THE POLICE have started an investigation into a violent attack in which football hooligans attacked a bus full
of rival Banská Bystrica fans arriving for a match in the western Slovak town of Trnava on August 16.
Attackers first blocked the road with a trash container and started to throw bricks and stones at the bus when it
was forced to stop. Several windows on the bus were smashed, according to the SITA news agency.
The agency reported that instead of calling the police, some Bystrica fans got out of the bus and started to fight
with their attackers. Two fans were hospitalised, one of whom suffered concussion in the brawl. A number of
people suffered light injuries in the incident, local police said.
According to Jana Pôbišová, press officer with the Interior Ministry, the attack had been planned in advance and
some of the Bystrica fans were also involved in plotting the incident.
She said some of the Bystrica fans spoke on mobile phones with Trnava fans during the journey and they later
asked the bus driver to follow one car that was supposed to lead them to Trnava stadium. The car, however, led
the bus to the scene of the incident.
SITA also reported that, according to unconfirmed information, the Trnava fans broke into the bus and beat the
Bystrica fans, including one pregnant woman.
In contrast, police report that the European Champions League qualifier in which Chelsea beat Žilina 2:0 passed
without incident. There had been concerns about violence after a match between England and Slovakia in
October 2002 that saw violent clashes between hooligans and police.
