Football, elites and the stage, the case of Adolf Dymsza

Adolf Dymsza, holding a bouquet of flowers on the football pitch Football ever since it became a mass sport has always attracted famous fans.  Presidents and prime ministers are present at important matches hoping to bask in the residual glow of success and a host of celebrity hangers on hope to do the same.  Of […]

Down but not yet out in Warsaw and Łódź

Young Polonia fans stare at a protest banner against their former owner Ireneusz Król On August 25 large crowds witnessed the rebirth of two famous old Polish clubs as Polonia Warsaw and ŁKS Łódź played their first home games since going bankrupt last season. Both clubs have started life in the fifth tier of Polish […]

Smashing football: Polonia Warsaw 6 Wkra Żuromin 0

So the big day had arrived.  Finally, as other commentators have noted , Polonia and its fans had the chance to focus purely on football after the trials and tribulations of the summer and the fan violence of last weekend.  Polonia were back once more at their Konwiktorska stadium, something that is possible due to […]

An American in Warsaw: Interview with Gerry Madden

On the weekend the new Polonia played their first match of the new season at KS Łomianki.  Unfortunately Saturday’s events had little to do with football as the game was abandoned after 35 minutes due to the scandalous behaviour of KS Łomianki and Legia fans.  Hooligans repeatedly unveiled an offensive banner, threw apple cores at […]

Polonia Restituta

It’s been a long and, at times, rather confusing summer for Polonia Warsaw.  However the wait for the new season to start is almost over: on Saturday the former Ekstraklasa club will play its first IV liga (5th tier) game at KS Łomianki.  The Polish media have already warned of possible security problems between travelling […]

Mazovian journeys with Polonia: Part 1: Bug Wyszków

Polonia Warsaw’s fall from grace is a sad one for anyone involved with the club.  These last couple of weeks have been about absence.  10 days ago the new Ekstraklasa season got under way without the Czarne koszule, the draw for the Polish cup included the old, bankrupted Polonia who won’t play in the competition.  […]

The Big match Interview: Playoff for the IV liga: PKS Radość vs Przyszłość Włochy

It’s been a season of discovery for little old me as I have struggled to understand the ins and outs of the Polish football league pyramid in the Warsaw area.  This has involved traipsing around Warsaw visiting many of the stadiums of lower league clubs, and keeping close tabs on 90minut.pl a wonderful source of information for […]

Polonia Warsaw: An emotional goodbye

What a week it has been for Polonia Warsaw and its fans.  On Tuesday the club was denied a licence to play in the Ekstraklasa for next season due to huge debts, a decision which means Polonia will fall down the Polish league structure.   From August Polonia will play in either the 4th, 5th or […]

Polonia in the Warsaw lower leagues: 5 reasons for optimism

It’s a very sad day to be a Polonia Warsaw fan.  The famous old club, whose history goes back to 1911, has been denied a licence to play in the Polish top-flight, the Ekstraklasa, next season due to the horrendous financial management of their owner Ireneusz Król.  As a result Polonia will fall down the […]