Poland manager resigns after Lewandowski controversy | OneFootball

Poland manager Michal Probierz has resigned following a controversy with Robert Lewandowski and a poor defeat to Finland.

The 52-year-old coach had previously made the controversial decision to strip the Barcelona striker of his captaincy.

"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 about his deecision.

"Serving in this role has been the fulfillment of my professional dreams and the greatest honour of my life."

"I would like to thank all my colleagues, the staff at the Polish Football Federation. I could always count on you. Thank you for trusting in the president and the direction of the federation. Naturally, I would also like to thank all the footballers I had the pleasure of meeting along the way. I will be cheering for all of you, because the national team is our common national asset."

Lewandowski had previously requested to be excused from the national team for the recent matches against Moldova and Finland, an action that led Michal Probierz to remove the forward from his captaincy and instead assign the armband to Piotr Zielinski.

Lewandowski, displeased with the decision, immediately issued a statement announcing his withdrawal from the Polish national team: "Given the circumstances and the loss of trust in the manager of the Polish national team, I have decided to withdraw while he remains in office. I hope to have the opportunity to play in front of the best fans in the world again."

Poland have until September to recruit a new head coach before the remaining matches of the qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup. Poland is currently in third place in Group G, behind Finland and Netherlands.