Poland coach quits after Lewandowski boycott and World Cup qualifier loss - World
Poland coach Michal Probierz, who had been feuding with star striker Robert Lewandowski, has resigned for "the good of the national team", the country's football federation said on Thursday.
"I have come to the conclusion that in the current situation the best decision for the good of the national team will be my resignation from the position of selector. Performing this function was the fulfilment of my professional dreams and the greatest honour in my life," Probierz said in a statement from the Polish Football Federation (PZPN).
Lewandowski's announcement on Sunday that he would boycott the team while Probierz remained coach was followed by a 2-1 loss away to Finland that knocked Poland off the top of their European World Cup qualifying group.
The striker was not part of the Polish squad in the recent international window. According to Polish news agency PAP, the Barcelona player had asked to be excused to rest.
Lewandowksi was unhappy that he had been stripped of the captain's armband by Probierz.
"Taking into account the circumstances and a loss of trust in the coach, I have decided to resign from playing for the Poland national team for as long as he remains in charge," Lewandowski wrote on social media.
"I hope I will still have another chance to play again for the best fans in the world," he added.
The 36-year-old Lewandowski made his Poland debut in 2008 and had been captain since 2014. He holds the Polish record for caps, with 158, and goals, with 85 -- 37 more than the country's next highest scorer Wlodzimierz Lubanski.
Probierz had been coach since September 2023. He led Poland to the Euro 2024 finals where they failed to win a game and were eliminated in the group stage.
In his 21 matches in charge he won nine, drew five and lost seven.
"Thank you, of course, to all the footballers I have had the pleasure of meeting along the way," he wrote in the PZPN post. "I will keep my fingers crossed for all of you, because the national team is our common national asset."
(For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter at @AO_Sports and on Facebook at AhramOnlineSports.)
Follow us on:
Facebook
Instagram
Whatsapp
Short link:
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Al-Ahram Weekly
19 hours ago
- Al-Ahram Weekly
De Bruyne signs for Napoli after leaving Man City - Egyptian Football
Kevin De Bruyne has signed for Napoli as a free agent after being released by Manchester City, the Serie A champions' president Aurelio De Laurentiis confirmed on Thursday Film mogul De Laurentiis posted a picture of himself shaking hands with De Bruyne on social media with the message "welcome Kevin!" Belgium midfielder De Bruyne has reportedly signed a two-year deal with an option for a third at Napoli, where he will join up with international teammate Romelu Lukaku and former Manchester United midfielder Scott McTominay. The 33-year-old left City at the end of this past season after a trophy-packed decade in Manchester, where under Pepe Guardiola he won six Premier League titles and in 2023 the Champions League. He has however suffered from a series of physical problems in recent seasons, with two hamstring injuries causing him to miss significant chunks of the last two campaigns. Napoli have brought in one of Europe's top midfielders as the Italians try to bolster a squad which next season will defend the Scudetto while also having the extra fixture pressure of the expanded Champions League. Antonio Conte's Napoli beat Inter Milan to the Serie A title on the final day of the season, their second league crown in three years. But they had no European football clogging up their calendar, unlike Inter who got to the Champions League final only to be thumped 5-0 by Paris Saint-Germain. (For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter at @AO_Sports and on Facebook at AhramOnlineSports.) Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
Al-Ahram Weekly
a day ago
- Al-Ahram Weekly
Poland coach quits after Lewandowski boycott and World Cup qualifier loss - World
Poland coach Michal Probierz, who had been feuding with star striker Robert Lewandowski, has resigned for "the good of the national team", the country's football federation said on Thursday. "I have come to the conclusion that in the current situation the best decision for the good of the national team will be my resignation from the position of selector. Performing this function was the fulfilment of my professional dreams and the greatest honour in my life," Probierz said in a statement from the Polish Football Federation (PZPN). Lewandowski's announcement on Sunday that he would boycott the team while Probierz remained coach was followed by a 2-1 loss away to Finland that knocked Poland off the top of their European World Cup qualifying group. The striker was not part of the Polish squad in the recent international window. According to Polish news agency PAP, the Barcelona player had asked to be excused to rest. Lewandowksi was unhappy that he had been stripped of the captain's armband by Probierz. "Taking into account the circumstances and a loss of trust in the coach, I have decided to resign from playing for the Poland national team for as long as he remains in charge," Lewandowski wrote on social media. "I hope I will still have another chance to play again for the best fans in the world," he added. The 36-year-old Lewandowski made his Poland debut in 2008 and had been captain since 2014. He holds the Polish record for caps, with 158, and goals, with 85 -- 37 more than the country's next highest scorer Wlodzimierz Lubanski. Probierz had been coach since September 2023. He led Poland to the Euro 2024 finals where they failed to win a game and were eliminated in the group stage. In his 21 matches in charge he won nine, drew five and lost seven. "Thank you, of course, to all the footballers I have had the pleasure of meeting along the way," he wrote in the PZPN post. "I will keep my fingers crossed for all of you, because the national team is our common national asset." (For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter at @AO_Sports and on Facebook at AhramOnlineSports.) Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
Al-Ahram Weekly
2 days ago
- Al-Ahram Weekly
Manchester City signs Reijnders from Milan to complete $150M spending spree - World
Manchester City concluded a $150 million spending spree ahead of the Club World Cup by announcing the signing of Netherlands midfielder Tijjani Reijnders from AC Milan on Wednesday. The 26-year-old Reijnders moved for an initial fee of 55 million euros ($63 million) and is the second midfielder — after France playmaker Rayan Cherki — to join City in the special June 1-10 transfer window created to allow sides in the 32-team Club World Cup to reshape their squads. City paid Lyon $41 million for Cherki and also signed Algeria left back Rayan Aït-Nouri from Wolverhampton for $42 million. After deciding not to push to sign Florian Wirtz — the Germany playmaker is close to joining Liverpool, according to reports in the British media — City has spent around the same amount on three players. Add this latest splurge to an outlay of more than $200 million in the winter transfer window and City has already spent at least $350 million on players in 2025 to provide manager Pep Guardiola with a squad capable of reclaiming the Premier League title from Liverpool. Breakthrough season Reijnders has just been named as the best midfielder in Serie A after a breakthrough campaign in which he scored 15 goals and added five assists across all competitions for Milan, which endured a dismal season and failed to qualify for Europe. He joined Milan from AZ Alkmaar in 2023 for a fee of around 20 million euros (then $22.4 million) and recently signed a contract extension through to June 2030. That's the length of his contract at City, too. City is releasing De Bruyne to end his 10-year stint at the club and now has Reijnders and Cherki to link up with Rodri in an enticing midfield set-up. Reijnders said he was 'ecstatic' to be joining City. 'It is also a dream come true to play in the Premier League,' he said. 'This league has seen many of the best Dutch players perform through the years and it's an inspiration to follow in their footsteps.' City director of football Hugo Viana said Reijnders — who specializes in being a ball-carrying midfielder — will add 'extra energy, composure and creativity to our midfield.' City announced the transfer of Reijnders a day after the special transfer window closed but appears to have signed him in time for him to play in the new-look, 32-team Club World Cup, which starts on Saturday. City is in the same group as Juventus, Al Ain and Wydad Casablanca and its first match is on June 18. (For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter at @AO_Sports and on Facebook at AhramOnlineSports.) Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
