New Polish bill requires eagle on sports uniforms after uproar

Dec 7, 2011, 11:55 GMT

Warsaw - Polish President Bronislaw Komorowski signed a bill Wednesday that requires all national sports teams to display the traditional eagle on their kits after a recent removal caused an uproar among football fans.

'In thinking about the future, it's worth to create a bill that protects us from further ideas of that kind and further discomfort,' Komorowski said.

The bill came after the football association PZPN unveiled new team shirts last month that were missing the eagle, a symbol of patriotism for many Poles.

The association later brought the eagle back to uniforms after angry fans chanted 'Where is the eagle' at games and circulated petitions to bring the emblem back.

'We all experienced the moments of astonishment and disquiet when the Polish team was to perform without the White Eagle,' Komorowski told reporters Wednesday.

Komorowski said he was 'happy' the eagle was later brought back, but that the new bill would safeguard the eagle in the future.

The affair comes as Poland gets ready to co-host the Euro 2012 football championships with Ukraine.

The episode has marred PZPN, which was already plagued by corruption scandals.

The ruling Civic Platform party had said last month that it would write a law that would require all athletes to wear a uniform bearing the eagle. Komorowski had said he did not understood why the eagle was removed, and expected an explanation.

The bill will now go to parliament, where it is expected to pass.