Norway wants to change the draw for the Men’s World Cup: – Play must be fair

Trondheim (VG) Within half a year, the men’s world championships will be held in Norway, Denmark and Croatia in 2025. The Norwegian Handball Federation wants to cancel the arrangement that caused an uproar in the women’s WC.

– We will address this matter once the World Cup is over. I will contact the other two host countries and check the history behind the choices made in the past, as promised by Handball President Kari-Ger Liu.

National team manager Torer Hergerson believes it is not fair play for the three World Cup host nations to choose the top-tier team they will face in the main round. Sweden has made it clear that Montenegro was chosen for sporting reasons.

It sparked strong reactions. Aftonbladet’s handball correspondent believes the World Cup draw has been rigged to give the host nations advantages.

– This has not been discussed before. We also did not interact with this system this year as we were not organised. But now it is relevant and then we can address it. It is possible to withdraw the five countries that are not hosting, Liu says, adding:

– Then we have to withstand the influence of the system that we had. I think this will go well. He says it is up to the International Handball Federation to decide, but I feel we have the right to suggest it.

National team director Jonas Wille announced the EC men’s squad on Tuesday. He confirmed that he did not know the details of the World Cup draw next summer.

– But in general, of course, I’m concerned there has to be fair play, says Willie.

-I’m fully engaged in looking at her. This is a typical thing that has just been passed down. So you probably haven’t thought about it much. But when the debate first starts, I completely agree that it should be considered, says Jonas Wylie.

Danish commentator and journalist Jan Jensen believes that Hassan Mustafa (79 years old) remaining president of FIFA is a scandal. The Norwegian Handball Federation is in the middle of two WCs that they work closely with the International Handball Federation.

– Is it a difficult situation when criticism falls on old and new issues in FIFA?

– It’s nice when things that are seen as unreasonable and wrong are pointed out, so we can do something about it. We should not feel sleepy. This is something we must rely on and tolerate. At the same time, the image becomes extremely distorted. Since I was elected (handball president), I have not felt that the things we raised have not been heard, replies Kar-Jer Liu.

He mentions equality, the wild card, rules, economics, and beach handball as examples.

– No country has dealt with more cases of infection with FIFA than Norway. I have a very good conscience. We got approved for a lot, but not for everything. “So we just have to work on it,” he says.

Kåre Geir Lio says Norway believes it is wrong for the wild card system to be used so freely by both the International Handball Federation and the European Handball Federation.

– It is believed that it was based on sports classification.

– Do you not feel the pressure of the International Federation during the period in which Norway is organizing two World Cup tournaments within 13 months?

– of course not.

Norway will host the men’s world championship for the first time in January 2025. Parts of the tournament will be held in Croatia and Denmark, but the tournament is scheduled to end with the World Cup final in Norway. Here what is required is 15,000 spectator seats. The NHF had a plan for Telenor Arena.

– But that has not been clarified yet, Liu says.

What has been made clear for a long time is that the next European Championship in Germany will be a tournament with a large audience. The opening match between Germany and Switzerland on January 10 is scheduled to be attended by 55,000 spectators in Dusseldorf. Jonas Willis’ Norway starts the next day against Poland in Berlin.