– The first conversation was the most embarrassing moment of my life, admits Jamina Caroline Roberts to news. The Swedish superstar is referring to Monday’s round of ringing where the Vipers players called various businesses and sponsors to ask for much-needed cash. WORLD STAR: Jamina Caroline Roberts has been voted female handball player of the year in Sweden for the past two years. Photo: BILDBYRÅN – It’s a tragic situation, but we all want to try to contribute, continues the 31-year-old, who has been named the female handball player of the year in Sweden for the past two seasons. – I really dreaded the ring round, says teammate Marta Tomac to news. She continues: – I don’t like calling people to ask for money. I don’t think it’s cool, but it’s important and can help the club. Even if it’s crazy and out of our comfort zone, now is the time to roll up our sleeves. On Monday, Fædrelandsvennen wrote that Vipers are in a serious financial situation. INSTAGRAM: On Tuesday, Vipers published a post on Instagram asking for money. Therefore, the players’ group took the initiative for Monday’s ring round and on Tuesday the players’ group took another step when they asked the club management for permission to publish a post on Instagram asking for help. “Vipers + handball will soon not be as true, if we don’t get money in NOW” is the post that all the players have signed. – I said: “If everyone in Norway tipped a krone, we would get five million. It would have been a fun experiment. Not everyone is tipping, but we are making an attempt to see how much it can bring in,” says Roberts to news. – We could be without a club already in a couple of months. Vipers have won the Champions League for the past three seasons, the Norwegian elite series six years in a row and were recently named “Team of the Year” at the Sports Gala. Now one of the world’s best clubs is in danger of going bankrupt before the end of the season. – It is a serious situation and we need help, says general manager of Vipers Kristiansand, Benedicte Løyland, to news, before she points out several reasons for the Vipers crisis: – The Norwegian krone is weak, while the euro is strong. In addition, we operate in the euro market with travel costs and we travel abroad an awful lot. The second is that we participate in the Champions League, where all expenses are linked to euros. MESTERLIGAEN: Vipers Kristiansand have won the Mesterligaen for the last three seasons. Photo: Beate Oma Dahle / NTB – Is it the success’s fault? – I don’t want to say that. When we operate with a weak krone and travel a whole team, the costs will be high. In addition, there have been electricity prices that make it difficult for partners. Someone has closed the doors and it is not something we could have foreseen. The players were informed of the club’s financial situation when they returned after the Christmas break. – The reality is that we could be without a club already in a couple of months. It is tough. It is harder than many thought, including the player group. We didn’t think it was that serious until we saw that it was, says Tomac to news, at the same time that she fully praises the player group in the demanding situation: – I think we have been completely rude in not mixing it into everyday sporting life, even if it is possible we will be without a job in a month or two. BEAM: Marta Tomac has played the last nine seasons in the Vipers. Photo: Tor Erik Schrøder / NTB The full-back, who has more than 90 senior international matches for Norway, has played at the club for the past nine seasons and has been a key pillar in the journey towards the top of the world. – We never dreamed that we would end up in this situation. In any case, not when you know that the club has won the Champions League for the past three years and the sporting results could never be better than what they have been. It’s incredible, incredibly crazy, says the 33-year-old. Now she fears far more than her own future if Vipers goes bankrupt. – It’s about so much more than my workplace, which disappears if you reach a bottom, she says and continues: – There are all the ripple effects with children and young people. Vipers is the flagship in Southern Norway with handball. We are role models. I remember myself when I looked up to the best. We have been like this for many and I hope we can be like this in the future. news expert: – Catastrophe Vipers have already taken action before next season with a cut of NOK five million in the budget. news expert Håvard Tvedten believes it will be “a disaster for the Norwegian league” if the Vipers go bankrupt. – It shows how difficult it is to run a club. They have won the Champions League three times in a row, but they are unable to create the financial framework that one might expect from a winning team. It is surprising and sad, says Tvedten. SURPRISED: news’s handball expert Håvard Tvedten. Photo: Vidar Ruud / NTB scanpix – This is the flagship in Norway. They have won a lot in recent years and are by far the best team in Norway. If they go bankrupt, there are many players who are left without a club and have to find new places to play, continues the news expert. – How will it possibly be, Tomac? – It’s the worst-case scenario and something I really don’t want to think about. We must try to focus on presenting on the pitch and helping the club where we can. Everyone is keen to put themselves outside their comfort zone and help, replies the former Byåsen player. Roberts is clear that a potential Vipers bankruptcy would be a huge loss for handball-Norway. – Vipers is a leader in Europe, so it should be in several people’s interest that this is resolved. Vipers have won the Champions League three years in a row and are a big international face. It would have been a shame and a loss for both Norwegian and international handball, Roberts believes. The teammates hope Haaland will be back soon 00:47 Testing himself against 7th graders: – Do you need a defibrillator? 01:58 The City manager gets stars in his eyes after Bobb’s question 00:25 Kayaker shocks the cross-country skiing elite with a world record 00:37 Show more
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