WARSAW, Poland — In Warsaw you could be forgiven for thinking Poland's army is going into battle with Russia rather than its football team.
Polish papers went to town June 11 on references to Poland’s victorious 1920 battle against the Bolshevik Army, known as the Miracle on the Vistula, fueling simmering nationalist sentiments on the eve of the Group A match at the National Stadium.
Poles still take pride in the victory, which was seen at the time as halting the spread of communism into Europe.
The Super Express tabloid carried a front page mocked-up picture of Poland coach Franciszek Smuda charging on horseback, saber in hand, in a 1920 Polish army uniform under the headline "Faith, Hope, Smuda," — a play on an old army motto: "Faith, Home, Motherland."
Super Express went on to warn the Russians against assuming they will win June 12.
"In 1920 they also thought that and … they got a spanking," the tabloid said. "Tomorrow they will get the taste of defeat again, because Poland’s team will show them Miracle on the Vistula 2."
However, many Polish football fans believe that Russia has the stronger side and that the media is wrong to raise hopes in vain or build nationalist tension before the match.
"The newspapers should not be stirring up emotions, because it is clear we will lose. They are doing a bad job," said Marek Toczynski, 56, a chemistry researcher.
The Polish edition of Newsweek had a front-page picture of Smuda saluting, in the uniform of Jozef Pilsudski — who was in command of Polish troops in the 1920 battle, under the headline: "Poland-Russia: The battle of Warsaw 2012."
The highly-charged match falls on Russia Day, a national holiday, and Russian fans are planning to march from downtown to the stadium, a move seen as provocative by many Poles.
Interior Minister Jacek Cichocki said that securing a safe passage for the marchers would be the toughest task for the police so far, but that order would be assured.
According to city security official Ewa Gawor, who discussed the march with Russia fans on June 9, they will walk with whistles and drums to celebrate football, with no political context.
"I made them sensitive to the need to observe the law because otherwise the police will have to intervene," Gawor told a news conference on June 11.
"We will be closely watching events during the march," she added.
Some 10,000 Russian fans have bought tickets for the game.
The head of Poland’s Football Federation, Grzegorz Lato, appealed on June 11 for people not to mix politics with football.
"A pitch is a pitch and let us not mix politics into it," Lato told Radio TOK FM.
Poland and Russia have a long history of troubled relations, including four decades of Soviet Union dominance under communism that was overthrown in Poland in 1989.
However, June 12 marks the day in 1990 when Russian lawmakers declared independence from the Soviet Union, by giving supremacy to Russian laws over the Soviet legislation. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has encouraged Poles to march together with the Russians, to celebrate the day that "finally buried the Soviet Union."
The fans’ march to the stadium will be heavily policed after Russia supporters were shown in video posted online beating stewards at their team’s first match, against the Czech Republic in Wroclaw on June 8.
UEFA has launched disciplinary proceedings against the Russia football federation for its fans behavior during and after the 4-1 win.
As well as the assault on stewards, the fans are accused of displaying a nationalist flag and throwing fireworks onto the pitch.
Police in Wroclaw said June 11 that two Russian fans have been fined and banned from games in Poland after disobeying steward orders on entering the stadium for the match.
Four others will face court on charges of causing bodily harm and material damage during a drunken brawl in the city center. If convicted, they can face between three months and five years in prison, police spokesman Pawel Petrykowski said.
The Russian federation has pleaded with its large contingent of traveling supporters to show more respect at Euro 2012, and warned that UEFA could punish the team with a points deduction if they misbehave again.
Russia’s players and coach say they are focussed solely on the game. A win would put them through to the Euro 2012 quarterfinals with one qualifying match still to play.
"We concentrate on the game and not outside things," Russia coach Dick Advocaat said June 10.
Attacking midfielder Marat Izmailov said Russia will not change its winning game plan.
"I think we will have to play in the same way we did against the Czechs — fast, combination football," he said.
