With the old town’s Unesco World Heritage List status, a thriving café culture, numerous beautiful churches and imposing castles, those England fans who have chosen to base themselves in Poland’s second city of Cracow during the European Championship are in for a treat — as long they behave themselves, that is.
With the threat of violence and hooliganism commonplace in the domestic leagues, the Polish police are used to dealing with troublemakers and have wasted little time in letting visiting fans know that they will clamp down hard on any misdemeanours.
A full-page article in the Cracow Post, the English-language newspaper, whose offices are situated next to the England team’s hotel, is devoted to warning fans about the police’s potency. While the tone is tongue-in-cheek — it is unlikely that their dogs are trained “to bite you directly in the testicles” as is claimed, for example — the underlining message is deadly serious: misbehave at your peril.
“If things start kicking off, don’t be tempted to stick around and watch the fun,” the Cracow Post warns. “The Polish police are going to come down on troublemakers like a bag full of anvils and you don’t want to be there when it happens.
“Cracow has a long history of hooligan violence — the local police have seen it all before and they will ruin your day if you try it on. These lads’ mums and dads rioted under Soviet machineguns — a few chairs thrown by beered-up fans are not going to intimidate them. Do not expect softly, softly police tactics.”
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The newspaper goes on to detail the tactics and weaponry at the police’s disposal beyond their use of sadistic canines. England fans are warned that: “Poland’s anti-hooligan squads are armed with: shotguns firing baton rounds that probably won’t kill you as long as you’re 30 metres away; a truck-mounted water cannon affectionately known as ‘the typhoon’; a high-tech sonic cannon that can make you wet yourself on its lowest setting; dogs trained to bite you directly in the testicles; 9mm handguns loaded with live ammo.”
Fortunately there is much to divert visitors from drinking themselves into a stupor in the city’s many bars and clubs, an activity that tends to attract the attention of the police. Cracow’s historic old town was one of the first sites to be granted World Heritage status in 1978 and wandering around the Rynek Glowny, the largest medieval square in Europe, it is easy to see why.
St Mary’s Basilica takes the breath away, while the fortified ramparts of Wawel Castle and the Barbican reflect the city’s previous life as Poland’s capital. Horse-drawn carriage rides of the type seen in New York’s Central Park provide light relief for those tired of soaking up the history and culture, while there is no shortage of cafés and restaurants befitting the city’s status as a tourist hub.
The appropriately named Hotel Stary, where England are staying, is situated just off the main square, although to judge from the levels of security that greeted their arrival yesterday evening it is unlikely that they will fulfil the vision of David Bernstein, the FA chairman, by being “good tourists”. Half a dozen police were guarding the empty 53-room building in a closed-off street from midday onwards, and it is fanciful to imagine that Wayne Rooney will be able to wander down the road for a relaxing cappuccino in the square.
A greater concern is the prospect of the players being disturbed in what is a bustling city centre. “During the night Cracow is a noisy city,” Magdalena Sroka, the deputy mayor, said. “For sure it’s not a peaceful and quiet and empty city. This is a city full of energy and full of life.”
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England’s players and supporters alike have been warned.
• Ukraine, England’s group D opponents on June 19, expect ten players who have had food poisoning to recover in time for their opening match, against Sweden on Monday. Oleksandr Glyvynskiy, the team spokesman, said that the players were improving after being put on a special diet to help them to shake off the sickness, the cause of which has not been established. “They all took part in a light team run,” Glyvynskiy said. Leonid Mironov, the team doctor, said that the friendly against Turkey on Tuesday, which Ukraine lost 2-0, was almost cancelled after the players had come down with the bug.