After the debacle of the German national soccer team, Bob Hanning sees a great opportunity for handball at the forthcoming World Cup (January 11 to 29).
“After the performance of the DFB team in Qatar, which was desolate in many respects, handball can win many new fans at the tournament in Poland and Sweden and – almost more importantly – regain the reputation that has been lost for German sport,” wrote the managing director of the Bundesliga table leader Foxes Berlin in his “Image” column.
The long-standing Vice President of the German Handball Association (DHB) is certain that the people in Germany are a little tired of football, as the crashed TV ratings would show: “They thirst for authentic and approachable professional athletes who, without gimmickry enter the big stage on ARD and ZDF. Handball has the great opportunity to overshadow football in the coming weeks and to spark a new euphoria.”
The DHB selection, which starts the tournament against Qatar on Friday, does not count Hanning among the title favorites, but: “Lack of international experience or not, reaching the quarter-finals is a must. Anything else would be a disaster.”