He was kicked out of the Polish national team for an alcohol scandal. Now he got a great chance

This is no surprise, the coach of the Polish national team is famous for his good coaching sense when it comes to opportunities for young, talented players. This was the case when he worked for Górnik Zabrze.

Filip Rózga has a chance to make his debut in the Polish national team. Scandal in the background

Kryspin Szcześniak, a defender who plays for the leader of PKO BP Ekstraklasa, comes from the Zabrze club. An equally interesting figure is Filip Rózga, a Polish youth representative. The attacking midfielder usually defends the colors of the Austrian team Sturm Graz.

The 19-year-old footballer regularly plays for a foreign club, playing not only in the domestic version, but also in European cups. Interestingly, in the past Rózga was one of the antiheroes of the so-called the alcohol scandal that took place during the World Cup training camp in which the Polish U-17 national team took part.

Rózga (then a Cracovia player) along with three other representatives (Jan Łabędzki, Oskar Tomczyk, Filip Wolski) were then thrown out of the training camp and did not play in the youth World Cup.

“Our Club fully supports the decision of the staff of the Polish U-18 national team, as well as the Polish Football Association. The behavior for which the players were removed from the national team is unbecoming of soccer players representing Poland at a large international tournament, such as the U-17 World Cup. It was also an event that strongly violates the principles that should guide any soccer player. We teach professionalism and the proper approach to sport at our Academy from an early age, and an event in which a soccer player also participated Pasów is one that requires condemnation,” Cracovia said then, quoted by Gazeta Krakowska.

However, two years have passed since that incident and Rózga has drawn conclusions from the event. It is difficult to explain otherwise the fact that the talented player rebuilt his position in Cracovia and then earned a foreign transfer.

Coach Jan Urban appreciated his skills, and Rózga may get his big chance to debut during the national team’s November training camp.

Jan Urban with a successful opening. Has the Polish Football Association put out the “fire” for good?

It is worth recalling that coach Jan Urban officially took over the position of coach of the Polish national team in July this year, after the era of Michał Probierz. By then, the Polish Football Association had to deal with several image problems.

The June training camp of the Polish national team turned out to be a breakthrough, during which a conflict occurred between the coach and the team captain. Robert Lewandowski was stripped of the captain’s armband and then resigned from playing in the team as long as it was managed by Michał Probierz. The Poles finally lost to Finland in Helsinki in June (1:2), and the atmosphere around the national team was terrible.

The breakthrough came when Urban took over. Lewandowski returned to the team, and the Poles achieved solid results in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. First, a draw in Rotterdam with the Netherlands (1:1), then a victory over Finland in Chorzów (3:1) and valuable three points from a trip to Kaunas to play against Lithuania (2:0). In addition, a friendly, but also winning match against New Zealand (1-0).

The Poles under coach Urban are undefeated. Let us remember, however, that the beginning of the term of office of former coach Probierz was also very successful. The Poles did not lose in the next eight matches, losing only during Euro 2024 against the Netherlands.

In November, the Poles will play two matches. First, at the PGE Narodowy in Warsaw against the Netherlands (Friday, November 14) and away against Malta (Monday, November 17), thus closing the period of group play for the 2026 World Cup.