Two Polish referees have been handed a suspension by UEFA due to conduct that reflected poorly on the sport, following an incident of heavy drinking prior to a Champions League game.
Bartosz Frankowski and Tomasz Musial have been barred from officiating until June 30 by UEFA’s Control, Ethics, and Disciplinary Body. The suspension followed their arrest by police in Poland ahead of an August Champions League qualifier between Rangers and Dynamo Kyiv.
The two referees, originally assigned to work on VAR for the match on August 6 in Lublin, were detained after attempting to take a road sign in the early hours. Frankowski had been scheduled as the lead VAR official, with Musial as his assistant.
Instead, they spent the morning of the game recovering in a police cell, with UEFA bringing in Tomasz Kwiatkowski and Pawel Malec to take their roles. European football’s ruling body has now issued its decision, which marks a significant setback to their careers.
Frankowski is one of Poland’s leading officials, having officiated at Euro 2020 and Euro 2024, where he was a VAR. Both he and Musial have served in Poland’s Ekstraklasa and the Champions League.
At the time, Lublin City Police Senior Superintendent Kamil Golebiowski told TVP Sport: “At around 1.40 am, we received a report of three men carrying a road sign down the road. Police officers were sent to the scene. All of the men were inebriated and had over 1.5 per mille of alcohol in their blood. They were taken to a detoxification center.”
Frankowski released a statement following the incident. “I am still trying to find words that will adequately express how much I regret this incident and how sorry I am,” he said. “I realize that with one such misconduct, I ruined 22 years of officiating, ruined my entire career. It was foolishness, an absurd fantasy, I don’t even know what to call it.
“I should have calmly prepared for the match and not gone anywhere. As one of the police officers later told me, our prank was noticed by CCTV cameras. And they intervened. I would like to emphasize that we were in no way hostile. These were silly jokes. We did not anticipate that it would be perceived this way. We had no bad intentions.”
The incident serves as a warning to others in positions of responsibility about the importance of maintaining professionalism.
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While both Frankowski and Musial have had long and established careers, this unfortunate incident highlights the risks that can accompany poor judgment, even outside of official duties. UEFA’s disciplinary action reflects the body’s stance on the responsibility referees have to uphold the standards of football both on and off the field.
This situation marks a significant turning point in Frankowski and Musial’s careers, as their future in officiating remains uncertain.
However, the incident has opened a broader conversation within the sports community about the role of referees and officials as role models, emphasizing the critical nature of responsible behavior.
