Club announcement

Last season, John van den Brom led Lech to the quarterfinals of the Europa Conference League. It was a historic achievement as Lech was the first Polish club in 30 years that wasn’t eliminated in the first spring round of the European competition. In addition, no other team from Poland has come as far as the quarterfinals of the international tournament.

Meanwhile, in the league, Lech finished 3rd after an impressive end of the season. In this campaign, the team has already qualified for the quarterfinals of the Fortuna Polish Cup. However, their performances in the international arena haven’t been as successful as in the previous season – John van den Brom’s squad was eliminated in the third qualification round of the Europa Conference League by Spartak Trnava (2:1, 1:3). Over the last 18 months, coach van den Brom led Lech in 81 matches, his last game being the Saturday league clash with Radomiak Radom (2:2). On Sunday morning, the club and the Dutchman decided to end the agreement.

“We decided to part ways. We have been analyzing the situation for a long while now and we concluded that this is the best solution for the time being. Coach Brom did an excellent job last season when we reached the historic quarterfinals of the Europa Conference League. The fans will remember the clashes with Villarreal, Bodø/Glimt, Djurgårdens IF, and Fiorentina for a long time. The coach deserves a round of applause for all the emotions that we, and the supporters, could experience thanks to him. We part ways amicably, with gratitude for all the work that John van den Brom did whilst at Lech. The autumn round, which has just ended, hasn’t been as successful as we would have liked – not only because of the early elimination from the European competition but also because we lost a lot of league points along the way. We wish coach Brom good luck in his coaching career,” said Tomasz Rząsa.

Mariusz Rumak will take over John van den Brom’s responsibilities starting December 18^th. The Polish coach is returning to Lech after 9 years – he led the team in the years 2012-2014 during which the club finished the league in the second place twice.

For the past two years, Rumak has been working for Lech’s Academy as a Vice-Director for the Coaches’ Development. The club has decided that at this stage of the season, with how the league table looks, the best option would be to hire a coach familiar with the club, the players, the team, and the aspects that need to be improved quickly.

“We need an impulse which will awaken the potential of our first-team players. We decided it wasn’t the time for a coaching revolution and flipping things upside down. We needed a person who is familiar with the club and has adequate coaching experience. Coach Rumak has been close to the team for a while now, analyzing the team’s performances and their issues daily. He has the knowledge and the tools to improve our game; that is what we are hoping for,” emphasized the Sporting Director.

Mariusz Rumak signed a contract with Lech until the end of the current season, that is, June 30th, 2024. Following the Saturday match against Radomiak Radom, Lech’s players left for the holidays, however, the new coach is starting on Monday.

“Coach Rumak will lead the first team, but it’s not the end of changes. The rest of the coaching staff will also see adjustments and reinforcements. We aim to take advantage of the winter preparations so that as soon as PKO BP Ekstraklasa and the Polish Cup resume, we can fight [for trophies],” highlighted Tomasz Rząsa.