Tournament in Egypt
The corona chaos “exceeds fears”: The most important answers to the handball World Cup
Life in the bubble: Captain Uwe Gensheimer and his team are facing extraordinary challenges in Egypt
© Christof Köpsel / Getty Images
The Handball World Cup in Egypt starts on Wednesday evening and sinks into the corona chaos beforehand. Two teams have canceled, further failures are to be feared. And the Germans criticize the hygiene concept. Answers to the most important questions about the tournament.
What is the situation like in the German national handball team?
The mood in the German national team is currently good. On Tuesday, the team of national coach Alfred Gislason flew to Egypt and landed in Cairo at a summery 27 degrees. The temperature was measured on the gangway before the corona test was carried out. A special bus brought the strictly isolated DHB selection to the luxury hotel Marriott Mena House not far from the world-famous pyramids of Giza. The Germans will live there for at least a week. Some rooms have a view of the pyramids, the hotel pool cannot be used. Excursions are prohibited. The team only leaves the five-star hotel for training and games.
The anger about the cancellation of some German national players has subsided. Hendrik Pekeler, Patrick Wiencek and Steffen Weinhold from Kiel, who are among the service providers, have canceled their participation due to corona for family reasons. Goalkeeper Andreas Wolff had initially criticized that. After the last, successful test match against Austria last weekend, the topic was buried by everyone involved.
How are the corona security measures to be assessed?
It remains questionable whether it is a good idea to host the World Cup and how safe the so-called “bubble” is, in which all teams stay during the tournament. 32 nations take part, with two groups of four sharing one of the four World Cup hotels. The spectators were only banned from the halls under pressure from the national teams. Upon arrival in Egypt, all nations will be tested. The teams then go into isolation until the test result is known. Anyone who can show a negative result counts in the “bubble”. The Egyptian laboratories work quickly – test results are available within three hours. After that, testing continues every 48 hours, and infected players are apparently supposed to be flown out. Because some regulations are too lax for Germans, the DBH has, for example, urged the teams to be more separated at meals in the hotel.
Which teams have canceled and which are moving up?
The worst fears have come true: with the USA and the Czech Republic, two teams had to cancel their participation shortly before the start of the World Cup. In the US team, 18 players tested positive, with the Czechs there are 17 cases among players and coaches. The world handball association IHF immediately nominated Switzerland and North Macedonia. The cancellations show how risky it is to hold the tournament. “That exceeds our fears. We hope that the many bad news that we receive from all corners of the world will finally come to an end,” said DHB sports director Axel Kromer on Wednesday.
What does that mean for the German game plan?
It has not yet had any direct consequences for the Germans’ game plan because no German group opponent has canceled. The first game against Uruguay is on Friday at 6 p.m. (live on ARD). But the second group opponent is not sure whether he will compete. The Cape Verde team currently has seven positive corona cases. It is due to arrive on Wednesday but was unable to train at its training camp in Portugal recently. So it can be that this opponent falls away. In that case the Netherlands would move up. The game is to take place on Sunday evening at 6 p.m. (live on ARD). The third group game is planned for next Tuesday at 8.30 p.m. against Hungary (live on ZDF). The Brazilian team is also on the brink with seven positive cases.
Are the Germans among the World Cup favorites?
No. The minimum goal is the quarter-finals. At the EM 2020, Germany missed the semi-finals and finished fifth. Secretly, however, the Germans hope to cause a surprise, as they did in 2016 when they became European champions as outsiders.
The German squad at a glance.
Sources: DPA, “Sport1”, “Sportschau.de”
