Poland's World Cup squad were reportedly promised up to £7.8million in bonuses by the country's government, based on their tournament success in Qatar.
It is understood Poland's Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki met with Czeslaw Michniewicz's squad last month to discuss bonus payments of between 30 and 50 million Polish Zloty (£5.5m and £7.8m), which were controversially drawn from public finances.
Poland, having reached the World Cup last-16 for the first time since 1986, crashed out of the tournament following their 3-1 defeat by France on Sunday.
Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki 'promised sizeable bonuses to Poland's World Cup team'
According to Polish outlet
Talk of the handsome collective prize reportedly died down during the early stages of the tournament but re-emerged following Poland's qualification from Group C, as manager Michniewicz looked into how the payment would be distributed amongst his players and staff.
It is believed a handful of Poland's stars wanted the bonuses allocated based on minutes played at the tournament, but captain Robert Lewandowski has allegedly disagreed with this plan, favouring a more even distribution of the pot.
The staff were initially set to collect 10% of the fund until individuals later demanded a 20% split, prompting
assistant coach Kamil Potrykus to participate in talks ahead of Poland's last-16 clash with France.
The bonuses, drawn from public finances, could lead to the sacking of Czeslaw Michniewicz
Robert Lewandowski reportedly wanted the bonuses split fairly amongst the players and staff
These discussions reportedly angered Lewandowski, who felt the squad needed to focus wholly on the upcoming knockout fixture.
The bonuses were set to bypass the Polish federation (PZPN) and are believed to have angered president Cezary Kulesza.
The scandal could lead to the sacking of Michniewicz, whose contract has not been extended despite Poland's success qualifying for the last-16.
Due to the seismic nature of the scandal in Poland, it is expected that none of the Polish players or coaches will accept the reward.