Miedź Legnica sacks head coach Janusz Niedźwiedź after 2–3 home defeat to Stal Rzeszów

Dismissal following home loss to Stal Rzeszów

Miedź Legnica dismissed head coach Janusz Niedźwiedź on Sunday, 20 September 2026, ending his tenure after just over thirteen months in charge. The dismissal came less than 24 hours after a 2–3 home defeat against Stal Rzeszów in the Betclic 1. Liga on Saturday, 19 September. In that match, the hosts fell behind 1–3 in the first half and were unable to mount a complete comeback after the interval, scoring only once to narrow the deficit. Following the match, the club board met and decided to terminate the coach's contract. The club subsequently published an official statement confirming the decision and thanking Niedźwiedź for his contribution.

Janusz Niedźwiedź is no longer the coach of Miedź. After the defeat against Stal Rzeszów, the contract with the coach has been terminated. Coach, thank you for your work for Miedź and we wish you good luck in your further career.

Recent run of poor form and cup elimination

The decision to remove Niedźwiedź was prompted by a difficult sequence of results across domestic competitions. In their four most recent fixtures in the league and the Polish Cup (Puchar Polski), Miedź recorded three defeats and one draw, dropping out of the cup tournament during that run. Club management emphasized that both recent performances and overall results had fallen below initial expectations for the 2026/2027 season. The home defeat against Stal Rzeszów marked the team's third loss in the league this season. In an additional communication, the club cited the recent statistical record as the primary factor behind the management change.

Recent results and the team's play were far from expectations. In the last four league and cup matches, the green-blue-reds recorded three defeats and one draw. Let us add that after nine rounds of the 2026/2027 Betclic 1 Liga season, Miedź already has three defeats on its account.

Overview of Niedźwiedź's tenure in Legnica

Niedźwiedź originally took over the coaching position at Miedź on 5 August 2025 during the early stages of the 2025/2026 season. At the time of his appointment, the Legnica club sat at the bottom of the second division without a single point after three rounds of play. Under his direction, the team recovered from the early crisis, climbed away from the relegation places, and entered contention for promotion to the Ekstraklasa. By the end of that campaign, Miedź finished in eighth place, missing out on the promotion play-off positions by two points. Prior to his spell in Legnica, Niedźwiedź managed Stal Mielec, Widzew Łódź, and Ruch Chorzów, having also achieved promotion to the second division with Stal Rzeszów seven years earlier.

Current league standings and transition

Through the first nine rounds of the 2026/2027 Betclic 1. Liga season, Miedź recorded four victories, two draws, and three defeats. That record places the club in fifth position in the league table, four points behind first-placed Pogoń Grodzisk Mazowiecki. The club confirmed that a search for a new head coach is under way, though no replacement has been named. Due to an upcoming international break, Miedź will not play again until 11 October 2026, when they face an away match against Odra Opole.