Disaster in Bełchatów | OneFootball

The Polish II Liga will reduce to 17 teams for the spring round, as GKS Bełchatów will withdraw from the league due to its crippling debts.

Former Ekstraklasa wicemistrz GKS released a statement on Wednesday, informing fans of their dire financial status. As the team has slipped down the Polish league pyramid, it has incurred debts of around 7 million PLN, and can no longer defer their agreed repayments.

“As a result of the debt increasing for 10 years, the level of the Company’s liabilities as at December 31, 2021 amounted to approx. PLN 7 million” says the statement. “The decisions made in the previous year resulted in the use of almost the full limit for GKS “Bełchatów” SA, which means that there is no further possibility of spreading over time public-law liabilities.

“For the costs of current operations in the spring round, the Company would need approx. PLN 6.5 million.

“Considering the extremely short time to start the round and obtaining additional financing enabling the payment of future liabilities of the Company, the Management Board is not able to incur further liabilities in the form of, inter alia, players’ contracts and ensuring participation in the league match against Śląsk II Wrocław scheduled for this Saturday.

“In the following days, further steps will be taken regarding the future of the Company and the team.”

The club’s coach, Kamil Socha, took to Twitter on Wednesday morning, simply to say “you can now turn off the light…”

GKS Bełchatów last played in the Ekstraklasa during the 2014/15 season, and took part in the UEFA Cup qualifying rounds 8 years earlier.

At the end of the autumn round, they sat 16th of 18 teams in the II Liga, amassing 18 points from their 20 games.