In an area inhabited mostly by Poles, but administratively part of Czechoslovakia, a club was formed which, after several years of activity, was a splinter in the eye of the authorities and the pride of Polish fans. And this at a time of difficult political relations with its southern neighbour.

It was Sunday, 13 November 1938. The whole country was celebrating Poland's independence. The anniversary was a round one, as it was the twentieth. The streets were lined with military parades. There was no shortage of artistic performances. Athletes also celebrated. In their most familiar way, on the pitch.

The occasion was a meeting of the namesakes of the two Polonia teams - the capital's Polonia and the guests from Karviná - at Warsaw's Konwiktorska Street. The match was a friendly. The Varsovians won 6:3. But the visitors left a good impression. "Kurjer Warszawski" wrote the following day:

"The team of the Karvina team presented itself optically not badly. But the nice actions lacked finishing touches. The Silesians' wingers and goalkeeper stood out".

The game was memorable for several other reasons. PKS Polonia Karviná came to the capital just over a month after the Polish army entered Zaolzie, a disputed area between Warsaw and Prague. The team from Karviná had been promoting Polishness among the locals for years. And that is probably why it was greeted so enthusiastically by the fans of the "Black Shirts". The crowd's reaction was so unusual that the "Przeglad Sportowy" reporter titled his article quite eloquently: " Polonia 's audience changes its habits by cheering on the visitors .. .". He went on to write:

"For the first time it happened that on the pitch at Konwiktorska Street, the audience cheered not their favourites, but their opponents. This is the best indication of how warmly the friendly footballers from Zaolzie were received.

To understand the symbolism of this football match, it is necessary to go back some twenty years...

The conflict over Zaolzie

A few days before Poland regained its independence, on 5 November 1918, the local national councils, Polish and Czech, in Cieszyn Silesia came to an agreement that the new state borders should be drawn according to nationality criteria. And Zaolzie was mostly inhabited by Polish people. It was also a rich area, for example in coal mines and, from an economic point of view, valuable. Prague did not accept such a solution. In January 1919, an armed conflict over these lands began. The Western states joined in as mediators and, in the end, new borders were agreed. Těšín Silesia was divided and the multi-ethnic Karviná found itself on the Czech-Slovak side.

The conflict over Zaolzie remained a bone of contention between the two countries throughout the inter-war period. Poles living in the area were harassed and persecuted. An assimilationist policy was pursued against them.

And it was under such conditions, in the middle of a bonfire one might say, that the Polonia Karviná club began to operate.

A board that breathed new life into

The Polish Sports Club Polonia Karviná was founded in August 1919 as a section of the local "Sokol". However, the 15th anniversary monograph gives 21 November 1920 as the official date of formation. Over the years there were nine sections in the club, although the first steps were not easy:

"Difficult were its beginnings. As usual. The work had no continuity. The club's board of directors, in the absence of premises - even the most modest - held its meetings outdoors. The uneven stone replaced the meeting table and the green turf replaced the stools. Perhaps some people remember those times. These meetings were usually held at the Dolezal...", wrote the club on the occasion of its 30th anniversary.

The club adopts the colours red and white, referring to the symbols of Poland. It brings together a predominantly Polish population, which in the face of political decisions, was incorporated into Czechoslovakia. It cultivates Polish traditions and develops. In 1922 it played eighteen matches in Silesia. It also has in its possession sports equipment, which "consists of: 2 suits of shirts (22 pieces), 20 pairs of shorts, 11 pairs of stockings, 13 pairs of shoes, 4 football coats, 2 inner tubes, 1 pump, and 2 ball lacing devices".

The first sporting successes also come. Polonia Karviná wins the district league in 1921, 1923 and 1928 and plays in the final phase of the Czechoslovak championship. Then suddenly comes a period of stagnation. Between 1925 and 1926, the Karviná Red and White played just a handful of matches. On top of this, more members left the club. The next two years are no better. To make matters worse, the chairman, Mr Paździora, dies and the finances are in a sorry state. The thought of dissolving Polonia is even on the minds of the remaining activists.

The year 1929 arrived, and with it a meeting to appoint a new board. The new board set to work. The "Polonists" sent letters to organisations and clubs in Poland asking for support. Requests which, it should be added, are successful. The club also splits from "Sokol". With a fresh view and enthusiasm, its membership is growing. The activists are also striving to open their own pitch.

"After considerable efforts by the Board of Directors, based on the interventions of the mayor of Karviná, Dr Olszak Wenceslas, a convenient site was obtained from Dr Larisch next to the railway station. This land was leased for a period of 10 years for an annual fee of Kć 3,000," the monograph wrote.

The early 1930s was a time when Poles in Karviná could feel pride in their club. The team plays a friendly match against Garbarnia Krakow, champion of Poland in 1931. Admittedly lost, but still! It also wins the city cup. The football team is strengthened in terms of personnel, so that in 1933 it can already compete with, for example, Ruch Hajduki Wielkie, the future champion of Poland (won 4:2). A year later, the team won the title of champion of the Cieszyn Football Cup, advancing to the Moravian-Silesian Division. The youngsters were also doing well. These successes attracted people - and thousands of them - to the stands. But where do you see the reasons for them, apart from very good management? Albert Suski:

"Those seem like years ago; but I remember them well. Who among the old supporters would not remember those years? Polonia is in good company with the clubs of the Moravian-Silesian "division". It is even envied by league teams. For, there is much to envy. The boys represent not only a high level of play, but -- which is equally important -- a high moral level. They are true athletes."

Polonia games and injustice

In 1934, the first edition of the Polonia Sports Games was held in Warsaw. The event provided an opportunity for sporting rivalry between Poles living abroad. On 1 August, thirteen teams turned up at Warsaw's Polish Army Stadium. Among them were Polonia footballers who represented Czechoslovakia.

The competition was opened with an address by President Ignacy Mościcki. Then the participants marched in a ceremonial procession. And until 5 August they competed for the titles.

The footballers' tournament was characterised by a high level of manners; the players were even called "gentlemen". The footballers from Karviná started the competition with a high victory against Austria (8:0). They then won the semi-final against Romania (4:2) before beating the Germans (2:0) in the final, taking advantage of goalkeeper errors. His vis-à-vis , Jozef Matejko, recalled after the war:

""We were by far the best of all the football teams from different countries of the world: Romania, France, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania and others, both European and overseas. We were then playing in Warsaw for three weeks.""7

Joy after the success prevailed not only among the players. Fans who remained in Cieszyn Silesia also celebrated. In an article by "Nasz Kraj", one of them wrote as follows (original spelling):

"Jakech sie dowiedziol, ¿e nasi chłapcy sóm na piyrwszym miejscu, toch hnetka ¿e went to polski cieszyna se drink monopolki na ich zdrowi".

And in Karviná, the winners were greeted by crowds at the railway station. This is also a symbol...

Two years later, the footballers recorded another very significant feat. They won promotion to the Moravian-Silesian League, the vestige of the highest Czech-Slovak competition. And in that campaign, they learned first-hand how much the national question can distort on-field reality.

The red-and-whites from Karviná were met with injustice. They were penalised with walkovers, opponents played very physical football against nothing, and referees simply whistled against. After one match, the referee's work was judged:

"Spoiled, however, was the highly inept and biased referee Majdl. This individual took a pipe to the mouth with the express purpose of helping the visitors to victory."

The club was even suspended for a while.

"The decision was hasty and unfair. It cost Polonia the loss of many valuable points. It occupied the first place in the "division"; the decision of the football authorities turned out to be stronger than the shots of the strikers of the teams competing for the palm of primacy. Every Polonia match ended 'dry' - a 'walkover'".

Excesses and liquidation

Polonia were relegated from the league; it could not have been otherwise. After the Polish army occupied Zaolzie in March 1939, the team competed in the Silesian A-League. In September the war came and football receded into the background. During the Second World War many ""Polonists"" died. Long-time secretary Ernest Kubieńka, one of those who got the club out of trouble in the 1930s, was killed in Auschwitz.

After 1945, the red-and-whites struggled to find their way in the new reality. Karviná was once again a Czechoslovakian city. There were many difficulties, but the club invited teams from Poland to its matches. The seniors played in the Těšín souk, and in 1947 a junior team appeared on the turf. Only that just a year later, in October 1948, a real threat of liquidation was looming in Polonia's eyes....

A league match saw a riot in which the referee was injured. "Sport i Wczasy", a weekly that devoted much space to Polish sport in Czechoslovakia, reported:

"There was an unpleasant iIncident at the Polonia pitch in Karviná when, embittered by the erroneous and biased decisions of the referee Warkoczek, spectators stormed onto the pitch after the match was over and battered him. The main blame here lies with the Těšínská župa píkáňna (Cieszyn Soccer Cup), as it sent such an inept referee to such an important match, who had already caused similar excesses on the pitch of Sokol Český Těšín a few weeks ago (also in the match against Meteor Orlová)."

Following these incidents, Polonia were penalised with a walkover in the following league rounds. Four years later, by decision of the Czech authorities, PKS Polonia Karviná and other Polish clubs were finally dissolved. It was never able to be resurrected.

And it was a club that was the pride of Poles in Zaolzie in the inter-war period....