- Legia Warsaw
Infobox Football club
clubname = Legia Warszawa
fullname = Klub Piłkarski Legia Warszawa SSA
nickname = "Wojskowi" ("Militaries"),
"Legioniści" ("Legioniers")
founded = March, 1916,
as "Drużyna Legjonowa"
ground =Polish Army Stadium ,
Łazienkowska 3 Street,Warsaw
capacity = 13,628
- "upgrading to 31,800"
chairman = flagicon|PolandLeszek Miklas
(sinceApril 24 ,2007 )
manager = flagicon|PolandJan Urban
(sinceJune 4 ,2007 )
league =Orange Ekstraklasa
season = 2007–08
position =Orange Ekstraklasa , 2nd
pattern_la1=_blackshoulders|pattern_b1=|pattern_ra1=_blackshoulders
leftarm1=ffffff|body1=ffffff|rightarm1=ffffff|shorts1=000000|socks1=ffffff
pattern_la2=_whiteshoulders|pattern_b2=|pattern_ra2=_whiteshoulders
leftarm2=FF0000|body2=FF0000|rightarm2=FF0000|shorts2=000000|socks2=000000
pattern_la3=_whiteshoulders|pattern_b3=|pattern_ra3=_whiteshoulders
leftarm3=21823b|body3=21823b|rightarm3=21823b|shorts3=21823b|socks3=21823bLegia Warszawa ( IPA2|ˈlɛgʲa varˈʂava, "Leg-ya Var-sha-va"), is a Polish professional football club based in
Warsaw ,Poland . It was founded in March, 1916 (during the military operations of theWorld War I on the eastern front) in the neighborhood of Maniewicze inVolhynia as the football club of thePolish Legions . AfterWorld War I (sinceJuly 31 ,1922 ) it became the main football club of thePolish Army - Wojskowy Klub Sportowy Legia Warszawa ("Military Sports Club Legia Warsaw"). In the years 1949 - 1957 Legia was known by the name CWKS Warszawa ("Central Military Sports Club Warsaw"). Currently it is the onlyWarsaw -based football club participating in the First League. Legia is widely regarded as one of the most successful Polish football clubs in history.Fact|date=June 2007On
11 July ,2007 , Legia were expelled from theIntertoto Cup and put on probation for European competition for a further season, should they qualify within the next five years, after some of their fans rioted during their match against Lithuanian clubFK Vėtra .cite web
url=http://www.uefa.com/competitions/intertotocup/news/kind=1/newsid=560167.html
title=Legia punished with UEFA ban
work=Uefa.com
accessdate=2007-07-12] The decission to ban Legia for the future European cups was later changed to a 5 year probation, and Legia participated in the qualification for the UEFA Cup 2008. [http://www.uefa.com/uefa/keytopics/kind=512/newsid=574658.html]History
Origins
The first thought of creation of a sports team has appeared in polish legions in 1915 during
World War 1 . This idea led to the creation ofLegia Warsaw in April, 1916. Still duringWorld War One , a group of players on leave decided to create a lastingPolish army club. The club was formed almost entirely by soldiers from the Legion lead byJózef Piłsudski . Most of these players originated from southern Poland and from the areas no longer held byPoland . Many of these recruits played in Wisła, Cracovia, or Lwów. The team was originally known as "drużyna legionowa" (Legion Club in English). The first games were played in the area ofVolhynia n village ofManiewicze , againstother legion teams. The first game played inWarsaw was in 1917 on Agrykola street against the team ofPolonia Warsaw which ended in a 1:1 draw. The induction into thePZPN was officially recognized asMarch 14 ,1920 . In the Polish league it was officially recognized as WKS or Wojskowy Klub Sportowy (Army Sports Club is the direct translation}. In 1921 after the War had ended Legia played its first game in the Polish second league against local rivalsKorona Warszawa which they lost 0:3. Since its early history Legia played home games on the field on Agrykola street. The first field was located in the same spot as today's training field, which during the annexation was used to houseRussia nCavalry .The first League
The first match played in the first league was played against
ŁKS Łódź onMay 8 ,1927 which resulted in a 6:1 away win. During that gameMarian Łańko was the first player to score ahat-trick for the club. During the 1927-1936 seasons Legia held usually sixth place. From 1930 Legia played in a new stadium, which was presented to them byJózef Piłsudski . After 1936 Legia was relegated to the second division , were it continued to be until afterWorld War Two .After the war
After the war Legia boosted its squad with many new players and at the end of 1949 the club changed its name again this time to Centralny Wojskowy Klub Sportowy (Central Army Sports Club). Eventually
Kazimierz Górski joined the club and became a player for both the team and the Poland national team.The 1970s
The 1970s were known as
Poland 's golden age of football. From the 1960s to the 1970s, Legia's roster included powerful football players such asJan Tomaszewski ,Kazimierz Deyna , andRobert Gadocha . In theEuropean Cup 1969-70 Legia achieved a successful campaign by reaching the semi finals alongsideFeyenoord ,Leeds United , and Celtic. The following year, Legia reached the quarter finals where they lost toAtletico Madrid .The 1980s
Though the club had many national team players including Kazimierski, Okoński, Dziekanowski, Janas, Majewski, Buncol, Kubicki, Wdowczyk and others the club had problems in winning any league titles. Though thanks to four
Polish Cup wins the team played in European competitions.One of the more memorable European runs was the near upset against Inter Milan during the
UEFA Cup 1985-86 , after two 0-0 games Legia lost in to an extra time goal. The next year Legia was yet again put up against Inter Milan this time winning at home 3-2 but losing away 1-0 thus losing on away goals.Legia also won its first
Superpuchar Polski defeatingHetman Zamośc 3-0 in 1989Into the 1990s
The 1990s started just as the 80s had been, Legia struggled to take any League wins but made a name for them selfs in European competitions. One of the best European runs to date was the
UEFA Cup Winners' Cup 1990–91 where Legia advanced all the way to the Semi-Finals only to lose to the championsManchester United .Achievements
Domestic
* Ekstraklasa (First league):
** 1st place (8): 1955, 1956, 1969, 1970, 1994, 1995, 2002, 2006
** 2nd place (10): 1960, 1968, 1971, 1985, 1986, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2004, 2008
** 3rd place (11): 1928, 1930, 1931, 1961, 1972, 1980, 1988, 1999, 2001, 2005, 2007
*Polish Cup :
** Winner (13-record): 1955, 1956, 1964, 1966, 1973, 1980, 1981, 1989, 1990, 1994, 1995, 1997, 2008
** Finalist (6): 1952 (team "Legia B"), 1969, 1972, 1988, 1991, 2004
*Polish SuperCup :
** Winner (4): 1989, 1994, 1997, 2008
** Finalist (3): 1990, 1995, 2006
* Polish League Cup:
** Winner (1): 2002
** Finalist (2): 2000, 2008Europe
*
UEFA Champions League :
** Semifinal (1): 1970
** Quarterfinal (2): 1971, 1996
*UEFA Cup Winners' Cup :
** Semifinal (1): 1991
** Quarterfinal (2): 1965, 1982Legia in Europe
Retired numbers
* 10 flagicon|Poland
Kazimierz Deyna (1966-78)Coaches and managers
Main rivals
*
Górnik Zabrze
*Lech Poznań
*Polonia Warsaw
*Ruch Chorzów
*Widzew Łódź
*Wisła Kraków - This is considered the derby match ofPoland as historically and currently these two teams have been the strongest of the leagueWarsaw derby
The Warsaw derby is a match between Legia and Polonia Warsaw.
See also
*
Football in Poland
*List of football teams
*Królewskie References
External links
* [http://www.legia.pl/ Official website] pl icon
* [http://legia.net/ Unofficial website]
* [http://legia.com.pl/ Unofficial website] (English version only one updated regularly)
* [http://www.legialive.pl/ Fans' community portal] pl icon
* [http://www.naszaliga.pl/legia_warszawa.php Team profile at Naszaliga] pl icon
* [http://www.forum.legialive.pl/ LegiaLive Forum] pl icon
* [http://www.zyleta.pl Fan forum] pl icon
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