Moryto: “Our team is like a family”

KS Kielce have never lost a final at the EHF FINAL4 Cologne – when you take into account the results after 60 minutes. When the Polish champions fight for the trophy in the very last match of the top flight competition, it is never over after 60 minutes. Kielce are masters of entertainment and thrills, when it comes to Cologne.

Since turning an eight-goal deficit against Veszprém in the 2016 final into a trophy win after a shoot-out, KS Kielce have aimed for the trophy every year. In 2022 and 2023, they were very close to the top of the podium on both occasions, but ultimately finished defeated. In 2022, they lost against Barça after a shoot-out, in 2023 against SC Magdeburg after extra time. This match was overshadowed by the tragic death of Polish journalist Pawel Kotwica in the media section.

“After the final against Barcelona we were so disappointed. In the whole next season, we were feeling so strong, but again we did not manage to win. But after losing the final against Magdeburg it was something completely different. This match showed us that sport is not the most important thing in our lives, sport is nothing compared to a human life,” says Arkadiusz Moryto.

The 26-year-old right wing was Kielce’s best scorer in the previous Machineseeker EHF Champions League, with exactly 100 goals. At several major events previously, Moryto was top scorer for the Polish national team, but personally he does not care that much on how often he scores.

“I am responsible for those goals, but for me scoring goals is not the most important thing, it is my job. For me trophies and titles with Kielce are more important. Before the last EHF FINAL4 I said; I do not want to score any goals, if we win the trophy. It did not happen, but I hope that it happens this season.”

Born in Krakow, “Arek” Moryto had his first professional contract at Lubin, then joined Kielce in 2018. “When I was a child, I had the dream to play in Kielce, and this dream came true. Now I am playing in one of the best teams in Europe, with some of the best players in the world,” he says with extreme pride, adding, “the team is like a family; we are together in bad times and better times. My teammates are not just colleagues, they are friends.”

Since his arrival, Kielce went all the way to Cologne three times, became five-time Polish champions and three-time Polish cup winners. “I just want to fight for the biggest things in handball – the trophies in Poland and in the EHF Champions League. We have everything you need to win everything, and I happy with that.”

In the previous season, Moryto’s club faced financial problems, a new name sponsor saved the club, then, long-term president Bertus Servaas stepped back after 21 years this summer. Which impact did that have on the team? No that much, says Moryto, “Me and my teammates can separate those things, we know what we are fighting for, we believe that everything will be fine. Finances are not our job. Our job is playing handball and to give 100 per cent.”

Almost all key players stayed in Kielce, but some stars such as Andreas Wolff, Haukar Thrastarson and Pawel Paczkowski are ruled out with injuries at the start of the season.

“They will get ready to help us. We still have a very strong team and we can still fight for the big titles,” says Moryto.

Kielce combine a quite international squad with players from almost 10 countries, and a Soviet-born coach with Kyrgyz roots and a Spanish passport, Talant Dujshebaev. “It is not a problem to communicate with the other players, as one of Talant’s rules is, that every new arrival in our team has to learn the Polish language as soon as possible. So from the beginning we have a good contact and communication with the new players,” says Moryto.

For him, the daily business with Dujshebaev is something special: “I love to work with Talant. After almost six years working with him and he can still surprise me. He finds the right motivation for every situation and every game of the season. He has so many different solutions, how to play. And outside the court he always likes to joke and to tell some funny stories.”

Counting on the skills of Dujshebaev and his teammates, Moryto is confident and optimistic for the upcoming EHF Champions League season, despite some early hurdles to come in the group phase like PSG, Kiel and the two strong Scandinavian sides, Aalborg and Kolstad.

“Nothing changed for us, we know we have many good teams in our group. It is our goal to finish on top of this group. Our goal is to win everything in this season: from the IHF Super Globe to both competitions in Poland and of course the EHF Champions League,” Moryto says.

“This competition is something special for every player, as it is so difficult to win this trophy. After losing the two finals we are even more hungry for this victory. We want to go step by step and I hope we make it to the EHF FINAL4 again, as again we are more experienced.”

photos © ABMprojekt; Uros Hocevar & Jozo Cabraja / kolektiff