Dundee city centre was shut down last night to quell the risk of serious disorder by visiting Polish football fans.
An estimated 2000 Poles were in the city for the Dundee United v Slask Wroclaw Europa League qualifier the visiting spectators bringing with them a reputation for hooliganism and violence.
The majority journeyed from other parts of Britain but several hundred had come from Poland by bus. Throughout the day reports circulated of trouble breaking out in central Dundee as the Polish fans arrived.
Missiles were hurled at shops and pubs, prompting many of the businesses to close early.
Tickety Boo’s in Seagate closed, at a cost of around £2000 in lost revenue but the landlord said he was prepared to pay that price.
“We closed in the interest of public safety,” said the publican, who declined to be named. “There were rumours that they were putting in windows so we thought closing was the best thing to do.”
He said they initially admitted the Polish fans in the afternoon but a happy atmosphere soon became unpleasant.’Threat'”We were quickly filled to capacity and they were bringing in their own beer and topping up their drinks and they then became threatening and abusive. One boy ran his thumb across his throat after I took his beer off him, and I took this as a threat.
“The police came just in time and moved the group away as our staff tidied away the tables and chairs, and we locked up.”
Locals caught in the melee spoke of their intimidation as up 50 police officers some in riot gear moved in to contain the outbreaks of unrest.
In an unprecedented security measure, officers then escorted the Poles up to Tannadice making special efforts to keep them apart from home fans.
At the stadium an emergency segregation plan was mobilised with the Polish fans corralled into the Fair Play Stand for the match.
It was an exciting encounter, with Slask qualifying from the 3-3 tie on away goals despite United’s 3-2 win on the night. But there was drama of a different sort after the game with small groups of victorious away fans involved in confrontations on their way back to the city centre.
One pub near Tannadice was reported to have had its windows smashed, with customers having to take cover. Police moved in smartly to prevent the unrest from escalating and marshalled the away fans out of the area.
Tayside officers backed up by colleagues from Fife and Strathclyde forces lined the route through the city centre to the station where several hundred Poles boarded a train south.
Hundreds of Slask supporters had travelled all the way from Poland by bus and they gathered in the city centre to await their coaches to begin the long journey home.
They were closely watched by up to 100 police officers who moved quickly to keep them clustered in small groups. The police support unit officers with special equipment to quell riots were on stand-by in case of flare-ups.
Before the match police visited all the city centre pubs and off licenses to warn of the potential for trouble if they served alcohol to away fans. The vast majority heeded their advice and closed their doors, not wanting to run the risk of unrest breaking out.
Most pubs and off licenses stayed shut after the game to minimise the risk of disorder.
Chief Inspector Suzie Mertes said of the pubs’ shutdown, “We spoke to them and explained what was going on but it was their decision to close. There were problems with small groups of Polish fans but most of them were well behaved.”
Speaking just before midnight, she said the police operation was designed to contain the situation and help the Polish fans get on their way out of Dundee.
“Many of the fans came here by bus and the drivers are resting up before beginning their journey back to Poland. We have to wait for them to wake up, which won’t be too long now. The buses are down at the station and we will make sure the Polish spectators get on them and travel home.”
In a statement this morning, the police said three Polish men were arrested for minor offences before kick-off.
There was also trouble after full-time, with the force confirming “a small but vociferous number of Polish fans were involved in running skirmishes with the police in the areas around the ground and spreading into the city centre.”
They added, “Bottles were being thrown by some of the Polish fans and there was some damage to property.”
However, the police said they managed to prevent serious disorder. They also praised home supporters for not getting involved.
The force stressed the trouble had been caused by a small number of the visiting fans who were “fuelled by alcohol and were bent on hooliganism”.