The Polish Football Association ( PZPN) is the governing body of association football in Poland. It organizes the Polish football leagues (without the ), the national cups, and manages the men's and women's national teams. It also runs the national futsal and beach soccer competitions. It is based in the Polish capital of Warsaw.
History The fully-independent federation was established on 20 December 1919 subsuming the autonomous Polish Football Union (PFU) that was part of the disintegrated Austrian Football Union. The PFU was established on 25 June 1911 in Lwów, Austria-Hungary.
When the Wehrmacht invaded Poland in September 1939, all Polish institutions and associations were dissolved, including the PZPN. The German occupying forces forbade Poles to organise football matches.Thomas Urban, "Football 'Only for Germans', in the Underground and in Auschwitz: Championships in Occupied Poland", in European Football During the Second World War. Ed. M. Herzog/F. Brändle. Oxford 2018, p. 367.
In September 2008, the leadership of the Polish Football Association was suspended by the Polish Olympic Committee for "[violating] its statutes in a continuous and flagrant fashion". One year earlier, the Polish sports ministry also made an attempt to address corruption within the Polish Football Association, but was threatened with suspension by FIFA, which forbids any form of government intervention. On 30 October 2008, Grzegorz Lato became the president of the Polish Football Association. On 26 October 2012, Zbigniew Boniek was elected president after winning 61 votes from 118 delegates.
The football association turned 100 years with the 2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup during its centennial year. In 2019, Józef Klotz, who had played for the Poland national football team and was killed in the Warsaw Ghetto during the Holocaust, was honored by the Association. On 28 August 2021, Cezary Kulesza was elected president.
Provincial associations The PZPN is divided into 16 provincial associations, corresponding to the 16 voivodeships of Poland.
Region Association Lower Silesian Football Association Kuyavian-Pomeranian Football Association Lublin Football Association Lubusz Football Association Łódź Football Association Lesser Poland Football Association Masovian Football Association Opole Football Association Podkarpackie Football Association Podlaskie Football Association Pomeranian Football Association Silesian Football Association Świętokrzyskie Football Association Warmian-Masurian Football Association Greater Poland Football Association West Pomeranian Football Association
Presidents N.PresidentTenureNotes 1. Edward Cetnarowski 20 December 1919 – 15 January 1928 2. Władysław Bończa-Uzdowski 15 January 1928 – 20 February 1937 3. Kazimierz Glabisz 20 February 1937 – 1 September 1939 4. Tadeusz Kuchar 29 June 1945 – 16 February 1946 5. Władysław Bończa-Uzdowski 16 February 1946 – 1949 6. Andrzej Przeworski 1949 – 1951 7. Jerzy Bordziłowski 1951 – 1953 8. Jan Rotkiewicz 1953 – 1954 9. Roman Gajzler 1954 – 1954 10. Władysław Rajkowski 1954 – 1956 11. Stefan Glinka 1956 – 1961 12. Wit Hanke 1961 – 1966 13. Wiesław Ociepka 1966 – 1972 14. Stanisław Nowosielski 1972 – 1973 15. Jan Maj 1973 – 1976 16. Edward Sznajder 1976 – 1978 17. Marian Ryba 1978 – 1981 18. Włodzimierz Reczek 1981 – 1985 19. Edward Brzostowski 1985 – 1986 20. Zbigniew Jabłoński 1986 – 1989 21. Jerzy Domański 1989 – 25 March 1991 22. Kazimierz Górski 25 March 1991 – 3 July 1995 23. 3 July 1995 – 28 June 1999 - Wiesław Pakoca 25 May 1998 – 7 August 1998 curator 24. Michał Listkiewicz 28 June 1999 – 30 October 2008 - 19 January 2007 – 1 February 2007 curator - 1 February 2007 – 5 March 2007 curator - 29 September 2008 – 10 October 2008 curator 25. Grzegorz Lato 30 October 2008 – 26 October 2012 26. Zbigniew Boniek 26 October 2012 – 18 August 2021 27. Cezary Kulesza 18 August 2021 – present
References
External links
Official website Poland at FIFA site