FIFA and UEFA will not recognize the newly appointed administrator for the troubled Polish football federation, possibly endangering the country's right to co-host the 2012 European Championship.
The governing bodies of world and European football said Tuesday the suspension of the Polish federation board was not legitimate.
UEFA spokesman William Gaillard said a condition of sticking with Poland and Ukraine for European football's showcase event was the continuing support of the two governments for their respective football associations.
"In this case, it seems it's falling far short of the goal," he said.
Gaillard warned that if the conflict is not resolved "in a satisfactory way" by the end of October, then "UEFA will have to take some decisions, which of course could include sanctions."
FIFA and UEFA said they continue to recognize the federation's current leadership as the "only legitimate authority" to run football in Poland.
"The agreement for hosting the championship is with both football associations, not with both governments," Gaillard said. "If one football association is kept from operating, it would be quite difficult to entrust it with the organization of such an important competition."
The governing board of the Polish Football Federation was suspended Monday after a ruling by the Polish Olympic Committee's arbitration court. Robert Zawlocki was appointed temporary chief of the federation in response to a critical motion submitted by the Ministry of Sport.
Poland's Minister of Sport, Miroslaw Drzewiecki, rejected the assertion that the temporary administrator was illegitimate, saying it was "in line with the law."
He said he plans to head a delegation to meet with FIFA and UEFA leaders at the end of the week to explain the situation and present the "source materials" that led to Monday's court ruling.
Last week, UEFA's executive committee ruled that Poland and Ukraine would remain as Euro 2012 co-hosts but warned they could still lose the tournament if preparations fall behind schedule.
FIFA and UEFA said they will now consult jointly on what measures to take against the Polish federation as well as the "future of Polish football."
Proposals will be submitted to the next FIFA executive committee meeting in Zurich on Oct. 23-24, as well as UEFA's emergency panel around the same time.
One possibility is that Poland's federation could be suspended by FIFA and UEFA. In that case, Poland's national team would be barred from upcoming qualifying games for the 2010 World Cup, while league teams Wisla Krakow and Lech Poznan would be excluded from the UEFA Cup.
Ultimately, Poland could be stripped of its right to host the 2012 championship. UEFA has used the threat of taking the tournament away from Poland to put pressure on officials there.
Drzewiecki brushed aside such concerns Tuesday, saying "the Euro (tournament) is in four years, and there was no mention of it in the letter" from FIFA and UEFA in support of the federation board.
FIFA and UEFA said Tuesday they would ask the International Olympic Committee to investigate the Polish Olympic body for "violation of the fundamental principles of the Olympic and sporting movement."
Drzewiecki said the decision of the "independent arbitration court" was based on evidence of "numerous irregularities ... as well as violations of the federations legal regulations" and that these findings were sufficient for establishing the temporary administrator.
"I am certain that once UEFA and FIFA officials have studied the materials ... that they will share our views," Drzewiecki said. "I'm convinced that the interest of FIFA and UEFA _ as well as the Ministry of Sport, the arbitration court, and the football federation _ is the good of Polish football."
Zawlocki, a lawyer who once worked for the federation's disciplinary committee, announced Monday that he had suspended the current board and canceled elections for Oct. 30 to choose the federation's new leadership.
"I think we'll deal with the situation quickly," football federation president Michal Listkiewicz said on Poland's TVN24 television. "It demands the good will of all sides _ the Ministry of Sport, the Polish Olympic Committee and the Polish Football Federation."
Prosecutors in Wroclaw launched an investigation in 2005 into match-fixing in Polish football, and have charged about 120 people _ including federation members, coaches, referees, players and club officials _ with rigging matches in the top domestic leagues. Twenty-nine clubs have been implicated.
After public and political pressure, Listkiewicz announced in April that the governing board would resign and hold new elections this fall.
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