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Poland vs. Slovakia. The Empty Stands Initiative.
Comments(23)This may be the Bialo Czerowni’s most important game of the year. Sadly, not because we still have a chance to qualify for the next year’s World Cup, but because of the “Empty Stands” initiative, a fans’ boycott of the national team game. The protest is not aimed at the players, but at the Polish FA who are held responsible for all that’s bad in Polish football. This is the moment when the fans are taking the initiative.
Only 4 000 tickets were sold in Poland for the game against Slovakia. Our southern neighbours were allocated 4 000 tickets as well, but from what I read today so far they’ve only used 1 000 of them. Stadion Slaski’s capacity is almost 50 000 people, but there won’t be more than 10 000 people watching the game live. The quiet atmosphere will resemble a one of a graveyard, a good metaphor when you consider the today’s game a funeral of the Polish football. I listed most of the reasons for the boycott in one of my latest notes. Now the FA’s press officer, Mr Atlas (a former journalist, well known his liking of strong alcohols), is calling the fans taking part in the initiative hooligans or even terrorists. Suddenly, we’ve got 140 000 (check the koniecpzpn.pl) strong terrorist organization in Poland; I read somewhere that it has even more members than Al Kaida. I didn’t expect anything more classy from Mr Atlas since he officially called one of the journalists a dickhead in one of the latest interviews. Nevertheless, the boycott is getting a nationwide exposure. Yesterday I watched a report about it on TVN 24 (a Polish news station), the newspapers are interviewing the organizers of the boycott and generally it’s all over the internet. Finally, one of the sponsors responded to the action (Śnieżka company) stating on their official website that they are not associated with PZPN in any way and that they are only sponsoring the national team. Other sponsors followed, the general idea is that they have nothing to do with PZPN and they sign their sponsorship deals with marketing companies. A good response and a proof that the initiative is working to some extent. Today it will reach its boiling point, I expects all the news bulletins to show pictures of the empty stands and the PZPN’s officials freezing their asses off in the VIP area.
Another hot topic of the last couple of days was Mariusz Lewandowski’s declaration that the team expects some financial aid from Slovenia to try harder (we can’t lose against Slovakia for Slovenia to qualify). In the beginning I just treated it as a very poor joke. However, the journalists that recorded Lewy’s interview stated that our captain was dead serious when talking about it. I still can’t believe it wasn’t a joke (I really like to think that I live in a normal, European country). Still, If it wasn’t, Lewy has just lost all the respect he could have had as the team’s captain.
How about the game itself? Well, Slovakia needs to win to advance to the World Cup, otherwise it’s Slovenia going through from the first spot. For us it’s a friendly. Jerzy Dudek will start in goal today. There will be one change in our defensive line. Not surprisingly, Piotr Polczak can’t count on starting the game this time around. Unfortunately, Jaroslaw Bieniuk, not Adam Kokoszka, is the one expected to substitute the Cracovia defender. I can’t see any logical explanation for this decision, I’d much prefer to see the Empoli player and check if he presents a higher level of performance than Polczak, whether we can consider him a 2012 candidate. Since there are no backup full backs in the squad we’ll see Seweryn Gancarczyk and Jakub Rzezniczak on the flanks of our defense. Mariusz Lewandowski will start in the middle, probably together with Roger who should replace the uninspiring Iwanski. Kuba Blaszczykowski may also be benched; in this case either Irek Jelen or Slawomir Peszko will start on the right wing. There is also a rumour that Lech’s Jakub Wilk may be our left winger for the game. It doesn’t necessary mean that Ludo Obraniak loses his place in the starting lineup as there’s also a rumour that he’ll play as a striker (or a player behind the striker). If Jelen plays on the wing Pawel Brozek will start in the attacking line; he’s recovered from the minor injury he had. Robert Lewandowski and Dawid Janczyk are expected to start the game on the bench.
Ludovic Obraniak urges the fans to “give us wings” on the cover of Przeglad Sportowy today. Sorry Ludo, nothing personal, but the fans won’t be there today to cheer you up. It’s not about players, it’s about PZPN. The result of the game against Slovakia is unimportant, the important thing is to work for the development of the Polish football and a good result in Euro 2012. For this we need changes in PZPN. If the boycott helps achieve that even in a small percentage, it’ll be worth it.
Did you guys see that!? In the pregame interview, Piechniczek touched his face with his middle finger right to the camera. Well thats a big fuck you to you too sir.
Wow! I haven’t seen the interview, must have been great.
Our starting lineup: Jerzy Dudek – Jakub Rzeźniczak, Arkadiusz Głowacki, Jarosław Bieniuk, Seweryn Gancarczyk – Jakub Błaszczykowski, Mariusz Lewandowski, Roger Guerreiro, Ludovic Obraniak – Ireneusz Jeleń, Paweł Brożek
I’ve never seen soccer played in such heavy snow before.
anyone have a link to watch the game?
Posted from 
United States
that goal cheered me up
Posted from 
New Zealand
wonder how much Slovakia paid Poland for that own goal, hahahaha.
Posted from 
Canada
It’s kind of embarrassing to say but I really enjoyed watching that game. The snow was wonderful, although the empty stands kind of sucked but I know that that was working towards a better future so I can deal with it… given the type of game the Slovaks played after the own goal it’s kind of hard to judge performances but I thought we played ok when Obraniak moved into the middle with Peszko on the left. Lewandowski got some chances, and I thought there should’ve been a penalty when he was taken down on the turn at the top of the box. The defender may have touched the ball but he was all over Lewandowski first and took him to ground when the ball got past. Jan Mucha played the game of his life, congrats to him. Kuba was more aggressive in the 2nd half, M. Lewandowski made some accurate long balls, and Jelen was playing hard. For some reason, be it the snow, the attacking style we had to play when the Slovaks sat back, or just the fact that our qualifying campaign is finally over, I enjoyed watching the game. I missed about the first 40mins, so I didnt see the own goal live, I’m sure that would’ve pissed me off…
Congratulations to Slovakia.
Posted from United States
I’m sitting in front of my computer watching the game enjoying a Tyskie beer talking on my phone from Orange in my Nike Poland kit, planning to make a stop at my ING bank right after the game. Oh and I only use Castrol Edge motor oil, and only rely on Tytan.
Man, that was depressing. Good effective protest. But it does not end there. Maybe a protest in front of the PZPN head office would add to the revolution.
The interview was on nsport . Its really hard to listen to what that goof has to say. He mentioned something about Russia. Props to Sergiusz Ryczel for standing up to that fool and calling him out and answering his statement by saying that we’re not a bunch of dirty commies.
I have one thing to say to Piechniczek and the PZPN: A na drzewach zamiast liści będą wisieć komuniści!
I hate to disagree, but I don’t think these protests will achieve anything. Its great to see the people uniting, but FIFA has shown its not about the people. If the government can’t intervene then the people are powerless. It would be different if Poland had to qualify for the Euros, but they go automatically. So there will be no changes just because fans don’t go to games, or even if sponsers pull out. Someone will be eager to sponser. You think these guys don’t have friends in business? At this point the players need to strike. Don’t go if you’re called up. Complain to the media how bad it really is. If we can’t field a team, then the money will be lost. Then FIFA will step in or risk losing a necessary country. They’re always looking to expand their reign of football. The only other option is to get a coach who will win the hearts of the people, like Leo did, and then stand up to the PZPN. As it is, all this talk about foreign coaches vs Polish coaches is a joke. It would be best if no one wanted to coach with this administration in charge. You have all said it yourselves, the things the PZPN says is crap. Even they don’t take this seriously. Unfortunately, what should be a rather triumphant Euro 2012 for Poland will just make us look ridiculous. I’m certain the tournament will go down fine. It might even put the Ukrainian part to shame, but football-wise, we’re gonna wind up losing the first two games, and maybe winning the third by some fluke. Isn’t that how the last three big tournaments went for us? And face it, even if Polish fans don’t buy tickets for the Euros, other fans will. Because the outside world doesn’t give a shit about our FA. They just want to see their teams win the Euro. I wouldn’t be surprised if Germany got drawn to play in Poland, and wound up having the largest fanbase.
Thanks for the blog tomasz. Please keep us informed on any happenings with Polish football. Particularly if you can give us news on the PZPN. I’m interested to see where we go from here. Shouldn’t we be working on arranging friendlies, and a lot of them? What else are we gonna do for the next two plus years?
adas, it’s true that FIFA doesn’t care about the fans, but so what? Their power is limited, all they can do is stop the government from intervening, they can’t force the fans to support the NT. And without the fans’ support the PZPN is in for some tough times.
You’re wrong that new sponsors will be found. Do you seriously believe that a company would go to the expense of sponsoring the NT just because of friendships with the PZPN? There has to be a real benefit to justify the expense. Companies only offer to sponsor something if they believe it will improve the company’s image in the eyes of their potential customers. But how does sponsoring the Polish NT improve their image in the eyes of the Polish public? In fact, the company risks WORSENING their image by associating themselves with the PZPN.
Posted from Canada
Look, I can’t be certain that there will be companies. I’m just saying, these guys are relative sports legends. They have friends everywhere. I’m also saying that the fans are for the players. So if the players joined the fans, then this would force a change. You can’t have a PZPN if there is no team playing. I’m glad the fans have united for a change. I just don’t think this will do anything. Look, there’s no real important games coming up any time soon. The Euro will be a success financially, and that money will make its way to the PZPN whether Polish fans buy tickets or not. This boycott is honorable, but it won’t be enough for change. If boycotts like this work, I’d like to see some statistics from other countries. I just think it’ll fail to change anything. Especially because there are no qualifiers but a straight entry to Euro 2012. And you’re right, FIFA can’t force the fans to attend the games, but they support the PZPN. That means that they will try to assist somehow, especially because of Euro 2012. And UEFA will assist even more. Its one thing for Poland to look foolish, its another for the world governing bodies to do so. And the PZPN are pigheaded. They’re not gonna step down. So what do you think will happen? No one can force them out, they won’t resign, we’re stuck until at least the next election, if they don’t keep their seats that is. I mean, everything they’ve done up to now is for the PZPN. They just assume the fans will follow. Now that they aren’t following, the FA will find some way to survive. I know I keep saying the same thing over and over, but what are the fans gonna boycott now? Friendlies? I don’t consider friendlies to be complete sellouts because you’re not usually seeing the strongest team. So I just want to know what you guys think will happen.
Lato and co. may be sports legends but companies are not going to throw money into a fire as well as risk alienating their customers just because they idolize Lato. They wouldn’t last long with that kind of business sense.
I agree that it would help if the players joined the strike, but even if they don’t I’m quite confident the fans’ boycott will hurt the PZPN. There have been a number of articles over the last few days revealing that the sponsors are worried about the effect this is having on their image. One company actually withdrew its prepaid advertisements from the Slovakia game, they don’t want to be seen as supporting the PZPN.
http://reprezentacja.com.pl/index.php?plik=wstawki/news_caly&numer=101325&kat=2&nazwa=Bank+wycofuje+reklamy+ze+%A6l%B1skiego
And what company is going to want to sign any new sponsorship contracts if they know they’re just throwing money away and harming their business at the same time?
If boycotting the NT doesn’t work, the fans can boycott the league as well. Ekstraklasa officials are already worrying about that possibility.
As for FIFA’s support of the PZPN, they can give emotional support, that’s about it. I doubt that will make up for all the lost revenues.
Posted from Canada
I only got to see a poor quality stream for about 10 minutes in the second half, but the snow looked nice. Could have been a very cool game to watch under different circumstances. Enjoyed seeing the boys mostly on the attack, what I saw agrees with Hieronim’s report above. I felt we are better with Obraniak in the middle, but I guess we need someone like Peszko to fill his shoes on the left too. They were moving the ball very well precise spliting the defense at times.
^^ Mr Atlas sounds like a perfect example of the brazen foolery of the current Polish FA. The fan boycott must continue. At what level can a boycott be effective without important games? How full are the stadiums typically for friendlies in Poland? The fans should demand a new FA before returning to NT games, including Euro2012. The host fans protesting their FA will get a lot of attention. An overhaul of the PZPN is the only solution that can lead to positive changes for Polish football. A PZPN representative calling the Bialo Czerowni fans terrorist — that’s off the chain; that’s crazy! Mr Atlas, you are the dh.
Didn’t see zaraza’s post until submitting mine – good news and potential hope to ‘hear’ about some effect of the boycott with advertisement withdrawal; and yes the Ek! A boycott of the Ekstraklasa could make huge statements fast!
Would someone be able to please explain how a boycott like this would work? Would he best possible scenario from this boycott be that everyone in the PZPN resigns? Who would then take their place? How does the structure of leadership work and how would a complete change in personnel be possible if it seems that there is no governmental oversight?
Posted from United States
All right, look, I’m sure these “communists” as you guys still refer to them have “communist” friends who are in business. I’m not saying that they would never run out of companies to sponser them. I’m only saying that its gonna take more than loss of revenue to overturn this. The fans boycotting the non-existant matches isn’t gonna do shit. Sponsers or not, these guys are hardheaded enough to stay. And as for FIFA and UEFA, they’ll do more that just give emotional support. It doesn’t have to come financially. They’ll do something to help the PZPN somehow. I’ve no idea how. But you can bet your ass that they don’t want to give up the market in Poland. And as for boycotting Ekstraklasa games. That really sounds like a bad idea to me. To stop football in Poland entirely is gonna really mess things up. We need the players, especially the young ones, to play somewhere. You all complain how bad they are now, just wait and see what happens when there is nowhere to play. dmac asks it better probably then I do, but this can’t work. If FIFA is too strong for the government to get involved than I’m starting to think FIFA forcing a regime change is the only way any change will occur. That ain’t happening. I know money rules everything, but I just don’t see all the sponsers bowing out because of fan boycotting. I’m sorry, you’re putting too much emphasis on what football fans in Poland think as compared to how more widespread companies are and where they advertise otherwise. I’m not saying if the fans boycott the companies they won’t feel it, I’m just saying that none of these sponsers are soccer specific. That is to say, they advertise on soccer related stuff but they have to do with cell phones, and beer, and motor oil, etc. This stuff has a market outside of soccer. So, boycott all you want. You have to do something else, because it won’t be enough. What this movement needs is a leader. Otherwise its gonna start to unravel and come to a stop, and then the PZPN boys will be laughing. If only the players would stop playing, then that might be damaging enough to start a change. Seriously, the fa does nothing for the fans as it is, so I’m sure they’re not worried about losing them. Especially because nothing else they do makes sense. Its like they think they’re invincible. I’ll stop ranting now.
Looks like the Polish cops/authorities are also still living in communist times, as they arrested over 20 Slovakian fans who ran onto the field to celebrate the Slovakian advance to their 1st even World Cup after the final whistle, then the Slovaks were not even fed when behind bars, and are now threatened with 3 years in jail! What a joke!
http://wiadomosci.onet.pl/2061003,14,trzy_lata_wiezienia_dla_kibicow_slowacji_za_radosc,item.html
Posted from Canada
Polish fans have drafted a letter to UEFA and FIFA. Over 47,000 people have signed since it started yesterday. You can sign the petition here:
Lato and his goons are trying to play off the boycott on other factors but themselves. Check this out: http://pasjonatkasportu.blox.pl/2009/10/The-end-Poland.html. The interview with Jan Tomaszewski is interesting.
If nothing changes as a result of the boycott I think it may be time to set a few fires and get rid of those cockroaches. I think a noisy but non-violent protest in front of the PZPN head office would really get more publicity and exposure. I have not seen or heard any outside news agency pick up the story. Skysports was crap as always. They mentioned the low attendance but not the reason for it. Anyway, wasn’t it the Czechs a few years back that dissolved their FA and started from scratch?
I know that Polish players are pessimists and look at everything with the glass half empty. I just didn’t know that the glass was filled with beer.
A na drzewach zamiast liści będą wisieć komuniści!
Tomasz—dude you have to put some highlights of the match, I couldn’t believe what I saw on TV, the pitch was like a scene from Dr. Zhivago!!!
Posted from United States
Another sponsor quits, this time it’s Compens
Posted from 
Netherlands
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The comments made by Mariusz Lewandowski tell us that its not only about the PZPN, the players are just as guilty and deserve the cold shoulder. Obraniak has nothing to worry about since he has not been with the team long enough to be part of the problem.