A Real Dilemma

It is not exactly a secret that the overall economic situation in Spain is very shaky.  The country has allowed itself to live above its means for quite some time (just like in so many other countries, including the U.S.) so the situation is simply not sustainable.  Budgets have to be tightened, expenditures have to be reduced, and loans cannot easily be had.  In this context, spending money on ‘luxuries’ such as sports at the elite level, or on expensive forms of art and culture, is no longer so easy. 

So not long after we celebrated Barcelona’s Champions League successes in football and handball, together with top performances also by Real Madrid in football and Ciudad Real in handball, doomsday prophecies are beginning to be heard.   Of course, these top clubs may be the ones who can hold out the longest, whereas the smaller, less resourceful clubs are the ones who already feel the budget crunch.

It is almost too easy to find reports in Spanish media about handball clubs in the top league ASOBAL who have not been able to pay their players for several months and have debts to tune of a couple of million Euros.  Some clubs have been given an ultimatum and a deadline;  unless the debts are paid off, the clubs will be forced to move down from the top division.  This includes, among others, the traditional top club Granollers, which was the positive surprise of the past season, at least in terms of game performances.

There is not exactly a line of clubs waiting to take up positions that may become vacant.  Both the clubs that were relegated and those who narrowly failed to gain promotion seem unable to meet the requirements for a season at the top level.   In any event, some experts suggest that a consolidation into a smaller top division might be the healthiest approach in any case.

So what about the two top clubs, Barcelona and Ciudad Real?  One might not be ready to believe that Barcelona would have any financial problems.  But attracting the players needed to form such a strong team is an expensive affair, so the football section of the club incurred major losses.  There is now a decision that the previously generous support for other sports, such as handball, will suffer a major cut-back.   What this might mean for the handball team’s ability to retain and recruit star players is uncertain. 

But the situation seems even more acute for Ciudad Real.  This club is all about handball.  And it is a club from a small town with a very modest basis for a team at the international top level.  (Some people have mistakenly thought that it is a Madrid club, but Ciudad Real is a town of about 75.000 inhabitants, located 200km south of Madrid).  It has a rich history and was once prominent, but that was a few hundred years ago.  And its most famous personality, together with the club’s owner Domingo Diaz de Mera, is none other than Don Quixote…!  And now it has become known that the clubs totally dominant sponsor is backing out.

While some might think that this just means that Diaz de Mera will have to thrown in more of his own money, these days seem to be over.  In fact, there are instead reports about a merger with some well-known football club, initially Atletico Madrid.   And then suddenly there are indications that the football archrival in the capital, Real Madrid might also be interested.  Real already has a strong basketball section in addition to the football team.  Perhaps it seems that a club from Ciudad Real fits in better with Real than Atletico Madrid.  (As it happens, the football training facilities for Real Madrid are named precisely Ciudad Real Madrid…)

It will be interesting to follow these developments.  It may be that both Barcelona and Ciudad Real will be able to survive as the dominant handball clubs of Spain in some form.  But being dominant in a much shakier ASOBAL may no longer be such a good environment, and it may not translate into remaining dominant by European standards.  One topic of speculation, with different opinions attached, is that at least the ability to recruit well-known players from other countries may be substantially reduced.  While this may initially lower the quality, it would mean a major increase in opportunities for young Spanish players.  The beneficiary might then be the Spanish national team, and Heiner Brand’s concerns and ideas regarding Germany may end up being tested in Spain.  We will see how it all develops!

The real border line between America and Europe??

I am just back from a week of sightseeing on Iceland, but I also managed to fit in a handball game, namely the final European qualifying game between Iceland and Austria.  Moreover, I had the opportunity to meet with some of my old handball friends.

The game rather quickly became a bit anticlimactic.  Iceland needed to win the game in order to qualify, so there were some nerves involved prior to the game.  But soon it became clear that Iceland had regained some of that fighting spirit that seemed missing in the World Championship earlier this year.  Their defensive play, including the goalkeeping, was really solid and the Austrians became increasingly desperate.  The Icelandic team also managed to use their own chances very efficiently, so the final result 44-29 really reflected the action quite well.  The Reykjavik handball arena is rather small, with room for only 2500-3000 spectators; but a different way to look at it is that one percent of the entire population of the country was there to watch the game and cheer on their favorites frantically.

Iceland relied mostly on their experienced players.  Thirteen of the players from the World Championship were on the team, most of them at age 30 or above.  Only goalkeeper Bjorgvin Gustavsson (25) and Aron Palmarsson (20) have yet to acquire veteran status.  Three younger players who are still playing for Icelandic clubs had also been added to the squad, and they got a chance to get out on the court in the final minutes.

More generally, my Icelandic friends described a situation where the flow of new, young talents continues undiminished.  The ‘U-21’ team narrowly lost in their World Championship qualifying, having to play Serbia at their home court.  And the Icelandic league continues to remain competitive, at least among the top 4-6 teams, despite the fact that no less than almost 60 men’s players are enrolled in clubs abroad, with about half of them in Germany. 

I pointedly noted that we are seeing talented Icelandic athletes joining American universities on basketball scholarships;  does this in any way suggested that handball is losing its dominating position in Iceland?  My friends, who are obviously a bit biased, offered a somewhat joking explanation:  if a young talent absolutely wants to study in the U.S., then they reluctantly have to choose basketball;  or else the explanation is that they realize that they simply do not have the talent to make it to the top in handball…

The men’s champion of the 2010-11 season in Iceland was FH (from the Reykjavik suburb of Hafnarfjordur) who beat Akureyri (from the North Coast) with 3 games to 1 in the play-off finals, thus reversing the positions from the regular season.  FH will now participate in the qualifying round of the EHF Champions League.  The other two teams in the play-offs was the Reykjavik club Fram and HK Kopavogur.  The traditionally strong clubs Haukar and Valur finished next in line.

By the way, veterans Olafur Stefansson and Gudjon Sigurdsson are moving from Rhein-Neckar Lowen to AG Copenhagen for 2011-12, a move that has upset the Germans and has highlighted the complications arising from the fact that both clubs have the same Danish owner.  On the other hand, goalie Gustavsson is moving from Switzerland to Magdeburg.

Further to the remarkable feat of Icelandic handball to place so many players in top clubs abroad, one should also remember how many top coaches are working in exile.  Gudmundur Gudmundsson, Alfred Gislason and Dagur Sigurdsson may be the most prominent names due their work with top clubs in the Bundesliga, but one should also mention Thorir Hergeirsson who is in charge of the strong women’s national team in Norway.  In total, about 15 Icelandic coaches are active abroad.  By the way, I got some informal comments that the EHF punishment of Gislason had fallen well short of what had been expected in Icelandic handball circles.

Finally, as some of our (Pan)American readers are aware, there has been an ongoing debate about the legitimacy of an IHF decision to assign Greenland to the PanAmerican continent.   But I got a clue during my visit that, in fact, the IHF may have had more of a tangible, scientific basis for this decision than what may have been understood.  If anything, the question might arise whether one should really consider Iceland as a part of PanAmerica as well. 

The photo at the top provides the clarification.  Iceland sits atop the ‘Mid-Atlantic Ridge’, which separates the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates;  these are moving apart in a process known as the ‘continental drift’.  This drifting is related to earthquakes and tremors, and perhaps also to volcanic eruptions.  Nowhere is this division as visible as some distance east of Reykjavik, in the area of Thingvellir, where the Icelandic Parliament was established in the year of 930.  So perhaps we should take some credit and argue that most of the Icelandic handball players should in fact be considered ‘American’!?  At least perhaps, apropos John Ryan’s recent articles on the topic, they might qualify for dual citizenship!

 P.S.  If you wonder why there is not one word about women’s handball above, that is because I felt that the belated but remarkable progress on Icelandic women’s handball at the international level warrants a separate article that will come soon!

Partners in efforts to achieve change?

In recent weeks, much of the focus of the world has been on developments in Libya, Syria and Yemen.  By contrast, events in Bahrain have received comparatively much less attention.  One could easily be deceived to think that all the problems there are gone.  Then on June 1, the Bahraini government lifted its martial law decree, an action that was intended to signal an end to the violent crackdown against the Shiite opposition.  Conveniently, some people took this a sign that one could adopt a ‘business as usual’ attitude in the relations to Iran.

For instance, the Federation of Motorsports (FIA) quickly announced that the Formula 1 Grand Prix race that had been cancelled would now be reinstated in October, although there is some hope that the racing companies may not play along.  This may not be such a big issue for the racing world, but it certainly is a big deal for the Bahraini government.  This event is a matter of great pride for them, and very symbolic for their acceptance in the world of sports and business.  When I was visiting there, I was taken to the racing course, which for them is one of their most famous attractions. 

Both international observers and human rights activist within Bahrain have reacted with dismay.  Things are not suddenly back to normal, not even by Bahraini standards, just because of the June 1 decision.  Yes, a number of people have been let out of jail, many with physical and mental scars for life after brutal treatment.  A number of well-known athletes and sports journalists are among those who have been set free.  But many others remain in prison, like some national team players and top referees in handball and football, together with their counterparts in many other sports.

Of course, the Vice President of the Football Federation argued that those who remain in jail are not just protesters but criminals.  Accordingly, FIFA should have no business trying to inquire or get involved.  This football VP happens to be a prominent member of the ruling royal family, so he should know…  But my sources in Bahrain suggest that those who remain in jail are actually kept their almost as hostages or symbols, as a deterrent to the rest of the population.  Of course, as I have noted earlier, the regime has nothing to fear from entities such as IOC or FIFA.  Their habitual interference at the national level does not appear to extend to the countries or regions where the members of the ruling families are well entrenched in the IOC and international sports federations. 

On June 23, we are yet again supposed to have a global celebration of Olympic Day, a reminder to everyone around the world about the importance of the Olympic spirit.  This involves major sports and cultural events intended to ‘spread the Olympic ideals to every corner of the world’.  A map on the IOC web site shows that apparently no such events have been scheduled on the Arabian Peninsula.  Perhaps this is appropriate in the circumstances.  I have no disagreement with the notion of having an Olympic Day.  But perhaps it behooves the IOC also to set aside a special day in commemoration of those events and places where the Olympic spirit has been egregiously abused.

Clearly, just as I noted in my earlier article, athletes and sports officials are far from the only categories singled out for harsh treatment. What seems to me as especially outrageous is the persecution of medical doctors and nurses who lived up to their professional oath during the uprisings, treating people on both sides to the best of their ability, both in the streets and in the hospitals.  For their decisions to treat those who protested against the government, they are now imprisoned or mistreated in a highly targeted fashion.  Some of them are facing secret trials accused of treason.

So when President Obama met with the Crown Prince of Bahrain at the White House a couple of days ago, there were indeed serious matters to be discussed.  The U.S. government has been observed to tread very gingerly in the case of Bahrain.  And of course, it is ironic that the dialog was with the Crown Prince.  I am sure that he was delighted to back in Washington, despite the reasons and circumstances.  This is the place where he attended university and enjoyed the environment, as he enthusiastically told me some years ago.  And I am convinced of the veracity of everything that has been said about him as the member of the royal family who is a person of reason with a sense for democratic principles.  But he remains a ‘junior’ member of a family seemingly dominated by his retrograde uncle, the Prime Minister.  So it was appropriate, but nevertheless remarkable, that the Prime Minister’s attitude was openly subjected to criticism during the Crown Prince’s visit.

One can hope that both the open criticism and what is undoubtedly being conveyed behind the scenes will have some impact.  But it is naturally far too early to tell.  And in the meantime, representatives of the worlds of sports, business and politics would do well to refrain from prematurely resuming their affairs with the Bahraini regime.  On the contrary, it is necessary to keep up the pressure and show that their behavior is not tolerated.  At least there is a slight hope that this might have some positive effect for those still being persecuted!

Double Champions

The coincidence last weekend of the Champions League final in football/soccer and the Final Four in handball offered the opportunity for some interesting comparisons.  So does the nasty action surrounding the FIFA Congress earlier this week, following soon after the IHF Congress which also had its controversies.  For me personally, it is natural to make these comparisons, because there is 25 years of football refereeing in my background, and I keep following at least a couple of games per week on TV during the European season.   I will start today with the more pleasant side, the games.

John Ryan and I commented a bit on the Final Four in a podcast some days ago.  The match-ups were intriguing, given the strong German-Spanish rivalry in recent years.   Both semi-finals were very tense and tough battles, and the rivalry is likely to have had something to do with that.  Even if both matches were more or less decided some time before the final whistle, they were really hard-fought.  But they also offered a lot of spectacular technical and tactical moves.   There were some great goals scored, but the performances of the goalkeepers were perhaps even more special. 

Then perhaps the fact that the final was played in Germany between two Spanish teams, who know each other so well and are the two totally outstanding teams in their league, made for an atmosphere that contained less drama.   But going back to the two semi-finals, what really stands out are the pace and the constant action.  There was really never a dull moment, and there were plenty of exciting one-on-one situations.   But the nature of handball also contributes:  fast and furious attacking on one side and then, without time to catch one’s breathe, something equally dramatic on the other side.  Handball really is, literally speaking, goal-oriented.

Clearly there were also many reasons to admire the skills displayed, especially by the Barcelona team, in the football final.  Media headlines spoke of ‘the best final ever’ or ‘the best team ever’ and the losing coach stated that his team had never before been so outclassed.  But then it should be emphasized that the style that made Barcelona so dominant was one of ball control.  When the score was 0-0 and 1-1 early in the game, it was noted that Barcelona had had the ball more than 70% of the time and that they had delivered more than twice as many successful passes as the opponents.  Impressive, yes, but exciting or dramatic, no!  What made the game exciting were instead some of the goals scored, as they showed touches of absolute brilliance.   But those are still brief moments in a 90-minute game.

Of course I will now be accused of speaking too much like an American, who supposedly cannot see anything exciting in aspects other than the goals scored (although I would argue that there exists a slow and boring super-American game that is popular despite its infrequent scoring;  no, I will not mention its name…).  And yes, someone has labeled football ‘the chess of the green field’, which suggests that there are a lot of moves that deserve to be watched and admired without having anything to do with goal-scoring.  Nevertheless, not even a Barcelona team can keep your attention as constantly and intensively in football, as they or one of their rivals can easily do in handball.

So what is then the point I am trying to make?  Well, I know that I can never expect to convert a true football fan into thinking that handball is more exciting, just as the opposite also holds true.  But from an American standpoint, where I am pleasantly surprised to see how huge football is at the youth level and how nicely the Major League Soccer is thriving, it should really carry a message.  If Americans can become so interested in football, how is it then that a sport that seems so much more suited for American tastes and preferences is finding it so difficult to penetrate and become established?  And what can we do to make sure that handball, with its intensity, constant action and goal-scoring, becomes the real ‘eye-opener’ that it deserves to be??

By coincidence, rather different ways of viewing similar problems have come up in the last couple of days.  One of the issues involved is the dilemma of ‘focus on national teams vs. supremacy of the club handball’.

This was highlighted when Heiner Brand gave a press conference in Germany apropos his switch from many years as the coach of the men’s national team to a multi-faceted position in the German Federation.  Here he will focus on the education of younger talents, coordination with regional federations, education for coaches, and coordination with research institutions among other things.  But in his statement, a noticeably frustrated Brand could not refrain from lashing out against many of the stakeholders in German handball, especially on the club side.

Brand described top clubs as business entities located in Germany but with little interest in the development of German handball (players).  He talked about Bundesliga representatives as naïve or ignorant, and he characterized the association of top European clubs as dangerous.  He repeated his insistence on a quota approach, i.e., a requirement for a certain number of German players on each Bundesliga club.  While he will need to bring people together and try to pull in the same direction when in his new job, his statements clearly seemed more polarizing than aimed at reconciling views.

On the same day in Sweden, the federation president, Hans Vestberg (known also as the top man at global giant Ericsson), proudly introduced a new approach with a very different mindset.  The Swedish Federation talked about making the men’s and women’s handball teams the most popular national teams in Sweden.  To that end, they have set up a new structure, with a business company, parallel to (but coordinated with) the Federation structure, which will coordinate the team development but also focus very strongly on the business, PR and marketing aspects. 

Not just have the 2+2 coaches of the national teams been made full-time employees, freed up from club duties, but a ‘managing director’ has been hired to oversee both the sports and the business side.  He is none other than Stefan Lovgren, one of the globally best known and respected ex-players of recent decades.  And there is most definitely no tension between the national team focus and the interest of the top clubs in the Swedish league.  If anything, the top clubs expect to benefit greatly from this strengthened focus on the national teams.

As I wrote in a recent article, the top clubs hope to become more competitive at the European level, both as a league and in terms of success for the individual clubs.  They hope to be stronger in their aspirations by following the same business-oriented approach now introduced in the spirit of Hans Vestberg and Stefan Lovgren.  And the team coaches, Ola Lindgren and Staffan Olsson, do not find reason to complain that the Swedish League, with a standard currently far from comparable to Bundesliga, is constituting an inadequate development basis for the new generation of young Swedish talents.

Finally, apropos contrasting approaches, I want to congratulate Zamalek (Egypt), Pinheiros (Brazil) and Southern Stars (Australia) for representing their countries and continents so honorably in the IHF Super Globe event that just finished.  They were third, fourth and fifth behind Kiel and Ciudad Real in the fair and serious part of the competition.  If this does not match the ranking that you have seen, this is because I count Valladolid, Veszprem and Yugoslavia All Stars separately, in their thinly disguised attempt to masquerade as representatives of Asian clubs.