Kulesza, who heads the Polish Football Association (PZPN), has returned from Qatar, where he watched Argentina beat defending champions France on penalties to win the tournament on Sunday, Polish state news agency PAP reported.
He is now expected to focus on deciding who will manage the Polish team in the future, according to news outlets.
The decision is likely to be announced in a matter of days, the PAP news agency reported, citing sources at the PZPN.
At this point, Michniewicz’s chances of remaining in the hot seat are looking slim, it said.
Michniewicz was appointed Poland boss in January to replace Portugal's Paulo Sousa.
He was tasked with winning the playoffs for a place at the 2022 World Cup, keeping Poland in UEFA Nations League A, and reaching the knockout stages of the tournament in Qatar, according to officials.
The 52-year-old coach met all these targets. Poland beat Sweden 2-0 to qualify for the World Cup. It managed to stay in Nations League A, and reached the last 16 of the World Cup, after drawing 0-0 with Mexico, beating Saudi Arabia 2-0 and losing 0-2 to eventual champions Argentina in their group-stage matches.
Poland went out of the tournament after a 1-3 defeat at the hands of eventual runners-up France in the round of 16.
Criticism and controversy
While Michniewicz delivered results, Poland’s performances during his reign have been criticised by some as too defensive and not realising the full attacking potential of the team, according to news outlets.
He was also involved in a much-publicised controversy over PLN 30 million (EUR 6.4 million) in bonuses the government had allegedly promised his team for reaching the knockout stages in Qatar.
The revelation that the PZPN leadership did not know about the talks over bonuses was also damaging for the coach, according to PAP.
Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said earlier this month that his government was ready to help fund the coaching of youngsters and the construction of new football facilities, but World Cup bonuses were the responsibility of the PZPN.
Last week, it emerged that Michniewicz had criticised PZPN spokesman Jakub Kwiatkowski over communications policy in Qatar; some of the players had reportedly sided with Kwiatkowski.
Potential successors
Potential replacements for Michniewicz include the former Ukraine striker and coach Andriy Shevchenko, according to news outlets.
Nenad Bjelica from Croatia and Spanish coach Roberto Martinez are also thought to be in the running for the Poland job, the PAP news agency reported.
Kulesza said: “In recent days we’ve been receiving several applications a day, from all over the world, including from experienced and successful coaches.”
Poland start their Euro 2024 qualifying campaign with an away game against the Czech Republic on March 24.
(pm/gs)
Source: PAP, interia.pl