Gislason wants to coach the national team in the long term
Alfred Gislason can imagine extending his contract until 2027. Negotiations will take place after the home European Championships. There is now bad news for the tournament, as back Marian Michalczik is out. The national coach does not want to "control" the rest of his players.
After the home European Championships, national coach Alfred Gislason will hold concrete negotiations with the German Handball Federation about extending his contract, which expires in summer 2024 at the latest. "I was asked if we could hold talks after the European Championships, and that's not a problem for me at all," said the Icelander in an interview with "Kieler Nachrichten".
Gislason has been in office since the beginning of February 2020. Next year, his contract still includes the home European Championships from January 10 to 28 and the Olympic Games in Paris, for which the DHB team still has to qualify in the spring. Last January, DHB President Andreas Michelmann had indicated that he wanted to extend Gislason's contract as quickly as possible. However, this did not happen. Gislason, who previously worked successfully at club level in Gummersbach, Magdeburg and above all Kiel, would like to remain national coach. He could "well imagine working with the team until 2027. It's a lot of fun. And I'm sure we can achieve a lot". He sees great potential and the chance "to play for medals at every tournament in the long term".
Meanwhile, Gislason sent his handball players off on their XXS New Year's Eve vacation without any "conditions". "There are no bans for the players," said the national coach with a view to the mini-break at the turn of the year: "I'm past the age of trying to control them. They're all national team players, they know for themselves what they can and can't do on New Year's Eve." Three days of training in Frankfurt are behind the DHB team around captain Johannes Golla, part one of the preparation for the home European Championship has been completed. "The days were very valuable for us. You could see the boys' anticipation. They worked really well. I'm very satisfied," said Gislason, before sending his players home to their loved ones "with a bit of video footage" as homework.
Michalczik missing, no subsequent nomination
However, Gislason did not appear 100 percent happy, as the Icelander had to deal with another personnel blow shortly before the turn of the year with the absence of Marian Michalczik. The TSV Hannover-Burgdorf playmaker suffered a muscle injury in his leg during training with the German team and will not be available for the tournament. "Of course we are very disappointed. But we will try to solve it internally," said Gislason. He has decided not to make any subsequent nominations, meaning that the German team, which features five tournament debutants, will start the final phase of European Championship preparations with 18 players on New Year's Day in Brunsbüttel. The highlights of the final training course are two endurance tests against Portugal. The first clash with the Portuguese will take place on January 4 (4 p.m.) in Flensburg, followed by the tournament dress rehearsal on January 6 (6 p.m.) in Kiel.
Before the next few days off - which will be the last until January 28 in the best-case scenario - Gislason is focusing on personal responsibility. According to the 64-year-old, he himself will go out for dinner with his partner in Berlin, "but will be home before midnight in order to leave for Brunsbüttel early in the morning". With his players, he has "confidence that each individual is simply mature enough. If he is mature enough to make the decision on the pitch, then he is also mature enough to make the right decision on New Year's Eve."
His words were well received by the team. "So close to the tournament," promised Kastening before he left for his XXS vacation, "we won't make a mistake."
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After the successful completion of the first part of their preparation for the home European Championship, national coach Alfred Gislason expresses his desire to extend his contract with Handball-Bundesliga's German Handball Federation, aiming to work with the national handball team until 2027. Despite the absence of Marian Michalczik due to a muscle injury, Gislason has decided not to make any subsequent nominations, placing trust in the maturity of his players to make responsible decisions.
Source: www.ntv.de
