Poland coach risks sack with squad shocks - Boniek

WARSAW, May 16 (Reuters) Poland coach Pawel Janas has put his job on the line at the World Cup by leaving out two of the team's biggest stars, former Juventus and Poland striker Zbigniew Boniek said today.

Janas shocked fans and media yesterday by dropping Liverpool keeper Jerzy Dudek and the team's top scorer in qualifying Tomasz Frankowski from a 23-man squad, opting instead for inexperienced youngsters.

''If they get out of the group with this squad then Janas will have his team for the European championships,'' Boniek wrote in a column in daily Dziennik. ''If they don't, then he'll probably lose his job.'' Dudek, whose penalty saves helped Liverpool beat AC Milan in the Champions League final last year, lost his place to Legia Warsaw's 21-year old-keeper Lukasz Fabianski, who has just two friendly caps to his name.

Janas also dropped full back Tomasz Rzasa and centre half and former captain Tomasz Klos from his final squad, but it was Frankowski's omission which drew most criticism from commentators.

''For sure Janas will have to explain dropping Dudek for a long time, but bravo for his courage in doing so,'' said former national team keeper Jan Tomaszewski, whose saves at Wembley denied England a place at the last finals in Germany in 1974.

''It is the decision to leave out Frankowski that strikes me as wrong. With that exception, Janas has still picked all of his best starting line-up.'' REUTERS DH ND1736