March 7 (Reuters) - An unusual atmosphere hung over Slask Wroclaw's stadium on Saturday as the home side warmed up in front of their supporters, and TV cameras were in place, despite the growing certainty that Wisla Krakow would not show up for the match.
Wisla announced on Friday they would boycott the Polish second-tier league match after Slask barred their travelling supporters from attending citing safety concerns. Leaders Wisla said they would not play a game in which their fans were excluded.
As the away dressing room remained empty, the Slask starting lineup was announced over the stadium speaker to local fans who had turned up despite knowing the game was never going to go ahead.
State broadcaster TVP was scheduled to televise the game live, and their experts and analysts stood pitchside in the build-up to a 5.30 pm kick-off which failed to materialise.
After the Slask players lined up and went through the formalities of shaking hands with match officials, they appeared confused, looking to the referee for a signal as to what would happen next.
Under Polish league regulations, the referee must wait the required 15-minute period before declaring a walkover if one team fails to appear.
The Polish football association (PZPN) had already announced that both sides can expect punishment over the controversy, with Wisla facing a 3-0 walkover defeat and Slask's penalty yet to be decided.
(Reporting by Trevor Stynes, editing by Pritha Sarkar)
