[Football] Poland could be stripped of Euros

[Rappy Veteran]

Uefa has threatened to take Euro 2012 away from co-hosts Poland if it fails to reinstate its Football Association.

Fifa has already warned Poland it faces forfeiting upcoming World Cup qualifiers if it does not reinstate its FA by Monday.

Uefa spokesman William Gaillard said: "The rules are clear. We offered Euro 2012 to the FA, not the government.

"So if the FA are not in place or suspended then they are not in a position to host the tournament."

Poland's arbitration tribunal suspended the FA (PZPN) and named an administrator on Monday after failing to address corruption issues.

But Fifa and Uefa have refused to recognise the administrator appointed to run the country's FA.

Fifa said it would ignore any correspondence from the newly installed board as the world governing body's statutes forbid government intervention in football affairs.

And Gaillard added: "We are standing firm with Fifa. Our patience has limits and we are very close to the limit.

"If the FA is not reinstated by Monday's deadline then we will have serious discussions about the future of Euro 2012 immediately. We will not wait any longer."

Last week both Poland and Ukraine were given a reprieve after a report criticised their lack of progress in preparing to hold Euro 2012.

"We gave Poland another chance and then there was this coup on Monday. It is very annoying," Gaillard said.

"We have done everything we can for Poland and Ukraine. We have bent over backwards to help them and this makes us very unhappy."

Poland, who are in the same World Cup qualifying group as Northern Ireland, could be handed automatic 3-0 defeats in upcoming qualifiers against Czech Republic and Slovakia.

A Fifa statement said further action would be considered when the executive committee meets in Zurich on 23-24 October, with Uefa's emergency panel due to meet around the same time.

Poland were threatened with being thrown out of qualifying for Euro 2008 when the PZPN was suspended in January 2007.

[Source]

[Shibby]

Bit of a bummer really. Half of one and half a dozen of the other.

But if the government has taken over because of corruption, you think yeah, after all the goverment doesn't want money finding it hands for the wrong reasons. But Fifa and Uefa are saying they not meet the demands in time. If they lose the bid, I feel sorry for them. I don't think Fifa or Uefa are the greatest of people myself...

[L3thal Veteran]

I Agree with FIFA and UEFA here. Its not a bright idea to have a country host a tournament whose FA was taken over by the government for corruption issues. The tournament has to be set up and organized by an independent body (FA) and not the government.

If they cannot fix it in time then they will lose their bid.

[Rappy Veteran]

Poland risked suspension from all competitions and losing the right to co-host Euro 2012 after they missed a Fifa deadline of 1100 BST on Monday.

Fifa had demanded Poland reinstate their Football Association after it was suspended by the country's government and replaced by an administrator.

Fifa said on Monday it had received new information but awaited a full report.

Poland face being handed an automatic 3-0 defeat in their upcoming World Cup qualifier against the Czech Republic.

Uefa has threatened to take Euro 2012 away from Poland - co-hosts along with Ukraine - if it fails to reinstate its Football Association.

Poland's arbitration tribunal suspended the FA (PZPN) last week and named an administrator after failing to address corruption issues.

But Fifa and Uefa have refused to recognise the administrator appointed to run the country's FA.

Uefa spokesman William Gaillard said on Friday: "The rules are clear. We offered Euro 2012 to the FA, not the government.

"So if the FA are not in place or suspended then they are not in a position to host the tournament."

Fifa has said it would ignore any correspondence from the newly installed board as the sport's world governing body's statutes forbid government intervention in football affairs.

And Gaillard added: "We are standing firm with Fifa. Our patience has limits and we are very close to the limit.

"If the FA is not reinstated by Monday's deadline then we will have serious discussions about the future of Euro 2012 immediately. We will not wait any longer."

[BBC]

[+Majesticmerc MVC]

I Agree with FIFA and UEFA here. Its not a bright idea to have a country host a tournament whose FA was taken over by the government for corruption issues. The tournament has to be set up and organized by an independent body (FA) and not the government.

If they cannot fix it in time then they will lose their bid.

Yeah but at the same time, would anyone want a corrupt Football Association running Euro 2012? I wouldn't.

[Rappy Veteran]

The Polish Football Association has settled a dispute with its government that threatened its right to co-host Euro 2012, says Fifa boss Sepp Blatter.

Fifa gave Poland a deadline of 1100 BST on Monday to reinstate their FA after it was suspended by the government.

After missing that deadline they risked suspension from all competitions and losing their status as Euro 2012 hosts.

Blatter has said that Fifa will not impose any sanctions on Poland if the agreement comes into force on Tuesday.

"We have received letters and documents that there has been an agreement between the FA and the Polish government," said Blatter.

"If this agreement comes into force tomorrow (Tuesday) it is sufficient for us. We will not impose any sanctions once the agreement comes into force."

[BBC]

[jwjw1]

Yeah but at the same time, would anyone want a corrupt Football Association running Euro 2012? I wouldn't.

having all them soccer balls made by child labor isn't corruption....LOL

[Crazysah]

Thank god it got solved. Otherwise Ukraine would have lost it as well!