Statue unveiled of legendary coach Kazimierz Górski

A plaque underneath the statue holds a quotation by Górski, stating “as long as the ball’s in play, everything is possible”.

The monument, which is placed on one of the main paths leading up to the stadium from the Waszyngtona roundabout in Warsaw’s Praga district, shows the trainer in a dynamic position with a ball under his arm.

The statue was unveiled by the head of the Kazimierz Górski Foundation, former president Aleksander Kwaśniewski in the presence of Górski’s son, Dariusz.

The statue was sculpted by Marek Maślaniec, whose design won a competition for the monument. It is 3.5 metres high, rising to 5.5 metres including the plinth.

Born in 1921 in the then-Polish city of Lwów (now Lviv, Ukraine), Górski was the national team football coach between 1970-1976.

Under his wing, Poland won a gold medal at the 1972 Munich Olympics and silver four years later in Montreal. Poland also came in third place during the 1974 World Cup in Germany.

In 1991-95, Górski was the head of the Polish FA, and was hailed as Poland’s best coach in a poll for the ‘Piłka Nożna’ publication. He is also the only Pole to have been awarded by UEFA with the Order of Merit in Ruby. He died in 2006. (jb)

Source: PAP