Polish football coach Wiesław Grabowski, who linked Wisła Ustronianka with Zimbabwe, dies at 78

Wiesław Grabowski, a Polish football coach, manager and talent scout, died on 29 July at the age of 78. Over a four‑decade career he built strong ties between Poland and Africa, notably bringing Zimbabwean players to the lower‑league club Wisła Ustronianka in the Beskids and serving as head coach of both the Zambian and Zimbabwe senior national teams.

Grabowski coached Zimbabwe to a silver medal at the 1995 African Games, founded and owned the club DT Africa United, and helped numerous African players secure moves to European clubs. He also worked with the Polish national team staff at the 1978 World Cup and later acted as an agent for players such as Benjani Mwaruwari. A funeral mass will be held on 4 August at the Archikatedra Chrystusa Króla in Katowice, followed by burial at the parish cemetery on Francuska street.