WARSAW, Oct 11: Poland has removed a government-appointed administrator from the country’s football association (PZPN) as part of an agreement to hold PZPN elections on Oct 30, world body FIFA said on Friday.
The move was part of a roadmap agreed by Poland to avoid sanctions and the potential loss of the country’s right to co-host Euro 2012 after the sports ministry suspended the PZPN board and put administrator Robert Zawlocki in charge.
FIFA, whose statutes prohibit government intervention in football affairs, and European body UEFA threatened to suspend Poland from playing this month’s World Cup qualifiers and staging the Euro 2012 finals with neighbours Ukraine.
The Polish government, which said it had suspended the PZPN board over corruption issues, backed down on Monday and agreed to return to the roadmap, originally drawn up in 2007 after a similar row.
A FIFA statement said all parties at a meeting of UEFA, FIFA and Polish government representatives at FIFA’s Zurich headquarters agreed on three points.—Reuters
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