Legia Warsaw, the Polish top-flight giants, earned a comfortable 3-0 away victory in Cyprus on Thursday, marking their fourth straight win in the league phase of the competition.
However, the match was marred by controversy after Omonia fans displayed a banner praising the Soviet Red Army.
The Polish Institute of National Remembrance (IPN), a state-run historical research organisation with prosecutorial authority, strongly criticised the banner and urged Omonia supporters to learn about "the true nature" of the Soviet Army.
"In connection with the stadium setting prepared by Omonia Nicosia supporters for the match against Legia Warsaw on 28 November 2024, we noted with regret that Cypriot fans lack knowledge about the true nature of the Red Army's activities in Polish lands," the IPN said in a statement on Friday.
It added that it "has been educating for years about the true nature of the presence of the Red Army and the Soviet Army on Polish soil" from 1944 to 1990.
"The enormity of pain suffered from the Soviet occupier has been permanently imprinted in our national consciousness," the statement said.
"Therefore, we do not tolerate symbols of Soviet enslavement in public space and dismantle propaganda objects that dishonor the memory of the victims of Soviet repression," the IPN added.
It noted that "the propagation of communist symbols is prohibited by law in Poland."
Warsaw mayor demands apology
Warsaw Mayor Rafał Trzaskowski on Friday called for an apology over the controversial banner that he said mistook "an aggressor" for "a liberator."
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Source: IAR, PAP, ipn.gov.pl