Poland's sports minister suspends soccer authorities

Poland's sports minister suspended 35 national soccer association officials including president Michal Listkiewicz for failing to tackle corruption.

Tomasz Lipiec told a news conference he was suspending the soccer authorities effective immediately and appointing 56-year-old Andrzej Rusko to temporarily head the Polish Football Association.

He announced the decision shortly after Listkiewicz - who has been president since 1998 - and other members of the governing body refused his call to resign over the police arrest of a board member on suspicion of corruption and match-fixing.

Lipiec had called on the officials to step down on Thursday after police arrested Wit Zelazko. Police charged him on Friday.

Lipiec said the authorities were suspended because they had not taken steps toward fighting corruption.

"They have shown a lack of honour and ambition," Lipiec said. "Today's decision is taken in the best interest of Poland's soccer."

The officials, who met Friday, had refused to resign, saying they had done nothing wrong and should not be held responsible for just one board member.

"The times of collective responsibility are over," deputy president Grzegorz Lato said.

Poland team spokesman Kazimierz Oleszek was concerned how FIFA will react to the suspension.

"It may suspend the Polish federation as a member and then the national team will not be able to play in various cup matches, and no foreign transfers will be possible," Oleszek said.

Poland's joint bid with Ukraine to host the 2012 European Championship might also be affected. The decision is expected in April.

Prosecutors in the southwestern city of Wroclaw have been investigating corruption and match-fixing in Poland's domestic soccer leagues for the past two years. Police have arrested more than 60 people in the investigation so far, according to Wroclaw police spokeswoman Beata Tobiasz.

In July, Poland's sports ministry criticized the federation for failing to stop corruption and announced an audit.

Source: By MONIKA SCISLOWSKA ,slam.canoe.ca