President Karol Nawrocki granted Piotr Staruchowicz a ban on mass events and ordered the suppression of the conviction. The leader of the Legia Warszawa fan community was punished for being in a sector another than the 1 indicated on the ticket. The decision launched a political dispute over the limits of the presidential right of grace.
The president has exercised his constitutional prerogative
Karol Nawrocki applied the law of grace to Piotr Staruchowicz, known as "The Old Man". The Chancellery of the president of the Republic of Poland informed on 3 acts of grace, without revealing the names of the convicts. The identity of the leader of the Legia's fan community was confirmed by Krzysztof Wąsowski, who previously represented him in social media.
In this case, the president granted a punishment measurement in the form of a ban on admission to a mass event and ordered the detention of the conviction to be stopped. Staruchowicz was convicted of misconduct involving being in a sector another than that indicated on the ticket. The firm stated that the decision was supported by affirmative environmental opinion, the incidental nature of the act and a unchangeable lifestyle.
The right of grace is the individual prerogative of the head of state resulting from Article 139 of the Constitution. It doesn't require a Prime Minister's countersignature. This is an crucial component of the systemic balance: the president can correct the effects of criminal repression erstwhile he considers it disproportionate or contrary to an simple sense of justice.
Two-year ban for a seat at the stadium
The case active a match between Motor Lublin and Legia Warszawa played in March 2025. According to RMF24, Staruchowicz received a two-year ban on mass events for being on the stadium fence, that is, a place not intended for the public. The curious individual himself claimed that he had the accreditation of the organizer and could lead the cheering from there.
A presidential decision is not an acquittal or a message that no wrongdoing has been committed. However, it removes the stadium ban and leads to the suppression of the conviction. In practice this means the anticipation of Staruchowicz returning to the stands.
This case raises a circumstantial question of the proportionality of the state response. safety during mass events must be protected firmly. However, stadium bans should service to destruct the real threat, alternatively than becoming an automatic, severe punishment for each order incident. The state is strong erstwhile it can separate between dangerous force and violation of regulations.
Political dispute after Nawrocki's decision
Government spokesperson Adam Sz Trapka called the pardon absurd and suggested that it stems from the president's emotional relation with the cheering community. It's a political assessment, not a decision finding. President's spokesperson Rafał Leśkiewicz replied that Karol Nawrocki acted within the limits of the prerogative enshrined in the Constitution.
The dispute is besides acute due to the fact that Staruchowicz called Channel Zero in December 2025 while talking to the president and publically asked for pardon. Nawrocki did not then announce a decision. He said that the conclusions are being analysed and pointed to the peculiarity of a situation in which the doping leader cannot enter the nest.
Critics have the right to ask about standards and transparency in the exercise of the right of grace. However, they do not have the right to pretend that a legal constitutional decision becomes lawlessness only due to the fact that they politically dislike it. Equally, the President's defenders should not ignore the fact of a final conviction. The seriousness of the State requires a fair presentation of both elements.
The stake is equal to the national measure
For Poles, the core of this case is not club sympathy. It is at stake to believe that you are punishing appropriately and applying the same measurement to all citizens. The presidential law of grace exists precisely to reconstruct in exceptional cases the proportion between guilt and consequence.
Karol Nawrocki's decision can be assessed, but it must be assessed on the basis of facts. The ban was given after an examination of the file, and the Office indicated circumstantial reasons. In the regulation of law, the dispute should concern the legitimacy of this assessment, not the very existence of a presidential prerogative. The freedom of a citizen and the authority of an institution are gained erstwhile repression remains rational and correction of mistake or excessive severity is not treated as a political crime.
![Irańska huśtawka trwa. [A na niej – błazen Donald].](https://pch24.pl/storage/files/2026/9/11/2e2e0211-abe4-4a9d-899d-391637f4b889/forum-1133244371.jpg?p=article_headline_mobile)
