HDuring the last days of his wife Kara’s life, andball coach Alfred Gislason considered resigning as coach of the German national team. His wife, who died of cancer on May 31, stopped him, said the Icelander in the “Sport Bild” (Wednesday), in which he spoke publicly about his stroke of fate for the first time.
“My first reaction was, I call Axel Kromer, quit – and then we go to Iceland and spend the time that Kara still has in Iceland,” said Gislason. But his wife had dissuaded him from the idea. He was grateful to the DHB and sports director Kromer for “that they left me alone all of May”.
After the death of his wife, the 61-year-old traveled with the German national team to the Olympic Games in Tokyo. “The players knew Kara was sick. Over time, they also heard that she was getting worse, ”said Gislason.
In Japan, the selection of the German Handball Federation failed in the quarter-finals to Egypt. “The bottom line was that the Egyptians had what we lacked – time to prepare,” is Gislason’s analysis of the disappointing performance. His demand: “If we want to play for titles realistically, we have to get more preparation time.”
“I really, really enjoy working for Germany”
An extension of his contract, which will expire after the European Championships in Hungary and Slovakia in January, will also depend on changes. “I really, really enjoy working for Germany. I also live in Germany. I want to be successful here. But if I hardly see the team, I see little point in doing the job, ”said Gislason.
One possibility would be short courses, emphasized the successful coach, who won the German championship seven times, the national cup six times and the Champions League three times. He knows how to work to be successful. Only: “I’ve never made it without training, that’s impossible. A German national player doesn’t get great just because he puts on his national jersey. ”The national coach can also imagine a reduction in the Bundesliga from 18 to 16 clubs.
Gislason hopes that the resigned Steffen Weinhold and his Kiel club mate Hendrik Pekeler, who has taken a longer break, will continue to play for the national team: “I haven’t given up on either of them.” wants to be ready in emergencies, the national coach understands. And on the resignation of the former captain Uwe Gensheimer from the Rhein-Neckar Löwen, the national coach said: “Uwe was certainly not satisfied with himself either. That certainly forced his decision. “
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