WARSAW, Poland — A community-driven soccer team established by Warsaw supporters nearly a decade ago continues its mission to combat hostile nationalist attitudes in Polish football stadiums, seeking renewed purpose as the country’s leadership embraces similar ideologies.
Established in 2015, AKS Zły — which stands for Alternatywny Klub Sportowy Zły, or Alternative Sports Club Evil — emerged when supporters from Warsaw’s primary teams Legia and Polonia united to challenge the aggressive atmosphere they witnessed at Polish football matches.
Operating with both male and female squads, the organization remains under democratic control by its supporter base.
“We decided to create a club that would be different, where all people, regardless of their sexual orientation, race or nationality, could feel good and welcome,” AKS Zły coordinator Jan Dziubecki told The Associated Press.
Dziubecki explained that Polish fan culture has “drifted sharply to the right and openly hateful slogans are common.”
Poland’s President Karol Nawrocki, who received support from the nationalist conservative Law and Justice party during his election victory last year, maintains strong ties to Lechia Gdańsk from the northern region and regularly attends their matches since assuming office.
When campaign reports surfaced about Nawrocki’s involvement in street confrontations between soccer supporters, he defended his actions by stating he had participated in numerous “noble” fights throughout his life.
Despite concerns that Nawrocki’s leadership could reinforce the fan attitudes AKS Zły opposes, Dziubecki believes it might generate the reverse outcome.
“Maybe more fans will come to our stadium again,” he said with a smile.
Juliusz Wrzosek, who owns the Offside bar in Warsaw’s Praga neighborhood, helped establish the club and can be found distributing tickets at stadium gates.
The longtime Legia Warszawa supporter explained how he was expelled from the team’s more extreme supporter section after declining to participate in chants honoring imprisoned individuals. Around the same time, his Polonia-supporting friends faced similar exclusion for comparable reasons, prompting them to establish their own organization.
“Because you have to support someone,” Wrzosek said.
Beyond serving as a gathering spot for AKS Zły supporters, his establishment hosts club social activities that frequently honor local Praga district history. This past March, the venue co-organized a tribute to Stefan Okrzeja, a socialist activist who championed Polish independence during the early 1900s.
“It bothered me that in Poland, a country with a great history of leftist and left-wing values, there isn’t a single club that is democratic, that doesn’t impose its own version of fan culture,” Wrzosek said.
During a recent women’s second division match, AKS Zły competed against a superior Słupca squad, yet supporters in the humble Praga stadium remained enthusiastic.
Fans performed welcoming songs for visiting teams while encouraging their players to score using drum accompaniment. Referee criticism stayed minimal and respectful.
“It’s not just empty words when you say that the fans are the 12th player, because it really helps and motivates you to give more,” former AKS Zły player and current supporter Eliza Górska-Tran told The Associated Press.
The 37-year-old Górska-Tran, who brought her wife and two small children to the match, emphasized the significance of the supportive network surrounding the club, which she helped manage following her playing career.
AKS Zły welcomes LGBTQ+ members and immigrant athletes. The organization maintains equal investment in both men’s and women’s teams. Within their youth academy, families with greater means assist in covering expenses for those with fewer resources.
Górska-Tran recalled how supporters organized a wedding celebration at the stadium following her Scottish marriage to her partner, since same-sex unions remain illegal in Poland.
“I also remember my last match before I got pregnant, it was an unforgettable experience,” she said. “There were flares, including rainbow-colored smoke, on the football pitch.”
Alicja Cichońska, currently in her seventh season with AKS Zły, explained that she chose the club after learning about its welcoming environment.
“Football should unite us all, not divide us, because there’s enough of that in society already,” she said.
