Ryszard Czarnecki for Niezalezna.pl: Poland is still associated with the football power of the 1970s.
You are known not only as a politician or an MEP, but also as a sports lover. I have received information that you specially organized an exhibition of sports in the European Parliament. Do you mean Polish sport?
This week, when together with Minister Elżbieta Rafalska, in the European Parliament (EP) – the highest prestigious place in the world – we inaugurated an exhibition dedicated to Kazimierz Górski. The best coach in the history of Polish football. I am one of the best in Europe in the seventies.
After all, not only did he lead Poland to the gold and silver Olympic medals and to a joint place in the world championships, but also with Greek clubs he won the Greek Championship several times, the Greek Cup twice and the Balkans Cup once.
And the aforementioned exhibition is an element of the so-called “soft diplomacy”, i.e. “diplomacy – not diplomacy”. In this case, “sports diplomacy.”
Let us add that “soft diplomacy” consists in presenting a given country not through a hard obstacle, but through an achievement of a different type. In this case, football. And it is known that the ball is currently used in sports. Our exhibition, so to use the language of communication used.
referring to a story that happened to me when I was not on the European Parliament mission in Lesotho. This country is entirely within South Africa.
So, as soon as the local border guard saw my Polish passport, I started to recite to me the behavior of Polish footballers from memory. Those who played in Kazimierz Górski’s team! He also mentioned Lewandowski, but he mentioned him at the very end. But Kazimierz Deyna or Henryk Kasperczyk (well-known there, by the way, because he used several institutions in Africa) were mentioned right away. This shows that Poland is still associated in the world with a phenomenon, a powerful football team from the 70s!
Our last exhibition was a “bull’s eye”. I’ve organized close to the screen in the European Parliament before, and none of them have ever had a frequency like this!
It is also worth knowing that there have been and still are great footballers in the European Parliament. Such as, for example, the vice-world champion from 1970 of Italy Gianni Rivera. Or Todoros Zagorakis – captain of the Commission, who won the sensational title of European Champion in 2004.
Are there any other exhibitions you organized in the EP? About sports? maybe some of them?
No no! There were both strictly political and cultural exhibitions. For example, painting. I also remember that in my life, which is no longer alive, the president – attention! – The Swedish Association of Cartoonists, an exhibition of caricatures from around the world. So these were different exhibitions. Sports is the first. Now!
So, returning to sport, mobilizing the Lord God, can you see in the European Parliament that he is the current World Cup?
Sir, we are talking while the voting is going on (I shouldn’t admit it!) and here in front of me, diagonally, sits a colleague from Croatia, who is voting, and at the same time I am watching on a small screen Ipad (and I even get only “mobile phones” ” ”) Croatia – Morocco match!
I must also admit that Polish deputies, while voting, secretly glanced at the match against our group. Saudi Arabia vs Argentina.
So – of course – in the European Parliament, almost everyone is interested in the Championships in Qatar!
add yourself with Polish volleyball. How, how can you find out more about the state of Polish football in your opinion compared to volleyball?
Volleyball is our national sport. It’s about progress. Apart from the last four world championships, Poles return as champions. Once as runners-up. Only once – in Italy – were they not in the final.
In addition, for the last five European Championships, Poles have organized them three times at home. Winning them – in the last dozen or so years – one gold and three bronze medals. When it comes to the world championships, the last two championships were in Poland.
Poland is therefore a power when it comes to volleyball. Power also in organizational and sports feelings. From now on to Poland, PlusLiga is the next league in the world! Even stronger than Italian.
Polish women also belong to the top middle class. In the top four, they lost after a tie-break match against world champions Serbia by only two points.
The Women’s World Championships took place in Poland.
The facts I have given about the organization of the power of Polish volleyball. It is difficult to connect with football.
And yet, after all, Polish football can have some use in creating the World Cup?
Well, I’m a fan! And this fan is characterized by the fact that he always believes in his team. So I believe in White and Red.
Source: niezalezna.pl