– I think it is a dilution of the product. Nobody thinks it’s funny to see such big differences. We like to see Norway win, but not that they score almost 50 goals and let in a few, says TV 2’s handball expert Bent Svele to news. Two years ago, the International Handball Federation (IHF) expanded the participation list in the WC from 24 to 32 teams, in the hope of making handball more international. NOT IMPRESSED: Former handball player and daily manager of HamKam Bent Svele. Photo: NTB Svele believes that a team like Greenland does not belong in a world championship: – That a group of girlfriends from Greenland play handball alongside normal jobs is nice and great. But the fact that they will take part in the World Cup does not set a stamp of quality on a world championship. He thinks it was a mistake for the IHF to increase the number of participating countries in the WC. – When the differences are so great, they have nothing to do in the World Cup. To increase from 24 to 32 layers I think is far too much. Although the basic idea is to spread handball more, this does not belong in a world championship. Hassan Moustafa (IHF president) and the IHF have a wet dream that the USA will adopt handball. Until that happens, this has nothing to do with it. – Do you see anything positive about it? – I think it is difficult to say, Svele told news before Friday’s match against Austria. news has sent the criticism to the IHF, but has so far received no reply. Match statistics so far in the WC The margin of victory is an average of 12.9 goals. Three times the margin of victory has been over 20 goals. 8/12 have been with ten goals or more. Cameroon managed only 2 goals in one half. Crushed Austria: – Far too many teams Norway crushed Greenland with 32 goals in the opening match, 43-11. On Friday evening, they faced slightly tougher opposition from Austria, but won comfortably. Henny Reistad continued with a fantastic game before the break, and scored a total of seven netizens. Then the home team led by nine goals. STAR: Henny Reistad. Photo: NTB Austria hung on useably, but was never close to making the breakthrough. Reistad continued to dominate, and on the edge Camilla Herrem kept up with one perfect hit after another. In the end, all the Norwegian players had scored. When the referee blew the match off, Norway could cheer for victory with 17 goals more than Austria. – No one is going to tell me that Austria will get anything out of this here. There are far too many teams, concluded TV 3’s commentator and former national team coach Gunnar Pettersen on the eve of tonight’s match. news’s expert Amanda Kurtovic agrees. – I had expected that Norway would drive over Austria, but that there would be so many goals, both backwards and forwards, none of us had expected, she says. – Part of something bigger, Norway’s captain has a slightly different perception of the extended World Cup model than Svele. – Look at Greenland yesterday and how big they think it is. Then maybe it’s completely right after all? If we are to see it on that level, then we have to ask “What is handball actually for us?”, “What should it be?” I think that is a positive thing. But you also get a couple of matches that are a little less exciting, says Stine Bredal Oftedal to news. She reminisces back to the previous World Cup, when they had a touching meeting with Iran, who they also beat with 32 goals. BEST PLAYER: Iran’s goalkeeper Fatemeh Khalili Behfar was moved to tears after being named best player in the World Cup match in the group game between Iran and Norway in the World Cup in Spain in 2021. Photo: NTB – When we played against Iran two years ago , there was suddenly a very emotional moment at the end where the goalkeeper received “best player” and was touched. Oftedal’s girlfriends were also touched by the game yesterday, says the captain. – They thought it was very moving to see how cool Greenland thought it was to get a few things done against us. Again, I think it depends on what you want out of the game. Purely in terms of handball, I completely agree that it can get boring. But you also get a bit of heart in such matches, Oftedal believes. GOOD MOOD: Stine Bredal Oftedal and Nora Mørk after the group stage match between Norway and Greenland, where Mørk was spared and watched the victory from the sidelines. Photo: NTB Norway coach Thorir Hergeirsson believes the desire to spread the word about handball trumps the argument about uneven matches. – I look at it bigger. Handball is part of something bigger. We are not the only ones who have come the farthest to own this. It should be open to everyone. I think that is an important argument for us to be a little forgiving and humble and to think that we tolerate that – that there will be some uneven battles at the start. And then it dragged on after a while, says the Icelander to news. PART OF SOMETHING BIGGER: Thorir Hergeirsson believes that we can learn from the joy of sports in Greenland. Photo: NTB – Did we get some proof of that with the sporting joy in Greenland? – Yes, and I think that is important. It shows us that we must never forget. We are quickly spoiled when we have athletes and teams that perform at the top of the world. Then it is easy to think that it is the debt, Hergeirsson replies and continues: – Sports and elite sports are a surplus activity. It is something you do because you enjoy it and it gives you something. When you come to the WC for the first time in 22 years, it is huge for Greenland. For the players and the people there. Then you see different sides of sports and elite sports. It is pride, joy, enthusiasm, excitement. It is incredibly important. It reminds us that it’s about more than just winning. It is also about being part of something bigger. JUBILEE: The Greenlandic players celebrated after the big loss against Norway. It was their first WC match in handball in 22 years. Photo: NTB On Friday, Norway faced Austrian opposition, which according to handball expert Svele is also a weak opponent for the Norwegian handball girls. Austria was one of two countries that were awarded a “wildcard” by the IHF, which allows them to participate in the WC even if they did not qualify. – To start handing out wild cards, and give them to Iceland and Austria when they are no better than they are, then the model fell a bit by itself. The ambition is certainly fine and dandy to include, but it waters down the product, believes Svele.
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