Lewandowski and Szczêsny grabbed the phones. Americans delighted with the reaction of Poles

In the main photo and. For many years, the captain and basic goalkeeper – colleagues and even close friends from the field. They are primarily the heroes of Rory Smith’s New York Times text. It was Szczęsny and Lewandowski, who on February 25, late in the evening, one by one, picked up the phone and started calling their colleagues from the Polish national team scattered all over Europe.

“This question could not wait”

“Most of them were getting ready for club matches this coming weekend. But this question could not wait. Because everyone has already seen: Russian tanks crossing the border, Russian artillery bombing cities and towns, and Ukrainian refugees pouring out of the country, in hundreds of thousands seeking refuge. just in Poland “, Smith begins his text.

And then he writes about Lewandowski – who he rightly writes about as the most famous Polish athlete in the world – who, after the end of talks with his teammates, told the PZPN management on February 25 that they were all unanimous. They will not come out on the field and play against Russia. And it will not matter to them whether the match would take place on a neutral ground and whether Russia will play it under a neutral flag.

And most of all, it will not matter that Poland itself may be thrown out of the game for the World Cup. – We thought neither about the consequences nor about the fact that we can be punished ourselves. We just couldn’t imagine this match -.

“Polish footballers were ready to sacrifice their place in the World Cup”

Poland was not expelled, because FIFA – – a week ago finally granted Poland a free fate. She decided that the team would advance directly to the play-off finals, where on March 29 in Chorzów they would fight for a trip to the World Cup with the winner of the Sweden – Czech Republic match.

The “New York Times” now emphasizes that it is primarily the actions of Poland, and more specifically its players, followed by other football federations – incl. Sweden, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Scotland, England, Switzerland, Wales – they broke the bureaucratic deadlock in FIFA. That it was their firm reaction in the context of Russia that was most significant. And that this is not a rule in football, because the biggest stars – despite all their fame – are not very willing to get involved in everything that can be attributed to politics.

“Polish footballers were ready to sacrifice their place in the World Cup. And it is possible that they will have to double the stakes” – reads the New York Times, which reminds that this is not the end of disputes, because the Russian federation is still getting ready for legal battles. (CAS), a secret and non-elected judicial body to which the Russians appealed against FIFA’s decisions and demanded the suspension of the penalty.

“This sense of duty and the belief among Polish footballers that they did something right are unlikely to disappear. Regardless of whether Russia’s appeal to CAS will be successful. If so, there is no reason to believe that Poland will not do the same again, i.e. he will sacrifice his place in the World Cup once, “concludes Smith.