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WARSAW, Poland (AP) -The Polish prime minister on Friday backed his sports minister's hardline stance in a football dispute that threatens the country's co-hosting of the 2012 European Championship.
European governing body UEFA warned that Poland was "playing with fire" and risked losing the hosting rights unless it reinstates its suspended football federation board.
Poland also could also be suspended and barred from upcoming qualifying matches for the 2010 World Cup.
"They cannot bask in the present unreal world they are living in because we will have to take decisions very quickly," UEFA spokesman William Gaillard told The Associated Press.
Prime Minister Donald Tusk threw his support behind sport minister Miroslaw Drzewiecki in his clash with the federation, which the government accuses of failing to tackle corruption in Polish football.
"If minister Drzewiecki is going to stick to his firm position, he's going to have my full support," Tusk told reporters. "The time has come to be able to run the risk (of suspension), if that's what is needed. I say this as a man who loves football: Enough of this mess."
UEFA and FIFA warned earlier this week that Poland will be barred from two upcoming World Cup qualifying matches unless the suspended federation board is reinstated by Monday.
Poland is due to play the Czech Republic on Oct. 11 and Slovakia on Oct. 15.
Gaillard said a condition of sticking with Poland and Ukraine as Euro 2012 hosts was "that the relationship between the federations and their respective government remains strong."
He said UEFA would refuse to meet with Drzewiecki until the minister reinstated suspended federation president Michal Listkiewicz.
"We will only talk with Listkiewicz and the democratically elected officials," Gaillard said. "We certainly keep in touch with them and we support them strongly."
Drzewiecki, meanwhile, was leading talks Friday with the leadership of the federation's suspended board to try to find a way out of the impasse.
The Polish federation's governing board was suspended Monday after a ruling by the Polish Olympic Committee's arbitration court. Robert Zawlocki was appointed temporary chief of the federation.
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Associated Press Writer Graham Dunbar in Geneva contributed to this report.
