Zimbabwean Football Pays Tribute As Wieslaw Grabowski Is Buried In Poland

Legendary Polish coach Wieslaw Grabowski has been laid to rest in Katowice, in his homeland, Poland.

Marshall Gore, a UK-based football administrator, flew in from his base to represent the Zimbabwean football fraternity at the burial ceremony today, 4 August 2026.

Gore, who contested the ZIFA presidency at the end of the Normalisation Committee’s tenure and lost to Nqobile Magwizi, addressed mourners and conveyed condolences from Zimbabweans in general and the country’s football community in particular.

Kudakwashe Kanhutu, a former player at Grabowski’s club Darryn T, also attended the burial.

Paweł Juchniewicz, a football manager and coach who worked with Grabowski, said the game had lost a unique character.

“How do you sum up a life like this? A life that connected Zabrze with Harare, Polish football grounds with African stadiums, young dreams with professional football,” said Juchniewicz.

“Wiesław Grabowski was a coach, a national team manager, a teacher, a talent scout and a mentor. Above all, he was an extraordinary human being.

“Wherever he went, he had the remarkable ability to make people feel at ease.

“He knew Presidents, FIFA and UEFA officials, leading coaches and journalists, yet he always found time for the young player whom everyone else overlooked.

“He had charisma, a sharp mind, a wonderful sense of humour and the rare gift of turning strangers into friends within minutes.”

Grabowski was credited with bringing foreigners into the Zimbabwe Premier Soccer League for the first time, and built the club around a youth model of giving teenagers first-team football.

He led Darryn T to the 1992 Zimbabwe Cup trophy by beating CAPS United 4-0 in the final with a team full of youngsters.

Grabowski coached the Zimbabwe Under-23 side to second place and a silver medal at the 1995 All-Africa Games in Harare.

He e nurtured players such as Norman Mapeza, Lloyd Chitembwe, Edelbert Dinha, Gift Muzadzi, Alois Bunjira and Stewart Murisa.

“His journey led from Zabrze, through Warsaw, the coaching staff of Jacek Gmoch and the renowned Sports University in Cologne, all the way to Africa,” added Juchniewicz.

“He never waited for opportunities—he created them through hard work, knowledge and determination.”

More: The Herald