Polish Referees Arrested for Alleged Road Sign Theft in Lublin

Referees Detained in Lublin for Alleged Road Sign Theft

In a surprising turn of events, two football referees were detained in the Polish city of Lublin in the early hours of Tuesday morning. The referees, Bartosz Frankowski and Tomasz Musial, are accused of stealing a road sign while reportedly under the influence of alcohol. This incident has raised eyebrows, especially considering their scheduled roles in the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) room for the UEFA Champions League qualifier between Dynamo Kyiv and Rangers, a match that concluded in a 1-1 draw.

The match took place in Poland instead of Kyiv due to the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine, making the circumstances even more sensitive. Police apprehended the referees around 2 a.m., discovering that both men had over 1.5 per mille of alcohol in their blood. Following their arrest, they were taken to a sobering-up center for recovery.

The Polish Football Association (PZPN) has issued a statement indicating that it will thoroughly assess the incident. Should the allegations be substantiated, the association plans to terminate the contracts of both referees. The statement read:

• “If the information is confirmed, the College of Referees will apply to the secretary general of the federation to terminate the contracts with the referees.”
• “The case will also be forwarded to the Disciplinary Commission of the Polish Football Association, which may decide to impose further disciplinary action.”

Bartosz Frankowski, aged 37, is regarded as one of Poland’s top officials and has previously been selected for the VAR team during high-profile matches, including last season’s Champions League semifinal between Real Madrid and Bayern Munich. Both referees have publicly apologized for their actions, with Frankowski emphasizing that his behavior was “not aggressive” and that he “cooperated with the police officers” during the incident.