How Poles Played Instead of Chelsea. "He Didn't Receive Authorization"

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On the other side of the English Channel, this was naturally viewed with a touch of pity. One of those most vocal in saying, "Hooray, hooray, not so soon with this crowning," was L'Equipe journalist Gabriel Hanot. This former footballer had studied in Berlin before the war and spoke fluent German and English. He mentioned that Real Madrid or AC Milan might not be inferior to the self-proclaimed world champions, and that it would be a good idea to organize a European Club Championship. L'Equipe quickly presented a practical plan. The idea appealed to the continent's biggest brands. They agreed that it couldn't be a separate league; it should be played midweek between domestic competitions, using a match-and-return format, preferably on floodlit pitches. FIFA gave its blessing to the venture, stating that UEFA still had to give the green light – which, following a decision by the Executive Committee, happened in June 1955.

There was no provision for the first edition of the European Cup to be open only to national champions. The plan was simply for the best and most prestigious teams to participate. This factor, among other things, was intended to make the new competition more interesting than the Mitropa Cup, which brought together Central European clubs.

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L'Equipe journalists compiled the first list of clubs eligible to participate in the European Cup in January, when the idea was still in its infancy. Ultimately, invitations were sent to 16 teams: AB Gladsaxe (Denmark), RSC Anderlecht (Belgium), Djurgaardens IF (Sweden), AC Milan (Italy), Rot-Weiss Essen (Germany), Stade de Reims (France), 1.FC Saarbrücken (French Protectorate of Saarland), Holland Sport (Netherlands), Honvéd Budapest, Servette FC (Switzerland), Hibernian FC, Partizan Belgrade, Sporting (Portugal), Real Madrid (Spain), Chelsea (England), and Rapid Wien (Austria). In the following weeks, this list changed slightly. Honvéd declined to participate in the European Cup and was replaced by Vörös Lobogo, later MTK Budapest. Instead of AB Gladsaxe, Aarhus GF appeared, and in place of Holland Sport, PSV Eindhoven. Later, the teams were even paired up, not by a draw, but by journalists' decision. And so it was decided that Chelsea would play Djurgaardens IF. Still no word on Gwardia Warszawa...

The Swedes were certain they would face England as late as June 6, 1955. That day, Aftonblabet reported on its front page: "On Friday, a representative of Chelsea met with representatives of Djurgaardens IF to discuss match days for the upcoming matches. "England wants to play on Monday, but the atmosphere during the match would be better if we played on Sunday. We will probably propose a match for this weekday in mid-September in Stockholm, and a month later we will go to London. According to Aftonbladet, Italy's Udinese could still participate in the European Cup." The last sentence shows that the list of participants was still not finalized.

Chelsea officials were genuinely looking forward to the match against Djurgaardens IF – unlike Alan Hardaker, the secretary of the Football League, the English league. He believed that everything English is best. And Europeans, especially those from the south of the continent, want too much say, and Chelsea shouldn't be participating in some silly European Cup. On July 5th, at a Football League meeting, it was announced that the London club wanted to participate in the new competition, but the officials, led by Hardaker, forced a change of heart. The exact date of the decision is unknown. Chelsea no longer appears in the Aftonbladet archives in connection with the match.

Instead, there's Gwardia. The first mention doesn't appear until September, just before the European Cup matches. Earlier – on August 19th – the now-defunct daily "Arbetar-Tidningen" reported that the Swedish team would be competing against Gwardia. So, by mid-summer 1955, it was already clear that this young club, founded in 1948 and under the patronage of the militia, but descended directly from teams playing in Warsaw's Grochów district (the same one that Muniek Staszczyk would sing about years later as "waking up from a drinking binge"), would become the first Polish player in European competition. Although immediately after Chelsea's withdrawal, this wasn't entirely certain.

In the 2015 book "60 Years Have Passed, or Gwardia Warszawa in European Cups," written by Michał Hasik, Przemysław Popek, and Mariusz Świerczyński, we read: "Ultimately, the Organizing Committee sent an invitation to the Polish club, which was influenced not only by decision-makers from the European federation, but also by officials of the Swedish club Djurgaardens IF. The Stockholm team could have chosen, or at least suggested, its rival from among three teams – the then-Luxembourg champions CS le Stade Diddelang, the Czech club TJ Spartak Praha Sokolovo (today's Sparta Prague), and the Polish team. Ultimately, the choice fell on the Polish national team."

Naturally, before the potential opponents were presented to the Swedes, the organizers had to consult with the federations of the countries from which the aforementioned clubs originated. In Poland's case, this was the Main Committee for Physical Culture, as it was to this committee that the football headquarters reported from 1951 to 1956. So why was Gwardia chosen and not Ogniwo (Polonia) Bytom, which had won the league in 1954 (competing under the spring-autumn system)? Firstly, as mentioned, the originators of the European Cup didn't reserve a place only for the champions. Secondly, in the 1955 season, the Bytom team performed exceptionally poorly, and they feared embarrassment. "It is therefore closer to the truth that, by internal decision of the Polish Football Association, the teams occupying one of the first three places at the time of registration were selected. In June 1955 (after the end of the first round) these were: Włókniarz Łódź, Stal Sosnowiec and Gwardia," we read in the book "60 Years Have Passed."

Gwardia's success could also be attributed to the fact that they won the Polish Cup in 1954, although it should be clarified that formally this success should be attributed to Gwardia's second team. The club fielded two teams in the competition. "Jedynka" lost to Górnik Radlin in the round of 32, while "Dwójka" advanced without playing (after the withdrawal of regional military teams, including OWKS Bydgoszcz, now Zawisza). In the following rounds, it was the team – based on "Jedynka" players – that represented Gwardia until the victorious final (a draw and a replay win against Gwardia/Wisła Kraków).

"According to French sources, the possession of the Polish Cup was the main argument for entering players from Warsaw into the tournament. It is highly likely that the choice of Gwardia was also dictated by political considerations. After all, the club was under the protection of the Ministry of Police. It should also be remembered that logistical issues were also important for the Swedes when choosing their opponent, and they could only fly directly to Warsaw," we learn from "60 Years Have Passed."

The first match was scheduled for September 20, 1955. The Warsaw team traveled to Sweden a few days earlier, but without coach Edward Brzozowski. "(...) he did not receive permission from the 'authorities' to travel abroad! Yes, the passport was only for those in whom the people's government had unlimited trust, or at least 'there were no reasonable doubts' that he could illegally – of course – remain abroad," we read in the Fuji Football Encyclopedia – Polonia, Warszawianka, Gwardia, published in 2003 as part of the Club Collection. Brzozowski was replaced by Tadeusz Foryś, and it was he who led the training session the day before the match in Stockholm. During the training session, the Warsaw players played under floodlights for the first time in their lives. Does this mean the Swedes had an advantage? If so, it was a small one, as they had only had the opportunity to play under such lights twice before, as reported by the Katowice daily "Sport."

The match ended in a 0-0 draw. "Przegląd Sportowy" began its match report by pointing out the floodlights. According to Grzegorz Aleksandrowicz, however, this favored the home side, for whom "the problem wasn't the heavy ball, nor the shadow of the ball." Theoretically, the result should have been considered decent, but Aleksandrowicz remained critical. "However, in characterizing this match and assessing the Warsaw team, one cannot solely consider the difficult match conditions. It must be said upfront that Gwardia played below their level, and that under these circumstances, a single point in the tournament is quite fortunate," opined "PS." Readers could also learn that "Gwardia only had a defensive and midfield line," and that their players need to learn to play smart and aggressively, because "at least 80 percent of the referee's foul whistles were for Polish players who made inexpert body attacks and often led to unnecessary free kicks."

Gwardia didn't have it easy, especially since Krzysztof Baszkiewicz was injured early in the match after a foul and was left "limping around the pitch with a swollen leg." Substitutions were not allowed at that point. Aleksandrowicz lavished praise on goalkeeper Tomasz Stefaniszyn, who saved a penalty.

And what did the Swedes write about the match? They didn't like most of it either. "Djurgaarden was struggling, and the crowd was struggling too. The attendance of 3,500 was one of the lowest in history (...). It was Gwardia Warszawa who took the lead in the two-legged tie. Here in the capital, it wasn't festive; it was a bizarrely constructed sporting spectacle," the "Aftonbladet" journalist wrote directly about his thoughts. He noted, however, that "Polish defender Maruszkiewicz (Zdzisław) was a world-class player." He also quoted Foryś: "We had major problems with the lighting."

At the time, the Swedes were unaware that Marian Norkowski, who had been temporarily removed from Gwardia Bydgoszcz, had illegally played for the Warsaw team. When they learned of this, "the Djurgaarden management reportedly had prepared documents for the UEFA Commission. Since they defeated Gwardia in the return match, they decided not to file a protest," we read in "60 lat mija."

The return leg, played at the Polish Army Stadium in Warsaw, was a one-sided affair. The Swedes took home memories of a walk through Mariensztat and a 4-1 victory, which qualified them for the next round (where they lost twice – 3-1 and 1-0 to Hibernian FC). The victory came surprisingly easily for the visitors, as they had planned to stay in Poland until Friday – in case of a draw. If that were the case, a third match would have been necessary on neutral ground, but the Swedes were willing to play in Warsaw.

"The capital's players are far from the form that offered a glimmer of hope," reported "PS" after the return match against Sweden, which, according to Jerzy Zmarzlik, "wasn't weak, but one-sided." This match, however, also made history; after all, it was the first European competition match played in Poland.