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In Wikipedia, under the word “handball” it is written: “The goal of the game is to throw the ball with your hand into the opponent’s goal.”
Even if these banal instructions do not imply this: unlike football, handball is an academic sport. Many industrial managers and political figures have experience in handball and remain devoted to their sport even after their careers have ended.
And Switzerland once also played an international role, when football players were still languishing in an era of honorable defeats. In 1993 they finished fourth at the World Championships. But then a gradual decline begins.
People have been fighting against relegation to a marginal sport for a long time. In recent years, great efforts have been made to escape the wallflower’s existence and regain greater prominence and attention. And reconnect with the main team sports – football and hockey.
And then comes this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity: a mammoth European Championship opening in Dusseldorf against favorites hosts Germany, in front of a world record crowd of more than 53,000 spectators. This lottery pick could suddenly become a quantum leap for the entire sport.
And what can you see? A completely unsettled team, helpless and disoriented, stumbling across the field. In the second half, the performance is so unconceptual and disorderly that the viewer has a feeling somewhere between pity and embarrassment.
Handball players misunderstood Rösti
Federal Councilor Rösti announced a fair wolf hunt a few weeks ago. The handball players clearly didn’t understand this. And like sheep before a wolf at a German gate, they freeze in awe.
To put it dramatically, this is one of the darkest hours in Swiss team sports. No one contracted the handball virus that evening.
Of course: defeat from beloved Germany was expected. But it is not clear how one can allow oneself to be flaunted in this way, and also leave all one’s desires in terms of combat unfulfilled. If this had happened in football, the devastating headlines would certainly have been there.
Has Swiss handball missed an opportunity to develop in terms of dynamism and power? No. The performances of Swiss players in the Bundesliga prove the opposite. Were they too nervous? In this case, the coach did not find the right words during preparation. Departing Michael Suter’s track record with this talented team has been sobering for some time.
And this time even Andy Schmid, the best Swiss handball player in history, could not fix it. Perhaps he had a premonition. “I’m convinced that I’ve been playing too long for a year now,” he said in an interview with NZZ.
There are still two chances to pull yourself out of this affair with your head half-raised. Today against France and on Tuesday against North Macedonia.
Oliver Kahn knows what the Swiss need now!
Source: Blick
I am David Miller, a highly experienced news reporter and author for 24 Instant News. I specialize in opinion pieces and have written extensively on current events, politics, social issues, and more. My writing has been featured in major publications such as The New York Times, The Guardian, and BBC News. I strive to be fair-minded while also producing thought-provoking content that encourages readers to engage with the topics I discuss.
