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Paulo Sousa’s deal with Flamengo fell like a bomb in Poland. Captain of the local team, forward Lewandowski was shocked and surprised by the Portuguese’s decision to terminate with the Polish Football Federation (PZPN, acronym in the local language) to take over the Brazilian club.
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– Robert (Lewandowski) is shocked and surprised by the actions of coach Sousa – Monika Bondarowicz, the attacker’s advisor, told Polish newspaper “Interia”.
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+ Paulo Sousa will take a fine with the Polish national team
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Top scorer Lewandowski talks to coach Paulo Sousa on the eve of Poland’s Euro debut — Photo: Kacper Pempel/Reuters
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The president of the PZPN, Cezary Kulesza, was another one who reacted badly to Paulo Sousa’s decision. On social media, he called the Portuguese’s behavior irresponsible and stated that he would not accept the amicable termination proposed by the coach.
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According to “Interia”, Sousa assured the manager on December 14 that his focus was on preparing the team for the recap of the qualifiers for the World Cup.
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– Today I was informed by Paulo Sousa that he wanted to terminate the contract because of an offer from another club. This is extremely irresponsible behavior inconsistent with the coach’s previous statements. So I firmly refused,” said Kulesza.
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Lewandowski and Paulo Sousa — Photo: Reproduction/Twitter Paulo Sousa
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Boniek states that there is no termination penalty in the contract
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Paulo Sousa signed a two-year contract with Flamengo and will pay the termination fine with Poland. When taking the decision to close with the Rio de Janeiro club, the Portuguese made a point of talking to Lewandowski, the main name of the Polish national team.
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However, former player Zbigniew Boniek, responsible for signing Paulo Sousa for Poland when he was president of the local federation, said that there is no termination clause foreseen in the contract.
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– The contract is good and makes it clear that he cannot take on other positions while he is with the national team. If we had this written in the contract, it would be something that would allow interested parties to pay this amount at any time. But the absence of this clause means that he cannot withdraw from the selection during the contract without the consent of the Federation – said Boniek, in an interview with the program “Prawda Futbolu”.
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Boniek was also disappointed with Sousa’s decision. One of Poland’s leading sports newspapers, “Przeglad Sportowy” had a photo of the Portuguese on the cover and called him a “deserter”.
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– I feel strange in this situation. I made him the national coach. I’m incredibly disgusted and a little disappointed.
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Polish newspaper criticizes Paulo Sousa: “Desertor” — Photo: Reproduction
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Finally, on social media, Boniek lowered his tone and stated that “there is no slave”. He showed confidence in Poland’s classification and hinted that Flamengo’s offer was superior economically.
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– Without Sousa we’ll be fine, there’s no need to cry. Unfortunately, many would do the same. They have a great job and then they offer five times as much. That’s the reality of today. Sad but true – wrote Boniek.
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Without Paulo Sousa, Poland is preparing to compete in the qualifiers for the World Cup. The team faces Russia in March.
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