Polish football chief wants stadium fireworks ban overturned

Zbigniew Boniek: photo - PAP/Bartlomiej Zborowski

“We are perfectly aware of the fact that the law on mass events prohibits the use of pyrotechnics,” Michal Boniek said at a press conference on Wednesday, as cited by the Gazeta Wyborcza daily.

“We want to negotiate a consensus with the government and the police, so that after 45 minutes or at the end of the match, it is permitted to light flares,” he outlined.

“We're not saying to fans: start firing flares now, because that will result in consequences for both fans and clubs,” he stressed.

“We want to find a consensus that makes everyone happy,” he claimed.

A ban on the use of pyrotechnics in stadiums by fans was introduced under the terms of the 2009 act on mass events.

Further clampdowns on security in stadiums were introduced in 2011, when an amendment was brought in during the run up to the Euro 2012 tournament, which was co-hosted by Poland and Ukraine.

On 9 January, a conference was held in Poland's parliament discussing the possibilities of liberalising legislation.

Referring to the ban on fireworks, Marcin Animucki, a member of the board of Poland's premier league (Ekstraklasa), noted the complaints from fans on this matter.

“We are one of very few countries that have such repressive laws on security at mass events,” he said. (nh)