It is certain that Germany’s last group game against Spain on Monday evening (8.30 p.m./live ticker at sportschau.de) will be a final. But it could also be a final for the national coach – the DHB boss leaves Alfred Gislasons’ future open in an interview with Sportschau.
After all: they all present themselves. And after a night, neither the players, the coach, nor the boardroom would think of glossing over the 27:30 win against Serbia despite a four-goal lead at halftime. Gislason went the furthest with his self-criticism. Regarding his historic time-out mishap (he pressed the buzzer at exactly the moment when Juri Knorr scored a goal to make it 26:26 – that didn’t count) the Icelander said: “We all did a lot wrong, but my action cost us a point. Maybe even the win. The goal would have been so good for us in this situation, it was a shock for the team.”
DHB boss: Not such a good day from the coach
This attitude commanded great respect from his players. Captain Johannes Golla, Lukas Mertens and Lukas Zerbe – they were all impressed by how the coach stood in front of the team. DHB President Andreas Michelmann also said about the sports show on Sunday morning (January 18, 2025): “Alfred self-critically admitted his mistake. But all coaches have a not so good day sometimes. It’s important now to draw the right conclusions before the final against Spain.”
Michelmann emphasized that he would continue “full trust” to Gislason. But he also made it clear that he can understand the criticism of the coach, which included not only the time-out breakdown but also the distribution of playing time – for example for Juri Knorr, who was outstanding in the first half: Everyone has the right to discuss the coach. Michelmann: “Alfred has the chance to make everything right against Spain.”
The semi-final remains the clear goal
The president expressly did not want to correct the goal with which handball Germany entered this European Championship: “Why? The semi-finals remain our goal.” The discrepancy between this requirement and the possible failure after the preliminary round is so great that the discussion about Gislason’s future will automatically arise. And from the words of Michelmann, who is in close contact with CEO Mark Schober in Silkeborg, it sounds like the “full trust” in Gislason refers to exactly one game – that on Monday evening.
Gislason’s contract with the German Handball Federation (DHB) officially runs until February 28th next year and thus includes the home World Cup in the second half of January. Michelmann had already indicated at the end of last year that the performance at the European Championships would of course also be taken into account when evaluating further cooperation.
There will be an analysis – with consequences?
Now he answered the Sportschau question after a subsequent analysis, which will also include the trainer survey: “There will definitely be an analysis, we do that after every major tournament. We will talk about the women and the men, that is scheduled for the beginning of February.” Since the Serbia game, it can no longer be ruled out that the DHB board will bring this date forward and draw conclusions.
