(Photo by Rafal Oleksiewicz/Getty Images
The Poland national team fans are having a nightmarish week, especially after Robert Lewandowski abruptly announced his resignation from the national team.
This came after the veteran striker was stripped of his role as captain of the Polish national team. Lewandowski decided to take matters public, announcing that he won’t be playing for the national team until Michal Probierz remains the coach.
Earlier today, the 36-year-old spoke to the media and lashed out at Probierz for ‘betraying his trust’.
Probierz tells his story
However, in a recent press conference, Probierz had the opportunity to narrate his side of the story.
The Polish head coach, though, did not take back his decision to strip Lewandowski’s captaincy role but merely offered an explanation as to how everything happened.
“We agreed with Robert that he wouldn’t be coming to the training camp. On Wednesday, I learned he would be flying out to say goodbye to Grosicki,” he began (h/t SPORT).
“After the match against Moldova, after speaking with many players and members of the coaching staff, I had a day to analyse the situation and make a decision.
“After this analysis, I decided there would be a change of captain for the national team. The time and place were difficult, and besides, he was an exceptional player. However,
I decided it was a good time to hand over the armband to someone else,” he added.
What Probierz did clarify, however, is that Lewandowski himself did not raise any questions over the decision when the coach informed him of the change.
“We couldn’t talk any other way, so I called him on Sunday. After arriving in Helsinki at 8:45 p.m. local time, I met with Zielinski and wanted to get his opinion on the proposal to take over the armband.
“At 9:16 p.m., I called Lewandowski. We spoke for a while, and I told him we needed to change something. I told him Zielinski would be a better captain at the moment. He told me the armband means nothing and changes nothing,” he said.
Lewandowski has announced resignation from the Polish national team (Photo by Rafal Oleksiewicz/Getty Images)
Probierz later revealed that Lewandowski demanded the change of captaincy to be announced publicly, something the coach denied.
“At 9:50 p.m., we had a meeting with the coaching staff and the players. Then the whole team found out about my decision, and they also heard an excellent speech from Zielinski.
“This confirmed to me that we were on the right track. Lewandowski called me later, and I called him back at 9:59 p.m. Robert said he wanted the change of captain to be announced publicly. I didn’t agree, because it was simply my decision,” he said.
The Polish national team coach then learned of Lewandowski’s resignation from the media, though he did clarify that the door is still open for him.
“Then I learned from the media that he was resigning from the national team. Nobody closed the door on him. I wish him the best of luck. For me, the most important thing is simply the national team and the good of the team.
“I am aware of the responsibility of this decision, and I believe it will help,” he said.
When asked whether or not there is a chance of the two reaching a reconciliation, Probierz agreed, although he did make it clear that Zielinski would remain the captain of the team.
“I’m an open person. I believe anything is possible. I respect Robert, and no one will take away his chance to play for the national team. Zielinski will now be the captain, and I believe we can achieve a good result.
“I believe this is the best decision for the team at this time. I take responsibility for the timing and the moment. This should be the right thing for the team,” he concluded.