Today’s Norwegian newspapers offer some interesting revelations. http://www.dagbladet.no/2009/11/20/sport/handball/handballjentene/vm_i_kina/gunnar_prokop/9120791/ http://www.vg.no/sport/haandball/artikkel.php?artid=592528 In preparation for the upcoming World Championship, one of the key players on the Norwegian team, goalkeeper Terese Pedersen, is back in Norway from her employment with Prokop’s club Hypo. She takes the risk of revealing a few things, something which she realizes is likely to make her less than welcome back in Austria after the World Championship. But she also indicates that the current season is likely to be both her first and last one in Hypo in any event. The situation there is “too turbulent for her taste”.
Pedersen’s key revelation is that [u]Prokop has essentially ignored the suspension he was given by the EHF[/u]. “He is at the [u]training sessions[/u] in his usual manner. During last week’s return game against Metz, he stayed at home watching on television but was in constant phone contact with his daughter, who was at the game and relayed [u]his instructions down to the ‘marionette’ coach on the bench[/u]”. I assume EHF President Lian reads the Norwegian newspapers; what will he think, what will he do??
Pedersen also comments that Prokop’s actions that got him suspended for 3 years “was the most shocking thing she had ever experienced”. She especially was taken aback by his disgraceful behavior immediately after the game, when she herself “would have liked to disappear through a hole in the ground.” Rather than regretting his behavior, when he met with the team afterwards, he blamed his actions on them: they had played too poorly!
She also notes that Hypo has declared that they will stop salary payments if the team does not qualify for the next round in the Champions League. And the December salaries are being withheld for players like Pedersen who, against the wishes of Hypo, have accepted to play in the World Championship. Pedersen says she will fight this action. But Hypo’s coercion has caused three Brazilian star players to decline to play for their national team, as they cannot afford to deprive their families of the money they would stand to lose.