Three weeks after the controversial display by Raków Częstochowa supporters during their UEFA Conference League qualifying match against Maccabi Haifa, European football’s governing body has issued its disciplinary ruling.
During the first-leg match between Poland’s Raków and Israel’s Maccabi Haifa, Raków fans unfurled a banner in Polish that read, "Israel is a murderer and the world is silent" — a message widely condemned as politically charged and inappropriate for a sporting event.
In response, Maccabi Haifa filed an official complaint with UEFA. On Monday, UEFA announced its decision: Raków was fined €20,000 for the offensive banner, along with an additional €10,000 penalty for displaying a message deemed unsuitable for a football match. The club also received a further fine for the use of pyrotechnics during the game.
The controversy, however, did not end there.
In the return leg held in Israel, Maccabi Haifa supporters displayed a retaliatory banner that read, "Murderers since 1939" — a provocative reference to Poland's historical role during World War II and the Holocaust. This response triggered widespread outrage in Poland and beyond the realm of football, including in the Polish government.
According to ESPN, both clubs have been charged with "transmitting a message not fit for a sports event" in a case that will be judged by its disciplinary panel. No timetable was given for imposing sanctions which could be fines and closing part of a stadium at a future game.
The ambassadors of each country to the other have denounced the incidents as an attempt by political extremeists to undermine bilateral relations between Israel and Poland.
Rakow won 2-0 Thursday and eliminated Maccabi Haifa 2-1 on aggregate score.