Sławomir Szmal has spoken out! It's about firing the coach

On Tuesday, Marcin Lijewski said goodbye to his role as coach of the Polish national handball team. Now, in an interview with Polsat Sport, the president of the Polish Handball Association, Sławomir Szmal, spoke about it.

This year's World Handball Championship was not a success for the Polish national team. The Polish national team finished last in their group, losing to Germany and Switzerland, and shared points in the match with the Czech Republic. As a consolation prize, they won the IHF President's Cup, defeating the United States in the final on penalties.

SEE ALSO: Poles' difficult situation in the CL. "We will fight to the end"

On Tuesday, February 25, ZPRP published an important announcement on its official website. As it turns out, the Polish association has ended its cooperation with Lijewski. The president of ZPRP, Sławomir Szmal, spoke about this in an interview with Polsat Sport.

- For me personally, it was a very difficult decision. The results of the Polish national team were decisive - this was the main argument for terminating the contract with coach Marcin Lijewski. I saw how much work he put into this team, for which I want to thank him very much. Unfortunately, it did not bring any results at the World Championships. We are people who are assessed by the results of our work - said the president in an interview with Paweł Sikora.

The former Polish national team player was also asked whether non-sporting aspects also contributed to his dismissal. It is worth recalling that during this year's World Cup, there was a lot of talk about the atmosphere around the team. Kamil Syprzak left the training camp prematurely during the tournament . Lijewski, in turn, emphasized that the pivot is an "exceptional player" and "certain issues need to be explained."

- The results were the main factor. The issues that were happening next to each other should be resolved within the team and the staff. In order to play, there has to be a good atmosphere. In addition, there has to be a leader in the team and a coach who brings it all together - said Szmal.

Who will be the new coach of the Polish national team?

- My decision is that the second coach - Michał Skórski - will lead the team in the upcoming matches. He is a person who has been with the team the whole time and knows the boys. I think this is the most responsible decision. Nothing new will be introduced - no new tactics. It will be a continuation of what has been done. The question will probably be asked soon who will be the successor. We have to wait a while. There are many candidates, and this is a very responsible decision. We have two or three candidates that we are focusing on. I would like to do it as soon as possible. Of course, in this case, both parties have to make a decision. I would like to close it within three weeks - summed up the president of the ZPRP.