Karol Nawrocki’s 140-person football hooligan fight throws the Polish presidential race into chaos, as his campaign admits to the wild 2009 brawl. The right-wing contender, backed by Law and Justice, remains unapologetic in the final days before the decisive June 1 vote, leaving rivals scrambling.

Sixteen years after the massive hooligan brawl, Nawrocki’s unapologetic stance—calling the fight “noble, masculine combat”—draws fierce headlines and football hooliganism searches. With 140 rival club brawlers and a presidential run-off looming, his scandalous past delivers a political punchline.

The 2009 brawl featured 140 football hooligans—some later convicted criminals—duking it out in a remote Polish field.