Poland poised for Brazilian armada

Wisła Krakow's preparations for the second half of the season have been rocked by backroom unrest, but the repercussions of that have been drowned out by events at MKS Pogon Szczecin, where charismatic club owner Antoni Ptak has signed over 20 Brazilians.

Mielcarski departure
The Polish league season does not restart until 3 March, and the leaders Wisła will be grateful for the extra time to get their house in order after sporting director Grzegorz Mielcarski announced his departure following a series of disagreements. A close ally of Dan Petrescu, the news has come as a blow to the Romanian coach, who said: "I'm unhappy with him going. Grzegorz has a similar footballing philosophy to me. He was the person that was keenest for me to come to Krakow."

Latin revolution
Mid-table Pogon are apparently keen for as many Brazilians to arrive in Szczecin as possible after signing more than a score of them during the winter. "I'm sure this will be successful idea, and after some time this will lead us to Europe - probably next season," said Ptak, whose side have been training in South America. The most high-profile arrival is undoubtedly the former ACF Fiorentina, Beşiktaş JK and Brazil midfielder Amaral.

Legia lurk
GKS BOT Belchatów's foray into the transfer market has caused little more than a ripple by comparison, with ten new players arriving at the relegation-threatened club. Meanwhile, second-placed Legia Warszawa have been content to sit back and watch events unfold elsewhere as Dariusz Wdowczyk's settled side, who currently lie just a point adrift of Wisła, train in Cyprus.