The World Cup quarter-finals between Germany and Portugal will probably take place in front of little audience. Alfred Gislason sees this a sad reality.
Nils Kögler reports from Oslo
There will probably be no electrifying backdrop if the German national handball team denies the World Cup quarter-finals against Portugal next Wednesday. The “Unity Arena” in the Norwegian capital, which takes 13,500 spectators, will probably not even be filled half -filled (you can read more about this here).
“I spoke to the Norwegians yesterday and so far 4,000 tickets have been gone,” said DHB sports director Ingo Meckes at a press conference on Monday and combined that as many German fans as possible secure tickets.
Host Norway had surprisingly failed in the main round at the World Cup. Instead, the outsider Portugal and Brazil prevailed in their group and reached the quarter -finals. The enthusiasm for the tournament has therefore decreased significantly in Oslo.
Timo Kastening had already commented on the message on Monday: “The more you asked as a team for yourself that you can get the tension up.” He admitted: “From the emotions with the kick -off of the game, of course – I’m honest – at a full hall that is atmospheric, it is a bit easier.” Nevertheless, it is a World Cup quarter-finals. “If you are not completely focused from minute one, then you did something wrong,” said the 29-year-old.
On Tuesday, national coach Alfred Gislason also reacted to the impending empty hall. “Of course it is a shame in such a beautiful hall that it is only filled with a third,” he said. At the same time, however, the national coach pointed out that this problem existed in almost every country except Germany if the host nation is no longer in the tournament. “Unfortunately, this is almost normal in the rest of the world. But we hope that it will be filled halfway.”