Two UEFA referees have been given long-term bans after being arrested for stealing a traffic sign while under the influence ahead of Rangers’ Champions League qualifier against Dynamo Kiev in August.
Bartosz Frankowski and Tomasz Musial are used to awarding penalties in their roles, but both found themselves in the firing line after running too far ahead of the European match.
According to police, the pair were caught on CCTV attempting to carry the traffic sign with another person just hours before the match was due to kick off in Lublin on 6 August.
Frankowski and Musial were fined at the time and have now been suspended until 30 June 2025 for breaching the ‘basic rules of decent behaviour’ by the UEFA Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body.
“At around 01:40, we received a report of three men carrying a traffic sign through the street,” Lublin police chief inspector Kamil Golebiowski told TVP Sport immediately afterwards.
Bartosz Frankowski to be VAR for Rangers against Dynamo Kiev in August
Tomasz Musial was originally supposed to be the AVAR for the Champions League qualifier in Lublin
“Police officers were sent to the scene of the incident. All men were drunk and had more than 1.5 per mille alcohol in their blood. They were taken to a sobering centre.”
Frankowski was to be the video referee for the match, with Musial as his assistant.
The Polish Football Association quickly replaced the duo, with Tomasz Kwiatkowski and Pawel Malec taking on their roles.
“I am still trying to find the words to adequately express how sorry I am for this incident and how deeply sorry I am,” Frankowski – who has refereed the last two European Championships – said in a statement.
‘I realise that with one such offence I have ruined 22 years of refereeing and my entire career. I should have calmly prepared for the match and not gone anywhere.
‘As one of the police officers later told me, our prank was caught by CCTV cameras and they intervened. I want to make it clear that we were not being aggressive in any way. These were stupid jokes.
“We didn’t expect it to be perceived that way. We didn’t mean any harm. It was stupidity, a crazy fantasy, I don’t even know what to call it.”
Both officers were replaced after reports they stole a road sign in the early hours of the morning
Frankowski said the incident was nothing more than a “joke” and a “stupid match” gone wrong.
“Looking back, I understand it wasn’t a smart idea. “It was a sign next to a roadworks site and we drove past it,” he added.
“I feel very sorry that this happened. And on a purely human level it sucked because I know my unfortunate behaviour will cast a shadow over many years of hard work.
“What happened was irresponsible and unprofessional on my part and I am fully aware of that. “I just want to stress that there was no aggression in my behaviour, that I did not break the law and that there was no unlawful behaviour on my part towards police officers or anyone else.”