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His mission was nothing less than the rescue of German handball.
When the Icelander Alfred Gislason started his job as national coach in February, the German Handball Federation got exactly what it wanted: its dream coach.
And he said: "A dream job to work as a trainer for Germany."
His World Cup premiere with the team will take place in Egypt from January 13 to 31 - but under extremely difficult circumstances due to the corona pandemic and the cancellation of some national players.
Before Germany met Uruguay, Cape Verde and Hungary in the preliminary round, the 61-year-old coaching legend chatted from the sewing box - and was shocked at himself when looking back.
Because his players had to take a lot in his earlier coaching years.
He told the news magazine “Focus”: “I am ashamed of many insults.
I suppressed most of it. "
"I was pale as a sheet"
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Gislason, who has collected 28 titles in his career as a coach in his native Akureyri as well as in Hameln, Magdeburg, Gummersbach and Kiel, reports of a celebration ten years ago with his former Icelandic Akureyri players.
“They played me the things that I cut out of there,” he says.
"I was white as a sheet, what storms of insult I have let off."
May 2012: Gislason celebrates with the THW Kiel the victory against Atletico Madrid in the final of the Champions League
Source: dpa / Jonas Güttler
And he also gives examples.
Once when he and his team were behind with nine goals at halftime.
He told the goalkeeper to stay in the cabin because he'd rather put a garbage can in the goal instead.
It would hold up better.
"If a coach had told me that, it would have been my last game under him," said Gislason, who was a professional for 16 years.
"I didn't play in the Icelandic national team for two years because I had an argument with the coach."
Gislason on Wolff criticism: disturbs the preparation
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If something doesn't suit him, Gislason still says it directly today.
But different from then.
On Friday, for example, he reacted with incomprehension to the criticism from national goalkeeper Andreas Wolff of the World Cup cancellations of some teammates.
“I'm not happy that this discussion is going on.
Andi is known for getting his opinion out there.
But that disturbs the preparation, ”says Gislason.
“These are players who have sacrificed a lot of time for Germany in the past.
You shouldn't get caught in the crossfire of criticism. "
In a podcast published on Thursday, Wolff had sharply criticized the voluntary renunciation of the Kiel trio Hendrik Pekeler, Patrick Wiencek and Steffen Weinhold to participate in the World Cup in Egypt.
He sees it "very, very critically," said the 29-year-old.
Gislason reports that there was no discussion with Wolff because of this.
"I have a lot of other tasks to do," emphasizes the Icelander with a view to the European Championship qualifier against Austria on Sunday in Cologne.
Within the team, the criticism was not a major issue.
"We have neither unrest in the team nor in the environment," said DHB Vice President Bob Hanning.
Handball players pass World Cup stress test in Austria
The German handball players confidently defeated Austria in the European Championship qualification.
A week before the World Cup in Egypt, the DHB team made people want more.
Source: SID