Compiled by MARY HANNIGAN
ll-judged: Gdansk deputy mayor's unwelcome remarks
ATTEMPTED U-TURN of the week?
Over to you, deputy mayor of Gdansk, Andrzej Bojanowski: “I thank residents and city employees for behaving like normal civilised white people toward our guests who have in turn also behaved like normal white people.”
A few hours later: “I apologise to anyone I may have hurt with the clumsy phrasing I used this morning in a live broadcast. I simply wanted to thank residents and guests, whatever the colour of their skin.
“I wanted to praise all the inhabitants of the town of liberty and solidarity. We have shown that everyone can act and enjoy the match and our cultures in happiness together.”
Mind you, according to Reuters, “the Polish anti-racism Foundation for Freedom said the ill-judged remarks highlighted how racist stereotypes were rooted in the language of the country” but that “it was certain no offence had been intended.”
We’ll take their word for it.
Paying the price: Russia fined and face further punishment over fans' behaviour
Russia will be docked six points in qualifying for the next European Championship if their fans step out of line again after disturbances at their opening Euro 2012 game against the Czech Republic last Friday.
The charges against Russia's fans included setting off fireworks. Russian and Polish fans were also involved in violence in Warsaw on Tuesday. Police detained 184 people, 156 of them Poles, 25 Russians, and three other foreign fans.
Uefa opened another disciplinary case against the Russian FA yesterday following incidents inside the stadium in Tuesday's game, but said it would not have any impact on the suspended sanction related to the Wroclaw match.
Hold the post: Sweden's Lustig lampooned for error
Sweden's Mikael Lustig was quick to apologise after his mistake against Ukraine on Monday that led to Andriy Shevchenko's winning goal, the defender failing to hold his position at the post and allowing Shevchenko to head home.
"Of course it's bitter. I have the space at the bar, but got a little too aggressive in the head," he told Swedish paper Aftonbladet (thanks again to Google Translate).
Has Sweden forgiven him?
Not quite yet.
The ball had hardly hit the back of the net when Twitterers started posting photos under the hashtag "Hold the Post" (well, in Swedish obviously), and they were still at it yesterday.
It's hard to pick a favourite, but this one, of a quite intense young man clinging to a lamppost, was hard to beat.
Headliner
Front page of the day: Jakub Blaszczykowski's Tardelli-ish celebration of that equaliser against Russia. "Gramy Dalej," needless to say, means "play on" (according to Google Translate any way).
Speaking of the Polish captain . . . ITV's Adrian Chiles has been getting dog's abuse for his less-than-sensitive comment after the game: "As a child Blaszczykowski watched his father murder his mother . . . but he's bounced back!"
Oh Adrian.
