Handball Bundesliga team SG Flensburg-Handewitt is in crisis at the end of the year. Some players are apparently dissatisfied with the dismissal of coach Nicolej Krickau. Captain Johannes Golla speaks openly in the NDR interview about the difficult situation, the Krickau decision and his move to MT Melsungen in the summer of 2026.
The crime thriller wasn’t over with the final siren. SG Flensburg-Handewitt still had a seven meter penalty left in the Hamburg Arena to prevent the worst. Emil Jakobsen grabbed the ball, stepped to the line, made a quick feint and then hit the hosts’ goal with a touchdown between Robin Haug’s legs – 32:32!
“At least one more point, otherwise it wouldn’t have looked good,” admitted SG interim coach Anders Eggert after the game. If the two-time Danish world champion Jakobsen had lost his nerve, the results after the first three games after the dismissal of coach Nicolej Krickau would have been really bad.
Just one win after the coach change
Thanks to a show of strength, they managed a 38:37 home win against the top team Füchse Berlin in the first Bundesliga game. But this was quickly followed by elimination in the quarter-finals of the DHB Cup at MT Melsungen, which means the first chance of the season for the title is gone.
And another defeat in Hamburg would probably have ruined their second chance of winning a trophy this season. Thanks to the point saved in Hamburg, the score is now 22:10 after the 16th matchday. So there is at least some hope left in the competition. Only in the European League is everything in order.
“We haven’t gotten any closer to the goals we set ourselves. Actually, we should be further than what we’re currently showing on the record.”
— Johannes Golla
But one thing is clear in any case: SG Flensburg-Handewitt is clearly lagging behind its own expectations. Joahnnes Golla also admits this: “It would have done us a lot of good if we had taken the two points because we’re not brimming with self-confidence right now,” said the SG captain. “We certainly hoped for more from last week and also from the game in Hamburg. We didn’t succeed. It somehow fits the season.”
The national player, who will return to MT Melsungen in the summer of 2026, spoke plainly in the NDR Sportclub: “We have not come any closer to the goals we have set ourselves. Actually, we should be further than what we are currently showing on the record .” The team is capable of a “really good top level,” said Golla: “But the fluctuations are too big. I think every player has to do with themselves to show their consistent form.”
Criticism in the team about the Krickau dismissal
Based on the past few days, this could also be due to Krickau’s dismissal. Some in the team couldn’t understand this decision. According to information, “Bild” goalkeeper Kevin Møller is said to have burst his collar in the dressing room. Many of the club’s supporters also criticized the move. After all, just two weeks earlier, the team had achieved a clear success in the DHB Cup at TSV Hannover-Burgdorf and a confident victory in the 111th state derby at THW Kiel. Krickau was released at the end of November after the 24:33 loss in the Bundesliga game at MT Melsungen.
Vranjes apologizes for throwing the microphone
In the cup game against North Hesse, Flensburg’s nerves were on edge. During a timeout, Mads Mensah Larsen threw away the microphone that had been hung above the team circle on a long pole, even though this sort of thing has been standard practice for many years. This was repeated at the next timeout. This was done out of fear that the Melsungers could be listened to, as they had done in the Bundesliga game, the Flensburg team said. The Melsungers vehemently denied this. Flensburg’s sporting director Ljubomir Vranjes apologized for throwing the microphone.
“I think we don’t need to talk about the situation anymore. A lot has been said about it,” said Golla about the incidents. But of course, that was “a signal,” he admitted. “Of course, such a dismissal of a coach also leaves its mark on the players. It is an extreme situation because you are on a common path not only with the team, but also with the coaching team. And when one part breaks away, it is shocking Of course there’s also a team.”
“Such a coach’s dismissal naturally also leaves its mark on the players.”
— Johannes Golla
There were “certainly mixed feelings” in the team after Krickau’s dismissal, said Golla. “It’s no secret that many of our players have worked with Nicolej Krickau as a coach for years and there is a great relationship of trust. That’s why the first few days weren’t easy. It will take a few more days until you fully process everything has.”
But it’s not his place to comment on whether the decision was without alternative, says the 27-year-old: “I think that the decision-makers in the situation had already thought about what they were doing. And then they probably had arguments to make this decision.”
Golla: “As a family we are often very alone in Flensburg”
Golla also made a decision. He will leave the SG next summer and return to MT Melsungen. He justified this step with the desire to be closer to family and friends. “We notice that as a family we are often very alone in Flensburg. I travel a lot, both with the national team and with away games. If something comes up, either my wife is sick, my children are sick, then it is very difficult, “The family is very far away.”
Golla apologizes for the timing of the change announcement
The children would also often ask about grandma and grandpa. “And then we can only tell them that they might come to visit in two or three months. My wife and I discussed the situation for months and in the end came to the conclusion that the longing to be close to home was simply too great is,” said the cyclist. The fact that this became public shortly before the cup game at MT “was absolutely stupid timing. You have to apologize for that in a way.”
It was a very turbulent week, said Golla. And this year isn’t over yet. Next Friday (8 p.m.) promoted SG BBM Bietigheim will be guests in the local arena. After that, the SG will take a break from competitive games due to the World Cup in January. It seems like the club could really use this phase.
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Sports club | 12/22/2024 | 10:50 p.m
