AUDIO: THW Kiel, what now? (1 min)
Handball
As of: June 9, 2026 7:45 p.m
Only sixth in the league, no international starting place: the development of THW Kiel raises fundamental questions. Above all, this: Who takes responsibility for the club’s sporting course at the German handball record champions – and who makes the decisive decisions for the future?
An analysis by ARD handball expert Thomas Koos
The facts are on the table. The THW wanted to get closer to the top of the Bundesliga. In fact, the gap to the leading teams has increased. Home strength was supposed to return, but instead more points were lost on home soil in the season that just ended than in the previous season. The team remained without a title, missed qualification for the Champions League for the third time in a row and will no longer be represented internationally for the first time in 33 years.
Not a normal sporting dent
For a club with the standards of THW Kiel, this is not a normal sporting dent. It is a development that raises fundamental questions.
The German record champions and record cup winners were considered the FC Bayern of handball for decades. Hardly any other club stood for success, continuity and national dominance so much. The current development is all the more alarming. Because measured by its own standards, the THW has been moving away from its former exceptional position for years.
Kiel is following the successful model of previous years
Of course there were injuries. The long-term absence of top performer Emil Madsen right at the start of the season was a heavy blow. But this is exactly when the quality of sporting leadership becomes apparent. The important question is not whether injuries hurt – they always do. The question is how a club reacts to this.
The THW has not managed to close the resulting gap with an approximately equivalent replacement. Other top clubs also had to cope with failures, but had a broader personnel base or made more consistent adjustments. The season not only revealed weaknesses in the squad, but also raised questions about squad planning.
Added to this is sporting development. While clubs like Berlin or champions Magdeburg shape modern handball with speed, dynamism and quick transitions, Kiel often seems like a team that is following a successful model from previous years. The competition has evolved. The THW has not yet done so to the same extent.
Economic situation is getting worse
At the same time, the economic situation is getting worse. In the future, income from international business will be completely eliminated, while the cost structure remains at Champions League level. This also increases the pressure on the decision-makers in the club considerably.
Especially for a club that has been one of the European elite for decades, the first absence from the European Cup in 33 years is a turning point of historical proportions.
And that’s precisely why it’s worth taking a look at the past few months. Filip Jícha’s contract extension has apparently not only sparked approval within the club. Rather, it was heard that this decision also caused discussions and unrest within the club’s committees. This alone shows that the assessment of sporting development is not nearly as clear as it sometimes appears from the outside.
Who is actually the strong man at THW?
A few weeks ago, the chairman of the supervisory board, Kai Kruse, also publicly emphasized that he wanted to stay out of sporting decisions and leave them to operational management. Given current developments, however, the question arises as to how this self-positioning as a control body should be assessed today.
Therefore, attention inevitably turns to the management of the club. And thus also on the supervisory board. If the sporting and economic development falls short of expectations for years, then it is the task of the control committee to independently evaluate the work of those responsible. This is exactly why a supervisory board exists.
But this is precisely where another question arises: How big is the necessary critical distance within the club structures?
There is a lack of distance
The supervisory board includes people who have been on the field together with parts of the sporting leadership and coaching staff for many years. We know each other, we have celebrated successes together, we still maintain close personal relationships to this day. The close friendship between coach and managing director is also no secret.
All of this is humanly understandable and by no means unusual in sport. But successful control does not depend on closeness, but on independence. It thrives on critical questions, different perspectives and the willingness to make uncomfortable decisions if the development of a club requires it.
Especially in difficult times, a club doesn’t need mutual confirmation, but rather honest analysis and constructive friction. Anyone who is supposed to control responsibility needs the necessary distance from those responsible. Progress often only occurs where different opinions meet, there are controversial discussions and uncomfortable questions are asked.
The supervisory board is now called upon
THW Kiel is facing one of the most important directional decisions of the past decades. The sporting results, the economic challenges and the development of the past few years require a ruthless inventory.
It’s no longer just a question of who plans the squad or who sits in the coaching bench. The question is whether the club’s control mechanisms are strong enough to draw the necessary conclusions.
It’s about the question of who will take responsibility for the record champions if the sporting development has been going in the wrong direction for years. The supervisory board is now called upon. Time is running out.