Kiel professional Niclas Ekberg, the national team's tenth best goal scorer of all time, decided in the spring of 2019 to take a break from the national team for family reasons.
On Thursday, he would have made a comeback in the European Championship qualifier against Romania, but after talks with new national team captain Glenn Solberg, the 31-year-old has now chosen to rebid.
"Difficult situation"
The same applies to Lukas Nilsson in Rhein-Neckar Löwen.
- It is a difficult situation now.
They are both parents of small children and are worried about getting sick and being quarantined when they are abroad, says the national team's press officer Daniel Vandor.
- Should they become ill now, it is not certain that they will be allowed to return home to Germany.
Germany professionals replace
According to Daniel Vandor, the two players and Glenn Solberg had a good dialogue and made the decision together.
Instead, he replaces two other Germany professionals, Simon Jeppsson (Erlangen) and Valter Chrintz (Füchse Berlin).
Day squad to Pristina
The national team has two European Championship qualifiers a week.
First against Romania in Partille on Thursday, then an away match against Kosovo on Sunday.
Due to the pandemic, the national team will fly to Pristina and back during the day for the Kosovo match.
- We wake up in Gothenburg, fly at 9 o'clock from Landvetter to Pristina, play the match and fly home again in the evening, says Daniel Vandor.
- So we are nowhere else but at the airport, the bus and the arena.