FlashFocus: The collapse, spectacular rise and AI revolution of Wisla Krakow
From eliminating Parma and Schalke in Europe to an unlucky loss to Panathinaikos. From a miraculous defeat of Fulham to a shock loss to Estonian outsiders Levadia Tallinn. From serially winning the national championship to also squandering points and titles just before the finish line. It's fair to say, the history of Wisla Krakow has been a rollercoaster ride.
For years it seemed that the sum of good luck and bad luck of Wisla basically equalled zero. If we add to that the development of players such as Maciej Zurawski (sold to Celtic) or Jakub Blaszczykowski (sold to Borussia Dortmund) and the arrival of players who could just as easily have ended up at better clubs such as Kew Jaliens (from AZ Alkmaar) or, above all, Marcelo (from Santos), we might even have said that the sun was shining more often than it was raining at the H. Reyman Municipal Stadium back in the day.
Today, the situation of 'White Star' is completely different. However, one could say that it is still full of paradoxes which ensure things are never quiet around the club. A good few years ago, a new chapter of Wisla's proud history began, which hasn't necessarily been successful but has been anything but boring.
The disappearance of success
The golden years of Wisla were possible mainly thanks to a stable sponsor, the entrepreneur Boguslaw Cupial and his company Tele-Fonika (a tycoon in the production of cables, servicing, among others, Heathrow Airport and New Orleans).
One of the richest Poles (ranked 19th in Forbes in 2021, with assets valued at PLN 2.2 billion, or around USD 573 million) ruled it for almost 20 years. And during this period, although full of success in the domestic backyard, he failed to achieve his greatest dream - promotion to the Champions League.
Years later, tired and disgusted by the changes in the world of football, including the actions of agents, he decided to hand the club over to other hands. And that's when the real 'no-holds-barred ride' began.
A somewhat tarnished but still recognised brand began to attract potential buyers. But which ones! The characters and stories behind the purchase of Wisla could be the subject of a separate book. Among them, the most bizarre were the duo of Vanna Ly and Mats Hartling or Jakub Meresinski. Shares in the club circulated from hand to hand, but eventually, after all the setbacks anyway, they returned to the temporary owner, the Wisla Krakow Sports Association.
Krolewski's takeover
In December 2018, Wisla was on the brink of bankruptcy. It turned out that the aforementioned Wisla Krakow Sports Association was not made up of people looking for the best solution for their beloved club, but were accused of acting in an organised criminal group, acting to the detriment of the company and its creditors, from whom the club is still demanding awarded damages. As early as 2023, the prosecutor's office valued the damage caused by the then authorities at PLN 7.5 million.
At this point, we must go back to the times of the aforementioned matches against Italy's Parma or the then strong Schalke. For the so-called 'Millenials', people born at the time of Poland's political transformation, the White Star is often the first positive emotion associated with the European cups. No wonder, then, that its hopeless situation moved not experienced businessmen, who preferred to steer clear of the club, but 30-year-olds motivated by great sentiment.
In 2020, Jaroslaw Krolewski became the leader of a group wanting to save Wisla. He appeared as if from nowhere, previously practically anonymous, but immediately also became a media favourite. The owner of the IT company Synerise, which deals with cutting-edge technologies and artificial intelligence, aroused incredible interest not only in his goal of resuscitating the legendary club, but also in his personality.
Extremely charismatic, using an intriguing language that was not lacking in specialised expressions, but somehow still comprehensible to the average viewer. A man with the presence of a stereotypical nerd who can talk to a fan or the CEO of other technology companies, sometimes exchanging remarks with Elon Musk himself.
Seemingly inaccessible, operating in a small bubble, yet 'his own man', simply inspiring confidence. He once said of himself - "I am a binary man, even though I know the world is probabilistic" - and to this day, people still wonder what this is really about.
But, of course, Krolewski was not alone. He was accompanied by club legend Jakub Blaszczykowski and another businessman linked to Krakow, Tomasz Jazdzynski. The role of the popular 'Kuba' was crucial at the time, because it was on the player held in high esteem by fans all over Poland that most sponsors made their further future with the club dependent.
At one point they were assisted in the legal aspects of the takeover by one of the former owners of Legia, Wisla's eternal rival, Boguslaw Lesnodorski. Thanks to their determination, after a difficult process, White Star found itself in the hands of new owners. A huge contribution to the rescue was also made by fans from the Socios Wisla group, who bought special T-shirts en masse and made voluntary donations to the club.
Rebuilding and Spanish recruitment
The new board got straight down to business and rebuilding the club. Krolewski's negotiating skills allowed them to sort out many things on a legal and organisational level, but on the pitch it was much more difficult. Despite the tremendous efforts of all the players and people associated with the club, in the 2021/22 season Wisla was relegated to Division 1 (the second tier) after 26 years in the Ekstraklasa.
Moments earlier, Krolewski bought out the shares from the other co-owners and became the majority shareholder of the company. Within just a few years of his tenure, he introduced new rules and, among other things, a completely new management model, unknown on the Polish market, based, by the way, on artificial intelligence.
The early years were actually really tough for Wisla but something nevertheless succeeded. At one point, faced with the weakness of the academy and the lack of funds for transfers, the club started to rely on Spaniards. Players from the second or even third division were brought in, tempted not so much by the money as by the possibility of making it at a bigger club, rather than hanging around the lower tiers in their own country. The former coach of White Star, Kiko Ramirez, a Catalan with considerable knowledge and contacts in Spain, became sporting director.
And it has to be said that, for the most part, players from the Iberian Peninsula have proved themselves at the club, bringing a lot of quality to the team. Previous stars of Wisla include Jesus Imaz, Pol Llonch and Carlitos.
The current squad has fewer Spaniards, but each is a key player in his formation - Marc Carbo rules in the midfield line, while Jesus Alfaro, Angel Baena and, above all, Angel Rodado are responsible for goal-scoring. And thanks to the aforementioned proprietary AI system, young coach Albert Rude was brought to Wisla from distant Costa Rica some time ago.
It is worth mentioning here that the owner is constantly developing the tool and would like other clubs to use it as well. After coach Xavi stepped down at Barcelona, Krolewski's mathematical model suggested his potential successors, which did not escape the attention of the Spanish media.
An unlikely cup triumph
Initially, it seemed that Wisla would only be relegated to Division 1 for a while. They may have been in trouble, but they were still in many ways superior to the teams in the competition, and most fans, even outsiders, expected such a brand in the Ekstraklasa.
They finished their first season in the second tier in fourth place, with the second season finishing in... tenth place. The team was able to perform brilliantly in the early stages, only to later squander points in the final straight for inexplicable reasons.
But remember the sum of bad luck and bad luck? Well, in the 2023/24 campaign Wisla, playing mediocrely in the league, won the Polish Cup. And they did so in dramatic circumstances, forcing extra time in the last minute of the game. What's more, thanks to this win they got into the qualifying round for the Europa League.
Of course, as a second-tier side, they were condemned to defeat and a quick exit. However, Wisla does not want to be a predictable club. First, they managed to eliminate KF Llapi from Kosovo (2-0, 2-1). Then, they received a harsh lesson from Rapid Vienna, losing 8-2 over two legs (2-1, 6-1).
However, they still had a chance to play in the league phase of the European cups, but from then on, they played for the Conference League. This time, Spartak Trnava stood in their way. Given the status of their rival and their record over Polish clubs (Spartak have eliminated Legia Warsaw or Lech Poznan in recent years), in this case, too, everyone predicted defeat. The first match confirmed these assumptions, Wisla lost 3-1 and it seemed impossible to make up for that loss.
And then something inexplicable happened. In the rematch, Wisla won 2-0, forcing extra time, in which both teams added one more goal each. The winner was only decided after a series of 23 penalty kicks, when Wisla's goalkeeper defended Sebastian Kosa's shot, sending a tremor through the stands of the Krakow stadium!
Their next opponent was Cercle Brugge, who in the first match beat Wisla on their ground 6-1. Did this break down coach Kazimierz Moskal's team? No! In the return match, the team fought bravely, and at one point were up 3-0 and close to securing a sensational win. In the end, they "only" won 4-1 but at least their adventure in Europe ended with dignity.
The comeback?
It seemed, buoyed by such a heroic effort, that the team would boldly set off for a confident win in the league. However, their return to domestic competition has brought more disappointment. Three defeats and three draws from the first seven rounds have put the club in the relegation zone...
The fans have had enough, the players don't know how to explain themselves. But Krolewski is not thinking of laying down his arms. After the last home game, summoned by the fans, he entered the stands, took over the megaphone and argued with the ultras.
In a loud voice, he asked them to show him support and give the team time. He didn't reassure them too much, as the slump has been years in the making and the team has had plenty of time to improve, but he earned respect for coming out to them. Do you know any club owner who would walk into a crowd of angry fans and decide to do something similar?
Wisla is therefore one big mixture of opposites. It is a legendary club with a great tradition managed by a man living in the world of modern technology. A team that generates a real sine wave of disappointments and absolutely unexpected joys. A club whose fans will not let it fall, even though it is sometimes tired of being itself.
On Sunday, Wisla will make another attempt to get back on track - will they succeed? A neutral observer would say there is no chance. However, a Wisla supporter is not sure of anything. And that is precisely why he is a Wisla supporter.