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Poland's Robert Lewandowski, right, walks by Poland' head coach Michal Probierz, left, during a Group D match between Poland and Austria at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Berlin, Germany, Friday, June 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Petr Josek, File)
Poland national team coach Michal Probierz on Thursday announced that he had resigned from the post after a tiff with star striker Robert Lewandowski. “I have come to the conclusion that, given the current situation, the best decision for the good of the national team is my resignation from the position of head coach,” Probierz said in a statement published by the Polish Football Association.
A few days ago, Lewandowski had said that he was quitting the team due to his fractured relationship with the coach. In an interview, he said that he took the decision because he didn’t like the way the coach conveyed the decision to strip him of his captaincy over a one-minute phone call.
“I got a surprise call from coach Michał Probierz that he had decided to take away my armband (captaincy). I was not prepared for it at all, I was putting my children to sleep. The conversation lasted about a minute. 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 this was communicated to me is really surprising to me,” Lewandowski told WP Sportive Fakty.
Poland went on to suffer an embarrassing 2-1 defeat to Finland, to put its qualifications hopes into jeopardy. The 36-year-old Lewandowski, who has played a record 158 games for his country and is the leading scorer with 85 goals, is arguably the most outstanding player in the history of Polish football.
Lewandowski pulled out of last Friday’s friendly over Moldova, citing tiredness from a La Liga title-winning season with Barcelona.
Probierz, who took over in September 2023 after the disappointing tenure of Fernando Santos, managed to secure qualification for the 2024 European Championship but has since struggled.
The Polish Football Association’s president, Cezary Kulesza, had summoned Probierz on Wednesday to discuss the matter.
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“I give coaches a lot of freedom, but with that comes responsibility. I expect results, first and foremost,” Kulesza said. “These were difficult days for the fans of the national team.”
(With agency inputs)
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