Widzew punished for match-rigging

Four-time Polish champions Widzew Łódź will be demoted by one division at the end of the season for their part in a major match-fixing scandal.

Relegation concerns
Currently 13th in the 16-team Ekstraklasa, should they finish the campaign in a relegation position, they will start 2008/09 in the third tier of the Polish league. Under the terms of their sentence, they will begin next season with minus six points and will also have to pay a €10,000 fine. They are the seventh club to be punished as a result of a two-year investigation into match-rigging. Arka Gdynia, GKS Górnik Łęczna, Zagłębie Sosnowiec, KSZO Ostrowiec and KS Górnik Polkowice were all relegated for their misdemeanours while TS Podbeskidzie Bielsko-Biała were docked points.

New signing
Widzew's battle to avoid a two-division drop at the end of term has been boosted with the signing of 25-year-old defender Wojciech Szymanek, who has spent the last 18 month in Greece with Egaleo FC. "Szymanek is a very good and promising player and that is why I am happy we have managed to sign him," said Widzew vice-president Grzegorz Bakalarczyk. Champions Zagłębie Lubin are also under investigation for match-fixing and will hear their fate on 24 January.