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Most countries in Europe share a long-standing passion with the game of
football, and Poland is certainly no different. In fact, the country's official
football governing body, the Reprezentacja Polski w piłce nożnej (Polish
Football Association), was founded in 1919.
In 1921, the Poland national
football team played its first-ever international football match against
Hungary's national team in Budapest, which it lost by 0-1.
In the 1970s the Poland national football team evolved into a football
powerhouse, winning gold in the 1972 Munich Olympics, silver in the 1976
Montreal Olympics and silver in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.
In terms of the
FIFA World Cup, Poland's national side has finished in third place twice - in
1974 and 1982. While it hasn't fared too well in subsequent World Cup
tournaments, Poland attempts to qualify in each, eager to regain its once
respected form.
As such, the Warsaw-based Polish Football Association (PZPN) - under the
guidance of new President Gregory Lato, who was elected to the post in 2008 -
has endeavoured to qualify for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
Over and above
the Poland national football team, the PZPN also oversees the country's domestic
football leagues and competitions, including the country's premier division, the
Ekstraklasa, and governs the Polish League Cup, the Polish SuperCup and the
Polish Cup.
Top Polish national team players both past and present include Włodzimierz
Lubański, Gregory Lato, Kazimierz Deyna, Ernest Pol, Andrzej Szarmach, Gerard
Cieślik, Zbigniew Boniek, Ernest Wilimowski, Dariusz Dziekanowski and Roman
Kosecki.
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