S02E45 A Polish Baník Fan at the 2–2 Clash with Legia

You're listening to the Footglish podcast Love Football, Learn English. Baniik Ostrawa 2, Legia Warsaw 2, who was the better team in this fantastic game? Why are there so many Polish fans supporting Baniik Ostrawa? What are the rules among Baniik's and Legia's ultras fans?

And is it correct to say that a player is a hot good or a hot property? Hello everyone and welcome back to another episode of the Footglish podcast. My name is Denik Lukas and this is a podcast for all football fans and also people who who want to learn English through football, through your passion, hopefully that we both share.

I say both, but it could be more people than just me and one listener, right? That we all share. Anyway, as always, there is a guest. And today I think the guest is really interesting because he comes from Poland and his name is Franec.

Hello, Franec. Welcome to the podcast. Hi, my name is Franec and I'm really glad to be here. Yeah, it's wonderful to have you here and Franek, why did I decide to invite you to the Footgrish podcast today?

We are going to talk about football game between two teams which was played in Ostrava, Lekya Warsaw and Banik Ostrava. And yeah, let's talk about it. Yeah, that's right.

Bani Kostrowa is a Czech team from the Czech Republic, from the region in the north, in the sort of northeast of the Czech Republic, Silesia, I think it's called in English.

And obviously it's a big club with a lot of fan base and Legia Warsaw, is it the biggest club in Poland, would you say? Yeah, for sure with the most trophies

trophies in Poland and one of the biggest in the whole country like you know it's from the Warsaw so from the capital. Right and you went to Ostrava to attend this game? Yes because I live near to the border with Czech Republic in Poland so and I'm a big fan of Van Gogh Ostrava of course it's my local team I would say. This is this is funny so you although you are Polish you decided to

support the Czech team. You are a traitor, you are a traitor to your nation basically. Yeah and I was on this game in my banik shirt with my banik scarf and you know I was chanting with banik fans so yes I'm not really into Polish football that's a fun fact. That's not my cup of tea. Okay but it must have been in some way special for you because a Polish team was playing. Like

Don't tell me it's okay, you went to a Banik game, but still it must be a bit special because it's a Polish team, right? Yes, of course, because I wanted Banik to win against a Polish team, that's for sure. That's really interesting. But although if Banik was playing with the team that's not from Poland, from other teams in Europe, I would go on this game.

Because it's so close to where you live, as you said. Yes, and it was, yes. And so you live near the border with the Czech Republic. It's true that Ostrava is really, really within a stone's throw from the Polish border.

So that makes a lot of sense. And they, at this club, they have a lot of Polish fans. I think it's traditionally known that Bani Kostrawa have a lot of Polish fans, right? Polish fans, right? So you're not an exception.

Yeah, I'm not. And they are friendly connected with the club that is, I think, one of the biggest on Silesia in Poland with Gieka Eskatowice. And Gieka Eskatowice is friendly connected, very friendly connected with Banikostrava for years and in there's even a chant like I was on the stadium in Ostrava. Gieksa, Banikieksa, so Gieksa is the Giekaya of

course. So they are really friendly connected. So they sing a chant, the Banikostrava and and sing a chant which pays tribute to this friendly club Katowice basically. Yes, yes. That is so cool man.

Yeah, and on the stadium you can notice a lot of, you know, a lot of Gieke S. Katowice. Shirts. I don't know. Shirts and people from Poland, you know, from Silesia because Banik is Silesian club.

I see, I see. But they are cheering for Banik obviously as well. So when you went to this game, the atmosphere, would you describe it as pretty good? Yeah, of course. There was no seating chairs left.

No empty seats. No empty seats. The whole stadium, 15,000 people were there and amazing atmosphere, I would say. Of course the Lekya were so fans also because they are known for their support. They were amazing. I was sitting next to them.

Really? No next to them but I don't know. 20 meters. Near them. Not far from them. And they were chanting all the game.

20 minutes with a break for 15 minutes. But their support is just something different. And I know that in Europe they are famous for that. I actually spoke to one of my students about them.

I teach, I happen to teach one football journalist that works for the Czech TV, for TV that broadcasts the Czech League. So he has a lot of knowledge about the Czech League. And also he told me that the fans are called Gileta, Gileta fans?

Something like that? Yes, yes, yes. And he also told me, you can tell him, you can then say if this is true or not. But he also said to me that they are currently boycotting home games, that they don't go

to away games. Is this true? Yeah, I heard about it. But now I have a story about Gileta.

because the name Gileta is in Polish, Gilet, I think it's English, like to shave. Right, it's like a company, like, it's a shaving company that produces these Gilets. Yes, yes, yeah, but Gileta in Polish is, you know, razors, yeah, it's a razor. Ah, okay.

It's a razor in Polish, but it's not because they are, you know, maybe... Like, hard fans. Yeah, it's not because they are hard and very hard core, but because on the stadium in Poland Warsaw, on the old stadium, they sit under the gilet.

Like a banner maybe? Yes, banner with a gilet. Like an advert. Like a poster.

Yes, we've a poster under the poster of Gillettes and that's why they are Gillette. Ah, I see, I see. That's interesting actually. And with this boycott? Yeah, what about the boycott then? Is it still happening?

No, because I'm not really into the legia Warsaw and the Poland, but I heard about it and they were boycotting because of their government, the whole legia.