Maciej Rybus, the Polish player who has decided to play in Russia and could miss the World Cup at the request of the Government

Maciej Rybusplayer of the Polish national team, who will be Argentina’s rival in Qatar 2022, has been the protagonist of a strong controversy in his country since he decided to sign with Russian Spartak Moscow.

In March of this year, Poland were supposed to play the first World Cup playoff against Russia, but went straight to the final against the other group winners Sweden, after FIFA disqualified the hosts of the 2018 from all international competitions.

On the 29th of that month, the 2-0 victory over the Scandinavians at the Silesian Stadium in Krakow seals the passage of the Poles to a new world adventure.

At that moment Rybus, defender, was playing his last matches at Lokomotiv Moscow, as part of a Russian Super League resumed after the hiatus due to the war.

Rybus signed with a Russian team in July 2017, hailing from French Lyon.

Being over 23, and according to FIFA rules, six months after the contract expires, a player of that age or older can freely negotiate his new relationship with another club, without transfer costs.

Once opened the transfer book in Europe and nearly four months after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the player decided to go against the grain in punishing Russian sport and signed with another team from Moscow.

“We are delighted to announce the free transfer of Polish national left-back Maciej Rybus! The 32-year-old is joining us on a 2-year contract. Welcome Maciej!”, Spartak wrote on social media on 11 June.

Immediately a true wave of criticism went wild on his name.

The Polish president, Andrzej Dudahe referred to the case purely as a gamble, but leaving a message between the lines, as an accurate passage.

“Ceveryone judges the matter in his own conscience. After all, this man knows what the situation is. These are their decisions and the decisions of the Polish Football Association and the national team coaches, “he said.

The president of the Polish Football Association, Cezary Kulesza, however, stressed that it will be the coach who will decide who will receive the call-up and who will not.

Poland debuted in the League of Nations on 1 June and Rybus did not appear in any call-up, despite not having been in the decisive matches of the Qualifiers, before confirming his continuity in Russian football.

However, the official who expressed the toughest judgment on the situation was Foreign Minister Marcin Przydacz, who asked not to play for the national team anymore.

Mariusz Piekarski, the player’s coach, went to the intersection and remembered it Rybus is married to a Russian woman and their children go to school in the Russian capital..

Kamil Bortniczuk, Polish Minister of Sport, wrote on his Twitter account: “He chose ‘money and peace at home’, instead of respect in Poland and the possibility of playing for the national team. He is right. technical, below any level “.

On Wednesday 22 November the Poles will perform at the World Cup in Qatar against Mexico, on 26 they will face Saudi Arabia and on 30 they will confirm whether or not they will be in the round of 16 after having faced the Argentine team.

DB