Holding Midfield: Rising tensions between Poland and Lithuania leads to grassroot uni

[Holding Midfield]

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Polish taunting of ethnic Lithuanians at last month?s Europa League qualifying match between Lech Poznan and Zalgiris Vilnius in Poland was to most observers little more than a symptom of the increasingly fractious relations between the two countries, albeit on a more internationally conspicuous stage than the usual diplomatic discourtesies and thinly euphemised needling that now dogs their relationship at ministerial level. The unfurling of a 50-foot banner declaring ?Lithuanian cad, kneel before your Polish master? drew swift condemnation from foreign ministries on either side of the border but the lack of any punitive action from the state or footballing authorities reflects two communities made weary by years of ethnic tensions that have decayed a formerly strong fraternity. As the resolve to restore that brotherhood weakens amongst the leadership, a grassroots campaign to promote unity on and off the pitch is beginning to go viral. That the meeting between Lech and Zalgiris sparked trouble came as no great surprise to anyone. The day before the first leg in Vilnius the county police headquarters issued a warning via the club?s website that any crowd trouble would be put down with swift and forceful retribution and hours before kick-off footage began circulating […]

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