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Host Egypt started the controversial handball world championship with a clear victory. The African champions won the opening match in Cairo against Chile 35:29 (18:11), led by German referees Robert Schulze and Tobias Tönnies.
In Group G, Sweden and North Macedonia, who were promoted by the Czech Republic, play alongside the World Cup eighths and the South Americans. The Czechs had 17 crown cases between the team and their supervisors. Germany will face Uruguay in Group A on Friday (6pm), followed by matches against Cape Verde on Sunday (6pm) and Hungary on Tuesday (8:30 pm).
In recent days, criticism of the “bubble” in Egypt had come from various quarters. The German team had warned that hygiene measures should be “optimized” and that there was potential for improvement at the team’s hotel in Giza. Patrick Wiencek, Hendrik Pekeler, Finn Lemke and Steffen Weinhold had previously canceled their participation due to the corona pandemic.
Norwegian superstar Sander Sagosen of German record champions THW Kiel became even clearer. “Everything so far has been a great joke.” In the early hours in Giza, he remembered the “wild west,” Sagosen said. His team is in a “state of shock.”
At the Norwegian hotel, which also houses the German team, people came and went without masks and the teams ate together. Not all promises made in advance would be kept.
In addition to the Czech Republic, the USA team also withdrew from the World Cup, which will be played for the first time with 32 teams, due to numerous crown cases. Switzerland moved for this. Additionally, German preliminary round opponents Cape Verde and Brazil are said to be affected by an outbreak.
Just on Sunday the organizers announced that the tournament would be held without spectators. Originally, a 20 percent room capacity was planned. Instead, 14 captains from major European nations, including German captain Uwe Gensheimer, protested in a joint letter.
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