CAS rejects Lechia Gdańsk appeal - Lupashko's side to start in Polish First League

The Court of Arbitration for Sport has thrown out Lechia Gdańsk's appeal against the Polish Football Association's decision to deduct five points from the club in the 2025/26 season. CAS ruled it had no jurisdiction to hear the case because the club missed procedural deadlines and had not been granted permission by the PZPN to appeal. As a result, the team - now managed by Ukrainian coach Vladyslav Lupashko - will begin the new campaign in Poland's second tier. The five-point penalty, imposed by the PZPN Licensing Committee, was a major factor in Lechia's relegation from the Ekstraklasa. Club president Paolo Urfer did not hold back in his reaction. "First of all, I want to apologise to our fans. We did everything we could, but without success. Unfortunately, we have to start over. Our goal is to return to the Ekstraklasa by the end of the 2026/27 season. We will have no choice but to sell our best players and build a new team - one we hope will be even stronger than the 2024/25 Lechia," he said. Urfer then directed sharp words at Polish football's leadership. "I congratulate PZPN president Cezary Kulesza, secretary general Łukasz Wachowski, and Licensing Committee chairman Freddie Fürst. You achieved your goal - Lechia is out of the top division. You managed to avoid a situation where the legality of the five-point deduction could be assessed by an independent arbitration court." He concluded by insisting the club maintains that the association abused its dominant position and acted in a discriminatory manner. "We will never accept that."