– This is emotional and a cruelly tough conclusion, says a distressed chairman Peter Gitmark at the press conference. A large majority of the board came to the conclusion that there was no basis for continuing the club. – We do not have enough funds to operate until next summer, says Gitmark. The players are informed of the decision. He says that several of them reacted with shock and disbelief to the message. – We have done our utmost to preserve the club, says the chairman. It was a heavy message for Peter Gitmark to say that the Vipers have played their last home game. Photo: Tor Erik Schrøder / NTB General manager: – We have to take it in. General manager of Vipers, Magnus Aglen, believes it was the right decision to come out earlier this week to say that the club needed NOK 25 million to avoid bankruptcy. He supports the board’s conclusion that the club will tender on Monday. – I support what the board has decided, but right now we just have to take this in, says Aglen. – Ugly scratch in the paint – This is a big and ugly scratch in the paint for Norwegian club handball, says news’s handball expert Håvard Tvedten. He believes this will be the biggest scandal in handball Europe this year. – Unsurprisingly, you see again how wrong things go when you sign players and sign contracts without cover on your account. It is a complete crisis and my sympathies go to all the players and coaches who have moved their lives and families to Sørlandet, and invested in this project, says the expert and continues: – To raise so much capital in such a short time there were few of them us who lived a great chance. But when you can’t create a shop out of a team that wins the Champions League three years in a row, it’s not a life team, he says. Håvard Tvedten believes this is probably Handball Europe’s biggest scandal this year. Photo: Vidar Ruud / NTB scanpix He has great sympathy for the players who are now without a club or job. – They are now in a very demanding situation with the worst negotiating cards for new contracts. Former Vipers coach: – tragic – Very sad, and tragic for all those who are now losing their jobs. Especially seeing the development of a club that has gone from a market-based business to becoming a beggar business in a short time, writes former Vipers coach Ole Gustav Gjekstad in a text message to NTB. He was the head coach of Vipers from 2018 to 2023. Today he coaches Danish Odense. From 1 January, he will take over as Norwegian national team manager on the women’s side. Gjekstad coached Vipers Kristiansand between 2018 and 2023. Photo: NTB Gift was drawn The money that the club has received in the last few days will be paid back, the chairman states. Just after the Vipers crushed Buducnost in what turned out to be the club’s last ever game, good news arrived. But then it turned around: – Yes, we received a message last night that we could receive a significant gift. It is clear that it had a big impact on how we worked further, and then there was a counter-notification in the morning that it still did not lead to correctness. According to Gitmark, the gift was refused because there was disagreement in the company’s own board. It was a large sum of money, but Gitmark does not want to disclose the amount. Timeline Vipers: Timeline of the handball club Vipers Kristiansand’s most important points in the sporting venture and financial problems. * 2017: Vipers secured their first NM gold when they beat Stabæk 30-17 in the final. * 2017/18 season: Vipers took their first league title with a one-point margin down to Larvik, who had won the series in the previous 17 seasons. * 2020/21 season: Vipers lifted the Champions League trophy for the first time after a 34-28 win over French side Brest in the final. * 2022/23 season: Vipers claimed their third straight Champions League title when they beat Ferencvaros 28-24 in the final. * 28 March 2023: Vipers had to cut the number of players after a million deficit. * 15 January 2024: The players called businesses to raise money to save the club. * 16 January 2024: Vipers stated that they had to raise around NOK six million to save the club. * January 22, 2024: Vipers laid off 20 percent of management to save money. * 5 February 2024: Katrine Lunde and the rest of the star gallery accepted a cut in their own salary to help the club. * February 16, 2024: Vipers put the last pieces in place that enabled the club to avoid bankruptcy. * 27 February 2024: The Cultiva foundation supported Vipers with NOK five million for talent investment. * 8 July 2024: Vipers had to sell Anna Vjakhireva to Brest for NOK 1.9 million. According to Fædrelandsvennen, Vipers saved around NOK four million on the sale of Vjakhireva. * July 15, 2024: Vipers again ran into financial problems and stated that they needed 3.5 million grains by the end of the year. * August 2024: Chairman Peter Gitmark stated that the club had to start a new rescue operation, where they needed five million kroner to ensure continued operations. * 31 August 2024: Vipers suffered their first loss in 125 games against Norwegian teams when Storhamar were too strong with 29-28. * 15 October 2024: Chairman Gitmark stated that the club needs NOK 25 million by Friday to avoid the club going bankrupt. * 16 October 2024: Gitmark announces that the club is in talks with six groupings, three Norwegian and three international. * 17 October 2024: The Vipers chairman says that they have said no to a possible investor from the Middle East, while they also turned down one of the Norwegian players. * 20 October 2024: Vipers declares bankruptcy after the majority of the board believes it is not prudent to continue operating. (NTB) Among Europe’s best Vipers have been Norway’s supremely best handball team on the women’s side. The southerners have seven straight league and cup golds, in addition to having won the Champions League three years in a row. On Saturday, the southern team played a match in a packed Aquarama, Buducnost was beaten 32-23 in the Mesterligaen. – The handball adventure that Vipers has been is no more, says Gitmark. Published 20.10.2024, at 12.19 Updated 20.10.2024, at 23.53
ttn-69
– Does not have enough funds to continue – news Sørlandet – Local news, TV and radio
