Stefan à »ywotko (; 9 January 1920 â 10 February 2022) was a Polish football manager and player. He spent his entire coaching career in Poland and Algeria. His fourteen-year tenure as manager of JS Kabylie led to seven Algerian league titles, two African Cup of Champions titles, and a reputation as one of the greatest Polish/Algerian football managers.
à »ywotko was born on 9 January 1920, in Zniesienie, which was then a suburb of Lwów in the Second Polish Republic, shortly following Polish independence. Near the end of World War II, he left Lwów to join the 4th Reserve Cavalry Regiment in Hrubieszów. When the war ended, his unit moved first to Warsaw, and then to Koszalin for demobilization. When Lwów was assigned to the Ukrainian SSR at the end of the war, à »ywotko found himself homeless, and eventually settled in Szczecin, where he was joined by his parents. In Szczecin, à »ywotko lived in a business flat, while working as a manager in a cold meat factory.
à »ywotko began playing football with three clubs from Lwów: LKS Zniesieà Âczanka, Garbarnia Lwów, and .
While in the military, he began playing football with Milicyjny Klub Sportowy, which later moved to Szczecin where it took the name Gwardia Szczecin (today called Arkonia Szczecin).
While still playing with Gwardia, à »ywotko was given the opportunity to train the junior teams. Then, the senior team needed a manager and à »ywotko took over, and under his management Gwardia was promoted to the first division in 1961. However, an act was passed that stated that a coach could not be paid if they had previously played full-time for the team; this act banned Gwardia from paying à »ywotko. Such being the case, à »ywotko switched to local rival Pogoà  Szczecin; he managed them for four and a half years, which as of 2022 was the longest managerial tenure of any Pogoà  manager. à »ywotko quickly instituted changes, telling older players to retire, replacing them with younger players. Under à »ywotko, Pogoà  was promoted to the first division in 1966.
After he left Pogoà Â, à »ywotko returned to Arkonia, and then from there he moved to Warta Poznaà Â. At Warta, à »ywotko conflicted with a director who wanted his son to manage the club; rather than prolong the conflict, à »ywotko resigned his position. From there, à »ywotko moved to Arka Gdynia thanks to the influence of Bogdan Maà Âlanka, who had played under à »ywotko at Pogoà  Szczecin; Maà Âlanka became à »ywotko's assistant, and under their leadership Arka was promoted to the first division in 1976. At Arka, à »ywotko trained Janusz Kupcewicz, who would play for the Poland national team at the 1978 and 1982 FIFA World Cups, finishing third in 1982.
The Polish Football Association put à »ywotko on a list of managers who would be permitted to work overseas. Initially he hoped to work in Kuwait with Kazimierz Górski, but the move was blocked by the authorities.
In 1977, à »ywotko was appointed manager of Algerian club JS Kabylie. He knew little of Algeria at the time, so he selected Mahieddine Khalef to co-manage the team with him. Facing ethnic tensions in Algeria, à »ywotko mainly chose players from the local Kabyle people who would be loyal to their local club. He initially faced distrust from the players and local journalists, but he won them over with success.
During his time with the club, he won the Algerian League title seven times, the Algerian Cup once in 1986, the African Cup Of Champions Clubs twice, in 1981 and 1990 and the African Super Cup once in 1982. Under à »ywotko's management, JS Kabylie became the top club in Africa at the time, and remains the most successful club in Algeria. à »ywotko's success in Algeria made him the most successful Polish manager who worked outside of Poland. He has been described as "one of the most influential coaches in Algerian football."
In 1991, although JS Kabylie offered à »ywotko another contract, he decided that after 14 years in Algeria, and at his advanced age of 71, it was time for him to retire, and he returned to Szczecin, Poland.
à »ywotko preferred to keep strict discipline over his players. He banned alcoholic parties during training camps. In an interview in his retirement, he stated that "misunderstood indulgence is the worst, it will always turn against the coach." He demanded tough training sessions, both in Poland and in Algeria.
He preferred a careful tactical approach to managing, rather than motivating the players emotionally on the sidelines; he criticized coaches who did not focus on tactics.
In retirement, à »ywotko regularly attended Pogoà  Szczecin matches; he had a free entry card due to his previous management of the club.
à »ywotko turned 100 in January 2020. His wife died shortly before his 100th birthday, at the age of 94; she was also from Lwów.
In 2021, Michaà  Zichlarz wrote a biography about à »ywotko titled Stefan à »ywotko. Ze Lwowa po mistrzostwo Afryki.
à »ywotko died on 10 February 2022, aged 102.
JS Kabylie