WARSAW, Poland (AP) 鈥� A grassroots Warsaw soccer club formed by fans more than a decade ago to resist aggressive nationalist stadium culture is hoping to find new relevance in Poland 鈥� a country whose president doesn’t deny his own past participation in fights between football fans.
AKS Z艂y, short for Alternatywny Klub Sportowy Z艂y, or Alternative Sports Club Evil, was founded in 2015 by supporters of Warsaw鈥檚 main clubs Legia and Polonia. They decided to take a stand against hostile behavior they encountered in the stands and around stadiums at Polish matches.
The club, which has men鈥檚 and women鈥檚 teams, is still owned and run democratically by its fans.
鈥淲e decided to create a club that would be different, where all people, regardless of their sexual orientation, race or nationality, could feel good and welcome,鈥� AKS Z艂y coordinator Jan Dziubecki told The Associated Press.
He said that fan culture in Poland has 鈥渄rifted sharply to the right and openly hateful slogans are common.鈥�
President , backed by the nationalist conservative Law and Justice party, was elected last year. He鈥檚 known for his long standing allegiance to Lechia Gda艅sk, a club from the northern city, and has attended its games since taking office.
Following reports during the election campaign that Nawrocki had taken part in a street brawl between soccer fans, he said he had been involved in many 鈥渘oble鈥� fights in his life.
While Nawrocki鈥檚 presidency might strengthen the kind of fan culture that AKS Z艂y was created to oppose, Dziubecki said that it might actually produce the opposite effect.
鈥淢aybe more fans will come to our stadium again,” he said with a smile.
Community ties
Juliusz Wrzosek, owner of the Offside bar in Warsaw鈥檚 Praga district, was one of the founders of the club and can be seen selling tickets at the stadium entrance.
He said he was a lifelong fan of Legia Warszawa but eventually got kicked out of the more radical section because he refused to sing chants sending greetings to people serving prison terms. During the same period, his friends who supported Polonia, Legia鈥檚 rival, were getting marginalized for similar reasons. Together, they decided to create their own club.
鈥淏ecause you have to support someone,鈥� Wrzosek said.
His bar isn’t only a meeting place for AKS Z艂y fans, but also a venue where the club occasionally organizes social events, often meant to commemorate an aspect of the local history of the Praga district. In March, it co-hosted an event honoring Stefan Okrzeja, a socialist worker who fought for Polish independence at the beginning of the 20th century.
鈥淚t bothered me that in Poland, a country with a great history of leftist and left-wing values, there isn鈥檛 a single club that is democratic, that doesn鈥檛 impose its own version of fan culture,鈥� Wrzosek said.
Rivals are also welcome
At a recent women鈥檚 game in Poland鈥檚 second division, AKS Z艂y faced a stronger team from S艂upca, but fans in the modest stadium in Praga were undaunted.
They sang songs welcoming the visitors and urging their own side to score to the rhythm of drums. Complaints about the referee were kept to a minimum and polite.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not just empty words when you say that the fans are the 12th player, because it really helps and motivates you to give more,鈥� former AKS Z艂y player and now supporter Eliza G贸rska-Tran told The Associated Press.
The 37-year-old G贸rska-Tran, who attended the game with her wife and two young children, stressed the importance of the supportive community created around the club, which she helped to run after her playing days.
AKS Z艂y embraces LGBTQ+ and immigrant players. The club has always invested in the male and female teams equally. And, at its academy for kids, richer parents help cover the costs of poorer ones.
G贸rska-Tran said that fans staged a wedding ceremony for her and her partner at the stadium after they married in Scotland, where same sex marriage is legal, unlike in Poland.
鈥淚 also remember my last match before I got pregnant, it was an unforgettable experience,鈥� she said. 鈥淭here were flares, including rainbow-colored smoke, on the football pitch.鈥�
Alicja Cicho艅ska, who is in her seventh season playing for AKS Z艂y, said that she joined the club, because she had heard about the inclusive community built around it.
鈥淔ootball should unite us all, not divide us, because there鈥檚 enough of that in society already,鈥� she said.
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