THE POLISH FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION

With the end of WWI Poland became an independent state, and just one year later The Polish Football Association was formed. In 1927 a league was introduced, with Wisla Krakow becoming the first Champions.

The golden era for Polish football began in the 1970s when, under the leadership of Kazimierz Gorski, the side won gold at the 1972 Olympics in Munich and followed this with a third-placed finish at the 1974 World Cup Finals in West Germany.

Further success followed through the late '70s and early '80s, with a fifth-placed finish at the 1978 World Cup preceding bronze at the World Cup in Spain 4 years later. Antoni Piechniczek directed from the bench whilst Zbigniew Boniek pulled the strings on the pitch.

A period of decline followed, and after crashing out to Brazil 4-0 in the 1986 World Cup Finals, Poland failed to qualify for another major tournament until the World Cup in 2002. Despite an impressive qualifying campaign the team disappointed in Korea, and were eliminated in the first round.

Founded

 21.12.1919

Pro players

 927

Amt players

 152,000

Yth players

 138,000

FIFA  ranking

 27 (July 04)

Coach

 Pawel Janas


Pawel Janas

Recent matches v England

Date

Venue

Comp

Score

08 Sept 99

Warsaw

ECQ

0-0

27 Mar 99

Wembley

ECQ

3-1

31 May 97

Chorzow

WCQ

2-0

09 Oct 96

Wembley

WCQ

2-1

08 Sept 93

Wembley

WCQ

3-0

ECQ = European Championship Qualifier
WCQ = World Cup Qualifier

Star Players

Emmanuel Olisadebe, 25, made history as the first black player to represent and score for Poland. Although Nigerian-born, Olisadebe was spotted by Polish scouts and signed for Polonia Warszawa, where he made an immediate impact, helping them to an impropable League and Cup double in 2000. He moved to Panathinaikos where he has featured in the Champions League and helped them to this year's Greek League title. Scored 7 times in 6 2002 World Cup qualifiers to help Poland to their first Finals in 16 years.

Jerzy Dudek, 31, was snapped up by Feyenoord after only 15 games for Polish club GKS Tychy. He was voted the top keeper in the Eredivisie and became Liverpool's first Polish player when he moved in 2001. A brave goalkeeper with quick reflexes, he kept 26 clean sheets in his first season on Merseyside.

Legend

Grzegorz Lato - Poland's most capped player, the flying right winger was an integral part of the national side during the golden era of the 1970s and early 1980s. He made his international debut in 1971 and over the next thirteen years scored 42 goals in 95 appearances, including 7 at the 1974 World Cup which secured him the tournament's golden boot. Domestically he spent most of his career with Stal Mielec, helping them to win the Polish title in 1973 and 1976.

Insider's view

Pawel Janas (Poland Head Coach): "I bet on the players who have been playing for me in the national team for a long time - the time of experiments is over"

The Colour
POLAND

Area

 312,685 km2

Population

 38,580,000

Capital

 Warsaw

Language

 Polish
Famous people - John Paul II (Pope), Frederick Chopin (Composer), Nicholas Copernicus (Astronomer), Lech Walesa (Solidarity Chairman)


Polish Trivia

Category  Stat
Nobel prize laureates  5
Cinema attendance in 1999 712.43 per 1000 people
Televisions 337.88 per 1000 people
No. of Polish Everest ascents 15