The eccentric Russia boss is not allowed to take over the national handball team, but that does not stop the 65-year-old from shouting at the players.
TOKYO (Nettavisen): Most Norwegian handball fans recognize the Russian veteran, who had several tough battles against Norway during his time as national team coach for Russia from 1999-2019.
The 65-year-old is known for having a very rough coaching style towards his players, and in timeouts, the coaching legend has been seen regularly scolding his own players.
Also read: Program for the 2021 Summer Olympics
In the Tokyo Olympics, Trefilov is with around the Russian team, but only as an adviser and vice president of the association. This means that he is not allowed to sit on the Russian coaching staff, and from the stands he has seen the Russians struggle.
Against Sweden, it was a big loss 24-36, and in Thursday’s match against Hungary, which the Russians won 38-31, he did not succeed.
The Swedish journalist Johan Finck, who was present in the arena on Thursday, writes that Trefilov moved as close to the bench as he is allowed to, while he shouted and coached the Russian players.
– Incredible! he writes.
– Does not belong anywhere
Viasport’s Daniel Høglund knows Trefilov well, among other things after he commented on the handball World Cup in Japan in 2019 when the channel had the rights to the championship.
He says that much of the same thing happened two years ago, and reacts to Trefilov interfering from the stands also in the Olympics.
– Either he must be a coach, or he must stay away. It’s that simple. You can not have sports managers or vice presidents to interfere, it does not belong anywhere, he says to Nettavisen, before he points out.
– But Trefilov is Trefilov, and he does a little as he pleases. I’m not surprised, I was really just sitting and waiting for it.
Trefilov himself has been open to making a comeback as national team coach, but to Aftonbladet he says that his own union has put its foot down.
– I should have taken over with pleasure, but a decision has been made that I will not be on the bench. It is the association that says no, he says to the Swedish newspaper.
There is unrest in the Russian camp after the weak result against Sweden, and Sergei Shishkarev, the president of the Russian Handball Federation, is said to have announced changes after the loss against the Swedes.
Whether the victory against Hungary does better is so far uncertain, but Høglund says he will not be shocked if Trefilov ends up taking a new term as national team manager.
– There is really nothing that surprises me with the Russian Federation.
Kyvåg: – Will not be shocked if he makes a comeback
Frode Kyvåg is one of Norway’s greatest coaching heroes of all time. He has both been the national team coach for the women and led Bækkelaget to success in the European Cup.
He is one of those who knows the political power game in Russian handball best here in Norway. He quickly points out that Russia not long ago hired the Spanish super coach Ambros Martin as national team manager, but that he quickly disappeared from the role.
– This is a bigger and longer case than what is happening now. So I find that difficult. I can start with why they fired Ambros Martin, one of the world’s best handball coaches? There are things happening over there that I barely understand, he says to Nettavisen, before he continues.
– It is interesting to know what role Trefilov plays and what blessing he has. Normally one would think that he has retired now, that he has finished the tasks, but he is clearly not. He is a store manager and it is useless to have him in a support apparatus when they try to facilitate a new way both in terms of behavior and way of playing. It is hard to believe that Trefilov did not have a finger in the game when Martin was kicked out again, says Kyvåg.
Like Høglund, the 75-year-old will not be surprised if Trefilov suddenly appears on the bench in the Olympics.
– I will not be shocked if he makes a comeback. These are divisive and ruling statements. He tries to create unrest in the group and even though he is controversial, he has his followers in the team. But I can not understand what he is going to do with this team. He has had nothing to do with the training. But if they lose to France now and are forced to beat Spain for not going home, there may be some fantastically dramatic scenes, he says.
Holds Norway as clear gold favorites
While the Russian women have at times struggled in Tokyo, Thorir Hergeirsson’s crew has so far cleared the table at the Olympics.
South Korea, Angola and Montenegro have in turn been beaten relatively comfortably, and Høglund believes the Norwegian team is sailing up as a clear gold favorite.
– It looks like there is a straight road to another gold medal. Although not everything is perfect yet, you see the contours of a team that goes all the way to the final. I’m pretty sure of that, he concludes.
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