Having access to German and Polish federation representatives and coaching staff provided an opportunity to gauge the reactions to the draw. Prior to the draw, both teams had preferred to be very diplomatic. Now there are no attempts to hide a delight on the Polish side. Nobody really wanted to comment on Sweden as an opponent, whereas there was great optimism in relation to Slovakia. Korea is known to be a 'dark horse' on the men's side, but it seemed that nobody was too scared. And above all, there seemed to be particular safisfaction about having TWO relatively weak teams in their group. What will Argentina think about that?

On the German side, the reaction was more stoic. Being drawn into the group that others describe as the 'group of death' was not seen as a cause for panic. There were even comments to the effect that it might be positive during the preparations to know that they are in for a really tough test and furthermore against well-known opponents. I got the sense that Egypt was not seen so much as a worry, and that Tunisia by tradition might be more inclined to cause trouble for Spain and especially France. But of course there is a concern that qualifying for the next round is not really good enough; there is a need for taking a few points from France or Spain in order to have good chance for the medal round.

While we here in the U.S. are caught up in the euphoria surrounding the ‘Battle of Chicago’ and the live TV broadcasts from the Germany-Poland game, there are of course things going on in handball in Europe also in the middle of summer.

One of my recurring topics last year was [b]Gunnar Prokop and HYPO[/b], regrettably mostly for negative reasons. Now it seemed that the only commotion surrounding Prokop was going to be his recent 70th birthday… And any notion that there would be a separation between Prokop and HYPO seemed like a ridiculous one. But that’s where we now suddenly are. Prokop is gone, and true to his character he did not go quietly and happily, something that one might have wished him after all his years of enormous efforts for women’s handball and HYPO.

I do not claim to know the inside story, but Prokop always seemed obsessed with success, personally and for his team. And he knew that success in the Champions League does not come without an all-star team these days. So when he found that he had formally signed up four top players but that at least a majority of the club board vetoed this acquisition, presumably for financial reasons, then this was too much for Prokop. He felt that both he and the players had been treated in a disgraceful way. http://www.haandbold.com/nyhed/generelle/prokop-hypo-er-doed-og-jeg-har-tabt-ansigt

The players (Gitte Aaen, Carmen Amariei, Kristine Lunde-Borgersen and Mette Meldgaard) are fortunately sought after due to their star caliber, despite the fact that most top teams had finalized their building for the coming season. Nevertheless, the players are obviously upset and want to take legal action. However, here they were surprised to find that the EHF had to refer them to civil court, as the signed contracts had never been taken to the point of being ratified by the EHF. The Danish Federation raises strong concerns about the fact that such procedural details could leave the players without protection. http://www.haandbold.com/nyhed/internationalt/kritik-af-ehf-regler

The [b]transfer market for the top women’s clubs in Denmark [/b]has been more turbulent than ever in recent months. The main cause seems to be that, while some clubs seem to be doing quite well, economic realities have forced some others to make tough choices and cut back, something that has forced an exodus of a number of strong players. For instance, a good number of Swedish players are now returning to clubs in their home country, something that should at least contribute to an immediate strengthening of the Swedish league,

In the third Scandinavian country, Norway, there is also [b]some controversy. Larvik[/b], a club with high ambitions and strong resources, yet again failed its goal to win the Champions League. So the club that is already loaded with international stars is now further upgrading. The latest acquisition seems to be the famous goalkeeper, Cecilie Leganger, who will be competing with Danish national team goalie Lena Rantala. Understandably, other Norwegian clubs are concerned about this ‘hoarding’ of stars, arguing that it will ruin the Norwegian league and make it uninteresting. Of course, the response from Larvik is simply that ‘business is business’ and they will do what it takes to reach their goal. It is then up to the other clubs to obtain the necessary resources and players to become competitive, instead of complaining. http://www.haandbold.com/nyhed/norge-posten-ligaen-kvinder/byaasen-vi-maa-goere-som-larvik

Who knows, perhaps a continuing polarization among the super-rich and the not so wealthy clubs will eventually pave the way for what is openly being advocated at this time by Ciudad Real’s wealthy president and sponsor, namely [b]‘the introduction of an NBA style handball league in Europe’[/b]. The timing of this unilateral statement may be a bit surprising, coming so soon after the highly touted forming of a Forum for European top handball clubs and for the collaboration between clubs and the EHF. One might have thought that a pronouncement about a European league would come only after careful considerations through these formal channels. Could we even envisage a situation where both men’s and women’s clubs are moving in this direction? http://www.groupclubhandball.com/?p=904

Finally, there was a somewhat anticlimactic verdict from the EHF’s Court of Arbitration, on[b] the appeal from the German top referees Lemme/Ullrich [/b]regarding their suspension by the EHF. Both parties may have hoped for a final resolution in a more substantive way, either clearing the referees or bringing out the names of other guilty parties into daylight. However, the case was brought to an end on pure formalities. The ECA concluded that the EHF had started its proceedings against the referees too late in relation to the time of the debated game, under the EHF rules in effect at the time. This is somewhat ironic, as the EHF in the meantime has changed its regulations precisely to avoid that such important cases will be become time-barred, especially as it is not unusual that suspicions or evidence may only come up long after the event. So the only ‘winner’ at this point is the German federation that will now get its money back for the protest fee they had paid on behalf of the referees. http://www.eurohandball.com/article/13244 http://www.handball-world.com/o.red.c/news.php?GID=1&auswahl=26459

And now on to CHICAGO!!

Of course, we will have many months to speculate about the possible outcome of the men's World Championship in January. But it has been interesting to following the reactions to the draw in some of the top countries. Some strong reactions were inevitable. Some of the top coaches had been interviewed in advance and, for tactical reasons, they preferred to downplay the importance of the draw. But now when the results are known, it is impossible to conceal some reactions. The Nordic countries and the top Balkan countries will perhaps disagree, but it is hard to deny that France (2009 World Champions), Germany (2007 Champions), and Spain (2005 Champions) must be counted among the absolute favorites in every Championship. It was known that these three teams were seeded in the first, third and second category respectively, but the chance that the three would be drawn into the same group was only 1 in 16; nevertheless, this is exactly what happened!

To make things worse, if one wanted to add a combination of 4th and 5th seeded teams to this group, it is hard to imagine a more difficult one than Tunisia and Egypt. These are always tough and demanding opponents also for the very best teams. One can imagine that the face of the IHF President gradually started to take on a more and more horrified look for every team that was added to Egypt's group. And I do not envy the task of my old colleagues in the Rules & Refereeing Commission who will have to figure out the best referee nominations for the matches in this group. I still remember, with some pain, the difficulties in 2007, when precisely France, Germany and Spain ended up on the same half in the quarterfinals and semifinals. Well, there will surely be time for further speculation as it gets closer, but one could already now state that it would no longer be a world sensation if one of the three most recent champions failed to go beyond the preliminary round!

On the same half as this 'group of death' is a group headed by Iceland. This group is likely to have many close and interesting battles, with teams such as Norway, Austria and Hungary. These teams must sense that it is not good enough to advance; surely they need to bring a few points with them before the encounter the top teams from the neighboring group. If not, the chances for medals are likely to be remote.. Brazil and Japan are good enough to cause a surprise in some match, but will they really be strong enough to advance? Perhaps this will be Brazil's best chance in a long while to move closer to the top.

Sweden will not be the only home team in the preliminary round. While Denmark might grumble about having to face not just Croatia but also the always dangerours Serbs and the now again emerging Romanians. surely they must be pleased with an arrangement that allows them to count of thousands and thousands of loud Danish supporters in every game. (In fact, this may carry over and become a real battle in the main round in a potential game against Sweden in Malmo). The Malmo Arena holds about 12.500 spectators. I just wonder how many of those tickets that the Danes will be able to get hold of… And they will have some competition, because there are many Croats and Serbs among the local immigrants in southern Sweden, and these countries also tend to have busloads of faithful supporters making the trip to every major championship. Let us hope it will not occur to them to bring vuvuzelas… The Algerians may be good enough to cause some occasional upset, but their chances of advancing do not look too good.

Chile will be able to count on some spectator support in their first appearance in a men's championship. They have many ex-compatriots living for decades in Sweden, but it is not probable that it will help a lot. Argentina will be somewhat more likely to create difficulties for some opponent. As always, it is hard to predict just how strong the Korean men's team will turn out to be; they are not quite as reliable as their female counterparts. Similarly, Slovakia is a relative newcomer at this level but should not be underestimated. Nevertheless, Sweden and Poland must be seen as the favorites in this group and, without offendng anyone, it was not surprising that the Swedes chose this group considering the alternatives.

John Ryan and I will be back in due course with our more specific predictions. And perhaps we will find a way to have our readers brought into a competition with us. Be prepared!

Here is a link to the page from the official World Championship web site that provides the detailed match schedule for the preliminary round: http://www.handball2011.com/news

On Friday it will be determined in a ceremony in Goteborg how the 4 groups of 6 teams each will be composed. This tends to be the moment where the speculation about the outcome of the Championship gets started in a serious way. We in THN also intend to ‘stick our necks out’ and offer our early predictions.

While media love this kind of speculation, in fact even now before the draw has taken place, the coaches of the participating teams tend to prefer to downplay the importance of the seeding and the draw. Media talk about potential ‘dream groups’ and ‘groups of death’, while the coaches note that ‘in the end we will need to be able to beat all the strong teams to become champions’.

Yet there is some debate: for instance, is it more important for a top team to avoid a strong ‘number 4’ team in the group, so that the risk for an early elimination is reduced? But who is then a strong ‘number 4’ (or ‘number 5’) team? This is sometimes very hard to predict, especially when it involves the better non-European teams. And is it perhaps more important to avoid certain other top teams in the neighboring group, the one that will be combined with your group in the main round etc. We will come back to this after the draw!

Sweden has organized the Men’s World Championship three times before, in 1954, 1967 and 1993. I should know, as I was there on all three occasions, but the reality is that the first time I was too young to have any memories. On the second occasion, I already had a few years experience as a local referee, and in 1993 I came to Sweden as a member of the IHF Rules & Referees Commission. So I certainly hope to be there next January…

But it may be more relevant to you to be reminded about the results in the past, and the evolution it shows. In 1954 there were only six teams, and Sweden used the home court advantage to get the gold medals ahead of Germany and Czechoslovakia. The 1967 event took place during a strong period for the Czechs, so they moved up to the top position. Denmark and Romania got the other medals. There were a total of 16 teams, with Canada, Japan and Tunisia representing their respective continents; but only Japan managed to win a game, against Norway.

In 1993, the Russians fielded a very strong team and won the final easily against France. Sweden got the bronze medals ahead of Switzerland. Spain had then joined the top group and won 5th place against Germany. Egypt got the 12th and final place in the main round, while Korea and USA (with a certain John Ryan on the team) found themselves at the bottom of the rankings. Well, let’s not blame that entirely on John… But at least I can say that I watched him and the USA team play against Sweden in my old home town.

Goteborg will again be supporting the Swedish team in the preliminary round, in the now aging but large Scandinavium arena. Another group will be split between the ‘twin cities’ of Norrkoping and Linkoping, boasting relatively large and modern arenas , which admittedly exist thanks to presence of icehockey teams and not because these cities are handball hotbeds. It is worth noting that Stockholm is not among the host cities this time. It remains the capital of Sweden, so that’s where royal weddings take place and so on, but it is hardly the handball capital.

Handball has stronger traditions in the very south, where moreover three classic old handball locations now have new and modern arenas. Those in Lund and Kristianstad are smaller, whereas Malmo’s arena can hold over 12.000 spectators. This is where the final and one of the semi-finals will be played. And, much to the delight of the Danish team and their supporters, this is where they will play their matches in the preliminary round, just across the bridge from Copenhagen.

So pay attention to the draw, and we will be back and join you in the speculation afterwards!

We reported earlier in the year that actions by the current IHF regime had brought the very experienced and highly regarded Ekke Hoffmann to resign from the important position as Head of Sports. https://teamhandballnews.com/news.php?item.920 This caused bewilderment around the handball world, as Ekke Hoffmann is widely known as a strong manager and instructor, apart from his top-level career in coaching. He combines the coaching side with a great affinity also for the refereeing, something that is a great combination for any federation that needs to bring up its top referees to a level where they also appreciate the finer points of the tactics and techniques on the part of teams and players.

Therefore, it does not exactly come as a surprise, when it is now reported that the EHF has begun to use Ekke Hoffmann for important functions as an instructor in the EHF’s program for the development of talented referees. It is great to see that someone is sensible enough to ensure that the qualities of such a highly competent person are not lost for the world of handball. Clearly this collaboration will be beneficial for the new generation of talented referees in Europe. They are to be congratulated and Ekke Hoffmann is wished the best of luck in his new endeavors.

Sometimes it is a bit frustrating to find the enthusiasm for writing about something, even if I feel strongly about it, simply because I am so sure that those who must to be convinced about the need for a change will not listen. Only two days ago, after the devastating mistakes by referees and linesmen in high-profile matches in the football World Cup, I insisted on the need for a renewed investigation of the feasibility of introducing some form of a video review system, that would enable referees to get some help in making a decision or in reviewing a preliminary decision that they had taken. If you read my article, you noticed that my focus was on getting [u]handbal[/u]l and IHF to learn from the mistakes of football and FIFA, by moving on with the investigation that has been discussed for some time (also during my years as IHF Chief Referee) and that I wrote about more in detail some months ago.

Of course, a major reason why I wrote about video review in the context of handball is that handball is the main focus of our web site, But the other reason was that it never really occurred to me that FIFA, being stubborn and arrogant and full of prestige, would suddenly change its attitude, after having publicly and firmly 'slammed the door' on any kind of use of technology. Instead, the suggestion a few months ago, when that statement of principles and policies was announced, was that the only new approach to be considered would be the experimenting with additional goal-line referees. The human factor must prevail, was the slogan repeatedly used.

So a lot of people around the world of football must have thought there was some kind of mistake, when earlier today a bulletin was issued by the FIFA president, where he essentially admitted that the FIFA's old insistence on accepting human errors as an unavoidable, or even positive(!), part of the game could no longer be defended in light of what happened in the Germany-England and Argentina-Mexico games. He even issued apologies to the disadvantaged teams. http://www.aipsmedia.com/index.php?page=news&cod=4805&tp=n

It would be nice to be able to take credit for this sudden and unexpected development; but I was obviously not alone in the last couple of days in pointing out the absurdity and demanding action. FIFA's top management may not have much appreciation for the finer points of refereeing or concern for protecting their top referees, but they do have a very strong sense for the protection of their own political and financial well-being. Getting on the wrong side of some of the top countries of the football world, and letting the entire global audience see the effect of their poor decision-making, that could become just a bit too costly also for the self-suffiicient FIFA. At the same time, FIFA also decided to show off their newly found decisiveness by also publicly making scapegoats out of a group of their World Cup referees. As only eight games remain, they clearly do not need to keep all the 29 referees around, so they sent home ten of them.

This included those five who had only served as reserves and '4th referee'. Then the search for politically suitable scapegoats was on. Of course the two referees from the fatal Sunday matches had to be sacrificed conspicuously. The others included the referee from Mali who seemingly 'stole a goal' from the U.S team. Also sent packing was the French referee who had the nerve to give a red card to an unsportsmanlike 'star' on the Brazilian team. You just do not do that. And then the Swiss referee, who was one of the favorites for the final or at least a semifinal, because it was seen as his 'fault' that the home team was eliminated early. This involved a correct interpretation of a rule that FIFA knows is untenable but decided to leave in place until after the World Cup! By contrast, several referees with performances that were clearly weaker from a technical standpoint are now allowed to stay on, because their weaknesses were not so conspicuous from a PR or political standpoint…

So when I now, one hopes, close the chapter on football/handball refereeing and video review for this time, then of course I do it with my main point: now that even FIFA has 'seen the light', surely handball and the IHF must be prepared to move ahead without delay. I am not asking for the sudden and poorly founded implementation of technological aspects, such as video review and goal-line technology, but I am urging that a serious investigation get started immediately! This should be so much easier now that it is clear that, after all, FIFA is indeed taking the lead. But please do not follow FIFA's example of making some top referees into scapegoats in the meantime, just because you are not doing everything possible to support them!