MEP Łukasz Kohut has taken a stand in defense of the grave of a footballer who, in 1939, betrayed Poland and chose to play for Nazi Germany. Even decades after his death, Ernest Wilimowski remains a deeply controversial figure.
Mianowali go "Ezi", określał się jako "Górnoślązak".
— Łukasz Kohut
Ernst Wilimowski – najlepszy piłkarz w historii Śląska, najpewniej najlepszy napastnik w historii reprezentacji Polski
, celowo zapomniany i wygumkowany, bo po 1939 roku grał dla Niemiec.
Brazylii na Mundialu w 1938… pic.twitter.com/aDWbqgE18Y(@LukaszKohut) April 5, 2025
The grave of the former footballer, who died in 1997 and is buried in Karlsruhe, Germany, is under threat. Authorities are planning to repurpose the part of the cemetery where he is buried. As it turns out, MEP Łukasz Kohut, elected from the Civic Coalition list, has decided to intervene in the matter.
“We cannot allow him to be left without a dignified place of rest. Today I visited the cemetery in Karlsruhe where he is buried and met with city hall officials about the matter. It was a good, nearly two-hour meeting. We’re also intervening with the Polish and German football associations. There’s been a fundraising effort (with loyal Ruch Chorzów fans taking care of the grave for years), but this is the right moment for both the Polish FA and the DFB to step up and contribute financially toward the exhumation and proper commemoration of this LEGEND in Karlsruhe, where he passed away in 1997,”
wrote MEP Kohut.
Before 1939, Wilimowski was a key player for the Polish national team. But one decision changed everything. After the outbreak of World War II, Wilimowski chose to play for Nazi Germany’s national team, managed by Sepp Herberger. In 1942, he even played in a match between Nazi Germany and Romania in occupied Bytom, scoring a goal for Hitler’s regime. His last match for the German team was on November 22, 1942, in Bratislava—a friendly against Slovakia that ended in a 5–2 win.
After the war, Wilimowski settled in Karlsruhe and never returned to Poland. When the idea was floated in 1995 for him to visit the country for Ruch Chorzów’s 75th anniversary, media branded him a traitor, and he backed out. When he passed away in 1997, there was no delegation from the Polish Football Association at his funeral.
Kohut’s involvement in Wilimowski’s case has sparked outrage from Law and Justice (PiS) MP Paweł Jabłoński.
“Yes, folks. One of Trzaskowski’s close allies, MEP Łukasz Kohut, is defending a man who in 1939 betrayed Poland and sided with Nazi Germany. He wore a jersey with a swastika on his chest and took money from the Germans while his teammates from the Polish national team were being murdered by those same Germans. And now Kohut is demanding that the Polish Football Association ‘cough up the cash’ to honor this traitor,”
wrote Jabłoński on X.com.
“Let’s not kid ourselves—people like Kohut are and always will be against Poland, in EVERY matter where Germany’s interests are on the other side,”
he added.