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WARSAW, Sept 30 (Reuters) - The Polish Football Association (PZPN) cannot hide behind preparations for Euro 2012 to escape responsibility for any breaches of the law, the country's sports minister said on Tuesday.
An arbitration tribunal, following a request from the sports ministry, suspended the FA management board on Monday for failing to address corruption and for violating the law. It also named Robert Zawlocki as administrator.
There have been doubts about the ability of Poland and fellow co-hosts Ukraine to orgranise the tournament. On Friday they were warned by European soccer's governing body (UEFA) to speed up preparations or risk losing the right to stage it.
"The PZPN wanted to trick us by using Euro 2012 as a shield to protect it," Sports Minister Miroslaw Drzewiecki told a radio broadcast. "But Euro 2012 is in four years time and we will prepare everything well and on time."
World soccer's governing body FIFA does not allow governments to interfere in the running of their associations and warned Poland last year when Drzewiecki's predecessor appointed a commissioner as head of FA in an anti-corruption drive.
"I don't fear this situation will repeat itself. (The previous) minister Lipiec named his own commissioner and I have filed a motion to the arbitration tribunal," Drzewiecki said.
Both FIFA and UEFA have expressed their concern over the news and said they would examine the case in the coming days. A FIFA statement is expected later on Tuesday.
Zawlocki, seen as a critic of the suspended management board, had sought to reassure UEFA on Monday over preparations for Euro 2012.
Drzewiecki said there was no doubt the PZPN had violated the law in a number of cases and that the arbitration tribunal would meet again in two weeks to follow up on Monday's decision.
Accusations of corruption in the PZPN have been raised many times in the past and a succession of sports ministers, including Drzewiecki, have tried to oust PZPN head Michal Listkiewicz.
Some expect Listkiewicz to soon step down but the new association's administrator said management board elections planned for end-October would have to be postponed.
