Polish league opens inquiry after Jagiellonia coach texted referee over yellow cards

The pre-match exchange

On 17 May 2026, ahead of the penultimate fixture of the 2025–2026 Ekstraklasa season between Jagiellonia Białystok and GKS Katowice, Jagiellonia head coach Adrian Siemieniec contacted assistant referee Arkadiusz Kamil Wójcik. The match held significance for Jagiellonia's pursuit of second place behind league leaders Lech Poznań to qualify for UEFA Champions League preliminary rounds. Siemieniec inquired whether match referee Paweł Raczkowski could provide verbal warnings to players at risk of suspension before issuing bookings. Eight Jagiellonia footballers (Bernardo Vital, Afimico Pululu, Norbert Wojtuszek, Apostolos Konstantopoulos, Bartłomiej Wdowik, Dawid Drachal, Leon Flach, and Dusan Stojinovic) stood one yellow card away from a mandatory suspension for the season finale against Zagłębie Lubin. Wójcik, who was in Japan at the time, suggested that Siemieniec speak directly to Raczkowski and forwarded screenshots of the conversation to Raczkowski thirty minutes later.

Match outcome and regulatory rules

Raczkowski acknowledged the forwarded message and reported the contact to the Polish Football Association (PZPN) following the fixture, as required under league guidelines. Four hours prior to kickoff at the stadium in Katowice, Siemieniec held a brief conversation with Raczkowski. The match concluded in a 2:2 draw, and Raczkowski issued only one yellow card throughout the fixture, booking Jesus Imaz, who was not among the eight players facing suspension risk. PZPN regulations prohibit coaches from initiating unauthorized contact with match officials prior to games. Raczkowski has since officiated five Ekstraklasa fixtures during the 2026–2027 season, which began on 24 July 2026.

PZPN disputes and prosecutor filing

The publication of the text messages followed a wider administrative dispute inside the PZPN refereeing structure. Wójcik had previously campaigned to become head of the PZPN Referees College, a role awarded to Marcin Szulc. On 9 July 2026, Wójcik submitted a formal notification to the Regional Prosecutor's Office in Warsaw regarding alleged defamation, intimidation, and mobbing within the refereeing body. Wójcik stated in a public video that the private messages were leaked sixty days after his legal filing as an act of retaliation.

It is solely and exclusively my fault that this happened to him. The coach simply wrote me an ordinary message asking if it was normal, if he could talk to referee Raczkowski about yellow cards before the match, and if that was a problem.

Disciplinary review and league reaction

On 1 September 2026, the PZPN Disciplinary Committee transferred case documents to the Ekstraklasa Disciplinary Panel (Komisja Ligi). Panel head Poturnicki confirmed that the case does not involve corruption or match manipulation, focusing instead on whether protocol governing referee communication was breached. Wisła Kraków president Jarosław Królewski called for strict regulatory enforcement, stating that private arrangements over player bookings undermine sporting competition ahead of Wisła's match against Jagiellonia. Former international referee Marcin Borski described the inquiry as inappropriate conduct that departed from fair play rather than criminal match fixing.

The case does not involve corruption or match manipulation. The Ekstraklasa Disciplinary Panel will examine whether there was a breach of the regulations concerning permitted contacts between referees and coaches.