Croatian organizer Dagur Sigurdsson is outraged by the EHF because of the desperate conditions and brutal schedule at the current European Handball Championship in Norway, Denmark and Sweden.
Nova TV journalist Ivan Forjan published the photo Croatian handball players sleeping on the floor of the bus during the five-hour journey from Swedish Malmö to Danish Herning just one day before the semi-final match against Germany (Friday, 17:45).
Sigurdsson had a brutal presentation at the press conference during which he said everything that was bothering him. I didn’t have time to think about the game. We arrived in Herning at 14:30 and then I had to come here. That’s funny. We are not located near the hall. I drove 35 minutes to this circus, and then I have to drive 35 minutes back. It will be 6pm when I get back.
I couldn’t hold training with the team. This is confirmation that EHF does not care about players and teams. They are like fast food. They don’t care about quality, they only care about sales. They made a good show and a good press. Never mind that we had a 4 hour drive from Malmö. We were in the group in Malmö and we had two days less than the others to play 7 games. Anyone who knows anything about sports knows that it is too much for the players.
We had to play two games at 10 p.m. The next morning us put on the bus like chickens and they will reach here where we are very far from everything. Then we have to come here and do the press conference. We are in the semi-finals. This is it shocking and scandalous. Thank you all. I will be happy when I can leave. Just tell me when I cansaid Sigurdsson in his opening speech, reports Index.hr.
Photo: Sanjin Strukić/Pixsell
RTL reporter Maja Oštro Flis came forward for a question after Sigurdsson’s presentation. She asked him what his plan was for the future. We don’t have the resources to deal with the situation. She is just the way she is. The planning is incredible. We play two days in a row, we have one less day to rest and we still have a trip. The other teams are accommodated in the hotel and have better preparation for the semi-finals.
This is it alarming and I do not accept such an approach. I know it’s hard, but when it becomes unfair to some, I have to speak up. We haven’t complained so far, but when you wake up and have to do this much travel, it’s not right. And then I have to come to this press for all that. It is impossible to have quality training under those circumstances. I hope tomorrow will be better, but it seems they only care about the spectacle. I hope tomorrow’s game will be good, said Sigurdsson and briefly reflected on things in food:
I don’t want to keep complaining. That’s not my biggest problem. The problem is time and disrespect for the team. All teams ate in the same hotel. It was fine for me, I can’t speak for the others.
The selector did not answer a new question about why he thinks that Croatia is not respected. There was also a pivot on the press Josip Šimić koji also commented on recent events. We players are so focused that we look at situations differently. It is normal that we are exhausted, but we also know that from the clubs. We are focused and it’s not something we think about 24 hours a day. We have to play the game, we have no choice.
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Dagur Sigurdsson boycotts the EHF: The coach is outraged by the shameful treatment of Croatia
(www.jabuka.tv | Photo: Nova TV)
