Two Polish teams will challenge the other international champions in upcoming EMF Champions League: Dentim Clinic Katowice and Tiki Taka Warsaw. They are the winner of the two most important 6-a-side tournaments in Poland: Nike Playarena League and Fortuna Polish Cup.
2016/2017 season in Poland had its peak in July. First, on 8th of July, the final tournament of Fortuna Polish Cup had been played. Then on the 29th of July the Nike Playarena League finished with crowning Tiki Taka Warsaw as champions.
Dentim Clinic Katowice – Winner of the Fortuna Polish Cup
The winners of 40 local Fortuna Polish Cup tournaments played against eachother in the second Fortuna Polish Cup national tournament. Gloria Victis Warsaw, who won the trophy last season, did not get a chance to defend it: Gloria lost the local Warsawian cup to UKS Brodno 92 Warsaw.
Dentim Clinic Katowice was a black horse in the tournament. Most of the fans didn’t expect the team to win. However, Dentim Clinic scored 33 goals in just 7 matches. They fiercest challenge to Dentim came in first match after the group phase: they beat Orlando Zgierz FC only in the extra time (4:2). They’ve met Dynamik Torun in the final, the team who won all of their matches on the way to final and even had a Polish National Minifootball Team leader – Krzysztof Elsner – in their squad.
Due to extraordinary performance of Jacek Jarnot, Dentim Clinic Katowice won the final in the extra time (2:3) and became one of the teams representing Poland at the EMF Champions League.
Tiki Taka Warsaw – Winner of the Nike Playarena League
Nike Playarena League final tournament was an elitist contest between the 16 best minifootball teams in Poland. 2017 (Cater-Group Lodz), 2015 (Dynamik Torun) and 2013 (Bad Boys Champions) champions were hoping to defend or regain the title, but it was Tiki Taka Warsaw, with two Polish National Minifootball team players – Michal Knajdrowski and Krystian Kij – in their ranks, who dominated on the 29th of July in Warsaw.
Tiki Taka had also no mercy for their group rivals: winning against vice-champions of NPL from 2015 (ICAR Poker Team Lublin) and champions from 2013 (Bad Boys Szczecin), 5:0 and 4:2. The quarter-final derby match against Ganador Warsaw (3:1) and semi-final against Dynamik Torun (2:1) proved to be no challenge either.
In the final match of the tournament they had to play against experienced Bad Boys Szczecin again. Bad Boys scored the first goal of the final match, but the Warsawians responded confidently with 6 goals, winning the match 6:1 and a place for themselves at the EMF Champions League.
EMF Champions League hopes
Dentim Clinic and Tiki Taka will now represent Poland in the second edition of EMF Champions League. Most of the supporters believe that it is Tiki Taka who has more chance to take a medal home. However, the underestimated Dentim Clinic with their ultimate striker – Jacek Jarnot – will be looking to be the black horse of this tournament as well.
“I will not say that we will dominate the EMF Champions League. We are aware that our rivals will be very strong and the experience of Polish teams in EMF Champions League last season proved that clearly” – says Krystian Kij from Tiki Taka Warsaw – “However, I am hopeful and I do believe in my team’s strength.”