1936 Olympic Games in Berlin
Olympic experiences of Polish football team were by 1936 few and far between. In 1920 Summer Olympics, at Antwerp, white-reds did not participate, due to Polish-Soviet War. In 1924 at Paris, Poland was routed 0-5 by Hungary. As a result of this failure, the team did not even bother itself to travel to the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam. Then, 1932 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles were too far away and too expensive for Polish football officials.
Morale among both fans and officials was at the beginning of 1936 very low. Newspapers were urging PZPN to fire Kałuża, but eventually this did not happen, as the coach was strongly supported by representatives from Upper Silesia - the strongest and richest district of PZPN.
Even though 1936 Olympics were to be held in the neighboring capital, not everyone in Poland favored the idea of National Team's participation in this event. Officials from both Kraków and Lwów rejected it, only to be convinced by an unexpected victory 2-0 over Belgium (February 16, 1936, Brussels). This was a good sign, which changed the general feelings.
In mid-June 1936, after a long discussion, PZPN officially permitted the National Team to participate in the Games. Kałuża did not have time - he quickly organized a training camp in Warsaw, calling 36 players. After a while this number was cut down to 25 and then - to 18. Among them was Ernest Wilimowski, who was regarded by the manager as a key player, essential for his plans.
A few weeks before the games, "Ezi" was disqalified for alleged excessive drinking and did not go to Berlin. This was a huge mistake of Polish officials. They recklessly got rid of a top forward, thus reducing Poland's chances for a medal. Józef Kałuża had to agree with the decision, but obviously he was very unhappy. Without Wilimowski in the lineup, white-reds lost most of their firepower.
Read more about this topic: Polish Football In The Interwar Period
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