Ex-national coach Heiner Brand does not currently count the German national handball team among the best in the world.
“We’re not far away, but a bit. That’s a shame, because we actually have the best conditions. There should be more out there,” Brand said in an interview with the German Press Agency on the occasion of his 70th birthday on July 26.
Brand, who became world champion in 1978 as a player and in 2007 as national coach, misses “a few more leaders in the current generation who can take responsibility and help others, like Christian Schwarzer, Markus Baur or Daniel Stephan used to do,” said the celebrant.
Brand also sees deficits in the offspring. “We have to think about promotion and why we have so many good young players with serious injuries,” he said. As examples he named Sebastian Heymann, Franz Semper, Simon Ernst, Fabian Wiede and Paul Drux, whose careers are interspersed with many injuries. “I would be happy if leading people from the league sat down with doctors and sports scientists and discussed how this can best be controlled,” said Brand.
As a further reason for the continued lack of success of the DHB selection at major events since the European Championship title and Olympic bronze in 2016, Brand cited the many personnel changes in the post of national coach since his resignation eleven years ago. “First Martin Heuberger, then Dagur Sigurdsson, then Christian Prokop, now Alfred Gislason. So many national coaches within a short period of time – that’s certainly not good. There’s no continuity that you need, at least if you claim to be a top team to want to be,” said Brand.