Polish and Israeli authorities condemn Haifa fans' Holocaust banner

The Polish foreign ministry and the Israeli embassy in Warsaw on Friday condemned fans of Maccabi Haifa who held up a banner reading "Murderers since 1939" during a match against Rakow Czestochowa.

Rakow advanced on aggregate despite losing the Europa Conference League qualifying second leg in Debrecen, Hungary, but Polish media focused more on images of the banner than what happened on the pitch.

The Holocaust remains a highly sensitive issue in Poland, which was invaded by Nazi Germany in 1939. Six million Poles, including three million Jews, perished during World War II.

The foreign ministry in Warsaw said it "firmly condemns the behaviour of certain supporters."

European football's governing body UEFA responded on Friday that they would start disciplinary proceedings against both clubs for "transmitting a message not fit for sports event".

Earlier, the new conservative Polish president Karol Nawrocki described the banner as "scandalous."

It "offends the memory of Polish citizens who were victims of the Second World War, among whom were three million Jews. A stupidity that no words can explain," Nawrocki wrote on X.

The Israeli embassy responded after the match.

"Such words and actions, from any side, have no place at the stadium or elsewhere. Never!" it wrote on X. "These shameful incidents do not reflect the spirit of the majority of Israeli supporters."

The Polish foreign ministry said one its officials met with the Israeli ambassador on Friday and "expressed his utmost indignation at the outrageous content of the banner."

"Polish-Israeli relations cannot -- and will not -- be destroyed by extremists," added the ministry.