Piotr Przybecki to take over Polish national team

10 days have passed since Talant Dujshebaev announced his resignation as Poland coach after his team drew 27:27 against Belarus in Plock, which meant Poland’s chances of qualifying for the EHF EURO 2018 in Croatia plummeted.

On Thursday, the Polish Handball Federation announced that his successor will be Piotr Przybecki, current coach of Orlen Wisla Plock. The 44-year-old Pole will start his job in June with a friendly tournament in Elverum, where his team will face hosts Norway, Sweden and Iceland.

A few days later Przybecki will lead Poland in their last EHF EURO 2018 Qualification matches against Serbia and Romania. His contract will be in force until Tokyo 2020.

“Thank you for the proposition and the trust. It’s an honour for me, but also a challenge, hard work and a huge responsibility,” said Przybecki on the official website of the Polish Federation.

“I will do my best to achieve the goals assumed – to advance at the Olympic Games in Tokyo and build a strong team, able to win against with the most dangerous rivals.”

As a player, Przybecki was a centre and left back who scored 372 goals for the national team. With THW Kiel he won the German Championship, two EHF Cups and remains the top Polish scorer in the Bundesliga.

Later, he was a coach and sports director in Polish clubs before taking over the Oilers in 2016/17 after Manolo Cadenas.

Przybecki was already a candidate for the national team coaching position in 2016, but Talant Dujshebaev was appointed instead. This time he was the firm favourite to take the bench. Przybecki will have to bring together two functions, as he will still lead the Oilers in both domestic and European contests.

This season his club team Wisla Plock finished seventh in VELUX EHF Champions League Group A, and are still on track to attempt to divest KS Vive Tauron Kielce of their Polish Cup and championship titles in the domestic finals.

Przybecki is known for his professionalism, respect for others, and extraordinary calm and precise guidelines during time-outs. Together with Patryk Rombel, who will take over HC Motor Zaporozhye in the summer, he is one of the most promising Polish coaches of the young generation.