Ludwik Sobolewski (sports official)

Ludwik Sobolewski (born September 17, 1925 in Warsaw ; † November 11, 2008 in Łódź ) was a Polish football and sports official , 1977–1987 and 1992–1993 chairman of Widzew Łódź .

He spent his childhood in Warsaw, where he attended elementary school until 1939 and then went to high school. Already during the German occupation 1940-1942 he had two years of secret high school lessons. Since 1943 he belonged to the underground movement of the Home Army ( Armia Krajowa, AK ). In March he belonged to a partisan detachment called "Wicher" (25p AK), which operated in the area of Piotrków Trybunalski , Opoczno , Tomaszów Mazowiecki . After the end of the war he graduated from an officers' school and was released as a captain in the reserve in 1952. He started to work in the National Sports Agency Państwowy Przedsiębiorstwo Imprez Sportowych and moved to Łódź for family reasons. While working in the association, he completed a two-year course in organization and administration.

He began his sporting activities in 1968 at SKS Start Łódź as head of the football department. In 1969 he went to Widzew Łódź and successively filled the functions of the head of the football department, the vice-chairman of the club and, since 1977, the chairman, a task he held with interruptions until 1987.

After the political changes of the time of reunification, which also required new structures for sports clubs, he returned to Widzew. In 1992 he succeeded in transferring Widzew to a stock corporation, "SPN Widzew SA", and until 1993 he was again chairman of the association. During the time of his engagement, the club's greatest successes fell. Widzew rose from the 4th to the 1st division and was twice Polish champion, once cup winner and five times runner-up. In European competitions it eliminated Manchester City , Manchester United , Liverpool FC , Juventus Turin and SK Rapid Vienna, among others . In 1983 it made it to the semi-finals of the European Cup , where it was defeated by Juventus, who in turn had to leave the championship to Hamburger SV in the final.

Ludwik Sobolewski died on November 11, 2008 after suffering from cancer for a long time. He is buried in the Zarzew cemetery in Łódź.

Web links

• Obituary (Polish)