GREGOIRE NITOT
Owner and CEO of Polonia Warszawa since March 2020
In March 2020, when Gregoire Nitot took over Polonia Warsaw, the club was in a very difficult financial and organizational situation. The Black Shirts were in second-to-last place in the 3rd league, with debts exceeding 2 million PLN! Due to the difficulties, many key employees, including the president, coach, and some players, left the club as early as December 2019, without receiving their due wages for several months.
Thanks to Gregoire Nitot’s determination, commitment, and financial support, the club avoided bankruptcy. Acquiring a majority stake in the club not only restored financial stability but also saved the oldest football club in the capital. Nitot invested in the club’s structure and team development, bringing hope and belief in the future. His takeover of Polonia became a turning point in its history, allowing for a fresh start.
The purchase of the majority stake by Gregoire Nitot was met with negative reactions from a small group of aggressive Legia Warsaw fans, who expressed their displeasure by displaying a scandalous banner during a match against ŁKS Łódź with the message: “Monsieur Nitot, il n’est pas encore trop tard pour se retirer. Vous avez encore des clients, l’entreprise fonctionne encore…” (in English: “Mr. Nitot, it’s not too late to withdraw. You still have clients, the company still works…”). Although the incident could have discouraged many investors, it did not break Gregoire Nitot’s determination.
In response, Polonia fans showed remarkable strength and unity. Instead of succumbing to pressure, they initiated a campaign supporting the new investor, posting pictures and messages with the hashtag #BonjourGregoire on social media. The initiative quickly gained popularity, and thousands of fans from all over Poland, including many Legia supporters, joined in expressing their support.
The campaign became a symbol of unity, showing how the passion for football can bring people together across divides. The situation gained widespread attention in the national media, and Polonia gained not only an investor but also strong support from fans across the country.
Today, one of Nitot’s goals is to eliminate aggression and hatred and to create a wonderful, positive atmosphere in the stands of Polonia’s stadium, also towards rival fans. Remember, we are Czarni Kulturalni! Our mission is to build the most open, respectful, cheerful and positive club in Poland. Let’s build it together!
As the owner and chairman, I am involved in overseeing all aspects of the club’s operations. I collaborate with eight directors who report directly to me: the CFO, the Sporting Director, the Coach, the Academy Director, the Sales Director, the Gadgets and Merchandising Manager, and the Marketing and Communications team. My role includes appointing the best leaders to manage our various departments, defining their OKRs (Objectives and Key Results), securing the club’s funding, and providing support to help all departments excel.
Polonia’s president grew up by the Seine but has been connected to Poland for many years. Warsaw holds a special place in his heart—he first came here in 2000 for a 10-month Erasmus exchange program. Since 2006, when he founded the company Sii Polska, he has lived here permanently, and since 2016, he has held Polish citizenship.
Greg (as his colleagues call him) loves competition and crazy projects that few would undertake—the most fascinating and simultaneously most challenging of which is restoring the former glory of Polonia Warsaw.
Why did you invest in Polonia Warszawa when the Club was on the verge of bankruptcy?
Thanks to the dividends collected from Sii, I had a lot of private savings. I could have used this money to buy shares in some prosperous company, a villa by the sea, a sports car, or a luxury yacht. But I prefer crazy and fascinating projects with passionate people over material things – they don’t give me happiness.
Since childhood, football has been one of my passions, and I have always dreamed of owning a big football club. I chose Polonia because it’s a club with incredible history and potential, and Warsaw is my home – I live here, and I didn’t want to invest in any club in a city other than the capital.
What is your main goal related to the Black Shirts?
My main goal is to advance to higher leagues and return to the Ekstraklasa and for the Club to achieve financial stability and independence from my private funds. I dream that in the future, we will be able to play against the best teams on a European scale and that Polonia will not only be one of the best clubs in Poland but also in Europe. My main goal is also to promote the club’s mission: “We are Czarni Kulturalni! Our mission is to build the most open, respectful, cheerful and positive club in Poland. Let’s build it together!” by creating an atmosphere of respect and openness at the stadium.
What kind of place would you like Polonia’s stadium to be?
My dream is that Polonia’s fans are the best in all of Poland and that matches are always accompanied by great cheering, songs, a great atmosphere and emotions, but always with a positive, joyful attitude, including toward the fans of our rivals.
Of course, we want to win and to be a great club that rivals respect and fear. But we also want to be a club that everyone admires and envies the friendly atmosphere filled with happiness created by our fans.
ACHIEVEMENTS
- Merger of Akademia Polonia Warszawa and Akademia Piłkarska MKS Polonia Warszawa. Another important step towards creating an even stronger structure that will foster the development of young players, support them in their pursuit of football success, and contribute to the further development of the Club.
- Strengthening of the Marketing and Merchandising Department. Employment of Kamila Lipińska as Merchandising and Sales Manager and Anna Wójcik as Marketing Manager.
- Winning the Polish Championship in the CLJ U17 competition.
- Change of company status from Sp. z o.o. to S.A. (non-profit)
- Participation in play-offs for promotion to the Ekstraklasa
- Victory in the Regional Polish Cup competition at the Mazowiecki Związek Piłki Nożnej level by Polonia Warszawa’s second team.
- Promotion to the quarter-finals of the Polish Cup by the first team of the Black Shirts.
- Changes in the coaching staff of the first team. Hiring of a new coach, Mariusz Pawlak, and strengthening of his coaching staff.
- Award for the “Kumple z Trybuny” program granted by “Sportbiz Summit” in the “Digital Marketing” category.
- Transfers of key players: Łukasz Zjawiński, Przemysław Szur, Erjon Hoxhallari, Bartłomiej Poczobut, Dani Vega Cintas, and Ilkay Durmus.
- Championship and promotion to Fortuna 1 League by Polonia’s first team
- Launch of the Otwarty Stadion and Kumple z Trybuny programs
- Transfers of key players Jakub Lemanowicz, Michał Grudniewski, Maciej Kowalski-Haberek, Michał Bajdur, Paweł Tomczyk, Mateusz Michalski
- Championship and promotion to the second division (II liga) of Polonia’s first team
- Promotion to fifth division (V liga) of the KSP reserve team
- Simplification of the company statutes
- New systems: CRM, e-commerce, ticket system. New, expanded IT infrastructure
- Transfers of key players: Wojciech Fadecki, and great talent from the academy – Bartosz Biedrzycki
- Hiring a new coach, Rafał Smalec, in place of Wojciech Szymanek and strengthening his staff (Maks Hołownia, Piotr Kruszewski, and Maciej Wesołowski joined it)
- Anna Bednarz-Jaskot (Digital Director) and Rafal Szczęsny (IT Manager) joined the structures, and IT systems were implemented: a new website, accounting system, business analysis system, and Polonia TV
- Launch of a new line of business by developing club merchandising
- Transfers of key players: Piotr Marciniec, Michał Brudnicki, and Krystian Pieczara, and the promotion of young talents from the academy, such as Krzysztof Koton and Eryk Mikołajewski
- Completing the complex process of buying Polonia with the strategic involvement and support of Sebastian Myszczyński. Saving the club from bankruptcy; paying off debt and saving the club from losing its license to play in the third division (III liga). Two people remained in the company after the acquisition, ensuring continuity of operations and facilitating the introduction of Gregoire Nitot to the club: coach Wojciech Szymanek and Alex Malczuk
- Defining the new mission statement, six strategic goals, and ten core values of Polonia
- Launch of the Finance and Administration Department run by Bartłomiej Dryl
- Launch of the Sports Department run by Sports Director Piotr Kosiorowski; carrying out key transfers to the club: bringing in Łukasz Piątek, Tomasz Wełna, and Adam Pazio
- The signing of a contract of cooperation between KS Polonia and the academy of MKS | Paweł Olczak, which allowed to strengthen the club’s youth training and reserve team
- Purchase of the “Black Shirt” bar managed by Tomasz Płochocki and incorporating it into the club’s structures
CLUB INVESTMENT
In March 2020, Gregoire Nitot saved the Club from bankruptcy with his first financial investment of PLN 2,220,500. Among other things, the funds were used to pay off overdue salaries of players and debts for renting the stadium from the City.
Currently, the amount of the company’s capital received from Gregoire Nitot’s private funds is already PLN 15,000,000. The owner covers the large financial losses generated by the Club every year – according to estimates, the current fiscal year will end with PLN 3.2 million in the red.
The new owner contributed funds not only of his own but also from the strategic sponsor of the Black Shirts – his company, Sii Poland, supports the Club with PLN 500,000 every quarter.
For more information on the Club’s financing, see the financial statement.
< 06.2025
Gregoire Nitot: PLN 27 267 300
Sii (Sponsoring): PLN 10 000 000
Plan for 2025/2026
Gregoire Nitot: PLN 14 000 000
Sii (Sponsoring): PLN 3 000 000
The amount of money that Polonia received thanks to Gregoire Nitot since 2020
OTHER INVESTMENTS
Sii Poland – founder, CEO, owner of 30% of shares
Tawerna Kaszubska – owner
Gregoire Nitot is passionate about exploring new business areas and industries. In addition to his investment in Polonia Warszawa, he is also the founder and CEO of Sii Poland – the largest provider of outsourcing services in Poland and subsidiaries of Sii Sweden and Sii Ukraine. Besides, he is the owner of Tawerna Kaszubska, a lakeside guesthouse in Kashubia. It is one of his favorite places in the world, and where his wife also comes from.
OTHER INVESTMENTS
Sii Poland – founder, CEO, owner of 30% of shares
Tawerna Kaszubska – owner
Gregoire Nitot is passionate about exploring new business areas and industries. In addition to his investment in Polonia Warszawa, he is also the founder and CEO of Sii Poland – the largest provider of outsourcing services in Poland and subsidiaries of Sii Sweden and Sii Ukraine. Besides, he is the owner of Tawerna Kaszubska, a lakeside guesthouse in Kashubia. It is one of his favorite places in the world, and where his wife also comes from.
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