The conversation with both interested parties was to lighten the situation a bit and explain the events of the past week, but it resulted in many discrepancies between what president Świącik says and what coach Cieślak says, still leaving a lot of ambiguity with regard to the whole situation. Michał Świącik was the first to join the studio.
MARCIN MAJEWSKI: – Why didn’t we manage to play the match on Friday?
MICHAŁ ŚWIĄCIK: – We did everything to create a spectacle in Częstochowa, we know the last three matches did not go our way. In addition, many voices came to us that this track is not spectacular and not conducive to racing, and something has happened in Częstochowa. The competitors’ trips to me have begun. And we decided to go back to the old track and start doing this work. Everything started nice and beautiful and I even posted reports of these works on Facebook. Unfortunately, despite our minimal preparations for Tuesday’s rainfall, it passed through parts of Częstochowa and the Armageddon area, and not the 4mm rainfall that bombed our work. This amount of water, despite our efforts and taking all kinds of equipment, the work of two track masters and other people to help, made it impossible to make the track. All I can say is that I take all responsibility for what happened. I wanted well, but as you can see, the combination of events is not always favorable. Now we have submitted our explanations to the League’s Arbitration Committee, and we are waiting until Tuesday for a decision. Even though a few weeks ago I myself demanded solutions in the spirit of sport, now I am doomed to the fact that the verdict can be very different. However, I want to bear the consequences of what happened.
– Was there a new surface and was it reported to the Ekstraliga?
MICHAŁ ŚWIĄCIK: – It was sprinkled in a very small amount for this track, it was a bit of flour. This was not reported.
– Why wasn’t it, if you know very well to report it?
MICHAŁ ŚWIĄCIK: – It was not the reason why the Friday competition was not held, but the rain.
– Did coach Marek Cieślak take part in this decision-making process regarding such a large interference in the change of this track and adding a new surface, did he know about it?
MICHAŁ ŚWIĄCIK: – At the beginning there were joint consultations and up to a point yes.
– Until what point?
MICHAŁ ŚWIĄCIK: – I think until Wednesday. As one of the Torom masters informed me, Andrzej Puczyński spoke on the phone with Marek Cieślak on Wednesday.
– Is it true what coach Marek Cieślak said that he had no influence on the preparation of this track, that the trackmaster of Włókniarz Częstochowa was forbidden to accept any instructions from the coach?
MICHAŁ ŚWIĄCIK: – Not true. We agreed with the trainer. Three games lost in a row at home, with a good team that we have, made the interference of each president at this point is normal and logical. I also tried to interfere, because in every workplace, in every club, during such losses you interfere and it is logical. Until then, we made certain decisions together with the trainer. Of course, the coach had his vision, I had mine, we consulted it, and it was bombed by the Tuesday downpour. Together on Wednesday we talked with the Thoromasters how to do it and save it all. And this is all I have to say, all other things I have explained in great detail to the League’s Adjudication Committee. I am open to all other explanations to explain it.
– You know very well that there was an argument between you and coach Cieślak, witnessed by Rune Holt, was it yes or no?
MICHAŁ ŚWIĄCIK: – It was a discussion and such discussions are very frequent. It was not an argument, it was just a discussion between my opinion and that of the coach, the players also have a different opinion and they came to me on pilgrimages. I think this is not the place for us to publicly raise the discussion about the relationship between the president and the coach. We can talk to the coach about it ourselves, sooner or now after the breakup. However, we should not talk about such things in public, but it was not a quarrel, but a discussion that often takes place in clubs, so I do not see anything extraordinary in it.
– So why the decision of the coach Marek Cieślak on Friday that he resigns with immediate effect?
MICHAŁ ŚWIĄCIK: – I would not like to say certain things in public, but I also have some respect for coach Cieślak and we can discuss some things ourselves. However, if some things did not suit the coach, the termination notice had to be left on Monday, not on Friday morning before the game, but I accepted the termination. And I say, out of respect for the coach, I will not comment on this. My intention was absolutely not to bomb the games and I take all responsibility on myself, I wanted to do well, I got the second torommaster to make a nice Częstochowa track together. Tuesday’s rains bombarded it, and it all reflects on me.
– When you last spoke to Marek Cieślak and what was the conversation that was, did you feel that your cooperation might end this way?
MICHAŁ ŚWIĄCIK: – On Thursday. I didn’t feel it and it surprised me a lot.
– What verdict do you expect on Tuesday?
MICHAŁ ŚWIĄCIK: – As you know, I give my heart to this club and I do what I can to make the work with this track last and to restore the splendor of this discipline in Częstochowa. That is why I take responsibility together with the colleagues with whom we did this track. We didn’t want to do anything wrong. We secured the track against rainfall of 4 mm and this rainfall was only to help this track, and it was such a downpour that the cars flooded the roof in Częstochowa, so please take it into account. I also refer to the match in Gorzów, please remember that I was the first person in Gorzów who did not look at anything, I was still running in the machine park and talking about sports spirit and I would like this to be remembered also in relation to Częstochowa.
– Don’t you think that you simply went too far with the preparation of this track, because this game was supposed to be on Friday, not in a month or two?
MICHAŁ ŚWIĄCIK: – We started our first works on Friday, we had a week for it. We watched all the forecasts, Tuesday’s rainfall was supposed to be low and only to help us.
– Did coach Marek Cieślak warn you against such a situation that the Friday match may not take place?
MICHAŁ ŚWIĄCIK: – After that downpour, until this downpour, we stood together in the machine park and even at some point we were glad that it was finally raining, but then when we saw it pouring down, we were scared of it. I say, when it comes to coach Cieślak, I would not like to speak out because of respect for the coach, so we have to talk to the coach ourselves, so I will absolutely not chastise the coach, I will not say anything bad to the coach, because I have respect for this man.
– Speaking of respect, today I read your daughter’s entry about this situation and this entry was later removed and I think that is not the point when it comes to respect. There are words about respect, but also those that coach Marek Cieślak should give up a long time ago.
Moments later, a phone call was made to coach Marek Cieślak.
MARCIN MAJEWSKI: – Did you take an active part in the preparation of this track?
MAREK CIEŚLAK: – I don’t know what Mr. Świącik said earlier, because I am watching the Champions League final. On Monday morning there was an advertisement on Facebook who takes care of the track, the track was knee-deep and that’s it. I got pushed away.
– When were you removed?
MAREK CIEŚLAK: – I will not explain, let the guilty explain themselves, because I protested at this track and said on Monday that there would be no match on Friday, and when I saw the clay that was ready to add it, I was dumbfounded. Of course, there was a short exchange of views between me and the club owner, it was very sharp – Rune Holt was a witness. Then I said “your club, do what you want” and that’s it. Then I was just an observer, because I hoped that maybe something else would come out of what they had done and that for the club’s good I was still hanging around it, but I had no influence on anything. When I went to the torommaster, I found out that the president had forbidden him to follow my orders under the threat of dismissal. And I gave the exemption, because I didn’t do this track and I couldn’t imagine shining my eyes in front of the commissioner and signing the stamp that I was preparing this track. The players only know that they came. They spoke to me briefly – let’s not find fault in the track, because the fault is simply in us. If the president wanted to change the track and make it in Częstochowa, please, but today there is no track, and I guarantee that it will be gone for a long time.
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