PZPN officials respond to criticism of VAR and referee training

Controversy has erupted within the Polish Football Association (PZPN) following the leak of a critical email from Paweł Sokolnicki, a long-time assistant to referee Szymon Marciniak. Sokolnicki’s correspondence, which was sent to PZPN officials including Cezary Kulesza, raised serious concerns regarding the functioning of the new VAR center, technical issues such as the drawing of offside lines, and deficiencies in referee training.

Marcin Szulc, President of the PZPN Referee Committee, addressed the allegations, stating that while he disagrees with most of the criticisms, he does not reject all of them. Szulc admitted that in a specific instance during a Pogoń Szczecin vs. Motor Lublin match, the offside line could have been drawn more accurately. However, he defended the current referee training system against Sokolnicki’s claims that it has become stagnant.

Former PZPN President Michał Listkiewicz commented on the situation, noting that while he respects Sokolnicki’s professional abilities, he believes that using open letters and media to voice grievances is not the correct approach. Listkiewicz suggested that the motivations behind the public appeals might be influenced by the fact that Sokolnicki and Kamil Wójcik were unsuccessful candidates in the race for the head of referees.