The Polish Football Federation (PZPN) announced today that Maciej Rybus will not be called up for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar after the 32-year-old veteran defender has just signed for another Russian club. After leaving Lyon for Lokomotiv Moscow in July 2017, he has just signed for Spartak Moscow as a free agent.
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While most of the foreign players left Russia following the country’s invasion of Ukraine since February 24, left-back Rybus, who has earned 66 caps and is one of the most experienced defenders on the Polish team, He has received criticism for his decision to continue in Moscow, after five seasons at Lokomotiv, when he signed a contract with Spartak on June 11 until 2024.
A long history in Russian football
Previously Ribus, married to a Russian, already played in Russia in the ranks of Terek Grozny between January 2012, when he arrived from Legia Warsaw, and June 2016. Then he signed for Lyon, where he only played one season before being hired. in the summer of 2017 by Lokomotiv Moscow.
Rybus, with the Polish national team
Poland is a staunch ally of Kyiv and has been one of Ukraine’s biggest financial backers since the Russian invasion. In fact, the PZPN refused to play the semifinal of the qualifying play-off for the World Cup in Qatar against Russia shortly before FIFA excluded them from the competition.
Poland went directly to the play-off final and got the ticket for Qatar after defeating Sweden in Warsaw (2-0).
The coach informed him of the decision
“Polish national team coach Czeslaw Michniewicz spoke with Maciej Rybus, who is currently in Poland, after finishing the national team training camp last week,” the PZPN said in a statement.
“The coach informed the player that due to his current situation at the club level, he would not be called up for the September training camp of the national team and would not be considered for the team that would go to the World Cup in Qatar,” the brief statement concludes.
Already absent from the last call
Rybus was no longer summoned for the Nations League matches that Poland has played this June, nor will he be summoned for those scheduled for September or for the World Cup. The winger participated in the 2012 and 2020 European Championships as well as in the 2018 World Cup.
Poland will face Mexico, Saudi Arabia and Argentina in the group stage of the World Cup, which will take place in Qatar from November 21 to December 18.
Krychowiak y Szymanski, también en clubs rusos
The PZPN has not commented on the situation of other internationals with contracts with Russian clubs. These are former Sevilla player Grzegorz Krychowiak, who has returned to FC Krasnodar after going on loan to AEK Athens from March until the end of the season, and fellow midfielder Sebastian Szymanski, at Dinamo Moscow since 2019.