured somewhat by smoke.
Announcements were made in Polish over the stadium PA, presumably asking the crowd to disperse. These warnings clearly went unheeded, and the unruliness continued. Then one particularly overzealous fan decided to climb atop a gate with his flare, and that's when the real fun began.
Please have a look at this footage. Pay close attention around the bottom left corner at the 1:40 mark:
That is a bad scene, man.
Apparently, the pepper spray used by the security guard to subdue the fan created an unstable chemical reaction with the flare, which is why the dude became engulfed in flames ever so briefly.
Personally, I've never been set on fire, but I can only assume that this fan’s reaction was appropriate. He quickly jumped down from the gate and scurried away, no doubt confused and disoriented. Fortunately, he was somehow uninjured.
This incident is probably without question more interesting than anything that may have taken place on the field, as it does not appear that any players caught on fire during the game.
The only way this could have been worse is if the security guard had spontaneously combusted immediately after spraying the fan.
Perhaps next week.
Policja wzięła sprawy w swoje ręce i w ten sposób "walczyła" w sobotę z pirotechniką: pic.twitter.com/KDHZQKdWM8
— Michał Wyrwa (@WyrwaMichal) April 28, 2014