When Serbia were fine-tuning their tactics in a closed handball hall before the key match against Slovenia on Tuesday, they discovered something strange in the stands. There were two cardboard boxes in which someone had cut small holes. In one box was a mobile phone, and in the other a tablet. Both with the camera pointed down towards the track. – They were set up to film us, says Serbia’s national team captain Jelena Lavko to Novosti. The newspaper calls the incident a “scandal”. On top of this advertising sign were two cardboard boxes. Inside one was a tablet with the camera facing the track. In the other box was a mobile phone. Explained with a surprise party The Serbian association immediately submitted a complaint to the European Handball Federation (EHF), which asked the Slovenians for an explanation. They apologized for the camera being there, but denied that it was deliberate spying on the opponent. According to the Slovenian federation, the camera was supposed to film a surprise party for a member of the EC delegation who had a birthday. After the celebration and training were over, they claim they forgot the camera again. In a statement to Danish TV 2, Slovenia says that they value “openness, honesty and high ethical standards” and that they do not tolerate injustice. Not everyone buys the explanation. The Norwegian camp has caught wind of the reports about Slovenia’s alleged espionage, and can hardly believe what they are reading. – It is completely unheard of. There is as little fair play as possible, says national team player Stine Skogrand. CRITICAL: Stine Skogrand never thought that one EC team would try to secretly film another. Photo: Beate Oma Dahle / NTB Gets Norwegian criticism: – Across the border, Spain has been criticized for how they allegedly speculated on the result against Poland and cheered when the opponents scored. Norway’s assistant coach Mats Olsson thinks the behavior of the Slovenians is “much worse” again. – It is over the line when one knowingly and willingly goes in to appropriate information in an unacceptable way. They’ve tried to hide it and everything. It is not fair play, he believes. According to Olsson, the Norwegian national team has never experienced anything like this. If they train in halls with a TV camera, however, they tend to hang vests over the camera. According to Skogrand, her club team Herning-Ikast usually do away with the tactical sessions before they travel for away matches. In the fighting arena, training is mostly used to get the body to travel. – I never thought I would get to experience it in a championship, says Skogrand about the invention of the Slovenians. Slovenia meets Norway Henny Reistad and her Esbjerg do not want to train tactically in the fighting arena either, where they have no control over the surroundings. The Danish club is smart from damage after having experienced stealth filming in the past. – I have not experienced it myself, but I have heard stories from others about training sessions being filmed, says Reistad. SNEAK MOVIE: The Serbian national team. Photo: MATHILDA AHLBERG / BILDBYRÅN She definitely thinks that you can make a lot of money by filming the training of the opponent, and like her teammate, thinks that the move is over the line. – One must be able to win games without spying on what other teams are doing, Reistad asserts. “Circus”, Maren Nyland Aardahl describes the situation. Norway and Slovenia are in the same group in the main round and will meet for a match on Monday 14 November. – They are doing a lot of strange things. We play handball and behave in an honest way, she says. The EHF has given the Slovenians a formal warning after the secret filming in the hall.
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Norway’s EC opponents Slovenia are blamed for espionage in the handball EC – news Sport – Sports news, results and broadcasting schedule
