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Polish football association chief accused of corruption

PR dla Zagranicy
Peter Gentle 25.11.2011 13:35
Calls for the resignation of Grzegorz Lato, the head of the Polish Football Association (PZPN) follow video evidence that allegedly shows the football chief being involved in a corrupt land purchasing deal.

Grzegorz
Grzegorz Lato; photo - PAP/Leszek Szymański

The emerging scandal has thrown Friday's general meeting of Poland’s football governing body into chaos.

Video evidence has been brought forward that appears to have been made in Grzegorz Lato's office, relating to alleged financial irregularities in the building of the football association's new HQ and the purchase of the plot of land for the project.

The existence of the video material was revealed today by Kazimierz Gren, head of the Podkarpackie football association in southern Poland.

Kazimierz Gren, who is not a delegate at today's PZPN meeting, nevertheless told Radio Rzeszow that his colleagues will be filing for Lato's dismiss.

Lato has yet to make a statement regarding the matter.

However, Andrzej Wach, a lawyer for PZPN, told the Dziennik Gazeta Prawna daily that “it is not possible to dismiss the chairman during a general meeting,” as the accused first has the right to defend himself.

The allegations come at a highly awkward time for PZPN, with the association still reeling from last week's fiasco about the failure to adorn Poland's Euro 2012 football strip with the eagle, Poland's national symbol.

PZPN announced this week that the eagle will be reinstated.

Grzegorz Lato - a former Polish international football player and the leading scorer at the 1974 World Cup, where Poland came third - was elected as chairman of the Polish football association in 2008 after a series of match-fixing scandals had rocked the governing body. (pg/nh)

tags: PZPN
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