Alfred Gislason will not come close to the 15 years that Heiner Brand was national handball coach. But if Gislason fulfills his contract by the end of February 2027, he would already be national coach for an impressive seven years – and then be 67 years old. Which brings us to the criticism of Gislason’s new contract: even after the European Championships, there were voices from the Bundesliga who would have liked a younger coach for the comparatively young team: In the concert of the big boys, Gislason is by far the oldest conductor.
This results in respect from others and a lot of experience, which also led the German Handball Federation (DHB) to extend the working papers with the 64-year-old Icelander until after the German World Cup in January 2027. There is a not-so-small “unless” in the footnote of the contract: The new basis will only come about if Gislason takes his team to the Olympic Games in Paris.
If Germany misses the top two places against Algeria, Croatia and Austria in Hanover in mid-March, its successor would arrive on July 1st. A sensible passage that the DHB has included – and the timing of the announcement also seems appropriate.
Lack of courage
Since the executive board meeting at the beginning of the month, Gislason knew that he could continue working with his team. What was grandly referred to as “analysis” was more of an indication of where he sees the team’s strengths and weaknesses. There was no real resistance in the association, which wants peace and quiet and has a coach in Gislason who confidently and humorously clears up all issues and gives others legroom.
That respects the scene. But criticism came from the league (and the team) – mostly off-screen: the attacks were too schematic, the defense not very variable. In addition, Gislason has been sticking with the established ones for too long. Overall: Too little courage! What he was missing again when he disregarded the in-form Magdeburg right winger Tim Hornke for the Olympic qualification and instead trusted weaker but proven players.
Frank Heike Published/Updated: Recommendations: 2 Frank Heike Published/Updated: Recommendations: 7 Frank Heike Published/Updated:
In fact, one could have expected more variety in the game and more courage in the selection of personnel from younger candidates like Florian Kehrmann or Maik Machulla. At Gislason you know what you have. That was enough for the DHB to continue with him – because reaching a semi-final for the first time since 2019 was considered a success, regardless of “how”.
