Polonia Warszawa face relegation after failing to clear debts

photo - PAP/Leszek Szymański (archives)

The 'black shirts' as they are known – who last won Poland's first division in 2000 – lost an appeal on Tuesday at the Polish football association (PZPN) after a decision first made on 15 May to relegate the team if millions of zloty in debts are not cleared immediately.

A statement on the PZPN web site says that “"the club has overdue financial obligations to players, social security payments and taxes.”

Polonia Warszawa, currently fifth in the league, will be dropped down to last place at the end of the season, which means that they will be eliminated from the Ekstraklasa at the start of the 2013/2014 season.

"The decision is final,” said PZPN's spokesman Jakub Kwiatkowski.

The club's owner, Ireneusz Krol, who bought the club for a symbolic one zloty last July, has been trying to find new investors who could bail out the debt-ridden side.

In a letter to club supporters, Krol said that “my business partners have failed and I have suffered defeat” in looking for a new investor.

Krol also mentions that his family and home had been attacked by angry fans following the announcement in May that Polonia would not be given a licence.

“I'm sorry for the players, who have given their all,” Krol writes.

High wage bills have meant that Polonia, despite having an average to good 2013/2014 season, had to ditch many of their star performers after it was clear that the financial trouble that Krol promised to solve remained.

Two of their top players, Vladimer Dvalishvili and Tomasz Brzyski left to join arch-rivals Legia Warszawa, which looks set to win the Ekstraklasa league this season.

Polonia Warszawa play their final match of the season in front of their home crowd on Thursday against Piast Gliwice. (pg)

source: PAP/IAR