Is the golden era of Widzewa Łódź? “If the club does not waste this opportunity, it can be beautiful”

Within a few weeks, a new sports director (Mindaugas Nikoličius), a coach (Željko Sopić) appeared at the club at Piłsudskiego Aleja Piłsudskiego, and finally came on March 28, 2025. This is the day that the fans of Widzewa Łódź will remember for a long time. Footballers in a good style won away in Gliwice with Piast 2: 0, and a few hours earlier Robert Dobrzycki became the majority shareholder of the club. The president and co -owner of Panattoni Europe is seen by a large part of the Widzew community as a savior under whom the club can fight for trophies. And these are missing for 30 years.

– Dobrzycki is not an outside investor. He is a fan that knows and understands the club. If we do not waste this opportunity, it can be beautiful – says Stańdo.

Jan Wojtal, “Wprost”: Do you think the takeover of the club by Robert Dobrzycki is a unique moment that was not yet in this century?

Bartłomiej Stańdo, “Widzew sector”: He was closest to him in 2007, when the club was taken over by Sylwester Cacek. I remember the conference with the slogan “We are building a great Widzew”. But, as it turned out later, on clay legs. At first glance you can see similarities, but the closer someone is watching, the more differences they can see. Cacek was not previously associated with the club. He sold the bank, bought a club that was later a kind of toy for his son. Dobrzycki is an entrepreneur from an even higher shelf, and a supporter who knows the environment and has been investing in a club for years – he began with the academy, then he became a general sponsor, and now he took over. It all has a sensible chronology.

Since reactivation in 2015, various people managed Widzew. However, the club has been systematically taking next steps, walking forward.

Yes, though not without bends. In the fourth league you needed people with heart, character, but also a great fantasy. Salomon did not pour from the empty, and Ferdzyn and Krakus were successful. Klementowski left the presidency as the leader of the second league, with a large financial cushion. Stamirski took the last step in reactivation, extremely important – and after returning to the Premier League he did not go crazy, did not burn money, stabilized the lean boat.

And Dobrzycki?

This is another level in the game “Widzew: From scratch to the top.” He bought Widzew orderly, which, in combination with the huge means he has, can introduce RTS several levels higher. He can invest not to extinguish fires, but in building the size of Widzewa.

And what is the biggest investment priority now?

Unambiguously – a natural, heated training pitch for the first team. It will be difficult without this about sports progress. We can bring good players, but if they do not have the right conditions for training, they will not show their full potential. The finalization of this investment, which has already begun by the city and the Ministry of Sport, should be a priority. Immediately behind her – strengthening the syndrome in the summer.

What about the expansion of the stadium? The topic returns like a boomerang.

It is hardly surprising, because Widzew is 17,000, but definitely too small a stadium. Although he opened it at the fourth level of the competition, from the beginning he had no problem with his filling. It is a pity that the city of Łódź a dozen or so years ago threw the expertise for which it paid dearly. A study of an independent company has shown that Widzew should have an object for about 30,000 places, and yet they were carried out in the time not enough for the club. Now this potential is even greater. A few years ago, Jacek Ferdzyn designing this stadium admitted that for several dozen million zlotys you can build a C Tribunal C, which would bring less than five thousand additional chairs. I think that the topic of expansion is also important to Robert Dobrzycki, and maybe thanks to him – it will also be real.

Are there great times for Widzew? Is there a light in the tunnel?

Is. Not a light anymore. This is already a lighthouse. You just have to go towards her with your head on the neck. Invest wisely. Do not get stretched by managers, do not overpay for average players. Ekstraklasa is full of expensive and weak players – just like good people who did not cost a fortune. I hope that the new sports director will negotiate hard. Thanks to Robert Dobrzycki, he has more financial resources, and thus – he has a greater choice. This is a chance for a success that we haven’t had for decades.

Bio:
Bartłomiej Stańdo – journalist, publicist, co -creator of the “Widzew sector” channel on YouTube. Author of the book “Widzew. Reactivation”, describing the Widzewa Łódź road from the fourth league to the elite. He specializes in the club’s history and analysis of its non -conciliatory activities. Widzewa supporter for over 20 years.