When Hendrik Wagner’s positive test became known early Monday afternoon, the DHB bosses were happy that all the other players were negative. But the relief didn’t last long.
Corona outbreak in the DHB team: The German handball players have five more corona cases to complain about at the European Championships in Slovakia and Hungary. Goalkeeper Andreas Wolff, backcourt player Kai Häfner, right winger Timo Kastening, left winger Lukas Mertens and playmaker Luca Witzke tested positive for the virus on Monday. This was announced by the German Handball Federation (DHB) in the evening.
The quintet went into isolation and will not be able to play in the last group game against Poland on Tuesday (from 6 p.m. in the live ticker on t-online). For the German team, it is Corona cases three to seven. Julius Kühn and Hendrik Wagner had previously tested positive. All other delegation members withdrew to their rooms in the team hotel in Bratislava immediately after the results became known.
Successors are fixed
As the DHB announced on Monday evening, goalkeeper Johannes Bitter (HSV Hamburg) and field players Rune Dahmke (THW Kiel), Sebastian Firnhaber (HC Erlangen), Paul Drux and Fabian Wiede (both Füchse Berlin) were nominated. The quintet will arrive in Bratislava on Tuesday.
“It was a shock to find out. It’s the worst-case scenario. I’m so sorry for the team and everyone involved. I know that a lot of effort was put into it beforehand,” said long-time captain Uwe Gensheimer at DHB Spotlight. The DHB canceled the planned switching of the round of talks to the team hotel in Bratislava at short notice due to the situation.
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