Strombach on his way out but wants to assert his authority

When the International Handball Federation (IHF) announced a few days ago, which countries had submitted a Letter of Intent for the hosting of the 2019 Men’s World Championships, it surprised many that Germany was on that list. The reason for the surprise was that Germany has already been named as the host of the Women’s World Championships just 14 months earlier than the men’s event. There were even some sarcastic remarks to the effect that the German federation must have become really desperate after the recent failure to qualify for the European Championship. Hosting a World Championship is of course the way to be certain of being allowed to participate…

But then the confusion arose, because suddenly there was an announcement from the soon departing German federation president, Ulrich Strombach, stating that the Letter of Intent was not legitimate and should be withdrawn. Apparently, it had been submitted to the IHF by ‘someone who did not have the authority to do so’. There are elections in the German federation in September. Strombach will be leaving after 16 years as president, and Bernhard Bauer is his designated successor. It was implied that Bauer and/or Bob Hanning, the expected new vicepresident, had acted without the agreement of the current Board, with Strombach still in charge.

The problem is then that when the new president takes up his office, it would be too late for Germany to signify an intention to host in 2019, so a formal withdrawal of the Letter of Intent now would mean that the opportunity would be lost. So apparently there is now some effort underway to try to rescue the situation; and the IHF president Moustafa has endeavored to be ‘helpful’ by noting that the Letter of Intent is valid as far as the IHF is concerned, even though it was submitted without proper authority. So it would still be possible for the new Board in Germany to follow through with a formal bid later on.

This ‘helpful’ intervention by the IHF president is likely to raise concerns among the other potential bidders. Most recently, Germany hosted a Men’s World Championship in 2007, and it was then all too apparent that there was a really ‘excessive collaboration’ behind the scenes between the IHF president and Strombach on behalf of the German federation. Some of the other top contenders, France, Spain and Croatia, noted with horror how the IHF and the Germans worked ‘hand in hand’ well beyond what would be considered appropriate. I was there, as IHF Referee Chief, and I could observe what went on. So one can only wish that we will not now have a repetition of 2007, and the other bidders must hope initially that they will have a fair chance to get their bids considered on the basis of their merits.

A completely different issue also caught my attention in German media in recent days. Apparently, the Bundesliga had been floating a suggestion that the league championship should be decided in a big final between the top two teams in the league season, perhaps outdoors in front of a huge crowd. This may have seen plausible, given the enormous interest in the EHF Champions League ‘Final Four’, where the season culminates with semi-finals and a final. And from an American perspective it would certainly seem like a sensible idea, except that perhaps the final should then be played in ‘best of three (or perhaps five)’ matches.

But the reaction to the idea was totally negative. The fan clubs of the Bundesliga teams dismissed the whole idea as outrageous. They felt it would totally diminish the value of the long league season, currently 34 rounds. So yet again we see an example of how deep-rooted traditions are, and how difficult it is to get acceptance for innovative idea in the most traditional of our European handball countries. Many other countries already have both a league format and then a play-off with four or eight teams that decides the national championship; but not in Germany…

Loyal coach Dushebaev must now seek new employment

For some clubs, which are supported by their governments, and also for those who have sufficient resources of their own, this means finding reinforcements in the hope of doing even better next season. For instance, Veszprem is seen as a PR tool in handball-crazy Hungary, so it seems they will come back even stronger than during a successful 2012-13 season. Teams which hope to make it to the EHF Champions League for the first time, through the qualification groups, also seem to be stocking up.

But in Spain, the overall economic situation of the country continues to take its toll. It seem almost miraculous that one can find enough clubs to fill the slot in the top league, ASOBAL, and some are in fact trying to solidify their situation and survive by going through bankruptcy. It had been thought, on the basis of their recent success, that only two clubs, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid, would be safe. But now the increasing rumors of troubles for BalonMano Atletico Madrid have been confirmed. On the same day as the football section of Atletico Madrid has signed David Villa as a major reinforcement, Spanish media are reporting that the handball section is throwing in the towel.

It should be remembered that it was only two years ago that the then top club Ciudad Real managed to continue only by moving to Madrid and get in under the colors of Atletico. And this seemed to work out fine, at least on the court, because Atletico was the only team giving Barcelona a tough time in Spanish competition, and they also came close to causing an upset in the EHF Champions League quarter-final, precisely against Barcelona. And their list of star players is long, from veteran goalkeeper Hombrados, to Aguinagalde, Lazarov, Canellas, Balic, Davis, Kallman, Garcia, Jurkiewicz, Gojun etc. Most of them counted on a continued stay in Madrid but will now have to scramble to find teams which have not yet finalized their plans or reached the limits of their budget.

But personally I feel particularly sorry for Talant Dushebaev, their coach during many years following a long and distinguished career as a world-class player. He certainly has had opportunities to leave ‘the sinking ship’, because there has clearly been a widespread interest in his capacity. But, as the very nice and decent person he has always been, he had decided he wanted to be loyal and stay. Now we will see who will be the beneficiary of Atletico’s miseries.

It also makes you wonder about the prospects for survival of a healthy and strong ASOBAL. What interest will there be in a league that now obviously will be totally dominated by Barcelona. Naturhouse La Rioja got a place in the Champions League, and perhaps Ademar Leon will now also get a chance there. But in the Spanish league there will now be such an imbalance that it is likely that the ‘death spiral’ for the spectator, media, and sponsor interest will simply accelerate. And we already have a situation in so many other countries where only one or two clubs completely dominate. Leaving aside Germany and Bundesliga, it seems that France is the only country that is going against the trend. And perhaps French clubs will now be among the main ones bidding for the services of the Atletico players!?

A happy bunch of U.S. players after their impressive win!

But for me personally, it is easy to single out one particular game as the absolute zenith on the women’s side, not simply because I was involved in the game as a referee (together with Bernie Iwasczyszyn) but because the result was really remarkable and created an echo in the handball world (even in those days without the help of the internet…). I am talking about the game where the U.S. team for the first (and only) time defeated the mighty Soviet women’s team. It happened at Gallaudet University in Washington D.C., in the preparatory stages for the 1988 Olympic Games. The Soviets, who in those days were normally unbeatable, were on a brief tour of the U.S., literally on their way to Seoul. They were dominated by players from the Ukraine and the club team Spartak Kiev, under the strong leadership of legendary (or infamous) coach Igor Turtjin, whose wife was also the team captain.

You might say that one should perhaps not make a big deal about a ‘friendly game’. But for the Soviets there really was never such a thing as an unimportant game. Not just was this a preparatory game for the Olympics, it was also a particularly prestigious game in front of a large group of Eastern European ambassadors and dignitaries, together with representatives of the U.S. State Department. Ordinary spectators may not have sensed it, but there was almost a ‘Cold War’ atmosphere surrounding this game, and Washington TV stations covered this ‘political’ event. (I could add that long afterwards, I met players, including Mrs. Turtjina, who confirmed that the reaction to the loss on the part of their Federation and the Sports Ministry was quite dramatic. This involved physical punishment and disciplinary action, and it seems the players never forgot it).

In any case, the Soviets were aware that their opponent would not be a pushover, so they went all out from the outset. But our U.S. team held up well to the early onslaught and established an effective game of their own. Neither team managed to pull away so it was a see-saw battle. The game was relatively physical, but above all it displayed strong technical skills and good tactics from both sides. As a referee I can remember many critical moments with small differences between success and failure, and Bernie and I also had some tough calls to make, under pressure mostly from the vociferous Turtjin, whose histrionics at the bench caught the attention of photographers and TV cameras.

Well, without going into further details, the game really came down to the wire. The home team gained an 18-17 lead close to the end, but the Soviets had a great chance to equalize which they failed to utilize. The U.S. team got the ball back, but one of the referees (yes, I confess) called an offensive foul with about 20 seconds to go, much to the irritation of the U.S. players and coaches. I guess there were many of us holding our breath, as the final Soviet shot bounced off the inside of the goal post and almost went in, as time expired. The celebrations were ecstatic on the U.S. side, while the anger and frustration was palpable at the Soviet bench. No, this was not a game that they wanted to lose. Their only small consolation later that evening came when we took them to a restaurant with the biggest steaks and the most enormous salad bar that they had ever see. When I met some of them years afterwards, this was what they preferred to talk about…

One would wish that this would be the kind of situation that a U.S. handball team with its supporters and spectators would have a chance to experience at some point in the future! And I would once again want to take the opportunity to congratulate all the players and coaches involved with this very special game 25 years ago!

the ‘good old days’ — will we see them again any time soon?

In 1975 I attended the U.S. Nationals for the first time, having moved over from Sweden the previous year. It was a bit of a ‘culture shock’, even though I had clearly expected things to be rather different from what I had been used to. The format of the event was quite small, but most of the teams showed handball skills. There were virtually no referees, and the few of us who had this as our main task had to handle a lot of games. Gradually, the Nationals grew in scope, to something roughly similar to what we have today, with two divisions on the men’s side and one relatively homogenous women’s bracket. The number of referees continued to lag in comparison, so the workload was really a bit too much. Both players and referees seemed worn out when the day of the finals arrived.

But two things stood out in those days of the 1970s and the 1980s. First, there was really a very special ‘family’ or ‘pioneer’ atmosphere. Perhaps this was simply because the players and officials had gotten to know each other, but it was undoubtedly also due to the often primitive conditions and the sense that we were fighting against the odds as true amateurs and beginners in a country focused on professional and big-business collegiate sports. When I compare with those days, it is entirely positive to notice that the family/pioneer aspect is still there. This was even noticed and commented on by our visiting world class referees from Germany, whose services had been offered by the IHF. They are used to a more hard-nosed and cold atmosphere from their games and tournaments in Germany and Europe, so they felt it was refreshing.

The second thing that was noticeable in the old days was the contrast between the ‘home-grown’ players and coaches and those with a handball background from elsewhere. As we moved into the 1980s and 1990s, the number of talented players with eligibility for our U.S national teams increased a lot, and this was also reflected in the strength and competitiveness of our national teams. And some of the medal round games in the national championships were high caliber match-ups with predominantly American players. So it seemed that the optimism from earlier years had been justified, and personally I felt glad and privileged to have been able to follow this progress. But when I looked around in Reno, I really started wondering. Because it seemed that while the number of ‘pioneer’ teams from around the country might have increased, the top-quality handball, the great handball moves, were mainly due to either the influx and influence of players from abroad or the instincts of players who used to be really good and now remained rather competitive. The match-up in the men’s ‘Elite’ final illustrates that.

So while it is entirely positive that the ‘family’ atmosphere of an annual rendez-vous is still there, is it not rather frustrating that this may in part be the result of a lack of progress over the last 20-30-40 years? Should we not have reached a stage of being more ‘business-like’, with a true ‘Elite’ event drawing spectators and media coverage? Was it just a blip on the chart when we were so competitive internationally and when the talent pool seemed to grow so quickly in the 80s and the 90s? Well, when I listened to today’s energetic and optimistic handball supporters in Reno, it was as if I heard their predecessors from the 70s and 80s all over again, and it was as if they were not even aware of what we once had but seem to have lost just as quickly! And how can it be that some of the stars from the 90s are still able to fight their way to the medals? Where are all the talents who were assumed to be coming up to replace the old-timers. And here we are again talking about the need for patience and a longer-term perspective…

Of course, I can only admire those who seem ready to do the dirty work of achieving change, whether they never knew the ‘good times’ or whether they did and are prepared to get back there again. And I do not want to compete with John Ryan’s great efforts to review systematically our past experience and to analyze possible strategies and methods for accelerating our progress despite the lack of resources. But I do get concerned when I hear the litanies and excuses that involve the impossible task of keeping up with our PanAmerican rivals. Of course the Brazilians and Argentines seem impossible to beat right now; but how come this happened considering that we ‘trampled’ all over them in the 80s and 90s? And look at the progress of Paraguay and Venezuela in the PanAmerican Championship that just finished: Paraguay qualifying for the World Championship with a base in handball that does not even match that of small region of our country! Venezuela being competitive despite the reality that handball did not exist in that country less than a decade ago! Could the Cuban coaches they borrowed really be that fantastic?

But do not take me for a whiner or a pessimist! I knew what to expect in Reno and I still enjoyed it. It is just that if someone had told me in 1975, or 1984, or 1993, that this is what it would look like in 2013, then I would not have been ready to believe them and I most likely would not have cared to hang in there. But then there is my fanatic interest in handball refereeing, the awareness that our small group of dedicated referees have a thankless task without many opportunities to improve throughout the year. So as long as my services are still wanted, I will try to offer my support and, yes, I will enjoy the family atmosphere. On the other hand, I am no longer bothering to speculate about what it will take, and how long it will take, before U.S. handball is at the top in PanAmerica again and competitive across the globe.