
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.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Asharq Al-Awsat
13 hours ago
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Poland Manager Probierz Resigns after Row with Lewandowski
Poland manager Michal Probierz resigned from his position on Thursday, four days after star striker Robert Lewandowski said he will no longer play for the national team under him. The 36-year-old Barcelona striker said his trust had been betrayed and he was very hurt by the way Probierz told him he was being replaced as team captain, Reuters reported. Lewandowski, Poland's record goal-scorer, said on Monday that he received a short call from Probierz as he was putting his children to sleep and that a statement about him losing the captaincy appeared soon after on the Polish Football Association website. Probierz decided to replace Lewandowski as captain with midfielder Piotr Zielinski. "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 coach," Probierz said in a statement. "Performing this function was the fulfilment of my professional dreams and the greatest honor in my life."


Asharq Al-Awsat
14 hours ago
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Study: European Game Generated 38 Bln Euros in 2023-24 Season
Europe's soccer market grew by 8% in terms of revenue in the 2023-24 season to 38 billion euros ($43.46 billion) with England's Premier League generating the most, Deloitte said in a study published on Wednesday. In its Annual Review of Football Finance, Deloitte said the top five leagues -- Premier League, Bundesliga, LaLiga, Serie A and Ligue 1 -- generated 20.4 billion euros in revenue, an increase of 4%. Premier League clubs had the highest revenue of Europe's top leagues at 6.3 billion pounds ($8.50 billion), Reuters reported. However, the traditional 'big six' clubs in England's top flight reported lower average revenue growth (3%) than other clubs that were in the Premier League in both the 2023-24 and 2022-23 seasons (11%). The study said the growth was largely driven by expansion of clubs' commercial offerings, which also led to the teams cumulatively generating more than two billion pounds in commercial revenue for the first time. "A focus on stadia development and diversification of commercial revenues led to growth across the European football market in the 2023-24 season," Tim Bridge, lead partner in Deloitte's Sports Business Group, said. "However, clubs and leagues cannot afford to take their eye off the ball as new challenges, including an evolving regulatory landscape and changing fan behaviors, arise. "The pressure is mounting for more clubs to drive additional revenue at the same time as managing rising costs. "More so than ever, leaders and owners must recognize the great responsibility they have of managing these businesses, capturing the historic essence of a football club while honoring its unrivalled role as a community asset for generations to come." Clubs in Europe's 'big five' leagues reported an aggregate operating profit (0.6 billion euros) for a second successive season, while the aggregate wages/revenue ratio fell from 66% to 64%. WSL REVENUE SOARS Clubs in England's Women's Super League (WSL) jointly generated revenue of 65 million pounds in the 2023-24 season, a 34% rise. Each WSL club had a double-digit increase in revenue, while all 12 clubs reported over one million pounds in revenue for the first time, with an average revenue of 5.4 million pounds. "Through developing more robust fan engagement strategies, strong commercial deals and securing central distributions, WSL clubs unlocked a new phase of growth," Deloitte Sports Business group's knowledge and insights lead Jennifer Haskel said. "Plus, as the reporting and attribution of commercial revenue remains inconsistent between clubs, we may be scratching the surface on the value now being generated by the women's game."


Asharq Al-Awsat
2 days ago
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Man City Sign Dutch Midfielder Reijnders Ahead of Club World Cup
Manchester City confirmed the signing of midfielder Tijjani Reijnders from AC Milan on a five-year contract on Wednesday and said the Netherlands international will be available for this month's Club World Cup. Financial details were not released but a City team source has put the transfer fee at 55 million euros ($62.85 million). "City are one of the biggest teams in the world, with the best coach, world-class players and outstanding facilities. Under Pep Guardiola, City have won so many titles, and I want to help keep that going with a lot more success in the coming years," Reijnders said in a statement, according to Reuters. "It is also a dream come true to play in the Premier League. This league has seen many of the best Dutch players perform through the years and it's an inspiration to follow in their footsteps." The 26-year-old, who has been capped 23 times, joined Milan in 2023 on a five-year contract before extending it until 2030 in March. He made 104 appearances for the club in all competitions, winning the Italian Super Cup and was named Serie A's best midfielder last season. "He arrives here with extensive top-level experience in Europe both at club level as well as on the international stage with the Netherlands," City's Director of Football Hugo Viana said. Reijnders is City's fourth addition of the transfer window after left back Rayan Ait-Nouri, winger Rayan Cherki and goalkeeper Marcus Bettinelli. The expanded 32-team Club World Cup runs from June 14 to July 13 in the United States with $1 billion in prize money at stake.