An extensive text on the cooperation of the Polish Football Association with Publicon Sport, which has been the exclusive marketing partner of the Polish Football Association since August 2022, has appeared on the “Onet.pl” portal. According to journalist Jacek Harłukowicz, who conducted a meticulous investigation, the aforementioned company had a great impact on the victory of the 60-year-old in the election for president. However, the game was not to be clean.
Until 2022, a branch of the SportFive corporation was responsible for marketing PZPN. The company cooperated with the federation for 25 years, but it came to an end when Cezary Kulesza won the election for the position of president.
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At that time, a contract was signed with the widely unknown Publicon Sport. This is a new company on the market, because – according to “Onet.pl” – it was established in 2021, two months after the vote favorable to Kulesza. Nevertheless, the president argued that the contract resulted from Publicon Sport’s extensive experience.
– The choice of Publicon Sport agency was determined by its competence in the field of sports marketing, an experienced team and the attractiveness of the offer the activist explained.
“Onet.pl” emphasizes that in this way “the facts about the new partner were slightly stretched”. Publicon Sport is responsible for the media service of the Orlen Team, which belongs to the fuel giant, thanks to which it boasts of cooperation with, among others, Bartosz Zmarzlik and Robert Kubica.
In fact, Publicon is managed by Radosław Tadajewski, who has been associated with the PiS government for many years. PLN 40 million was spent on its activities in 2018 by the National Center for Research and Development – an institution that is currently controlled by the CBA. “Onet.pl” adds that Tadajewski’s companies helped in the past in the election campaigns of PiS and President Andrzej Duda, and today they work for state-owned companies. Publicon Services deals with i.a. servicing the aforementioned PKN Orlen and PKP Intercity.
Election foul play
Journalist Jacek Harłukowicz conducted an extensive investigation, which concerned, among other things, the process of selecting a new president of the Polish Football Association. According to the journalist, Publicon Sport had a big impact on the final result.
– When Cezary Kulesza decided at the beginning of 2021 to run for the position of president of the Polish Football Association, he did not have people around him ready for such a serious fight. Already then, Radosław Tadajewski and Marcin Śmigielski began to appear in his surroundings. And they, in fact, led the entire campaign, which gave the president a victory over Marek Koźmiński promoted by Zbigniew Boniek. Tadajewski did not hide at that time that after Kulesza was appointed president, he would be interested in introducing one of his companies to SportFive, with which the contract with PZPN ended in July 2022. They declared that they had control over the message of many media, including ” Super Express” and Polski Press newspapers, and therefore they are able to silence any scandal regarding PZPN. This impressed Kulesza very much – reported one of the informants of the “Onet.pl” portal.
– The idea was for them to find some compromises on him: maybe some indecent behavior, another confirmation of close relations with Koźmiński or Boniek, to show that they are still working together he adds.
Another anonymous interlocutor adds that during the convincing of the delegates, “communist files for unfavorable people in the union” appeared. “Onet.pl” emphasizes that although the use of such measures could not be officially confirmed, shortly before the start of voting, “Gazeta Polska” published an article about the communist past of several PZPN activists. Among others, Ryszard Kołtun, the current president of the Małopolska Football Association, was to be discredited. He declared his support for Marek Koźmiński.
– In this way, his environment and plans to create a coalition against Kulesza were pacified – says Harłukowicz’s interlocutor.
Around the Polish Football Association
Currently, Publicon Sport is the exclusive marketing partner of the PZPN, which, according to “Onetu.pl”, earns a lot from servicing sponsorship contracts of the Polish national team, as it is to earn from 10 to 15% for each contract. Other interlocutors add that the company may have an impact on the actions taken by Cezary Kulesza.
– It’s a humbug company no one has heard of before. But when trying to get a contract with PZPN, they had to somehow prove their experience. Because before, they were just like a tabula rasa, a blank page. They didn’t work in the industry, they didn’t take part in tenders, nothing – we read on the website of “Onet”.
– They began to have a great influence on Kulesza. When more and more people from his immediate surroundings began to pay attention to him, he only said that he needed them, because they were people who were close to Morawiecki and Obajtek. And they will bring us a new, record-breaking contract with Orlen – adds another interlocutor of Harłukowicz.
UPDATE 8:15
Radosław Tadajewski, managing Publicon Sport, maintains that the information provided by Onet.pl is untrue.
