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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
World
Presented by Jonathan Wilson and produced by Peter Sale

Guardian Focus podcast: The future of Polish football

Six years after writing Behind the Curtain and finding Polish football at all time low, Jonathan Wilson returns to see how preparations for the 2012 European Championships are progressing.

Back in 2005, interest in the beautiful game was zero - but this wasn't always the case. Jonathan meets the leader of the Solidarity movement and the first president of post-communist Poland. Lech Walesa, who explains how football was a symbol of resistance against the ruling Communist party.

After 1989, Polish football has mirrored the wild-west capitalism which dominates other walks of life. The sport has been plagued with match-fixing, the involvement of organised crime, and violence in the stands. Jonathan meets fans of Legia Warsaw, Ruch Chorzów striker Pawel Abbott, and legendary player Grzegorz Lato, now president of the Polish FA, to find out what's being done to clean up Polish football.

Jonathan examines the new stadiums and tournament infrastructure which Poles hope will lead to a new era of football, which will symbolise a confident and prosperous new Poland.

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