Kulczyk to invest in Lech Poznań

The wealthiest man in Poland, Jan Kulczyk, who co-owns Telekomunikacja Polska and brewery Kompania Piwowarska, plans to invest in football; namely, he wants to buy Poznań-based first division team Lech Poznań. Negotiations have commenced under the auspices of town officials. According to specialists, the club is currently worth a few tens of million złotys. The stadium is now being modernized, it will soon be fully enclosed and have a total capacity of 30,000. On completion, it should be the best and one of the biggest domestic stadia. It is, however, is not the only valuable asset of the club, according to Lech president Jarosław Majchrzak, who stated that "Lech Poznań is a club that used to be the best in the country and when it comes to marketing, fans and its atmosphere, it is not so different from other European teams." Poznań's deputy mayor, Maciej Frankiewicz, stated that "The negotiations have lasted for a few weeks, but recently they have accelerated." (www.rmf.pl; Gazeta Wyborcza, p. 15) M.M.