As we know, The Separatists recently secured promotion to the top tier of ProLeague Polska, though we covered that a few articles ago. To mark the occasion, we invited the team’s captain to the Superiongg virtual studio, where we asked him about a few aspects, not just their gameplay. JarCze serves as captain, as well as holding the other key roles in the club – owner and manager – a one-man band, you might say.
Hi, to start with, please introduce yourself to our readers.
Greetings, this is JarCze, owner-manager and ‘father-director’ of The Separatists club, I bow low.
Could you tell us about the origins of The Separatists?
The club’s history dates back to 2020–2021, when it was founded by a gentleman from Slovakia known as Bibson. During those years, and throughout 2022, the team was international, with English as the dominant language ‘in the dressing room’, on the virtual pitch and off it. It was also during this period that I, a humble soul, joined the club.
At that time, the size of the ‘Polish contingent’ in the Club could usually be counted on the fingers of one hand; they were mostly regular members. It was then that we established the team’s position on the Polish PC scene, playing at the time on the ProLeague platform, finishing second in the league table four times in a row.
The year 2023 proved to be a turning point — on the one hand, the team was handed over to me; on the other, there was a natural ‘clear-out’ of the dressing room, with the vast majority of foreign players leaving. Within a few weeks, the international club had become a Polish one. This period was quite turbulent; it would probably make for the script of a rather interesting TV series. The summer of 2023 saw the team’s first major crisis, both on and off the pitch — yet we emerged from it stronger, ending the PC era before the crossplay era with a victory in the Polish PC Cup in September 2023.
The crossplay era, on the other hand, was a time of ups and downs: relegation in Season 1, promotion back up in Season 2, only to be relegated again from the top division within the VPG Polska structure in Season 3. Such a period forges bonds and hones the characters of the Club’s warriors and soldiers.
Within the ProLeague structure, you managed to secure promotion to the top flight by finishing second. Promotion was secured, but you fell two points short of the championship. How does that feel, especially given that in the final round you lost to the eventual champions – DACH Esport? Do you feel a sense of disappointment, or are you satisfied with how the season went?
Yes, we managed to secure promotion. Unfortunately, we fell a few points short of the championship title – specifically the few points we lost in our match against DACH Esport. At the end of the day, it’s hard to win such a competition with The Separatists’ record standing at 0-6 against DACH Esport. That said, the season is certainly one to look back on positively, especially when you consider the ongoing team-building process. We’re learning from this and plan to come back stronger.
Can we expect a transfer spree involving The Separatists in the coming weeks?
As the owner-manager, the ‘father-director’, I do not believe in so-called transfer sprees. Instead, I believe in the project and our shared development.
Admittedly, our pre-season transfers contradict this, but they were part of (yet another) rebuild. A rebuild — an evolution, not a revolution.
As a team, we focus on meaningful words and concepts such as loyalty, dedication, working together to improve, learning from experience, and constructive criticism. These aren’t just empty words; it’s an approach.
You could say that for a while you were playing on two fronts — in the ProLeague second division and in the VPG Polska second division. How do you manage it, that despite competing in two leagues, you managed to get promoted in one and are still in the running in the other?
The key is consistency, demonstrated both through our ability to maintain form and our developed style of play, as well as our individual approach to each match.
One match at a time. We take to the pitch and all that matters is on the pitch: tackle after tackle, action after action, minute after minute. As one person in the team once put it: “there’s work to be done”. VPG or ProLeague, a competitive match is a competitive match, regardless of which 11 take to the pitch.
Do you have any advice or tips, as an owner and captain, for future new clubs in EA Sports FC?
Whichever role you take on – owner, manager, captain or leader – it’s not a role for everyone. It requires giving your all: your whole heart and soul to the team. There are better days, days full of happiness and smiles, but there are also tougher days, days full of sadness and regret. It is precisely in these difficult circumstances that the character and qualities of a true leader, captain, manager or owner are forged. Defeat is not just about scoring zero points, but also a lesson, a lesson that should have meaning — that meaning lies in learning, analysing what went wrong, the ability to reflect, draw conclusions and become better, both on and off the pitch.
All of this is worth going through in the company of committed people, people with whom you want not only to play but also to talk, live and interact as if there were no screen barrier between us. I’ve had the pleasure of meeting such people, and with some of them I still have the great pleasure of sharing the changing room or our community in and around the club, even if they no longer play with us on a daily basis. It’s a beautiful vision, and I wish it for everyone.
Which match from this season’s VPG and ProLeague do you remember most fondly?
A simple question, yet a truly difficult one, especially for a humble soul like myself, someone who throws themselves wholeheartedly into every match. At the moment, I think the match against Rooster Cannons, which we won 2-0, was one worthy of mention. Someone might say: a match without a story. To that I would reply: a match with a story; perhaps after the season I will come to realise that it was one of the most important matches of the season. 70 minutes of the match with 10 men, not because of a red card but due to a random technical issue with our goalkeeper – by tactical definition, one of the most important players on the pitch. There are teams that would have shut up shop in such a situation, aiming to keep a clean sheet and perhaps score a goal from a single counter-attack. We didn’t do that; we gritted our teeth and played with 10 men as if there were 11 of us, even though the AI bot was desperate to thwart us. We scored two goals; they weren’t the most beautiful, but we made the most of what fate had dealt us, combined with our ambitious play.
ProLeague? It’s worth highlighting the top-of-the-table clashes with Angry Wolves — both won 1-0. The 5-0 result against the tricky Dark Ritual side is also worth mentioning. These matches showed our potential and allowed us to believe in ourselves and in our collective ability to play as a team.
As we mentioned, you’ll be playing in the top division of the ProLeague next season – which opponent are you most looking forward to facing?
I think it’s difficult to answer that question as a team, as each of us may have a slightly different take on the matter. Let me give an example. For me personally, as a player coming from the PC scene, matches against ‘old acquaintances’ from the PC scene will be the ones I’m most looking forward to. Fortunately, or unfortunately—depending on your perspective—these will be matches against the tournament favourites – Cunning Foxes, featuring former players from the team that has dominated the PC scene in recent years, Magic Storm E-Sports, and The Bulls Team, who have made huge progress since our last encounters, breaking into the top tier of the Virtual Clubs scene in Poland in the year 2025.
What are your goals for the upcoming ProLeague season? To stay up, or perhaps something more?
Anyone who has ever had dealings with me knows that I live by the principle of the late Coach Franciszek Smuda – “We don’t fight for the championship, we fight against relegation. It’s nice to fight for the championship, but the fight against relegation – that’s the adrenaline. That’s what I need in life.”
A quote that perfectly sums up our years as a team – in some seasons we’ve fought, or are fighting, for the league title, only to find ourselves fighting “against relegation” in others, fighting to stay up. We intend to fight in every match. There are 11 players on each side on the pitch; a match like this starts at 0-0, and it’s down to our performance that determines the final score a dozen or so minutes later.
Which player do you think will play a key role next season?
I don’t like to single out individual players. At the end of the day, it’s the whole team that wins, draws or loses a match. One day, the result will be decided by the individual brilliance of one player, whilst on another occasion someone else will be the deciding factor for better… or for worse; such situations do arise.
Every player in our team has the potential and the ability to be decisive. I repeat this like a mantra before every high-stakes match. We play as a team; we win, draw or lose as a team.
Could you tell us — how did you become a defender? What attracted you to that position?
The story of my positions on the pitch is another one of those stories that would make for an interesting screenplay. I joined the team as a centre-back, with a ‘playmaker’ profile. Quite quickly, due to my activity but also my lack of experience at this level, I was moved to right-back. After the formation changed from a back three to a back four, I was moved to the position of a classic right-back. It was in this position that I reached the peak of my form, earning call-ups to the PC scene national team. The final change of position, to centre-back, came about somewhat out of necessity — our centre-back was out for an extended period at the time. I had the pleasure of sharing the defence with a foreign defender, who remains the best I’ve ever seen. He taught me the ropes, including the right approach to playing in central defence. It’s still paying dividends to this day.
Thank you for your time, and I wish VPG Polska promotion to the top flight. Would you like to add anything else?
Thank you also for the interview and the opportunity to speak. I hope I’ve made the time a little more enjoyable for our readers. “Last but not least”, I’d like to send my regards to the editorial team; you’re doing a phenomenal job promoting the Virtual Clubs scene and beyond. I’d also like to send my regards to everyone associated with The Separatists and, as usual: “I’ll take the blame, maybe my mates can have a rest”
Thank you once again for your time and for answering our questions, and we invite you to follow The Separatists’ activities via their social media, which you can find below.
The Separatists (Facebook, X.com)
English 
Polish 