CAS rejects Lechia Gdańsk late appeal, condemning club to I liga after five-point deduction; Paolo Urfer sarcastically congratulates PZPN chiefs

The verdict from Lausanne

The Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne ruled on 24 July 2026 that it lacked jurisdiction to hear Lechia Gdańsk's appeal against a five-point deduction that had pushed the club out of the top flight. The club filed its appeal on 8 May 2026, nearly a full year after the standard 21-day deadline, and the Polish Football Association (PZPN) refused to consent to a late hearing. CAS accordingly dismissed the case and ordered Lechia to cover the full arbitration costs plus 3,000 Swiss francs for PZPN's legal representation.

How the deduction shaped relegation

The penalty stemmed from what the PZPN Licensing Committee described as unreliable financial forecasts submitted before the 2024/25 season. Lechia finished the campaign in 16th place, with the five-point gap precisely matching the margin that sent them down. Although the club later recouped the deficit on the pitch, a winless run of seven closing matches sealed their fate. The ruling on Friday exhausts all of the club's avenues of appeal, leaving them in the Betclic 1. Liga for the coming campaign.

Urfer's apology and attack on the federation

President Paolo Urfer issued a forceful statement that mixed contrition with pointed blame. He opened with a direct apology.

First of all, I would like to apologise to all our fans. We have done everything in our power to defend our rights, but without success. Unfortunately, we have to start over. Our goal is to win promotion at the end of the 2026/2027 season. We will have no choice but to sell our best players and build a new team, which -- we hope -- will prove even stronger than Lechia's 2024/2025 squad. More than ever, we believe in our new coaching staff and we will all work hard to achieve this goal.

Then Urfer turned to sarcasm, listing the three PZPN figures he holds responsible.

Secondly, I would like to congratulate Mr Cezary Kulesza -- President of PZPN, Mr Łukasz Wachowski -- General Secretary of PZPN, and Mr Freddy Fürst -- Head of the Licensing Committee of PZPN. You have achieved your goal -- Lechia has been relegated. You have managed to avoid a situation where the legality of the five-point deduction would be assessed by an independent tribunal. Bravo!

He closed the statement by insisting the club will not accept what he called discrimination and an abuse of a dominant position, adding that such behaviour "cannot be tolerated in a country like Poland."

Financial woes and transfer bans

Apart from the CAS costs, Lechia is saddled with two transfer prohibitions: a domestic ban imposed by the PZPN and an international ban from FIFA over an unpaid solidarity payment owed to Shakhtar Donetsk. These sanctions leave the club unable to register new players, forcing the coaching team, led by Władysław Łupaszko, to rely heavily on the youth academy. Urfer conceded there is no alternative but to sell the best players currently under contract to stabilise the club's finances and fund a rebuild.

The season ahead

Lechia starts the 2026/27 I liga season on Saturday, 25 July, at home against Pogoń Grodzisk Mazowiecki. With a squad likely to feature several juniors and a core of departing stars, promotion at the end of the season is the stated aim, but the immediate task is simply to field a competitive eleven while the club navigates its legal and financial troubles.