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Zbigniew Boniek: Selection of Jerzy Brzęczek is a sure step
"23 July became a very important day for Polish football. Three weeks ago we said goodbye to Adam Nawałka but football abhors a vacuum, so we made good use of that time and selected a new coach - Jerzy Brzęczek. We are to face new challenges" said the President of the Polish Football Association at the press conference during which the new head coach of the Polish national team was introduced.
"I am a person who likes to give chances to people who want to achieve something, and not only take advantage of fame. I was wondering for a long time when I was making a choice. I noticed that during 100 years of the history of Polish football, the Polish head coaches were the most successful, so I was focused on that direction from the beginning. Jerzy Brzęczek was one of the highest in my hierarchy and this choice is a sure step. The new coach has everything to perform the task that he is entrusted with properly and lead the Polish national team in a good way. In recent years he has been working as a coach in Polish clubs; one could say that his coaching CV is not very extensive but let's look at it from the other side: hardly any Polish coach has impressive achievements because our clubs are not successful in the international arena. After the talks held, I am convinced that my choice was right. I am very enthusiastic about this, and I am sure that we will all be satisfied.
"We need to create a new team which will now be managed by Jurek. The new coach signed a contract which will be in force until December 2019 which will be renewed automatically after the advance to the UEFA Euro. We now have six months to prepare the national team for the battle in the UEFA Euro qualifiers, thanks to the matches against major rivals. I believe that we will qualify for them and achieve successes under the leadership of the new coaching staff. We are capable of participating in a great event. That's how it was in 2016, when we presented ourselves very well during the UEFA Euro in France, and also in 2018 when there were high ambitions and strong desires but we did not meet the requirements of the World Cup.
"Being a coach in a club and in a national team means two different things, however, we have hundreds of examples of coaches who entered a new locker room and quickly achieved success. I had no doubts when selecting Jerzy Brzęczek because I knew that he was ready for it. I was very enthusiastic about him and I am sure that in October 2019 we will be qualified for the UEFA Euro.
"I did not mean to outwit anyone when choosing the head coach. Gianni De Biasi has never blamed me, as it was presented by some journalists. I talked to him directly and I said that if I decided to choose the foreign option, he would be my first choice. When I selected Jurek, I sent Gianni a text message with information immediately. Nobody was arguing. Few people expected that Jerzy will be chosen as the head coach. We wanted to make the right choice which will guarantee that the national team will in good hands.
"My and Jurek's paths have already crossed twice. In 2010, the Zawisza Bydgoszcz officials asked me to help them, so I called Jerzy who, however, was already involved in the activity of Raków Czestochowa and then he refused. This time he didn't refuse. We talked many times in person, but it was the first time in several years when I heard Jurek speaking publicly, at the press conference. The longer I listen, the more I am convinced that it was a right choice. The only thing I wish Jerzy is luck - in terms of all other aspects he is ready for the challenges. As for the external communication, I do not have any guidelines for the head coach. Everyone knows what is best for them and everyone approaches the world in a different way. Jurek is certainly different than Adam Nawałka. However, he will be assessed only on the basis of his results and not the interviews.
"The national team is about the team spirit, both among players and in the coaching staff. He creates individualities, not the other way round. Each player who has the Polish passport can play in the Polish national team. Everything depends on the coach, he is the one who selects the national team members. However, I require full commitment, ambition and fight for the White-and-Reds from each called-up player. I believe that the period of Jurek's work with the coaching staff will be a time of success. It is not an easy task because the national team needs some kind of repair to function like two years ago. To achieve this, everyone must be both self-confident and humble. If someone does not respect the coach, he/she will not play in the national team. In the recent past, Ludovic Obraniak and Eugen Polański have learned this; they did not obey that rule and were excluded from the national team. Playing in the national team is a huge honour. It was always a pleasure for me to play with the eagle on my chest and each player should be guided by this idea.
