The extremely strange end of the preliminary round game between Germany and Spain is making waves in the context of the European Handball Championship. The Spaniards are now openly accused of cheating from many sides. The coach of the Iberians does not want to know anything about all this. However, his explanation of the incidents is not really convincing either.
“It’s shocking. If that’s true, then it borders on manipulation,” Norway international Maren Aardahl told NRK when she was asked about the final scenes of the German game against Spain and the allegations against the Iberians.
The allegations are indeed serious: quite a few claim that Spain intentionally lost the last group game against the DHB team with a difference of exactly two goals. The TV pictures support this suspicion. An extremely strange and inexplicable loss of ball, a German goal without resistance, which a Spanish player celebrates, and a non-attacking pact in the last few seconds hardly allow any other conclusion.
Spain national coach José Ignacio Prades defended himself against the allegations, but his explanations were not really convincing.
When asked why his player was celebrating after the German goal to make it 21:23, he answered: “I think she was just happy because we lost the last two games.” At the moment of the German goal, however, she realized that her team would win and advance to the second round.
He watched the game again in its entirety and was convinced that his team gave their all until the final siren. “In modern handball, one, two, three goals can come quickly. We wanted to win and not calculate in our heads. We played to win. And that’s what we did in the end,” said the Spanish coach.
Former Norway international and current “NRK” expert Marit Malm Frafjord doesn’t buy Prades’ explanation. “I think I’ve never seen anything like it. It’s not very sporty. It’s very sad to see something so terribly clear,” she said.
Current international Henny Reistad agreed, saying: “It’s a shame they did it that way.” At the same time, the 23-year-old expressed some understanding for the Spaniards: “They did what they had to do. […] In such situations you only think of yourself and how you can get in the best possible starting position.”
Maren Aardahl, on the other hand, explained that if you manipulate a result, you shouldn’t have done it so obviously. “Firstly, it’s not good to do something like that. Secondly, if you do something like that, at least keep a poker face and don’t celebrate for the other team.”
Mats Olsson, assistant coach of the Norwegian selection, also held back with direct allegations. He said: “I understand Spain. As coaches we wouldn’t say anything, but the players know the situation. It’s wrong morally, but we’re all closest to ourselves. And it wasn’t like the teams started out agreed on a result because Germany wanted to win the game.”