POLAND: SOCCER / FOOTBALL - Dispute over Polish football federation settled after FIFA president Sepp Blatter's intervention over bribery allegations

Poland and FIFA came to a deal on Monday (March 5) that ends the threat of the country's national team being banned from the European Championship qualifiers. The dispute started when Sports Minister suspended the PZPN board over bribery charges and could have threatened the Polish - Ukrainian bid for organizing the Euro 2012 finals. Soccer's world governing body had threatened to ban the national team and Polish clubs from international matches unless the government reversed its decision in January to suspend the FA's board, taken in the midst of a corruption scandal that has implicated more than 70 officials. But the sports ministry on Monday reinstated the board, and FIFA chief Sepp Blatter and Polish President Lech Kaczynski told a joint news conference that the two sides had reached a compromise. "In this case we are very happy about this solution and I can tell you that the (football) federation of Poland has recovered the total rights and confidence of the FIFA family and I will be happy to report that to our executive committee and to say it to you." Blatter said. Under the compromise a joint commission of UEFA, FIFA and government representatives will oversee the calling of a special congress of the football association's members to elect new management. The Ukrainian Soccer Federation had accused Polish Sports Minister Tomasz Lipiec of undermining a joint bid by the two countries to host the Euro 2012 finals by refusing to back down in the row. Recently Lipiec spoke at a press conference at the beginning of the argument in January and said "I think that the Polish Football Football Federation's lack of measures against corruption in the past was the weakest element of our offer to organize the Euro 2012." The joint Ukraine-Poland bid is one of three being considered by UEFA along with a solo bid by Italy and a joint bid from Croatia and Hungary. The winner will be announced by UEFA's 15-man executive committee on April 18. In the 2008 European Championship qualifiers, Poland are one point behind leaders Finland in Group A.

ITN Source | March 6, 2007

Tags:. .associations. .accused. .reached. .federations. .decision