Minister of Sport Kamil Bortniczuk awarded PLN 700,000. zlotys of the foundation established by the partners of the president of the Polish Football Association. Through her, the money went to the gym, co-owned by Cezary Kulesza himself.
Szymon Jadczak
September 28, 2023, 06:00
Newspix / PIOTR KUCZA/FOTOPYK / From the left: Cezary Kulesza, Kamil Bortniczuk The Magic Gym in Białystok is one of the most popular facilities of this type in the capital of Podlasie. It wins industry awards and is popular among Białystok residents. The club is located in a shopping mall and is run by the company “Profaktor” Kulesza, Frankowski, Jóźwiak Spółka Jawna, whose partners are the president of the Polish Football Association, Cezary Kulesza, and two of his colleagues: Tomasz Frankowski (not to be confused with Tomasz Frankowski, a former football player, currently a PO MEP) and Marian Jóźwiak.
Disco partners
Little is known about the partners of Cezary Kulesza, who has been ruling the largest and richest sports association in Poland for two years.
Together with Kulesza, Frankowski and Jóźwiak entered literature. Marcin Kącki in his reportage book “Białystok. White power, black memory” writes about them: “In a real estate management company [Kulesza] has Tomasz Frankowski to help. (…) Frank’s partner is his old friend from the times of the first discos, a bartender and a courier for transporting money from the disco takings. The second partner is Marian Jóźwiak, who looks like a supporting character from Quentin Tarantino’s films – tall and broad. He was Kulesza’s bodyguard in discos.
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Laurel for “Młody Gruchy”
From Kącki’s book we also learn that years ago Piotr G., alias “Młody Grucha”, legally sentenced to 3.5 years in prison for unintentional manslaughter.
In 2012, Piotr G. punched a man who tried to enter a club in the center of Białystok. The 24-year-old fell, hit his head on stone slabs and died.
As Kącki wrote, during the investigation, the gym staff gave “Młody Grusza” a certificate: “A conscientious, competent gym instructor.”
Let’s quote the book “Białystok. White Power, Black Memory”: “Where did he get his qualifications?” the police asked. Magic Gym couldn’t answer.
The investigation files showed that in the phones of most of the detained skin guards, the police found the mobile phone numbers of Kulesza’s partner, Tomasz Frankowski.
In December 2022, Wirtualna Polska revealed that the brother of “Młody Grucha”, Dominik G. aka. “Grucha”, was employed by Cezary Kulesza as Robert Lewandowski’s bodyguard during the Polish national team training camps, even though he was accused of participating in an organized criminal group (more here). According to the prosecutor’s office, “Grucha” operated in a gang that engaged in fights and kidnappings, made money from prostitution, and additionally promoted fascism. The police seized neo-fascist materials in the house of Lewandowski’s bodyguard. After our publication, the Polish Football Association said goodbye to “Grucha”.
Today, there is no trace of the skins from Kącki’s book in Magic Gym, and the club is developing and entering into cooperation with new entities and seeking financial support from new sources. For example, from the Ministry of Sport and Tourism (MSiT).
First grant: PLN 400,000 zloty
On May 11, 2022, MSiT announced the recruitment of offers for the “Sports Holidays +” program. PLN 50 million was to be distributed to co-finance “tasks related to the promotion of sports to various social and environmental groups.”
Several days later, on May 30, 2022, the court in Białystok registers the “Żadnych Granic” Foundation for Development, Sports and Recreation.
Kulesza’s already known partners and colleagues become members of the foundation’s authorities: Tomasz Frankowski is the president, and Marian Jóźwiak is his deputy.
Purpose of action? “Promotion of sport and physical culture”. Headquarters? At the same address as the Magic Gym.
The Foundation immediately takes part in the competition organized by MSiT.
On July 12, 2022, Minister Kamil Bortniczuk decides that the newly established “Żadnych Granic” foundation will receive PLN 400,000. PLN for the implementation of the project “Active at all ages, sport is health, take care of it!”.
At that time, 300 projects out of 945 received by the ministry received funding.
Details of the project of the “Żadnych Granic” foundation can be found in the regulations posted on the website of… the Magic Gym.
The project was to be implemented from August 6 to October 30, 2022 at Magic Gym. It was to include free yoga, functional training and boxing classes. Classes were to be held on Saturdays and Sundays, from 14 – 20. A maximum of 20 people could participate in each group.
Additionally, on September 25, 2022, a picnic was held in the parking lot in front of the gallery owned by Kulesza and colleagues. One of the stars present was Michał Probierz, current coach of the Polish national team, and previously twice coach of Jagiellonia Białystok. He talked about football. The photos show that about 30 people participated in the picnic.
World Cup with the minister
Also in September 2022, the “Fakt” daily published a report on the grand birthday party of Adam Bielan, MEP and head of the Republican Party supporting PiS. In several photos you can see Cezary Kulesza next to the Minister of Sport Kamil Bortniczuk.
Two months later, Kamil Bortniczuk flew with Cezary Kulesza and the Polish team to the World Cup in Qatar.
Second grant: PLN 300,000 zloty
Immediately after the World Cup, in February 2023, the Ministry of Sport and Tourism announced recruitment for the “Sport for All” program. PLN 70 million was to be distributed.
The announcement of the results was postponed twice. They were finally announced on June 15. The “No Borders” foundation was once again among the winners. This time, by the decision of Minister Kamil Bortniczuk, she was to receive PLN 300,000. zloty.
The money went to the same project as the year before. As before, carried out in the gym of Kulesza and his partners.
From August 1 to November 26, 2023, on Saturdays and Sundays, 20 people can participate in yoga, pilates, functional training, mobility and boxing classes.
The foundation’s profile is recruiting candidates. However, the hours given in the class schedule do not match the hours specified in the regulations of the program financed by the ministry. The program enjoys moderate interest. The Wirtualna Polska journalist signed up for yoga classes on one August weekend. Six people participated (with a limit of 20 participants).
Let us remind you that the “Graj złem” foundation applied for money from the “Sport for All” program, which wanted to finance, among others, a helpline project for athletes suffering from depression. So far, “Conversations for the Head” has cost the foundation PLN 1.6 thousand. PLN per month because specialists worked without remuneration. A minimum of PLN 4,000 is needed to operate the phone. PLN per month. The Ministry of Sport and Tourism did not decide to finance the project.
Filling empty spaces?
We asked the president of the Polish Fitness Federation, Tomasz Napiórkowski, for his opinion on the program on which the gym, co-owned by the president of the Polish Football Association, earns money.
– Let’s start with the fact that fitness clubs are much less busy on weekends than during the week, so it looks a bit like filling empty holes in the club’s schedule. I’m also wondering about the frequency of classes. If training were to serve a purpose and be effective, it would be worth exercising at least several times a week. The idea that we invest in movement is correct, but it is difficult to talk about any long-term effect if we only train on weekends, says Napiórkowski.
When asked about the amount the foundation received for organizing the classes, Napiórkowski says that a monthly training pass at the club costs on average about PLN 150. If classes were held for two years, four months each, the money from the ministry would be enough for about 500 monthly passes.
Answers
The PZPN Press Office, on behalf of Cezary Kulesza, replied to us that the president did not participate in the creation of the “No Borders” foundation. Referring to questions about the “Profaktor” company, the union writes that “upon taking over the position of president of the Polish Football Association, Cezary Kulesza transferred the power of attorney to run the entity to the partner.” But in the National Court Register Kulesza is still listed as a partner authorized to represent the company. He did not inform which partner he gave the power of attorney to.
In turn, Tomasz Frankowski said in an e-mail to the “No Borders” foundation that “linking the Foundation with the President of the Polish Football Association is completely groundless.” Frankowski explains that the foundation, of which he is the president, started cooperation with the “Profaktor” company, where he is a partner, “due to its possession of the infrastructure necessary to implement the project, which is widely recognized as one of the best in north-eastern Poland, and experience in implementation of projects consistent with the goals of the foundation.
Frankowski also wrote that “the ‘Profaktor’ company is one of many entities cooperating with the Foundation in the implementation of projects. For the implementation of the project, the ‘Profaktor’ company provided: fitness rooms with equipment, men’s and women’s locker rooms with showers and toilets, and a spacious spa area “.
Frankowski did not answer the question how much of the 700,000 donated by MSiT went to the Magic Gym.
We also sent a question to the Ministry of Sport and Tourism. We asked Minister Kamil Bortniczuk about his acquaintance with Cezary Kulesza’s partners, as well as whether he knew about the “Żadnych Granic” foundation’s connections with Kulesza and how the organization was verified by the ministry and what funds it received from the ministry. We didn’t get any response.
Szymon Jadczak
Contact the author: szymon.jadczak@grupawp.pl
2023-09-28 04:00:01
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