AAt first glance they look like appetizer plates. Not a bad idea to offer something to the fans on the way to the Spodek Arena – small pre-game refreshment, at least minimal basis for all the beer that flows. But the women and men with red and white make-up are holding color palettes in their hands, not little sandwiches to paint a little patriotism on the cheeks of those who arrive.
Thousands make the pilgrimage to Spodek that evening to cheer on the Polish national handball team against Slovenia. There is a mighty fire under the roof of the flying saucer when the Poles get started on Saturday evening: red and white everywhere, horns and horns. Thunderous bass. Deafening. Handball is popular, well behind football, ski jumping and volleyball, but with a loyal core audience in Silesia and Pomerania thanks to clubs from Kielce, Plock and Pulawy.
But as with the opening defeat against France, the question quickly arises in the second group game of coach Patryk Rombel’s team: Can the team stand up to the pressure? It’s 10:15, then 14:23, finally 23:32, and the mood of the 10,000 escapes from the functional hall like air from a punctured ball. “We were far too hectic,” explains the disappointed captain Piotr Chrapkowski, 34. later, “instead of staying cool, we did everything wrong.”
Linking to the great times
Now the Poles will move on to the main round without points. They have almost certainly missed their big goal, the quarter-finals in Gdansk. Chrapkowski, who earns his money at SC Magdeburg, says: “We have to apologize to this great audience.”
The Polish handball association wanted to continue the great times of 2007. Back then, coach Bogdan Wenta’s team only lost to Germany in the final in Cologne. Two years later, Poland came in third. After that there were no successes and interest dwindled. With the home EM 2016, the enthusiasm should be reignited.
But in the decisive main round game, the team of German coach Michael Biegler collapsed under the pressure of expectations – 23:37 against Croatia. The handball was on the ground. The charismatic bender is still popular; in Katowice he can hardly move on Saturday because of all the photo requests.
It is much more uncomfortable for Patryk Rombel. The 39-year-old coach has to put up with the question of whether the Polish handball pros might be stronger away than at home: “I’d like to play here again and handle the pressure better.” Rombel doesn’t have it easy. He is regarded as a laptop trainer, and his work is viewed with suspicion by the old heroes.
Criticism gets loud
The players of the 2007 team work as coaches, TV experts or even as vice-president of the association, like former goalkeeper Slawomir Szmal. Rombel lacks that stable smell. He wasn’t a top tier player. Polish national coach since February 2019, he has brought together a good mix of talented and experienced players for this World Cup, including four Bundesliga professionals.
Rombel must now deliver, is the work order. But after the good game at 24:26 against Olympic champion France, the embarrassment against Slovenia is so great that criticism of him became very loud. There is slight support from the team: “We were well prepared, but left the agreed tactics,” says Chrapkowski, who refuses to assess the situation: “It’s not my topic to talk about the coach.”
Despite the disappointment, nobody wiped the national colors off their skin on Saturday evening in Katowice. Red and white dominate in the restaurants and bars, also on hats and jerseys, scarves and caps. The next party will definitely come – on Monday evening (8.30 p.m. in the FAZ live ticker for the handball world championship and on sportdeutschland.tv) in the Spodek against Saudi Arabia.
