Artur Boruc

Artur Boruc, (IPA pronunciation: ['ɑrtur 'bɔruts]), born February 20, 1980 in Siedlce, Poland, is a Polish football player. He is a goalkeeper for Celtic and also represents the Poland national football team.

On July 12, 2005 he signed with Celtic from the Polish club Legia Warszawa. The deal was initially a year’s loan, with an option to make it permanent. It has since been made permanent, with Boruc penning a three-and-a-half year deal with Celtic until 2009.

Boruc has appeared 20 times for Poland. He was selected to the 23-men national squad for the 2006 FIFA World Cup finals held in Germany. He had been battling with Tomasz Kuszczak for the starting slot, but was first-choice goalkeeper during the World Cup. He was one of Poland’s few successes during the tournament, turning in a brilliant performance in their 1-0 defeat by Germany in Dortmund.

On November 21, 2006, in a Champions League match against Manchester United at Celtic Park, Boruc helped Celtic through to the knockout stage of the competition by saving Louis Saha’s 89th-minute penalty.

Boruc was named player of the month for December 2006 in the Scottish Premier League.
Contents

1 Controversy
2 Clubs
3 Trivia
4 Notes
5 External links

Controversy

Boruc makes the sign of the cross before the start of every game as part of a good-luck ritual. On August 25, 2006 he was cautioned by the Strathclyde Police for a breach of the peace for making gestures in front of Rangers fans before a game earlier that year. According to the Sunday Herald, “police reports highlighted three hand gestures made by 26-year-old Boruc … a V sign at the crowd, another obscene gesture at the crowd and a blessing”. The gestures were not caught on video and the caution was issued on the basis of police reports and witness statements.

The Procurator Fiscal said Boruc “was seen by members of the public and police officers to bless himself. Witnesses describe him smiling or laughing at a Rangers section of the crowd and making “come on” gestures. This action appeared to incense a section of the crowd to react in such a way that police officers and security personnel had to become involved to calm the situation. The Police have reported that it took 10 minutes to restore normality in the crowd.” According to a cross-party working group of the Scottish Parliament, “the sign of the cross in itself is an expression of the Roman Catholic faith; however, using it to alarm, upset or provoke others might be a breach of the peace at common law.”

The Roman Catholic Church condemned the legal action, however, expressing regret that “Scotland seems to have made itself one of the few countries in the world where this simply religious gesture is considered an offence.” Following extensive press comment, the Crown Office issued a statement on 28 August stressing that the “very limited” action had been taken against Boruc for gestures made toward Rangers supporters rather than for crossing himself, and that it would not take action against individuals for “acts of religious observance”. According to the BBC, the caution “brought the issue of sectarianism in Scotland back into sharp focus.”

On December 17, 2006 Boruc again crossed himself during his first Old Firm game since the caution, drawing “a roar” from the Rangers fans behind his goal. (video). A spokeman for Celtic defended his gesture, stating “the police have said they have no problem with Artur Boruc in this regard and neither does Celtic Football Club.”[10]

Clubs

1998 – 1999 Pogoń Siedlce
1999 – 2000 Legia II Warszawa (second team)
2000 – 2001 Dolcan Ząbki/Legia Warszawa
2001 – 2005 Legia Warszawa
2005 – present Celtic

Trivia

He speaks English with a Scottish (Glaswegian) accent.[11]