In his latest column in “Przegląd Sportowy,” Dariusz Dziekanowski writes, “As the saying goes, no job dishonors, but nevertheless, I hope this doesn’t happen,” commenting on reports of an offer from Latvia for Marek Papszun. The winter transfer window has seen much activity, especially concerning the future of several top coaches.

We received shocking announcements from Juergen Klopp about his farewell to Liverpool (at the end of the current season). A few days after him, Barcelona’s Xavi made a similar declaration.

Earlier, Pep Guardiola’s statement circulated in the media, jokingly suggesting that if Manchester City repeats last year’s success (winning three trophies), he would retire. “Triple crown this season?

Forget it! If I do it, I’ll end my career,” he quipped in an interview.

And finally, the most talked-about recent rumor from our market: Marek Papszun is among the four candidates for the head coach of the Latvian national team. Starting with this latest information, I would like to say that after reading press materials about the former Raków Częstochowa coach, I haven’t come across any comment from Marek Papszun himself.

Everywhere there are articles citing information from Latvian media, but not a word from Marek Papszun. Why?

I see two possibilities. The first is that there’s something to it, and the coach doesn’t want to address it until the matter is clarified (the decision is to be made on February 5).

The second possibility is that the offer is so absurd that Marek Papszun doesn’t even want to comment on it. As the saying goes, no job dishonors, but nevertheless, I hope this doesn’t happen.

It’s a bit like if the best and still young player in our league (let’s take Ernest Muci from Legia, for example), for whom his home club expects big money, received an offer from Riga FC. It would certainly be an offer below the player’s market value, but above all, below his sporting ambitions.

I simply can’t imagine that the Raków coach would seriously consider such a proposal. I truly believe he is capable of much more.

(continued in next paragraph)

Amid reports from Europe about these top coaches, I return to Marek Papszun because the situation still seems inexplicable to me. A coach who has come such a long way (from coaching Dolcan Ząbki or GKP Targówek), reached such a level (winning the Polish championship with Raków), and suddenly decides to take a break.

And this break has lasted for over six months. Using the analogy of a player’s career once again, it’s like a prolific striker in his prime years deciding to take a year off from football.

Someone may ask: why does Juergen Klopp have the right to take a year off after nine years at Liverpool, and Marek Papszun doesn’t? The difference is that Klopp has reached the absolute peak in the most challenging competitions (in the Champions League, then in the Premier League) and works under incomparably greater pressure.

The same goes for Pep Guardiola, who has already had such a sabbatical year and now jokes about retirement. It might be a joke, but who knows?

He has already won everything in football and is not sure if he’ll be able to maintain the same level of motivation and commitment in the next season. (continued in next paragraph)

Marek Papszun is a coach with potential on a broader scale than just our local one, but one who shows great promise.

Someone on whom other Polish coaches could count on to pave the way to European clubs. However, compared to Klopp’s career, he still hasn’t reached the level at which the German started at Mainz 05.

Therefore, I would simply be sorry if such potential went to waste. On the other hand, time is not necessarily working in his favor.

On the contrary, the longer he remains on the sidelines, the less interest there will be. Who will want a coach who won the Polish championship at some point but hasn’t worked as a coach for a year?

In the case of Klopp or Guardiola, we’re talking about coaching Himalayas, while Papszun has only conquered the highest peak of the Tatra Mountains so far. (continued in next paragraph)

Someone may say: there are those for whom the Tatra Mountains are enough, who are not drawn to the Himalayas or even the Alps.

It happens, but I assume that Marek Papszun, known for his high demands on players, has greater ambitions for himself as well. And if he knows that Mount Everest is out of reach, he could at least aim for Mont Blanc.

This is what I assume, although I may be wrong. However, I can’t believe that having climbed Gerlach, he would now be tempted to stroll on Three Crowns in the Pieniny Mountains.

Is the comfortable armchair of a TV expert starting to burn him? I find it strange that no one in Poland has anything sensible to propose to him.

I won’t dwell once again on the regret that he didn’t take on the role of the national team’s coach, but equally incomprehensible to me is the fear of the heads of the leading Polish clubs of Marek Papszun’s strong character and autonomy he demands. I would also like to believe that the comfortable armchair of a TV expert has started to burn him, that he hasn’t settled into it for good.

It’s still strange to me to hear Coach Papszun talking about other coaches and their teams. In fact, he is the one who should be in the spotlight as a coach, not make comments about others as a commentator.

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