Private equity can take Polish soccer to the 'next level', says Legia Warsaw president

LONDON : Poland is an "undervalued gem in European football" and external investment in the top flight league and its clubs will help them narrow the gap to their continental rivals, Legia Warsaw president Dariusz Mioduski told Reuters.

Although Polish teams have struggled to make a mark in European competitions and the country's coefficient places them 27th in the UEFA standings, there has been steady improvement in the last five seasons.

Poland's national team also qualified for the knockout stages of the World Cup last year for the first time since 1986.

Speaking at the Financial Times Business of Football Summit in London, Mioduski said he expects to see Polish clubs featuring regularly in continental competitions such as the Champions League in coming years with the right investment.

"Poland is an undiscovered and undervalued gem in European football. In terms of value, we have a competitive structure similar to the Premier League, even though we have no government sponsorship or oligarch investment," Mioduski said.

"Our clubs have grown organically and have rolled out infrastructure, invested in players - only through the support of a few private individuals who care about the clubs and are involved with improving them.

"So now we are at a point where our clubs are well-managed and run with a talent pool where private investment, like private equity, can take the clubs and the league to the next level."

In Poland's top flight, the Ekstraklasa, each club owns an equal share of the league which amounts to 92.8 per cent of the shares while the country's football association (PZPN) owns the remaining 7.2 per cent.

Mioduski said they have reached a point where they would welcome external investment both in the league and its