Polish FA administrator Robert Zawlocki has said that he would not step down despite a FIFA threat that Poland risked losing the right to play in World Cup qualifiers.
“I can only say I will not resign from the administrator’s post,” Zawlocki told a news conference.
“I was nominated by the arbitration tribunal and only the arbitration tribunal can dismiss me.”
FIFA has warned Poland that it will be barred from World Cup qualifying unless it reinstates its suspended soccer federation by Monday.
In a letter to Michal Listkiewicz, head of the suspended board of the Polish Football Federation, FIFA president Sepp Blatter said the board must be returned to full powers by noon Monday.
“The internationally recognized authorities of the PZPN (federation) must be restored in the headquarters of the federation, in order to be able to adequately organize the two 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying matches,” Blatter said in the letter.
The letter gave a deadline of noon local time on Monday for those authorities “to receive full … statutory competencies and decision-making process.”
The board was suspended Monday after a ruling by the Polish Olympic Committee’s arbitration court for allegedly failing to tackle corruption in the domestic league.
