Former Polish Football Association president Zbigniew Boniek has reacted to a growing refereeing scandal after leaked messages compromised Jagiellonia Bialystok head coach Adrian Siemieniec.
Polish news portal Wirtualna Polska published correspondence between Siemieniec and referee Arkadiusz Kamil Wójcik ahead of a match involving Jagiellonia Bialystok, which was scheduled to be officiated by referee Paweł Raczkowski. Jagiellonia Bialystok compete in Ekstraklasa, the top division of Polish football.
Siemieniec contacted Wójcik to inquire whether it would be possible to receive an advance warning if any of his players who were at risk of a yellow card suspension were nearing another booking.
In his text exchange, Siemieniec wrote that Raczkowski was refereeing their match that day and stated he did not know how to approach the topic, adding that he simply wanted the referee to cooperate with the team. Siemieniec noted that if a booking was unavoidable he had no objection, but asked if the official could wait and warn them if someone was close to receiving a card so he could react.
Wójcik replied to the manager that Raczkowski was very capable in such matters and suggested that Siemieniec speak directly with the match referee.
Whistleblowing and prosecutor complaint
Following the fixture, Raczkowski reported the interaction to his supervisor, according to findings by Wirtualna Polska.
However, the information was not forwarded to Adam Gilarski, the disciplinary officer of the Polish Football Association (PZPN), until 53 days later. The PZPN serves as the governing body for domestic football in Poland.
Marcin Szulc, the chairman of the PZPN Referees Committee, passed the report to Gilarski on the exact day that Wójcik submitted a formal notification to prosecutors targeting Szulc and a fellow board member of the committee.
Wójcik accused the refereeing leaders of workplace mobbing, threats, and defamation. His legal notice also detailed allegations regarding the removal of match assignments, his suspension following a training camp in Turkey, and suggestions that he should avoid traveling to international matches.
The legal complaint and internal allegations have shifted public discussion away from Siemieniec's conduct alone and toward broader structural issues within Polish football officiating.
Boniek defends former refereeing chief
Zbigniew Boniek, the former Polish international footballer who served as president of the Polish Football Association for nine years from 2012 to 2021, commented on the unfolding crisis on social media platform X.
Choosing not to address the specific details of the leaked messages, Boniek focused his commentary on the historical leadership of the Referees Committee and offered a critical assessment of how the body is currently managed.
Writing on X, Boniek remarked that critics had previously expressed dissatisfaction with former refereeing chief Zbigniew Przesmycki, warning that officiating would now become difficult. He emphasized that Przesmycki had remained in charge throughout his nine-year tenure at the head of the association, describing that era as the period of greatest advancement for Polish referees into European football, and questioned what occurred both before and after Przesmycki's leadership.
Przesmycki was appointed chairman of the Referees Committee in December 2011 and remained in the position for nearly a decade, a period Boniek highlighted as a benchmark of operational stability.
Frequent leadership changes at referee committee
To highlight the instability outside of Przesmycki's tenure, Boniek shared a chronicle of leadership changes within the Referees Committee spanning the past two decades.
Sławomir Stempniewski stepped down as committee chairman on December 12, 2008, with Kazimierz Stępień taking over as interim head five days later on December 17. Stępień announced his intention to resign in November 2009, leading to Janusz Eksztajn taking office on January 13, 2010.
Eksztajn was dismissed on December 15, 2011, the same day Przesmycki was appointed to begin his decade long leadership of Polish officiating.
Following Przesmycki's departure in 2021, Tomasz Mikulski became acting chairman on August 18 and assumed the role permanently on September 2. Mikulski resigned on June 24, 2025.
Marcin Szulc took over interim duties nine days later on July 3, 2025, before being confirmed as full chairman of the PZPN Referees Committee on October 15, 2025.
Mounting pressure on officiating authorities
Szulc now oversees the refereeing organization during one of its most severe leadership crises in recent years as both the Siemieniec correspondence and Wójcik's criminal complaint remain unresolved. The Referees Committee is tasked with selecting match officials and maintaining standards across Polish professional leagues.
With the PZPN disciplinary officer examining the 53-day delay and prosecutors reviewing Wójcik's allegations of threats and mobbing, Polish football authorities face growing scrutiny over the integrity of match officiating.
