WARSAW, June 9: Polish FA chief and former striker Grzegorz Lato apologised on Wednesday for a spate of hooliganism among fans and said he was sure measures now in place would prevent trouble when they co-host Euro 2012.

Polish fans were detained in Lithuania in March after throwing bottles, flares and benches at police before and during a friendly match, which Poland lost 2-0.

Last month, police in the Polish town of Bydgoszcz deployed water cannon against fans, who invaded the pitch and damaged the stands after Legia Warsaw won the Polish Cup 5-4 on penalties against Lech Poznan.

“We are shocked by the hooliganism. I never experienced anything like that when I was playing. It was something that never happened,” Lato told a news conference.

“I would like to apologise to our Lithuanian friends,” he added during a visit to Warsaw by top UEFA officials.—Reuters