Giza / Mannheim.On the very late Tuesday evening, the washing machine in Schmid’s house suddenly started running. The man of the house, who goes by the first name Andy and plays in the handball league for the Rhein-Neckar Löwen, had to pack. And unexpectedly. The Swiss go to Egypt with his national team. Departure on Thursday morning for Cairo, World Cup opening game against Austria on Thursday evening in Giza. Sounds crazy. Or “surreal”, as Schmid calls it in an interview with this editorial team. But what is normal in these wild times? A rhetorical question.
The Confederates are moving up for the US team, which waived the World Cup. Or rather, have to do without. 18 positive corona tests pushed the team out of the competition, for which they had not even qualified. The USA received a wild card from the world association IHF, for whom the lack of selection of coach Robert Hedin is a severe blow. Because the IHF wants to win the American market for itself, the US team’s World Cup games would have been broadcast live on the major sports broadcaster ESPN. And now this disaster from which the Swiss are profiting.
“I was actually prepared for homeschooling,” says Schmid. He wanted to read, write and do arithmetic with his son Lio. Now he’s playing a World Cup. His first. At what feels like handball retirement age of 37 years, but that’s not because of him. The playmaker has met the highest standards for ages. Although the “highest standards” is a huge understatement – as if you were to say that Roger Federer has won a bit in his tennis career. Schmid is one of the best in the world, only his colleagues in national dress have been not just one, but two or three classes worse than him for many, many years. A fate that has befallen exceptional talent in other team sports, for example in football: Welshman Ryan Giggs, Northern Irishman George Best, Finn Jari Litmanen.
“I know that there are arguments for and against the World Cup because of the corona situation. But I have to do that, I have to play this World Cup. I probably only have this chance this once in my life, ”says Schmid, who won two championships with the Löwen, celebrated a cup victory and was voted best Bundesliga player five times. Last year he qualified for a European Championship with Switzerland for the first time, and now he will be participating in the World Cup, albeit indirectly. It is the last piece of the puzzle in Schmid’s illustrious career, which so far had something tragic without the World Cup. Because on the biggest handball stage, the best and the most famous meet. With him, of all people, one of the best and most famous was always missing. One who just belongs there.
As beautiful as the story may be for Schmid, the damage to the image for the World Cup, the world association and the Egyptian organizers is already serious. Because with the Czechs, who also have too many Corona cases and have been replaced by North Macedonia, another nation had to cancel its tournament participation at short notice. The Brazilians also had seven positive tests, including top player Thiagus Petrus from FC Barcelona, goalkeeper Leonardo Tercariol and coach Marcus “Tata” Oliveira.
“Fears Exceeded”
“I hope that there will be no more news of this kind and that we will be spared it,” said the German team captain Uwe Gensheimer. Axel Kromer, sports director of the German Handball Federation, became clearer. On Wednesday he not only spoke of “bad news from many areas of the handball world”, but also confessed: “That exceeds our fears. For everyone who views and evaluates all of this extremely critically, this is of course a confirmation. “
After all: Cape Verde, the second German opponent in the preliminary round on Sunday, and also a wobbly World Cup candidate, want to compete in Egypt, according to the national association. Even if severely weakened. And without coach Jose Tomaz. Like six players and three other members of the delegation, he has had a positive corona test. The Africans from the Atlantic archipelago are not discouraged. The association guaranteed that the team is “confident and motivated”. The team pledges to honor the country and make the nation proud. And they probably want to stay healthy too.
© Mannheimer Morgen, Thursday, January 14th, 2021
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