Poland close to losing hosting rights for Euro 2012
Poland may lose the right to host Euro 2012
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Saturday, 04, Oct 2008 03:56
Poland could be stripped of the rights to host Euro 2012 if the national association is not reinstated, according to Uefa and Fifa.
The governing bodies are concerned that the PZPN is no longer being run as an independent body after administrators were appointed on Monday.
The PZPN has been trying to resolve a corruption case but was unable to so the government, via the Polish National Olympic Committee (PNOC), stepped in to appoint a new board.
However, Fifa and Uefa rules forbid government intervention and the governing bodies have now threatened to stop Poland from hosting Euro 2012.
Uefa spokesman William Gaillard told the BBC: "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 and Uefa have contacted the International Olympic Committee to try and help them restore the autonomy of the PZPN but have set a deadline of Monday for the situation to be resolved.
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."
The problems come one week after Poland, and co-hosts of Euro 2012 Ukraine, were told to quicken preparations for the tournament.
Uefa officials had been unhappy about the current infrastructure in place in the capital cities of both countries and their ability to host the influx of travelling supporters during the tournament.