[ad_1]
The protocol of perhaps the craziest day in the history of the handball team
Swiss handball players only found out about their participation in the tournament 44 hours before the first match of the World Cup. So this trip to Egypt turns into an adventure, in which two players cannot participate due to positive corona tests.
04.45 am
National players have to get out of bed early. They are still in cold, wintry Switzerland. But in about 13 hours they should play their first match at the Handball World Cup in Egypt against Austria.
6.30 a. M.
Check-in at Zurich airport must be done. To be sure, the Swiss take enough balls with them, you never know.
Two players are missing from the World Cup line-up: Jonas Schelker and Luka Maros. The two Kadetten Schaffhausen players tested positive for the corona virus yesterday and found out before leaving for the airport. Schelker and Maros have no symptoms and could possibly travel to Egypt if a second Covid-19 test is negative.
8 a. M.
In the end, heavy snow falls through the bill? Swiss handball players should take off at 8 am But due to winter weather, flight MS3091 must stay on the ground first.
Backcourt player Mehdi Ben Romdhane was excited, but had to be patient before the plane took off. image: instagraM / mehdi.br4
09:56 am
About two hours late, the machine can finally take off. It was a race against time until the delegation from the Swiss handball association even sat on this plane heading to Cairo. Only since the eve of yesterday at 10 pm Nati knew that they could go to the World Cup in the United States, which is plagued with cases of corona.
“It was enormous what had to be done. I slept two or three hours, but of course you like doing it for a World Cup, ”said Ingo Meckes, head of competitive sports. His challenge was to organize everything into a night that would normally be two or three months.
1.30 p.m.
The flight lasted almost four hours and was safely used for a nap if excitement allowed. After landing in Cairo, sunny and pleasant 20 degrees, the players, supervisors and officials completed a quick crown test.
Subsequently, the transfer to headquarters, the city of October 6, was planned. At best, players could see the Giza pyramids from a distance and there was no time for sightseeing. In the World Cup rooms, which were destined for the United States, the plan was first to move to a hotel, then eat and go to the hall. From the start it was clear that the already tight schedule was even tighter due to the delayed start. Especially since the Egyptian capital is feared for its traffic chaos.
The world famous Giza pyramids are literally ignored on the way to the hall. Image: keystone
2.35 pm
The team reported on the trail, they made good progress. The car was escorted by the police. “We have already experienced a lot together, we have grown together. We will make it our own great experience, ”announced national coach Michael Suter before leaving.
4.20 pm
Really done! The Swiss team has arrived in the room, where it will be in action in about an hour and a half.
6 pm
After this quick exercise, the opening game of the World Cup is on the program. The match against Austria has a groundbreaking character and is already a kind of final. Because in each group of four, the top three teams advance to the main round, and the other opponents Norway and France are considered handball greats.
Those were the days! In 1952, Switzerland beat Austria at the Hard Tower in Zurich and won bronze at the World Field Handball Championship. Image: FOTOPRESS ARCHIVE
The Austrians openly admit that they would have preferred to play the Americans. “No lie, an ‘exotic’ like the United States is different from a solid team like Switzerland,” said sporting director Patrick Fölser. Two Austrians know many opponents very well, Lukas Herburger and Sebastian Frimmel from Kadetten Schaffhausen. “It should not be believed that only Andy Schmid can play handball,” Frimmel warned his colleagues, “the Swiss have made good progress.”
The last four games were all for Austria, which last week played two Euro Cup qualifiers against Germany and is at least on pace for the match despite clear defeats. But the neighbor is missing important players, including injured star Nikola Bilyk of Champions League winner THW Kiel. Swiss national coach Suter said: “I expect a duel at eye level.”
Also today opponents: Austrian cadets Sebastian Frimmel against Michal Svajlen from Pfadi Winterthur. Image: keystone
He also has to do without actors, not just Schelker and Maros, who have been tested positively. Dimitrij Küttel is ill with cancer and running back Lucas Meister is injured. There are absences that weigh heavily, but Suter, 46, is a pragmatist: “There is always a lack of players in handball.”
You can see live on TV 24 if Switzerland made it to the room on time and how they are doing against Austria. The station broadcasts all three matches of the preliminary round of the national team, as well as other selected matches of the World Cup and the final.
More handball:
THANKS FOR THE ♥
Would you like to support Watson and journalism? Learn more
(You will be redirected to complete the payment)
