Poland’s Sports Ministry on Friday demanded that FIFA drop its deadline of tomorrow for the reinstatement of the suspended national soccer federation (PZPN) in a row that could see Poland serve a two-match World Cup ban.
“The talks between the Ministry of Sport and Tourism and the Polish Football Union will not be resumed until FIFA retracts its ultimatum,” senior Polish sports ministry official Adam Giersz said on Friday.
Giersz spoke after the latest in a string of inconclusive crisis talks on Friday between sports ministry officials and the deposed PZPN board. FIFA on Wednesday gave Poland until midday tomorrow to reinstate PZPN officials ousted by an Polish Olympic committee arbitration court or face Poland being banned from 2010 World Cup qualifiers scheduled for next Saturday and Oct. 15.
FIFA said on Friday night it had not changed its position and the deadline remained in effect. Both FIFA and UEFA have refused to recognize Robert Zawlocki, appointed by the arbitration court as an administrator to replace the deposed PZPN board. But on Friday Zawlocki told Polish media he had no intention of stepping down.
“The arbitration tribunal appointed me and only it has the power to remove me,” he said.
UEFA also reacted strongly to the situation in Poland, set to co-host the next UEFA European Championships in 2012 with Ukraine.
William Gaillard, UEFA’s director of communications, said on Friday: “Our patience has its limits and we are close to them.”
There is a possibility that UEFA could suspend Poland from European club matches, as Lech Poznan are in the UEFA Cup.
Taiwan kept their hopes of advancing to next year’s World Baseball Classic (WBC) alive with a 9-1 victory over South Africa in a qualifier at the Taipei Dome on Saturday, backed by solid pitching. Taiwan last night played against Nicaragua. As of press time, Nicaragua was leading 6-0. Bouncing back from Friday’s struggles on the mound, when Taiwanese pitchers surrendered 15 runs to Spain, Team Taiwan on Saturday kept the visiting team in check, allowing just one run in the bottom of the fourth inning. Starting pitcher Sha Tzu-chen struck out one and allowed no hits, except for a hit-by-pitch over
Team Taiwan are set to face Spain in a win-or-go-home match tonight for the final berth at the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC), despite losing to Nicaragua 6-0 in the WBC qualifier at the Taipei Dome on Sunday. The home team’s loss on Sunday means Nicaragua finish first in the qualifier round in Taipei with a perfect 3-0 record and advances to next year’s finals. After crushing South Africa 9-1 earlier on Sunday, Spain took second place in the four-team qualifier with a 2-1 record. With a 1-2 record, Taiwan finished third while South Africa placed at the bottom with
Taiwan kept its hopes of advancing to the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC) alive with a 9-1 victory over South Africa in a qualifier at the Taipei Dome last night, backed by solid pitching. Bouncing back from Friday’s struggles on the mound, when Taiwanese pitchers surrendered 15 runs to Spain, Team Taiwan kept the visiting team in check, allowing just one run in the bottom of the fourth inning. The win was crucial for Taiwan, as a loss would have eliminated the team from contention for the next WBC. Starting pitcher Sha Tzu-chen (沙子宸) struck out one and allowed no hits, except for
The Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) is considering reducing its pitch clock by two seconds to help players better adjust to the rules applied at the World Baseball Classic (WBC). The proposal aims to shorten the pitch timer from 25 seconds to 23 seconds with the bases empty, and from 20 seconds to 18 seconds with runners on base. Currently, the WBC mandates that pitchers deliver a pitch every 18 seconds with the bases empty and 15 seconds with runners on base. The issue was raised during a pre-season CPBL managers’ meeting on Tuesday by Rakuten Monkeys bench and batting
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