WARSAW, Oct 6: Poland’s suspended football federation reached a last-minute deal with the government on Monday that will allow it to avoid a suspension by FIFA and likely retain hosting rights to the 2012 European Championship.

“There is an agreement between the government and the football federation,” FIFA President Sepp Blatter said in Brussels. “If tomorrow is realised what is promised today, then for us it is OK.

“It is good. I’m relaxed about this decision and also (so is UEFA president) Michel Platini.”

Under the deal, the temporary administrator who was appointed last week by the Polish Olympic Committee’s arbitration court will be dismissed. An independent panel composed of representatives from FIFA, UEFA and government authorities will oversee the Polish federation’s upcoming elections.

Poland also escapes FIFA sanctions, which would have seen Poland forfeit its upcoming World Cup qualifiers against the Czech Republic on Oct 11 and four days later against Slovakia.

The deal also appears to ease concerns over its right to co-host European football’s showcase event in 2012 with Ukraine. If no deal was struck, UEFA had warned it could strip Poland of its hosting rights.

The Polish federation’s governing board was suspended last week after a ruling by the Polish Olympic Committee’s arbitration court. Robert Zawlocki was appointed temporary chief of the federation.

UEFA spokesman William Gaillard called that move “an abuse of our trust” that can lead to “very, very serious consequences.”

“The feeling really is that they are thinking that we are all fools,” Gaillard said on Monday.

“It’s extremely difficult to organise the Euro in Poland and Ukraine. If we made them stick to the commitments they signed in April 2007, they would be in trouble, terrible trouble, already,” Gaillard stated.

“We’ve done absolutely everything and more to make sure they can organise it, and the first thing they do is deceive our trust and go back on a commitment they made a year and a half ago to FIFA.”—AP