The Norwegian national handball team was eliminated in the main round of the European Championships in January. Coach Jonas Wille’s contract will not be extended, but the coach himself would have liked to stay.
As the Norwegian Handball Association officially announced on Wednesday, Wille will not receive a new working paper. His current contract runs until July 1st. The 49-year-old took up the position in the summer of 2022.
The Norwegians were eliminated in the main round of the European Handball Championships in January. The Scandinavians took fifth place in the strong group behind Denmark, Germany, Portugal and France and were only able to leave Spain behind.
“We are grateful to him for his focus on the development of handball, his commitment and his tireless efforts during five championships for Norway. We will continue the good development work that he has significantly promoted over many years,” said Norway’s association president Randi Gustad in a statement.
Handball coach “would have loved to have continued”
Wille revealed in an interview with the newspaper “Verdens Gang”: “I would have loved to continue. I made that clear both in my work with the senior national team and in the talent development processes we initiated. Four years is quite short for development.”
And further: “I have to accept that the contract is expiring. The board therefore has every right to choose a different solution. I just have to accept that, even if I had hoped for new trust.”
It is not yet clear who will coach the Norwegian national handball team in the future. It is also unclear whether Wille will continue to look after the team until the end of his contract.
“We are in close dialogue with Jonas about this. We assume that the contract will expire in the summer, but we are trying to find the best possible solution together with him,” said association president Gustad to “VG”.
