WARSAW, November 19, 2020 - Andrzej Gowarzewski, the notable football historian, journalist and author of a unique football encyclopedia, has passed away on Monday (November 16), at the age of 75.
Born on July 19, 1945 in Katowice, Gowarzewski, an architect by profession, joined the editorial office of "Sport", where he worked from 1969 to 1976. The next stage of his journalistic adventure was the weekly "Sportowiec" from 1978 to 1982.
In 1990, he founded the GiA publishing house where he worked until the last moments of his life. Football was not his only passion. He was the initiator of the "Golden Spikes" athletics ranking and the originator of the "Crystal Circle" cyclists classification.
He gave reports from many World Cups, European Championships, and league matches, describing the unique atmosphere at football stadiums. His publishing house produced the well-known FUJI football encyclopedia - volume 60 has recently been released - and boasts a total of over 150 books and albums.
Andrzej Gowarzewski was decorated by the President of the Republic of Poland with the Golden Cross of Merit. Cities, Poznań and Kraków,awarded him with literature prizes.
In 2016, in the competition Wawrzyn Olimpijski (Olympic Laurels), he received a distinction from the Polish Olympic Committee in the section - scientific literature - for the development and publication of football encyclopedias.
Before Wednesday's Poland-Netherlands football match of group A1 of the UEFA Nations League in Chorzów, the players of both teams commemorated Andrzej Gowarzewski and the former Polish representative who died that day, the bronze medalist of the 1974 world championship, Adam Musial.
Not so long ago, a delegation of the Polish Sports Writers Association visited Andrzej Gowarzewski at the headquarters of the GiA publishing house, and President Jerzy Gora presented him with a commemorative plaque for his 75th birthday.
