Polish coach gets reprieve until mid-July

BARSINGHAUSEN, Germany, June 16 (Reuters) Polish soccer chiefs said today they would wait until mid-July before deciding on the future of coach Pawel Janas after the eastern Europeans' first round exit from the World Cup.

''We have given Janas two weeks to report back,'' Polish football association chief executive Michal Listkiewicz told reporters at the team's base in Barsinghausen.

''I expect the decision will be taken sometime between July 15-20 and I would underline that our assessment will be of the whole of his three years in charge.'' Media in Poland are already calling for the coach's head after defeats by Germany and Ecuador which sent the Poles tumbling out of the tournament at the group stage for the second time in four years.

Few have voiced complaints over the team's commitment against hosts Germany on Wednesday, when a contested red card for Radoslaw Sobolewski and injury time winner from Oliver Neuville denied the Poles a draw.

OVERLY DEFENSIVE But most commentators say Janas took an overly defensive approach to the Ecuador game and that his team underestimated the strength of the South Americans, playing at the finals for only the second time.

''Personally I will wait to come to an opinion (on whether Janas should go) until after the Costa Rica game. In general I view his work as excellent,'' Listkiewicz said.

Asked what Janas would need from the Costa Rica game to secure his position, Listkiewicz said: ''In general we have to show that we can win, we have to score goals, which we have not done so far at the finals.

''It certainly seemed to me that the loss against Ecuador was rather about the attitude, or professionalism, or simply mistakes by particular players.

''The players were warned that Ecuador would be a very strong opponent. But somehow they had it in their heads that at some point we would score and win and everything would be all right.'' REUTERS PDS PM2037