Poland goes offsides

UEFA and FIFA, the governing bodies of international soccer, ruled last Tuesday that the decision by the Polish Football Federation (PZPN) to appoint a new administrator was a result of political interference. The suspension of PZPN's management by the Sports Ministry at the end of September was attributed to the association's alleged failure to control corruption.

Robert Zawłocki has been appointed as temporary chief of PZPN.

"The Polish [football association was] supposed to have elections on October 31 and so a democratic process has been interrupted," William Gaillard, UEFA's director of communications said last week at a press conference.

Both UEFA and FIFA have decided not to acknowledge the new administrator, saying that the ousted PZPN board, headed by Michał Listkiewicz, was the "only legitimate authority" of Polish soccer. Representatives of the two international bodies said they would not meet the new appointee or communicate with him. The two organizations plan to ask the International Olympic committee to investigate its Polish counterpart for "violation of the fundamental principles of the Olympic and sporting movement."

The situation is serious. A FIFA spokesman told Reuters that one possible punitive measure would be a ban from all levels of the game. This would result in Poland losing the chance to hold Euro 2012 games, which it plans to co-host with Ukraine. The national team's upcoming matches against the CzechRepublic and Slovakia are not expected to be affected, however

Polish Sports Minister Mirosław Drzewiecki was quoted by the Associated Press as saying that the decision of the "independent arbitration court" was based on evidence of "numerous irregularities … as well as violations of the federation's legal regulations."

"I think we'll deal with the situation quickly," Listkiewicz said on TVN24. "It demands the good will of all sides - the Ministry of Sport, the Polish Olympic Committee and the Polish Football Federation."