Okęcie Airport Incident
Encyclopedia
The Okęcie Airport Incident (Polish: Afera na Okęciu) occurred in November 1980 at Warsaw
’s Okęcie Airport
. It involved five Polish international
footballers: Józef Młynarczyk, Stanisław Terlecki, Zbigniew Boniek
, Włodzimierz Smolarek and Władysław Żmuda. Młynarczyk had spent the night before the team left for an away trip in a restaurant with a journalist, and was thus tired and hungover in the morning. Manager Ryszard Kulesza
and coach Bernard Blaut
therefore resolved to leave without him, a decision that was opposed by Terlecki, Boniek, Smolarek and Żmuda. Kulesza relented to the dissident players and allowed Młynarczyk to travel with the team. Four of the five players were later temporarily banned from representing Poland, while Kulesza paid the price for his leniency as he lost his job over the affair.
's Poland
team was preparing for a 1982 FIFA World Cup
qualifying
match away to Malta
on 7 December. The Poles had planned to leave Warsaw
ten days before the match because they had organised a training camp in Italy
as well as a match against an Italian League
representative team. Poland were at the time regarded as one of the world's top sides, having finished third in the 1974 World Cup
. Ranked sixth in the world by the Elo rating system
, Poland had beaten Spain
2–1 and Algeria
5–1 in the weeks running up to the incident.
One of Poland's key players of the time was the ŁKS Łódź forward Stanisław Terlecki, the "outspoken" son of two university lecturers who had earnt a degree in history from the University of Łódź. Terlecki, known for reading western
magazines such as Time
and Newsweek
on journeys with the national team despite the Communist
rule in Poland, had already been in trouble with the Polish Football Association
(PZPN) in 1975 when he moved clubs without permission.
Poland in 1980 was a hotbed of unrest: The June 1976 protests
across the country had seen violent incidents at factories in Płock, Radom
and Ursus
, and after the workers' strikes were quelled, they received sympathy from intellectuals such as Terlecki. Following the creation of Solidarity, Terlecki himself attempted to form a footballers' union, resulting in a PZPN-enforced six-month suspension from the national team. Solidarity, the first non-Communist trade union
in an Eastern bloc
country, had been formed in July and August 1980 in Gdańsk
, prompting the Polish government to enforce censorship and to cut all phone connections between the coast and the rest of Poland. Despite the efforts of the authorities, four out of every five Polish workers were members of the union by the Autumn of 1980.
, who told him that Młynarczyk was to stay behind.
Młynarczyk's "alleged drunkenness" was "blown out of proportion" according to the team's forward, Grzegorz Lato
; upon hearing of Blaut's decision, Smolarek, Terlecki and two other Polish players – Zbigniew Boniek
and Władysław Żmuda – decided to side with the goalkeeper. In the argument which followed, the players nearly came to blows with Blaut. All five played for clubs from the central city of Łódź: Boniek, Smolarek, and Żmuda were team-mates of Młynarczyk's at Widzew, while Terlecki turned out for ŁKS. When Młynarczyk arrived at the airport in Terlecki's car, Kulesza, facing mutiny, gave up and decided to take the goalkeeper to Italy and Malta.
Due to the large media presence at the airport, news about the incident quickly spread across the country after the team left for Rome
: The government swiftly decided to use the scandal to distract the people in the face of the "Solidarity Carnival". Meanwhile, in the Italian capital, Terlecki disobeyed orders by organising a meeting with the Pope
for the players. The PZPN reacted to this second act of defiance by sending Terlecki, Młynarczyk, Boniek and Żmuda home before the team travelled on to Malta. Despite being without four of their first-team players, Poland beat Malta 2–0 in a game blighted by violence as the match was stopped after 77 minutes by Maltese fans throwing stones at the Polish players. Młynarczyk was replaced between the posts by Lech Poznań
’s Piotr Mowlik
.
When the team returned to Poland, Terlecki once again attempted to form a players' union: Securing the support of 16 other members of the Poland squad, he wrote a letter to the Association declaring their intention to do so, leading the authorities to order them to face a tribunal. Only Terlecki, Boniek, Żmuda and Młynarczyk continued to endorse the letter when challenged in court. General Marian Ryba, head of the Association and a former military prosecutor, decided to bar each player from the Poland squad until December 1981. Regarding Kulesza as too lenient, he also forced the manager to tender his resignation, replacing him with Odra Opole
manager Antoni Piechniczek
on 5 January 1981. Ryba himself was to resign his post in April 1981.
In addition to their international bans, the players involved faced penalties at club level. Boniek and Terlecki were each banned for a year, while Żmuda was suspended for eight months. Boniek would later describe the incident as "the most dramatic moment in [his] career". Smolarek was treated more leniently; his sentence of two months came with a six-month suspension period. Despite being without some of their top players, Widzew Łódź were crowned champions of Poland at the end of the 1980–81 season.
Młynarczyk, Boniek and Żmuda had their bans cancelled early: Żmuda and Młynarczyk returned in the 1–0 home win over East Germany
on 2 May 1981, while Boniek regained his national team place as Poland lost 2–0 to West Germany
on 2 September. The players' recall was mostly due to efforts of the new manager, Piechniczek: Młynarczyk was among his favourites, and had previously played under him at BKS Stal Bielsko-Biała and Odra Opole before moving to Widzew before the 1980–81 campaign. Piechniczek also saw fit to drop Śląsk Wrocław forward Janusz Sybis
: The new manager preferred to field a team made up of tall and physically strong players, and Sybis, a short and skilful player who had been a regular under Kulesza, saw his opportunities limited as a result.
Despite his team-mates' return, Terlecki would never represent Poland again: It was not the first time that Terlecki had been in trouble with the Association, and although Terlecki appealed against the ban several times, his suspension was not lifted. Terlecki participated in students’ strikes at his old university in Łódź and across Poland before his activities caused his club, ŁKS Łódź, to cancel his registration. Stating that "[he was] being treated like a leper", Terlecki emigrated to the United States
in June 1981, where he was such a success with the Pittsburgh Spirit
of the Major Indoor Soccer League that former Pittsburgh forward Graham Fyfe
dubbed him "Stan the Fran (as in "franchise")". He did not return to Poland until 1986.
Even without Terlecki, Poland qualified for the 1982 World Cup
with a perfect record. Piechniczek's team were knocked out by Italy
in the semi-finals, but then defeated France
3–2 to repeat the third-place finish that the team had achieved eight years before. Meanwhile, Kulesza became the manager of Tunisia
and later founded a coaching school in Warsaw
which became popularly known as "Kuleszowka".
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
’s Okęcie Airport
Warsaw Frederic Chopin Airport
Warsaw Chopin Airport is an international airport located in the Włochy district of Warsaw, Poland. Poland's busiest airport, Warsaw Chopin handles just under 50% of the country's air passenger traffic....
. It involved five Polish international
Poland national football team
The Poland national football team represents Poland in association football and is controlled by the Polish Football Association, the governing body for football in Poland...
footballers: Józef Młynarczyk, Stanisław Terlecki, Zbigniew Boniek
Zbigniew Boniek
Zbigniew "Zibì" Kazimierz Boniek is a former Polish footballer and coach. He first played at Zawisza Bydgoszcz and later at Widzew Łódź. Boniek was named by Pelé as one of the 125 Greatest Living Footballers and by FIFA as one of the 100 best-ever players. On 12 October 2009 he received a Golden...
, Włodzimierz Smolarek and Władysław Żmuda. Młynarczyk had spent the night before the team left for an away trip in a restaurant with a journalist, and was thus tired and hungover in the morning. Manager Ryszard Kulesza
Ryszard Kulesza
Ryszard Kulesza was a Polish footballer, coach and official, one of managers of the Poland national football team. His father was killed during Warsaw Uprising, and Kulesza himself, who was 13, was very lucky to survive, as a German soldier threw him under a passing tank...
and coach Bernard Blaut
Bernard Blaut
Bernard Blaut was a Polish soccer player, who is most famous for his 1960s performances in both Legia Warsaw and the Polish National Team....
therefore resolved to leave without him, a decision that was opposed by Terlecki, Boniek, Smolarek and Żmuda. Kulesza relented to the dissident players and allowed Młynarczyk to travel with the team. Four of the five players were later temporarily banned from representing Poland, while Kulesza paid the price for his leniency as he lost his job over the affair.
Background
In late November 1980, Ryszard KuleszaRyszard Kulesza
Ryszard Kulesza was a Polish footballer, coach and official, one of managers of the Poland national football team. His father was killed during Warsaw Uprising, and Kulesza himself, who was 13, was very lucky to survive, as a German soldier threw him under a passing tank...
's Poland
Poland national football team
The Poland national football team represents Poland in association football and is controlled by the Polish Football Association, the governing body for football in Poland...
team was preparing for a 1982 FIFA World Cup
1982 FIFA World Cup
The 1982 FIFA World Cup, the 12th FIFA World Cup, was held in Spain from 13 June to 11 July. The tournament was won by Italy, after defeating West Germany 3–1 in the final.-Host selection:...
qualifying
1982 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA)
Listed below are the dates and results for the 1982 FIFA World Cup qualification rounds for the European zone . For an overview of the qualification rounds, see the article 1982 FIFA World Cup qualification....
match away to Malta
Malta national football team
The Malta national football team is the national football team of Malta and is controlled by the Malta Football Association. Malta played its first international game in February 1957, and began competing for qualification to major tournaments in 1962. The side's first competitive victory came in...
on 7 December. The Poles had planned to leave Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
ten days before the match because they had organised a training camp in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
as well as a match against an Italian League
Serie A
Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
representative team. Poland were at the time regarded as one of the world's top sides, having finished third in the 1974 World Cup
1974 FIFA World Cup
The 1974 FIFA World Cup, the tenth staging of the World Cup, was held in West Germany from 13 June to 7 July. The tournament marked the first time that the current trophy, the FIFA World Cup Trophy, created by the Italian sculptor Silvio Gazzaniga, was awarded...
. Ranked sixth in the world by the Elo rating system
World Football Elo Ratings
The World Football Elo Ratings is a ranking system for men's national teams in association football. The method used to rank teams is based upon the Elo rating system method but modified to take various football-specific variables into account...
, Poland had beaten Spain
Spain national football team
The Spain national football team represents Spain in international association football and is controlled by the Royal Spanish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Spain. The current head coach is Vicente del Bosque...
2–1 and Algeria
Algeria national football team
The Algeria national football team , nicknamed الأفنــاك, Les Fennecs , represents Algeria in association football and is controlled by the Fédération Algérienne de Football. Algeria's home ground is the Stade 5 Juillet 1962 in Algiers and their head coach is Vahid Halilhodžić.Algeria has qualified...
5–1 in the weeks running up to the incident.
Western world
The Western world, also known as the West and the Occident , is a term referring to the countries of Western Europe , the countries of the Americas, as well all countries of Northern and Central Europe, Australia and New Zealand...
magazines such as Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
and Newsweek
Newsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
on journeys with the national team despite the Communist
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
rule in Poland, had already been in trouble with the Polish Football Association
Polish Football Association
The Polish Football Association is the governing body of football in Poland. It organizes the Polish football leagues , the Polish Cup, the Polish SuperCup, the Polish League Cup, and the Polish national football team...
(PZPN) in 1975 when he moved clubs without permission.
Poland in 1980 was a hotbed of unrest: The June 1976 protests
June 1976 protests
June 1976 is the name of a series of protests and demonstrations in People's Republic of Poland. The protests took place after Prime Minister Piotr Jaroszewicz revealed the plan for a sudden increase in the price of many basic commodities, particularly foodstuffs...
across the country had seen violent incidents at factories in Płock, Radom
Radom
Radom is a city in central Poland with 223,397 inhabitants . It is located on the Mleczna River in the Masovian Voivodeship , having previously been the capital of Radom Voivodeship ; 100 km south of Poland's capital, Warsaw.It is home to the biennial Radom Air Show, the largest and...
and Ursus
Ursus (district in Warsaw)
Ursus is a district of Warsaw, one of the 18 such units into which the city is divided. Between 1952 and 1977 it a was separate city, a legacy of which are Ursus' poor road connections with the Warsaw city centre...
, and after the workers' strikes were quelled, they received sympathy from intellectuals such as Terlecki. Following the creation of Solidarity, Terlecki himself attempted to form a footballers' union, resulting in a PZPN-enforced six-month suspension from the national team. Solidarity, the first non-Communist trade union
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
in an Eastern bloc
Eastern bloc
The term Eastern Bloc or Communist Bloc refers to the former communist states of Eastern and Central Europe, generally the Soviet Union and the countries of the Warsaw Pact...
country, had been formed in July and August 1980 in Gdańsk
Gdansk
Gdańsk is a Polish city on the Baltic coast, at the centre of the country's fourth-largest metropolitan area.The city lies on the southern edge of Gdańsk Bay , in a conurbation with the city of Gdynia, spa town of Sopot, and suburban communities, which together form a metropolitan area called the...
, prompting the Polish government to enforce censorship and to cut all phone connections between the coast and the rest of Poland. Despite the efforts of the authorities, four out of every five Polish workers were members of the union by the Autumn of 1980.
The incident
On the night before the team's departure for Italy, goalkeeper Józef Młynarczyk of Widzew Łódź spent several hours drinking in Warsaw’s Hotel Wera restaurant with a friend, Janusz Zielonacki, a Polish sports journalist. As a result, Młynarczyk did not sleep during the night and, according to Stanisław Terlecki, mentioned his worry about possible retribution from the manager during breakfast. Młynarczyk was too drunk to even carry his own bags, which his team-mate Włodzimierz Smolarek had to carry. In front of the team bus, Smolarek was confronted by Kulesza's assistant, Bernard BlautBernard Blaut
Bernard Blaut was a Polish soccer player, who is most famous for his 1960s performances in both Legia Warsaw and the Polish National Team....
, who told him that Młynarczyk was to stay behind.
Młynarczyk's "alleged drunkenness" was "blown out of proportion" according to the team's forward, Grzegorz Lato
Grzegorz Lato
Grzegorz Bolesław Lato is a former Polish football striker, and the leading scorer at the 1974 World Cup. Lato's playing career coincided with the golden era of Polish football, which began with Olympic gold in Munich in 1972 and ended a decade later with third place at the 1982 World Cup in...
; upon hearing of Blaut's decision, Smolarek, Terlecki and two other Polish players – Zbigniew Boniek
Zbigniew Boniek
Zbigniew "Zibì" Kazimierz Boniek is a former Polish footballer and coach. He first played at Zawisza Bydgoszcz and later at Widzew Łódź. Boniek was named by Pelé as one of the 125 Greatest Living Footballers and by FIFA as one of the 100 best-ever players. On 12 October 2009 he received a Golden...
and Władysław Żmuda – decided to side with the goalkeeper. In the argument which followed, the players nearly came to blows with Blaut. All five played for clubs from the central city of Łódź: Boniek, Smolarek, and Żmuda were team-mates of Młynarczyk's at Widzew, while Terlecki turned out for ŁKS. When Młynarczyk arrived at the airport in Terlecki's car, Kulesza, facing mutiny, gave up and decided to take the goalkeeper to Italy and Malta.
Due to the large media presence at the airport, news about the incident quickly spread across the country after the team left for Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
: The government swiftly decided to use the scandal to distract the people in the face of the "Solidarity Carnival". Meanwhile, in the Italian capital, Terlecki disobeyed orders by organising a meeting with the Pope
Pope John Paul II
Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...
for the players. The PZPN reacted to this second act of defiance by sending Terlecki, Młynarczyk, Boniek and Żmuda home before the team travelled on to Malta. Despite being without four of their first-team players, Poland beat Malta 2–0 in a game blighted by violence as the match was stopped after 77 minutes by Maltese fans throwing stones at the Polish players. Młynarczyk was replaced between the posts by Lech Poznań
Lech Poznan
Lech Poznań is a Polish football club based in Poznań, Poland. The club is named after Lech, the legendary founder of Polish nation.The club was established in 1922 as Lutnia Dębiec, later changing its name several times. From 1933 until 1994, the club was closely linked to Polish State Railways...
’s Piotr Mowlik
Piotr Mowlik
Piotr Mowlik is a retired Polish football goalkeeper.In 1965, Mowlik began as an apprentice with LZS Orzepowice. In 1966, he signed as a professional with ROW Rybnik where he played until 1970. That year, he also briefly played for Unia Racibórz. In 1971, he joinedLegia Warsaw where he played...
.
Aftermath
Odra Opole
Odra Opole is a football club based in Opole, Poland, currently playing in the Polish First League...
manager Antoni Piechniczek
Antoni Piechniczek
Antoni Piechniczek is a retired Polish football player and a football manager. Since 2007 he is a Polish senator.- Player career :...
on 5 January 1981. Ryba himself was to resign his post in April 1981.
In addition to their international bans, the players involved faced penalties at club level. Boniek and Terlecki were each banned for a year, while Żmuda was suspended for eight months. Boniek would later describe the incident as "the most dramatic moment in [his] career". Smolarek was treated more leniently; his sentence of two months came with a six-month suspension period. Despite being without some of their top players, Widzew Łódź were crowned champions of Poland at the end of the 1980–81 season.
Młynarczyk, Boniek and Żmuda had their bans cancelled early: Żmuda and Młynarczyk returned in the 1–0 home win over East Germany
East Germany national football team
The East Germany national football team was from 1952 to 1990 the football team of East Germany, playing as one of three post-war German teams, along with Saarland and West Germany....
on 2 May 1981, while Boniek regained his national team place as Poland lost 2–0 to West Germany
Germany national football team
The Germany national football team is the football team that has represented Germany in international competition since 1908. It is governed by the German Football Association , which was founded in 1900....
on 2 September. The players' recall was mostly due to efforts of the new manager, Piechniczek: Młynarczyk was among his favourites, and had previously played under him at BKS Stal Bielsko-Biała and Odra Opole before moving to Widzew before the 1980–81 campaign. Piechniczek also saw fit to drop Śląsk Wrocław forward Janusz Sybis
Janusz Sybis
-References:* at 90 Minut* at Weltfussball...
: The new manager preferred to field a team made up of tall and physically strong players, and Sybis, a short and skilful player who had been a regular under Kulesza, saw his opportunities limited as a result.
Despite his team-mates' return, Terlecki would never represent Poland again: It was not the first time that Terlecki had been in trouble with the Association, and although Terlecki appealed against the ban several times, his suspension was not lifted. Terlecki participated in students’ strikes at his old university in Łódź and across Poland before his activities caused his club, ŁKS Łódź, to cancel his registration. Stating that "[he was] being treated like a leper", Terlecki emigrated to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in June 1981, where he was such a success with the Pittsburgh Spirit
Pittsburgh Spirit
Pittsburgh Spirit were an indoor soccer team based out of Pittsburgh and were one of the original six teams that played in the Major Indoor Soccer League...
of the Major Indoor Soccer League that former Pittsburgh forward Graham Fyfe
Graham Fyfe (footballer born 1951)
Graham Fyfe is a Scottish former professional football player, who is best known for his time with Rangers....
dubbed him "Stan the Fran (as in "franchise")". He did not return to Poland until 1986.
Even without Terlecki, Poland qualified for the 1982 World Cup
1982 FIFA World Cup
The 1982 FIFA World Cup, the 12th FIFA World Cup, was held in Spain from 13 June to 11 July. The tournament was won by Italy, after defeating West Germany 3–1 in the final.-Host selection:...
with a perfect record. Piechniczek's team were knocked out by Italy
Italy national football team
The Italy National Football Team , represents Italy in association football and is controlled by the Italian Football Federation , the governing body for football in Italy. Italy is the second most successful national team in the history of the World Cup having won four titles , just one fewer than...
in the semi-finals, but then defeated France
France national football team
The France national football team represents the nation of France in international football. It is fielded by the French Football Federation , the governing body of football in France, and competes as a member of UEFA, which encompasses the countries of Europe...
3–2 to repeat the third-place finish that the team had achieved eight years before. Meanwhile, Kulesza became the manager of Tunisia
Tunisia national football team
The Tunisia national football team , nicknamed Les Aigles de Carthage , is the national team of Tunisia and is controlled by the Fédération Tunisienne de Football. They have qualified for four FIFA World Cups, the first one in 1978, but have yet to make it out of the first round...
and later founded a coaching school in Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
which became popularly known as "Kuleszowka".