It is 2,000 kilometers from his exile on the Rhine to his homeland – and yet the terror of Zaporizhia is very close for Alexander Kasai. The world is worried about a nuclear catastrophe, the handball professional is worried about his family in the contested region of Ukraine.
“Every day I call my family and check the situation in our country”, says Kasai. The same ritual every day: first train, then call.
Alexander Kasai and his teammates from the Ukrainian champions HK Motor Zaporizhschja have found a transitional home in Düsseldorf, because sport is hardly to be thought of where they feel at home. Handball also helps him to switch off and not always think about the war: “Sometimes the thoughts calm down.”
“Controversial discussion about the pros and cons”
In the meantime, the discussion about the admission project to the 2nd handball Bundesliga has also calmed down. The Ukrainian club was the 20th club to be integrated into the league three months before the start of the season and is playing as a guest team, so to speak.
There had been sharp criticism, Bundesliga boss Frank Bohmann defended his actions in the sports show conversation. “The most important point was to get society on our side, and in particular the clubs in the second division. That was also a controversial discussion, the pros and cons.”
Nobody spoke out against human necessity, but there were counterarguments such as more stress, an additional away trip and other clubs in crisis areas. In the end, the “concreteness and the clear starting position” spoke for Saporozhschja, said Bohmann. With its nuclear power plant, the place is an acute front line.
Opening game against Bayer Dormagen
Questions remain, especially of a sporting nature. How long will the team stay in the league? What happens if there is a green light to play in Ukraine?
In the opening game, the Ukrainians will meet TSV Bayer Dormagen in the support program for the Supercup on Wednesday (08/31/2022, 4:15 p.m.) in Düsseldorf. “It’s going to be an extraordinary day”, says HK Motor’s Lithuanian coach Gintaras Savukynas. It’s also a mental break for his players. According to Alexander Kasai, dark thoughts cannot be banished permanently anyway.
His club has found decent accommodation in the state capital of North Rhine-Westphalia, home games and training take place in the Castello multi-purpose hall. The team has settled in properly, we laugh together in training – that’s good.
Subscription to the championship title since 2013
The difference in quality between the German and domestic leagues is according to Savukynas and Kasai “very large”. With the 31:31 in the friendly against league rivals Eintracht Hagen, the team, which has had a subscription to the championship title in Ukraine since 2013, showed that they can compete with the German teams.
Admission to the first Bundesliga was also an issue, said HBL Managing Director Frank Bohmann, after all the club had already played in the European Champions League. However, this was impossible to implement due to the short-term nature. In the 2nd Bundesliga there was the fortunate circumstance this year that the league started with 19 clubs and therefore one place was still free, explained Frank Bohmann.
“The sport is still alive”
Of course, sporting results are not even a minor matter. The traumas of war are so much more monumental, and yet, that’s what it’s all about: “Despite the ugly war in Ukraine, the sport is still alive”, says Savukynas. Alexander Kasai wants to show the world “that we are strong”.