Poland coach quits after Lewandowski boycott and World Cup qualifier loss

Warsaw: 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 at 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. Lewandowski was unhappy 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.”