In the heart of Poland, the city of Lodz becomes a cauldron of passion and rivalry when bitter rivals ŁKS Łódź and Widzew Łódź, collide in what is known as the Lodz Derby. This fiercely contested local showdown sees the Stadion Miejski ŁKS transform into a battlefield where history, pride, and a deep-seated sense of community clash.

“There’s something sinister, even hellish, about the vision. Soon the stand is swamped in smoke, from the heart of which burns a menacing red fire.”

Hugo Saye

For the fans, the Lodz Derby is more than just a football match; it is an event that encapsulates the atmosphere and emotions that define the essence of the city and its footballing culture.

Delve into one of Poland’s most infamous derbies thanks to the wonderful words and photographs by Hugo Saye from Who We Are Football…

Words and photographs | Hugo Saye

The huge tifo going up is the sign I’ve been waiting for. Underneath it, I’d been told, the ultras would right now be changing clothes and putting on their masks before the pyro comes out. It is impressive in itself, a vast checkered flag which then opens like a scroll to reveal a second layer and covers most of the stand. Then it comes back down again and we wait for the pyro. And we wait. And nothing happens. 

A few months ago I’d contacted Alex Webber, Instagram’s resident Polish football guru, to ask about the one game I should try to get to this season. Everyone knows Legia and their ultras, but there are no other Warsaw teams in the top division so there’s no local clashes to be found there. Alex suggested instead the Lodz derby (pronounced something like Wuj) between LKS and Widzew, and that sounded good enough for me. 

Walking through town, the graffiti is striking. I don’t remember seeing another place in Europe (a place that isn’t Naples at least – and let’s face it, Naples is a law unto itself) with so much football graffiti. Just like street gangs, it seems fans of the two clubs use it to claim their ground in the city. I’d later learn it’s how the young ultras prove themselves, and there’s a high-profile court case currently going on because someone was stabbed over it in another town. 

One group of a couple of hundred LKS fans has gathered outside a pub opposite the farmers’ market. Riot vans and police in their full gear hover across the street, some looking bored, others looking eager for something to kick off. After a while the group pulls in. A flare is lit, a drumbeat strikes up and, accompanied by the police, this particular arm of the march to the stadium begins its journey. 

Inside the stadium, fans greet each other and chat in the usual way pre-match. They then turn their attention to the away fans and start gesturing and singing towards them. A lot of them are wearing hoodies showing a Widzew fan hanging in a noose. Players arrive onto the pitch to a sea of scarves and a deluge of singing.

At both ends of the ground, the ultras are led by capos at the front. A platform is set up in front of the home end, with drummers and megaphones, while the away leaders just cling to the front of the cage around their section. The fans sing and the noise is good, and after half an hour, when the LKS tifo is passed up the stand, anticipation grows. 

The Widzew fans go first. The tifo comes down and a red glow appears in the darkness behind their banner across the front. There’s something sinister, even hellish, about the vision. Soon the stand is swamped in smoke, from the heart of which burns a menacing red fire. 

The LKS fans light their first flares, too. Not a huge show, but enough to start off with. It’s when they put up their third tifo that they really go for it. It’s another impressive one, taking up most of the ultras section. The capos guide the crowd, telling them who needs to pull it up where. Once it’s in place, dozens of flares are lit, ringing the entire emblem in red flame. Obscured behind their masks, they carve their flares through the air. Sparks spill down over the flag and away into the darkness.

In the away end, some fans begin pulling at the fencing. Heaving it backwards and forwards, baying at the police on the other side. It doesn’t look like it will hold out for much longer when they give up, perhaps not actually wanting to follow through on their threats against heavily armoured policemen. Some people are roughly hauled out and ejected from the stadium, but there are few real problems.

FT : LKS Lodz 0 -2 Widzew Lodz

The game itself is not great. Played at a decent tempo but with a litany of misplaced passes, Widzew score again in injury time to inflict a defeat on their rivals which looks certain to send them down. As much as their fans enjoy the moment, there is probably a note of sadness for them too. We form our own identities by holding them against those of our adversaries. Without that, something is lost. Every fan loves derby day most of all, and next season at least Lodz will go without one, and Poland will lose one of its most colourful fixtures. 

At full time, the LKS players stand before their ultras to be dutifully berated before trudging away to the dressing room…

See more great photographs and anecdotes about Hugo’s Lodz derby experience on on Who We Are Football.

Don’t miss out on Lower Block’s latest news and features. Subscribe to our newsletter below and give us a follow on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. 

You may also like…

Who We Are | Explosive football derbies in pictures

The heart of Polish football | Alex Webber

Boogie | Moscow football fanatics