Lewandowski will not play for Poland under current coach after losing captaincy
FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - World Cup - European Qualifiers - Group G - Poland v Malta - Stadion Narodowy, Warsaw, Poland - March 24, 2025 Poland's Robert Lewandowski during the warm up before the match REUTERS/Kacper Pempel/File photo
Lewandowski will not play for Poland under current coach after losing captaincy
Robert Lewandowski said he will not play for Poland again under the current manager, shortly after the striker was stripped of the captaincy role on Sunday.
Poland coach Michal Probierz made the decision to replace Lewandowski as national team captain with midfielder Piotr Zielinski.
"By decision of coach Michal Probierz, Piotr Zielinski became the new captain of the Polish national team," a Polish football federation (PZPN) statement said.
"The coach personally informed Robert Lewandowski, the entire team and the training staff of his decision."
Lewandowski's response via social media was swift.
"Considering the circumstances and the loss of trust in the Polish national team coach, I have decided to step back from playing for the Polish national team as long as he remains the coach," Lewandowski said.
"I hope I will have the chance to play again for the best fans in the world."
Lewandowski is not with the current Poland squad, with the Barcelona player citing physical and mental exhaustion after a long season as the reason for his absence.
The 36-year-old is Poland's highest goal scorer with 85 goals for his country in a record 158 appearances, and had held the captaincy since 2014.
Probierz replaced the sacked Fernando Santos as Poland manager in 2023, taking them to Euro 2024 where his side were the first team to be eliminated.
The PZPN said Probierz will respond to questions on the situation in a press conference on Monday.
Poland defeated Moldova 2-0 in a friendly on Friday and are away to Finland in a World Cup qualifier on Tuesday. REUTERS
Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
33 minutes ago
- Straits Times
Burgeoning 'Baller League' offers zany remix of Beautiful Game
A penalty is taken during a Baller League match at the Copper Box Arena in London, Britain, May 12, 2025. REUTERS/Streisand Neto/File Photo A general view of players in action during a Baller League match at the Copper Box Arena in London, Britain, May 12, 2025. REUTERS/Streisand Neto/File Photo LONDON - An enthusiastic announcer rallies the crowd inside London's Copper Box Arena for a noisy five-second countdown to Santan FC vs MVPs United, the former managed by rapper Dave, the latter by popular player Alisha Lehmann and TV host Maya Jama. Former Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg tosses the ball in the air to begin a 30-minute, six-a-side game but before he can take his position on the side, MVPs score in six seconds: the quickest goal yet in the fledgling Baller League UK. Twelve minutes later, it is time for a twist - the "Plus One" rule reduces the teams to one-versus-one plus goalkeepers with the rest allowed back after next goals. Social media-focused soccer tournaments like the German-founded Baller League and Spanish-origin Kings League have sprung up in Europe and elsewhere to offer young consumers a cheaper, crazier and shorter version of traditional 90-minute soccer. Some older fans scoff at these formats as a gimmicky distortion of what Brazilian great Pele called "The Beautiful Game", and predict they will quickly fade. But for now, ex-professionals, online influencers and entertainment figures are piling in. Viewing figures are soaring and investment is mounting into what supporters see as a back-to-roots, playground-style version of the sport. "The way they play the game is the way that kids on the street play it all over the world," EQT Ventures' Partner Ashley Lundstrom told Reuters. 'The ecosystem of fans is so open-minded to a new sport, a new style of sport.' Her company led an investment round for Baller League that raised $25 million in early December 2024. 'SOCIALS BLOWING UP' The UK league, in its inaugural season, has drawn a multitude of personalities including some who could not quite make it in mainstream professional football. "It's so close to being what I've always wanted with being a pro footballer and just having that recognition of, okay, this kid can play," said midfielder Harry Cain, 27, who plays for Yanited managed by YouTuber and Twitch streamer Angryginge. "My socials (were) absolutely blowing up from friends, family. 'Can't believe we just watched you on Sky Sports'." Cain, who produces soccer content for 1 million-plus TikTok followers, said one of his highs was scoring in front of former England international and Baller League UK coach John Terry. The Baller League expanded to the UK this year, with 12 teams, after its founding in Germany in 2023 where games were livestreamed from an old plane hangar in the city of Cologne. The Kings League, established by former Spanish player Gerard Pique, has a growing fanbase, with 80% of its 30 million social media followers under 34. Founded in 2022, the seven-a-side Kings League has expanded to Italy, France, Germany, Brazil and the Americas. "Investors also see that we have a disruptive, creative new product, that is solving perhaps the biggest problem in sports: attracting and retaining the attention of young audiences," Kings League CEO Djamel Agaoua told Reuters. "The increasing competition for audience attention means that it's harder and harder to get younger fans to watch a 90-minute live game." The Kings League raised $60 million in its last funding round last year and is in partnership with Surj Sports Investment, the sports arm of Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, to launch Kings League MENA (Middle East and North Africa). With the majority of Saudis under 30, the synergy is obvious. As pay-TV fees increase, the young are increasingly watching sport for free on platforms like YouTube, Kick and Twitch. According to a Deloitte study, about 90% of Generation Z and Millennials consume sport via social media. On the day Santan FC played MVPs United, matchday 8 drew more than 900,000 viewers on YouTube. 'I don't think it's as simple as the older generation watches sports over linear channels and the younger generation does it over social channels,' said Pete Giorgio, global and U.S. sports leader for Deloitte. "Both generations are moving towards a mode where they do not consume sports monolithically." OLD CLUBS TAKING NOTE European clubs have taken note, trying to work with new leagues rather than treat them as rivals. In Italy, Serie A CEO Luigi De Siervo has cast it as a 'cross-marketing" opportunity. Juventus, for example, offer facilities to Zebras FC, a Kings League Italy side led by content creator and Juventus fan Luca Campolunghi. Zebras had 2.5 million engagements across social platforms in its first season. "Collaborating with content creators helps us speak a native digital language that truly resonates with younger audiences,' Juventus' head of brand Gianmarco Pino told Reuters. In France, Ligue 1 club Olympique de Marseille have teamed up to help Kings League France club Wolf Pack FC, founded by former Olympique de Marseille player Adil Rami. However, one football insider in a major European league told Reuters he thought the proliferation of new mini-leagues may prove too much, with one likely to dominate eventually. With the Baller League UK reaching its season finale on Thursday and the Kings World Cup Clubs culminating in Paris on Saturday, the hype is reaching fever-pitch. But not all are convinced. "I just don't think it's particularly entertaining," said a 30-year-old Englishman who supports Premier League team Arsenal and tried the Baller League on YouTube. "Beyond an influencer or a former footballer's team winning, there's no emotional investment in any of these teams which makes it difficult for us to care," he said. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
World Cup dream is still alive despite loss to Belgium, Wales manager Bellamy says
World Cup dream is still alive despite loss to Belgium, Wales manager Bellamy says BRUSSELS - Wales manager Craig Bellamy said his side are still on track to qualify for the World Cup despite slipping from top spot in their group following a 4-3 defeat in Belgium on Monday. The clash in Brussels would have been marked down as Wales' toughest test in Group J and it looked like the writing was on the wall when they were three goals down inside the first half-hour. But Bellamy's side fought back to level at 3-3 and looked good for a surprise point before Kevin De Bruyne snatched a late winner for the hosts. "To come to a top-eight team and play the way we want to play. I think the Belgian players saw it as well," said Bellamy, who lost his first game as Wales manager after 10 matches in charge. "We aren't going anywhere. I will have a couple of weeks now of recharging, but I'm beyond proud and really excited about the future." Wales have seven points from four matches in their group and are at the halfway stage of their campaign. North Macedonia top the standings with eight points, but Belgium, on four points, have played only two fixtures. The group winner qualifies automatically for next year's finals in North America, while the runners-up go into a playoff competition. Wales next travel to fourth-placed Kazakhstan in September and then have a return clash with the Belgians in Cardiff in October. Sorba Thomas, who scored his first international goal for Wales on Monday, said their second-half performance showed what kind of a team they are. "Even though we lost the game, I feel like we won it in our own heads," he added. "Against countries like this, you'll be punished. I can't wait to play these when we get back to Cardiff." Wales reached the quarter-final of the 1958 World Cup and did not qualify again until the last finals in Qatar in 2022, where they finished bottom of their group. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
CNA
an hour ago
- CNA
World Cup dream is still alive despite loss to Belgium, Wales manager Bellamy says
BRUSSELS :Wales manager Craig Bellamy said his side are still on track to qualify for the World Cup despite slipping from top spot in their group following a 4-3 defeat in Belgium on Monday. The clash in Brussels would have been marked down as Wales' toughest test in Group J and it looked like the writing was on the wall when they were three goals down inside the first half-hour. But Bellamy's side fought back to level at 3-3 and looked good for a surprise point before Kevin De Bruyne snatched a late winner for the hosts. "To come to a top-eight team and play the way we want to play. I think the Belgian players saw it as well," said Bellamy, who lost his first game as Wales manager after 10 matches in charge. "We aren't going anywhere. I will have a couple of weeks now of recharging, but I'm beyond proud and really excited about the future." Wales have seven points from four matches in their group and are at the halfway stage of their campaign. North Macedonia top the standings with eight points, but Belgium, on four points, have played only two fixtures. The group winner qualifies automatically for next year's finals in North America, while the runners-up go into a playoff competition. Wales next travel to fourth-placed Kazakhstan in September and then have a return clash with the Belgians in Cardiff in October. Sorba Thomas, who scored his first international goal for Wales on Monday, said their second-half performance showed what kind of a team they are. "Even though we lost the game, I feel like we won it in our own heads," he added. "Against countries like this, you'll be punished. I can't wait to play these when we get back to Cardiff." Wales reached the quarter-final of the 1958 World Cup and did not qualify again until the last finals in Qatar in 2022, where they finished bottom of their group.
