Former DHB Vice President Bob Hanning sees his commitment as a coach of the Italian national handball team as a mission in several ways. The 56-year-old, who will remain the managing director of Füchse Berlin, sets himself ambitious goals.
In order to achieve the first of them as soon as possible, Bob Hanning has installed a language learning app. Because he wants to train his Italian, of course. “I have set myself a very big goal: namely, the national anthem – not in voting power like Domenico Ebner did it against Germany, and also not in singing quality – but at least in the translation to be able to sing along so that I am decorated, That I can do it, “said Azzurri’s new coach on Friday to the sports show.
Hanning saw almost everything in handball, was a coach and functionary in the Bundesliga and the German Handball Association (DHB) – but never coach of an A national team. Just last year, he called it attractive to be able to lead a rather smaller handball nation.
Hannings triple mission
Because for him the job as “Direttore Tecnico” is a triple mission. First of all, this includes work in the Italian handball association FIGH, which he wants to give “one or the other helpful from the Bundesliga”. “Not from top to bottom, but at eye level,” he emphasized in the Sportschau interview. Because he also wants to learn from the Italians: “What is so good that we may not have seen in Germany yet?”
At the World Cup in Denmark, Croatia and Norway, the Azzurri celebrated historical success, for the first time in its World Cup history moved into the main round and won against Tunisia, Algeria and the Czech Republic. In the main round, the team led by Bundesliga professional Domenico Ebner were subject to Germany.
“The World Cup has shown the potential in the team” said Hanning. He had already exchanged intensively with Ebner, many players had written him through Instagram during the day. The report that the former DHB Vice President will be the successor of Riccardo Trillini came as a surprise in Italy as well as in Germany. Even Leo Prantner, whose move to Hannings Füchsen Berlin became known the day before, was surprised by the news. “He didn’t understand that at all that he is now sitting twice in my trap,” said Hanning.
More Italians in the Bundesliga?
This is the second mission: to get the Italian talents in Europe’s top leagues and let them grow there. “I can imagine that three or four other players can find their way to the Bundesliga over the next few years.”
This in turn is likely to continue to raise the level of the national team, after all it is the third and probably most important mission. “Now it is about qualifying for every European and World Cup. That will be the task,” announced Hanning.
Hanning debut in March
This work begins in one and a half months with the two EM qualification games against Latvia in Jelgava (March 13) and in Oristano (March 16). In a group with the Latvians, Serbia and Spain, the Italians have to take one of the first two places to make it to the 2026 European Championship in Denmark, Norway and Sweden.
The Italy project was “not a matter of money for him, but one thing of the idea,” said Hanning, querting when he imagined that the association could also pay him in wine. The collaboration started a few months ago, said Italy’s President Stefano Podini, who sees Hanning as part of a large restructuring for men and women, indoor and beach handball. The German will be measured on the Olympics, i.e. the period until the next summer games 2028. “In the contract, a big premium is when we come to the Olympics,” said Podini.