Wlazly Fires Back at POL Federation

DRAMA ALERT!

We’re not even quite sure what some members of the Polish Federation said about Wlazly’s decision not to join the Polish Team this year for the World Cup and hopefully win a spot at the 2012 Olympics in London.

Whatever was said totally pissed off Wlazly that’s why he decided to release a lonnnggggg statement defending his decision. He also provided a very informative and important timeline on what he went through.

Those fans who BOOOOO! him off when he plays need to read this.

Mariusz Wlazly’s Statement in English:

I planned not to express myself according to my situation, but the last incidents and statements of the most important people in Polish volleyball pushed to write a few words about what’s going on around me.

I’m not surprised of some volleyball fans booing and whistling at me because they don’t know my situation and they don’t know how complicated it is. The statement of president Mirosław Przedpełski, the president of Polish Volleyball Federation, manipulated the fans to dislike me. The president, in a clever way, hold me responsible for a situation that I’m not on the National Team. Meanwhile – it’s different.

2006. I would do anything for a National Team: my free time, my power and my health. I pursued my goals and tried to realize my dreams, which were the medals of important volleyball events. Then my health problems started. My body was exhausted, I had the cramps very often which you saw a lot of times, when I was carried out of the court. However I came back as soon as I could. And I didn’t think of how much I was risking my health – although I was still young.
The Polish Volleyball Federation wasn’t interested of me in any way, but for Raul Lozano, who demanded to send me to  Barcelona for the examinations, I wouldn’t get any help from a Federation. And it was the last time when a Federation helped me. It took place after the European Championships in 2007, where I couldn’t play.  And it was a time when I wasn’t able to control my own body. The cramps were catching me even after 10 jumps. I was afraid of my health and future.

The media blamed me for the unsuccessful performance of our National Team during the 2007 European Championships in Moscow. The Federation didn’t deny it, but then I didn’t want to go public and show how I was treated. The only thing that count was the Olympic Qualification.

During the 1st round of eliminations, the pre-qualifications in Szobmathely, Hungary, I sprained a crurotarsal joint. There was the National Team doctor and he took care of me very well, but it was the only care from the Federation after my injury. No one even asked if I was ok and what’s going to be next. Of course I didn’t get any documents, which were neccesarry to get help from Insurance Agency. They left me alone with the injury and even that i got injured during the National Team match, I had to count on my Club’s help.

I’m lucky that I play for PGE Skra Bełchatów, so in that kind of club, where the people were always respectful and no one ever refused to help. Not everyone has that luck, when they’re back with the injury from the National Team’s grouping. In such a situation a lot of clubs are dissolving the contracts or reducting the payments of the players. In PGE Skra there was never dangerous like that. Of course the twist of ankle isn’t a very serious injury, but the whole situation shows how the Polish Federation works.

When I got better after that injury came another problem. Before the end of rapid (because of the Olympic Qualification) season in Polish League, I started to have a problem with my knee. Despite of it I took part in the tournament in Espihno, Portugal, and we got the  desired ticket to play in Beijing. It seemed that I had my problems behind me. My knee was painful, but not very much.

Just before the Olympics I injured a finger – the left thumb. I broke the same finger during the Olympics, during the match against Serbia. The 2nd half of Olympics preliminaries I played with a taped thumb (see pic below as a proof), because i was sure that it was worth of risk. It definitely rebuts the objections that I don’t want to be in a National Team or that I don’t care about the succes of it. I’ve always wanted to help and I was helping my teammates at all costs, including my health.

After we came back from Bejing, the history from before a year repeated again. The only contact from the Federation wasn’t connected with the condition of my hand, but with the order of presence in the National Team during the playoff’s to the European Championships against Belgium. And I couldn’t play, because the doctors forbade me to do it. In that moment the next fracture would treat me to pause for a couple of months. I didn’t get any more calls from the Federation. It hurts, but I was happy that I wasn’t under the any pressure from the Club to be back to playing faster.

I got every help from PGE Skra, I’ve always could count on people from Bełchatów. They’re my real friends.

After the last experiences with the injuries during the National Team matches, I decided to take care about the whole medical documentation of my injury in Bejing. When I called to the Federation, they send me to Mr Marek Irek, who was responsible for problems like mine. He told me he can’t talk now and he promised me to call the next day. We haven’t got any contact ’till the meeting in 2010, after 2 years. During this meeting with the president Przedpełski we were talking – to be more funny or maybe more tragical – about the insurances.

After this meeting i went to Mr Marek Irek to remind him about the case of my injury in Bejing and our conversation. He resoponded that he associate the case, he remember an he will call the next day. He hasn’t called me up to today, he lied to me the 2nd time in the same way. That’s why it’s hard for me to work with people, who are responsible to help us in the Federation. And they don’t.

I don’t trust them.

In 2009, the doctors tried to cure my ruined knee. from the end of the season I was rehabilitating. From May to the end of the October, during the half of the year of fighting to get back to volleyball, no one from Federation called me. No one. I didn’t get any telephone call. Besides of my teammates, only Daniel Castellani was interested of my rehabillitation and I highly appreciate him for it. A friend in need is a friend indeed and he didn’t dissapoint me.

But to be honest Igot one call from the Federation. After 4 months, before the European Championships in Izmir, Turkey, the Manager of Polish National Team, Witold Roman called me. He didn’t call to ask how I feel, but he only informed me that they took my scholarship away. I’m not mad at him, he only did his work. I just want to say, how it was.

I’m not the only National Team player who was deprived of the scholarship during the treatment. And I’m not about the money. What’s more after the couple of months, without any word of explanation, I got the money to my bank account. But I’m about the ordinary human decency and the way of treating of the Players. For the Federation we weren’t  partners but we were more than slaves.

In the National Team I was in, no one played for money. The Federation can say that we earn a lot of money for playing it the National Team, but meanwhile the scholarship is giving to us from the State. The Federation is not giving any money to the scholarships.

The preparations to the World Championships 2010 was the best which I worked at. I gave everything from myself, I sacrificed a lot, to prepare well to the most important tournament of the year. The problem was with my psychological side (no confidence) because during the preparations I didn’t  play in a lot of matches.

My condition during the World Championships wasn’t very well. I wasn’t able to help my team and it hurt. It was the most difficult, it’s hard to reconcile until today. The devotion of the couple months of life didn’t bring any results to the National Team and to me.I didn’t wait for the consolation from the Federation but that what’s  happened to me after the tournament. For them it was shocking. I was sling mud at. I’ve heard that I won’t never be appointed to play for National Team & that I’m not devoted to the Team. But those people saw how I worked, how much I sacrificed. How can I trust them again when they made me the  scapegoat after the Championships?

Here we are in 2011. I wasn’t present in the National Team and they achieved big success. I supported the team in front of the TV screen and I was happy that my friends stood on the podium. I didn’t even expect to hear bad words about me regarding my decision not to play for the team. Like I’ve done something bad and the people form Federation made the discussion about me. Instead of being happy and praise the players who actually played, they said that my come back  to the team won’t be easy, that I will have to try hard. Why they couldn’t just leave me out of the subject? Why they didn’t take care of the players who played and who deserved  a lot of great words?

When I talked about the Polish Volleyball Federation in a bad way, they called me as fast as they could and told me, that I shouldn’t do that. I know that, that’s why the conversation with the press about the National Team problems was the last thing for me to do. But I only wanted them to realize their earlier obligations. By the way I feel, that the Federation works in a different way and they know how to manipulate the public opinion.

A lot of times we felt the lack of something in the National Team, but we didn’t speak about it i public – that should be, by the way. After the Team’s success let us forget about our earlier problems, the people from Federation could receive the medals and honors. And when it comes to the defeats it wouldn’t be the fault of the Polish Federation. They blamed the most famous players and they avoided the responsibility for that. A lot of volleyball fans believed them, without even thinking. Believe me, it hurts me so much and also it hurt my Club, PGE Skra.

There’s one more important thing to clear: the case of “the Wlazły’s socks”.

I never played and never will play in the National Team for money. I think like this when I am in the Team that I should only think about the trainings and the game. Not about other things, not about the many details, like the clean training equipment. They said that I don’t wash my own things – in the Team there’s no time for it and I suppose that everyone understand it.

When we get our equipment after the wash for the whole Team, very often we have the situation of not getting everything. The case of socks appeared because I got the 5 pairs of socks for over 2 months. If they told me to buy it for my own money, I’ll do it. But they told me, that I’ll get everything the next day. The case of buying clothes is difficult because our contracts demand us walking in one and definite brand, which has the contract with Federation. Otherwise the Federation and the players get penalized.

I only demanded the things we should have received. The day after my interview about the socks we got 20 pairs of socks, even though a day before I couldn’t ask for one. But then we didn’t need them because we were on our way on the tournament. These are the details but they make up on success. When you miss one ball to the victory, you start to think what you could do better.

By the way, the case of socks wasn’t the only one. There was a grouping when we couldn’t get our equipment, because of  changing the shape of the “P” letter on the logo of the sponsor. It happened  during the 2-week grouping I couldn’t get my polo shirt, which I have to wear, even if I asked for it!  After the press article came out about thi issue, they suddenly gave us everything we needed. With the old logo. It turned out that the shirts were there and  waited for us. I’m sorry but I couldn’t accept such neglect.

The 1st person who heard all of it, all I wrote above was Andrea Anastasi. I told the new coach of Poland everything I wrote here during our meeting in Bełchatów and then he told me that he perfectly understeands me and he will wait until I change my decision. But as long as the attitude of the members of the Federation won’t change, I won’t play in the National Team.

When they were in the process of looking for a new coach after Castellani, one of the serious candidates was Jacek Nawrocki, my club coach. I told him the same. The appointed coach doesn’t matter in this case. Especially that I’ve never told and I’ll never tell that I don’t want to play for Poland. I want play for the Team so much but – at least for now – I can’t.

Why am I writing all about these things? Because my dreams were ruined. Because I feel like I’ve been treated unfairly. Although I talked to President Przedpełski about the agreement and the armistice for the good of  volleyball. I told him what hurts me, he acknowledged them and we promised that we won’t discuss it in public. But it became different. Now I’m reacting because I’m afraid that after the statements of president Przedpełski we can’t distinguish the volleyball pitches from some football stadiums for a while. It’s bad, that after the great atmosphere, which was our pride, there could be nothing. I don’t like the fact that the Federation talks about and to me through the media. There were different conditions of our agreement.

The actions of the Federation ruined my dreams. Believe me, if playing for the National Team was the only honor – I’ll be playing for sure. I don’t have bigger sport dreams than winning an Olympic medal, than listening to Polish anthem from the gold medal podium. Unfortunately, I see that I won’t be able to realize my dreams. And for sure it’s not my fault.

Faithfully Yours,
Mariusz Wlazły.

P.S. By this statement I would like to definitely finish the topic of my problems with the Polsih Volleyball Federation. It doesn’t make sense to talk about it, especially when the Federation tries to convince me that I refused their help, which didn’t take place. For the good of Polish volleyball let’s finish this subject, let everyone go their own way.

We’d like to thank our great friend Paulina Kurek for translating the article. If you want to read the Polish version, click THIS.

There’s so much drama between Wlazly and the Polish Federation that we decided to just shut up and avoid adding more gas to the fire between the parties.

We hope the problems get resolved and they will mend fences for the sake of Polish volleyball.

PEACE on Earth please!

THOUGHTS?

(images: FIVB)