18-year-old Alan Stulin comes from Bolesławiec. He moved to Germany several years ago. He also studies there and is a footballer for the well-known FC Kaiserslautern. It can already safely be said that Alan is a football star. He is considered one of the most promising footballers at the German club. In 2007, he was named the athlete of the year in the federal state where he lives. Two years ago, at a macroregion tournament in Duisburg, he was noticed by German national-team coaches. He was then offered the opportunity to play for Germany’s youth national team. “I attended Germany’s national-team camp three times because I wanted to see what it was like,” says Alan Stulin.
The young footballer could therefore choose, as he had also received an offer to play for Poland’s youth national team, coached by Michał Globisz. “I decided that I would play for Poland. I was born here, my family is here, and that is why I will play here,” says Alan Stulin. The atmosphere in the Polish national team and the results achieved so far also influenced the young footballer’s decision. In 2006, Poland’s national team won a tournament in Belgium. Alan scored in the match won against Belgium (2–1).
I will play for Poland!
The young footballer does not hide the fact that he prefers playing with his Polish teammates. He also values the authority and approach to football of coach Michał Globisz. “I am grateful to the coach for giving me the chance to play for Poland,” Alan says happily. “My dream is to play for Poland at Euro 2012,” he adds. Alan’s father, Sławomir Stulin, who once played for BKS Bolesławiec, is proud of his son’s decision. However, he points out that Alan’s decision will require even more work and effort at his parent club. “A foreigner has to be twice as good as a German player,” Alan’s father explains. Since morning, the station TVN24 has been reporting on Alan Stulin’s decision to play for the national team; in Bolesławiec, it prepared several live segments for its nationwide programme.
PZPN does not want a repeat of the Podolski story
On 19 April in Cologne, representatives of the Polish Football Association met with young footballers of Polish origin and their parents. Jerzy Engel and Tomasz Wałdoch encouraged the young footballers to represent Poland. They spoke about the organisational arrangements for training camps and playing for the Polish national team, as well as simplified procedures for obtaining a Polish passport. The PZPN has a so-called monitoring group whose task is to observe young Poles playing abroad and persuade them to play for their country.
(MZ information)