Alfred Gislason and Axel Kromer sat together in Berlin for three hours on Tuesday and talked about the European Handball Championship. The national coach and the sports director of the German Handball Federation (DHB) have done this in previous years after major events. This exchange was not due to the fact that Gislason’s contract with the DHB ends after the Olympic Games in Paris.
In this conversation, Gislason also signaled that he would like to continue – ideally until the home World Cup in 2027. The signs are good for this. After some critical voices following the European Championships – the lack of tactical variance was particularly criticized – the situation has calmed down; For example, the HBL bosses Frank Bohmann (managing director) and Uwe Schwenker (president) have publicly spoken out in favor of Gislason. Schwenker, a good friend of Gislason, is a representative of the HBL and also sits on the DHB board as vice president.
EM analysis on Friday
On Friday morning, Gislason will present his EM analysis to the DHB executive committee in Hanover. Until lunch it will be about the strengths and weaknesses of the team, their shooting rates in international comparison and what talent will come along. Which positions are heavily occupied and which are more problematic? An overly profound argument is not to be expected.
If the executive committee agrees on a contract extension with Gislason, Axel Kromer and Benjamin Chatton, the DHB board member for finance, would be given the task of negotiating the term and remuneration with Gislason. Or the task of looking for candidates for his successor – Florian Kehrmann from TBV Lemgo and the former Flensburg coach Maik Machulla are considered suitable. Whatever happens, it is said that the DHB will definitely go into the Olympic qualification from March 14th to 17th in Hanover with coach Gislason. Then it’s against Algeria, Croatia and Austria for two tickets to France.
Three defeats at the end of the tournament
There was encouragement from the team for Gislason’s work and his style of leadership, for example from captain Johannes Golla and left winger Rune Dahmke. But there were also voices calling for the coach to have more tactical options in defense and attack and for the more frequent use of young players. Some Bundesliga coaches also criticized Gislason’s time-out speech and his situational coaching. The good impression the Germans had had at the European Championships was wiped out by three defeats in a row at the end of the tournament.
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Gislason himself seems relaxed. Whether at the DHB or elsewhere, he will continue in handball. He makes it clear that he would like to continue working with this team around the 23-year-olds Juri Knorr and Julian Köster, whom he considers “his”.
Kromer and Gislason spoke in detail in Berlin about the European Championships and the performance of the Germans, who finished the tournament in fourth place. The aim was to determine how which member of the coaching and support staff could be used most profitably. But also about training camps, media appointments, improvements in the timing. The regular meeting after a big tournament: What can be done better next time?
