Handball national team – captain Uwe Gensheimer resigns – sport

Handball, national team: Captain Uwe Gensheimer has announced his resignation from the national handball team after the disappointing Olympic tournament. In addition, national coach Alfred Gislason will have to do without other veterans in the future, as the German Handball Federation (DHB) announced on Thursday. In addition to Gensheimer, backcourt player Steffen Weinhold (THW Kiel) is no longer available, defense chief Hendrik Pekeler (THW Kiel) wants to take a longer break from the national team and leaves future missions for the DHB selection open. Goalkeeper oldie Johannes Bitter (HSV Hamburg) only wants to step in in an emergency after missing the Olympic medal in Japan.

“I look back with pride and gratitude on a long time at the German Handball Federation and I will never forget the experiences that came with it,” said Gensheimer. DHB President Andreas Michelmann thanked all players. “All four are faces of our sport, have excited the audience and motivated many children,” he said.

The national team is facing a personnel change. The 34-year-old from Gensheim last played only a minor role at the tournament in Tokyo, but before that he was one of the pillars of the team. After his international debut in November 2005, he celebrated his greatest success in the DHB jersey in 2016 when he won bronze with the team at the Olympics in Rio. For Gislason, however, the loss of world-class defender Pekeler (30) and backcourt specialist Weinhold (35) is more serious in terms of sport, and Bitter, who is now 38, is still one of the best German goalkeepers.

Football, Bundesliga: FSV Mainz 05 has a serious corona problem before the start of the season. A total of eleven professionals from Rheinhessen were sent into domestic isolation by the responsible health department before the kick-off on Sunday (3.30 p.m. / DAZN) against runner-up RB Leipzig. The club confirmed that the training on Wednesday was canceled.

After attacker Karim Onisiwo tested positive last Friday, the virus was detected in two other players on Monday and Tuesday. A follow-up test on Wednesday also gave a positive result for a member of the coaching team. A total of 14 people from the team and staff are in quarantine. “At the moment it can be assumed that the disease is acute, as there have also been infections at home,” said the club announcement: “Two of the sick people have complete vaccination protection.” The club is now in close contact with the health department and the German Football League (DFL).

What the accumulation of cases means for the start next weekend was initially unclear. According to the DFL game rules, a club can only request the cancellation of a match according to the current rules if fewer than 16 players (including amateurs eligible to play) are available. Onisiwo was the first to test positive for the corona virus last Friday, the Rheinhessen had made the case public on Sunday immediately before the first round match in the DFB Cup at SV Elversberg (8: 7 iE). On Friday and also on Saturday, however, all other players were tested negative, so that the game at the regional league team could take place as planned.

Basketball, NBA: Basketball player Isaac Bonga has signed a contract with the Toronto Raptors for the upcoming season of the North American professional league NBA. This was announced by the master of 2019 on Thursday night without giving any further details. Bonga played with the Washington Wizards for the last two years and was on the market as a free agent that summer. It is likely that the German Olympian will first have to recommend himself to the Canadian club’s final 15-man squad in the training camp. Bonga was drafted in the second round of the Los Angeles Lakers in 2018, after a season he moved on to Washington. The upcoming NBA season begins October 19th.

Basketball, NBA: Dennis Schröder has announced his move to NBA record champion Boston Celtics. “This is one of the best franchises in NBA history and it will be an honor to put on the greens and whites and do what I love,” the 27-year-old wrote on an Instagram story. As ESPN reported, Schröder receives a one-year contract worth 5.9 million US dollars. An official confirmation from the Celtics was still pending. In the past season, the point guard played for the Los Angeles Lakers. An offer from the Californians to extend the collaboration for four years and $ 84 million is said to have been rejected by Schröder months ago. Instead, LA recently signed US superstar Russell Westbrook from the Washington Wizards.

Schröder, who had an average of 15.4 points in the past season, moved from the Oklahoma City Thunder to the Lakers in 2020. The playmaker missed the Olympic Games in Tokyo, where Germany made it to the quarter-finals, for insurance reasons.

Tennis, ATP-Tour: Rafael Nadal (35) canceled his participation in the ATP Masters in Toronto at short notice. The reason for the Spaniard’s withdrawal is an injury to his left foot. “I really wanted to play here, but now is the time to make a decision and unfortunately that is the decision I made,” said Nadal. After a bye in the first round, the Mallorcan should have played against Lloyd Harris. On his comeback after a two-month break from the tournament, Nadal last lost in Washington DC in the round of 16 against the South African. Even then he complained of foot problems.

The 20-time Grand Slam winner took a break after losing the semi-final to Novak Djokovic (Serbia) at the French Open in Paris and skipped the grass highlight in Wimbledon and the Olympic Games in Tokyo.

Tennis, Davis Cup: After his emotional Olympic victory, Germany’s number one Alexander Zverev initially rejected a start at the Tennis Davis Cup. “But I’m only human and I need a vacation. We play from January to October. I won’t play in this mode in November,” said the 24-year-old of “Sportbild” (Wednesday). But the Hamburger hopes that he will play the Davis Cup in the future. “As soon as the old format is back, with home advantage and a duel at the weekend, I’ll be there.” Zverev had become the first German Olympic champion in men’s singles with a 6: 3, 6: 1 against Russian Karen Khachanov in Tokyo.

Soccer, Europe: Peter Hyballa is no longer the coach of the Danish second division club Esbjerg FB. “I have resigned,” said the 45-year-old on Wednesday German press agency. The reason is slander and hunted down by the tabloid media and the influential players’ union. His family was also affected, said Hyballa. “I can’t accept that.” The coach, who had only taken over from the relegated team for the new season and had trained in Germany, among other things, Alemannia Aachen, said he was foregoing severance pay.

The background is a dispute with parts of the team. A month ago, 21 players had accused Hyballa in an open letter of not having the professional and human qualities to lead the team. His harsh training methods would have resulted in injuries. In addition, they have experienced daily threats of layoffs, ridicule, sexist and humiliating remarks as well as regular bullying, which goes far beyond the already wide boundaries of the football world.

Hyballa, who appeared as a ZDF tactics expert during the European Championship, rejects the allegations. “This is character assassination, I defend myself against it,” he said. There were “two or three ringleaders” who raised the mood against him and put other players under pressure. The US investors who bought the club earlier this year are on his side. He also has a friendly relationship with ex-Bundesliga professional Rafael van der Vaart, who was introduced as the new assistant coach on Tuesday at his instigation.

Champions League, Which: PSV Eindhoven and AS Monaco have reached the Champions League playoffs. Eindhoven with the former soccer world champion Mario Götze prevailed 1-0 (0-0) in the second leg of the third qualifying round at the Danish club FC Midtjylland on Tuesday evening after the Dutch with coach Roger Schmidt already won the first leg 3-0 for had made up their minds. The winning goal in the second duel was marked by Bruma in stoppage time (90 + 3). Gotze was back in good shape and one of the assets. The midfielder was replaced after 76 minutes.

The first leg of the qualifying finals is scheduled for next week (August 17/18). Opponents are Benfica Lisbon, who defeated Spartak Moscow 2-0 (0-0 / first leg 2-0) on Tuesday evening. Monaco with national player Kevin Volland and keeper Alexander Nübel can also hope for a place in the premier class. After 2-0 in the first leg, the team of coach Niko Kovac defeated Sparta Prague 3-1 (0-0). But Nübel, on loan from FC Bayern Munich for two years, made a mistake twice. The first unsuccessful pass came off lightly, with the second Nübel conceded the goal. Monaco now meets Shakhtar Donetsk. The Ukrainians prevailed against the Belgian club KRC Genk, Donetsk won 2-1 on both sides.

Football, LaLiga: The Spanish soccer record champions Real Madrid want to take legal action against the LaLiga contract with the holding company CVC. On Tuesday, Los Blancos announced a lawsuit against league boss Javier Tebas and a CVC officer in a press release. Real has announced civil and criminal proceedings that will also affect the CVC Capital Partners SICAV-FIS fund. The Spanish league plans to sell ten percent of its shares and pocket 2.7 billion euros for it. Real announced that this contract, which is designed for 50 years, came about “without the knowledge” of the Madrilenians. Real is aiming to have a passing of the deal at a La Liga meeting on August 12th by a court of law.

FC Barcelona had also spoken out against the agreement. Above all, the contract period of 50 years was criticized by both Spanish top clubs. According to the league, “the process should further advance the global growth of LaLiga and its clubs and thus continue the league’s transformation into a global digital entertainment company”. 90 percent of the CVC investment (2.3 billion euros) should flow directly to the clubs. Selling shares is one way of opening up new sources of money. The corona pandemic has further exacerbated the financial problems of top clubs such as Real Madrid and Barcelona. Barca announced their departure from superstar Lionel Messi last Thursday because the Catalans were no longer able to pay the 34-year-old’s salary. Messi reportedly signaled a 50 percent wage cut, but Barca could no longer pay even that amount.