Euro 2012 kick-starts with Poles 'punching and kicking' English fans at local pub

Krakow (Poland), June 8(ANI) Hours before Euro 2012 kicks off, about 50 Polish hooligans punched and kicked foreign supporters, mostly English speaking, as they drank at a pub in the central Polish city of Lodz.

This incident followed a race row that transpired with the Dutch team during their open training session, with captain Mark Van Bommel threatening that players will walk off the pitch if racism continues.

This incident comes after the families of two black England players, Theo Walcott and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, decided not to travel to the competition in Poland and Ukraine because they feared abuse from violent and racist fans.

Witnesses to the violence said masked men pulled up in cars next to a pub and attacked anyone in sight, throwing punches and kicks.

"'When they started to hit out, we fled inside. We barricaded the entrance," The Daily Mail quoted an eyewitness, as saying.

"Some of us remained outside, and they got the brunt of the attack. They forced two younger men to the ground, with multiple attackers starting to punch and kick them," a Polish witness said.

"It was a horrible sight. I fumbled for my phone and called the police. They were lying motionless on the pavement. I thought they were dead. After a couple of minutes, one of them started to get up, and then the second. I was very relieved," the witness added.

Before the incident, the visitors were reported to be talking and chanting in English and Russian. (ANI)