Latest news with #captaincy
Daily Mail
20 hours ago
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Robert Lewandowski accuses Poland's manager of 'betraying him' and hits out at 'leaks' - after being axed as captain 'as he put his children to sleep'
Robert Lewandowski has accused Poland's national team manager of 'betraying him' after being stripped of the captaincy, as he explained why he has quit the national team. Poland coach Michal Probierz made the decision to replace Lewandowski as national team captain with Piotr Zielinski, with the Polish football federation stating: 'The coach personally informed Robert Lewandowski, the entire team and the training staff of his decision.' Lewandowski's responded on social media within 39 minutes, declaring he would no longer play under Probierz. '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 has expanded on his decision to walk away from the national team in an interview with Polish outlet Sportowefakty. 'I got a surprise call from coach Michał Probierz with the information that he had decided to take away my armband, I was not prepared for it at all, I was putting my children to sleep. 'I didn't even have time to inform my family or talk to anyone about what had happened, because a few moments later a message appeared on the PZPN website. 'The way in which it was communicated to me is really surprising to me. It seemed to me that such matters should be dealt with differently. 'Everything was communicated over the phone, it really shouldn't have been like this. The coach betrayed my trust.' Lewandowski claimed Probierz had 'bowed to media pressure' and accused Poland's head coach of breaking agreements. Poland's record goalscorer said he had agreed with Probierz not to attend their training camp ahead of a friendly with Moldova on June 6, allowing him to get rest. Lewandowski said he had informed only Poland's head coach that he would attend the match to surprise Kamil Grosicki, who was making his 95th and final appearance for the national team, only for the news to be leaked. The 36-yer-old said he had met with Probierz following the match on Friday and had been given no indication he would be stripped of the captaincy. Lewandowski has scored 85 times for Poland and has been captain of the team since 2014 Speaking at a press conference on Monday, Probierz confirmed he had agreed to rest Lewandowski but had been taken by surprise by his decision to attend the friendly. Probierz claimed Lewandowski had asked for the Polish FA to say he had resigned the captaincy rather than have the honour stripped from him, a request he rejected. 'After talking to the players and members of the coaching staff, I had a day to think about it. After this analysis, I came to the conclusion that there would be a change of captain. Robert is a great player, but I decided that it was a good time for a change. 'In my opinion, changing the captain will change a lot. Robert says otherwise. After talking to Piotr Zielinski, I also passed on the message to Cezary Kulesza and the rest of the team. 'The team congratulated Piotr, and his speech confirmed that we can go in the right direction. 'Robert wanted the information to go out that he had resigned from being the captain. I did not agree to that because it was my decision. I want to thank Robert for playing in the national team, I wish him luck, no one closed the door on him.' A report from Polish outlet Onet had suggested that the rest of the playing squad had 'already had enough of his swagger' and that had the captaincy been decided by popular vote, it would not have ended up with Lewandowski. Things seem to have come to a head in March when Poland laboured to a 2-0 win over minnows Malta with Lewandowski on the bench due to his fitness. Reports claim he would however 'storm into the locker room' after the game and berate both players and coaching staff, before publicly voicing his criticisms, stating he would not 'sugarcoat' the state of play. He had criticised the lack of young players in the squad at the time, hinting that there were perhaps either no pathways for youngsters, or not enough quality was coming through from the youth teams to improve the side going forward. 'Look, we have matches with Lithuania and Malta, and there should be five 18, 19, 20-year-olds at the training camp,' he said. 'And apart from Kacper Urbanski, there probably weren't any. This also shows that we have what we have. We have to focus on this material, develop it and get the most out of it.' There had already been suggestions that the former captain was saving himself for Barcelona's title run-in, and he later withdrew from the June camp, too. Another Polish legend in Zbigniew Boniek didn't react to well to seeing Lewandowski on the sidelines on Friday despite insisting he couldn't feature for his side. 'If you are the captain of the team, you are responsible for it. It is not just about taking the team out and putting on the armband,' the former Polish FA president said. 'I think that coming to Grosicki's farewell match was an image parachute.' Lewandowski 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. Poland defeated Moldova 2-0 in a friendly on Friday and are away to Finland in a World Cup qualifier on Tuesday, taking them top of their group, though Netherlands have played one fewer game.
CNA
21 hours ago
- Sport
- CNA
Lewandowski 'betrayed and hurt' by way he lost Poland captaincy
Poland striker Robert Lewandowski said his trust had been betrayed and he was very hurt by the way coach Michal Probierz told him he was being replaced as team captain. The country's record goalscorer immediately announced on social media that he would not play for the national team under Probierz who made the decision to appoint midfielder Piotr Zielinski as captain. Lewandowski told news website 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 soon appeared on the Polish football federation (PZPN) website. "I wore the armband for 11 years, and I've been playing in the national team for 17," Lewandowski was quoted as saying. "It seemed to me that such matters should be handled differently... we have an important match ahead of us, and everything was communicated over the phone. This is really not how it should be. The coach betrayed my trust." Lewandowski said the national team had always been the most important thing for him and that he was "very hurt" by the way the decision to strip him of the armband was communicated. Probierz is due to hold a press conference on Monday afternoon. Lewandowski is not in the current Poland squad, citing physical and mental exhaustion after a long season as the reason for his absence. The 36-year-old, who has scored 85 goals for his country in a record 158 appearances, 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.
Asharq Al-Awsat
a day ago
- Sport
- Asharq Al-Awsat
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.
The Independent
a day ago
- Sport
- The Independent
Robert Lewandowski refuses to play for Poland after being stripped of 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. Poland boss 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
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Poland legend Robert Lewandowski QUITS national team after being stripped of captain's armband - before hitting out at manager on social media
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. 'Returning from injury, I told coach Probierz that I did not feel good physically, but especially mentally,' Lewandowski told Polish media earlier this week, when asked about his decision. 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.
