It’s a situation that he himself has described as “absurd” that Lyon‘s Dominik Greif is facing. Called up by the Slovakia manager Francesco Calzona for the matches against Northern Ireland and Luxembourg (on 10th and 13th October), the 28-year-old goalkeeper ultimately won’t feature for his national team in these two 2026 World Cup qualifiers.
“Coach Calzona called up Dominik Takac because Dominik Greif was unable to travel to Senec with the team at the scheduled time,” explained Monika Jurigova, media manager for the Slovak Football Association (SFZ).
Although Greif was initially expected to attend training on Monday, he eventually didn’t show up. An absence that his federation has deplored. According to their version of events and local press reports, the three transport options offered to the player to reach his base camp were all refused by him. The simple reason being that none of them would have ensured he arrived on time for the gathering, having played in OL’s match against Toulouse on Sunday afternoon.
“The coach needed all the players to be available for the meeting on Monday at 3:30 p.m. The flight from Lyon to Budapest was originally scheduled for today, but it would not arrive until 4:30 p.m,” explained Jurigova, noting that Greif’s compatriot Mario Sauer, who also played in the match for Toulouse, responded to his coach’s call.
“We therefore offered both players three options for arriving on time. Sauer chose to take the train from Lyon to Geneva and fly to Vienna in the morning. He arrived in Senec around 1 p.m. However, none of these options suited Greif, who therefore decided not to come. We replaced Greif with Takac, who was abroad for personal reasons but immediately accepted and will join the team tomorrow morning (Tuesday).”
Greif takes a stand against the Slovakian Federation
As the target of these frontal attacks, Greif decided to put his version of events forward. According to him, two options “and not three as presented” were offered to him, he said in a video.
“Taking the train after the match to Geneva, then Vienna, or getting up at 3:30 a.m. today and taking the plane to Brussels at 7 a.m., then Vienna – that would be two hours earlier than planned. The direct flight was agreed upon, purchased, and then an absurd change occurred.”
“As a local player, I have media sponsorship obligations after the match; I would not be able to take the train after the match. I did not accept any of the options offered, and then the union’s communication became increasingly aggressive. I was told that if I didn’t come, given the new options, I would be held responsible, which affected me deeply.”
While he felt that it was “not worthy of the national team to communicate with a player like that,” Greif also explained that he had spoken with Calzona before the match against Toulouse in order to hear the two options available to him.
“He made it clear to me that either I used their alternatives or they would call in a new goalkeeper,” he said. “If I arrived late, I would take responsibility for it. No one wants to go somewhere where they know something unpleasant awaits them, which is why I decided not to go.”
A decision criticised by some of the local press, including Peter Durin, speaking on the FutbalSK programme broadcast on STVR, who believes that Greif was guided by his ego, refusing to accept the role of substitute, or even third choice, promised to him in the national team.
Other voices, however, such as Sport Web, have come out in support of the Lyon goalkeeper.
“Calzona is the boss. He has his ways. And one unnecessary opponent: his ego. He demands absolute submission, and anyone who disagrees is eliminated. Weiss Jr., Mak, Valjent, Čavrič and now Greif…,” the online media recalled. “This time, for ten or twenty minutes. Of course, international players are supposed to respect the national jersey, but did the 28-year-old goalkeeper act in a way that contradicts this statement? A positive approach must also apply in the other direction. Greif was expected to display exemplary professionalism and amateur service, but he was outraged when the false impression was given that he had refused to wear the national jersey.”
A case that divides opinion, but one that the Slovakian Football Association would certainly have been happy to avoid, as they top Group A in the qualifiers after victories over Germany (2-0 on 4th September) and Luxembourg (0-1 on 7th September) and are aiming to see their team participate in the World Cup finals for the first time in their history.
The question now remains as to whether Greif will take part in this adventure in the near future. No doubt time will shed light on this grey area.
