It has been ten years since Switzerland was able to compete with the best on the big handball stage. Since the 2006 European Championships at home, the national team has failed to qualify for the World and European Championships year after year. Now the international shadowy existence is finally to come to an end. "We want to be back at a major tournament by 2020 at the latest," says national team coach Michael Suter.
The next opportunity will come this fall in the qualifiers for the 2018 European Championship (in Croatia). However, this will be anything but an easy task, as their group opponents will include outsiders Portugal, reigning European champions Germany and Slovenia, who have also been one of the top nations in Europe for years.
To make matters worse, the Swiss national team is in a state of upheaval. The gaps left by the retirement of numerous experienced players must be filled by young players.
This is not the only reason why Suter, who took over from the hapless Rolf Brack in the spring, is the right man in the right place. As a junior coach for the Swiss Handball Association (SHV), he has successfully led the U19 and U21 teams to eight major tournaments in the last six years. "That brings prospects," says Suter.
The young guns will show how far they have already come on November 2 at the qualifying opener in Slovenia and, above all, on November 5 at the eagerly awaited home game against Germany in Zurich's Hallenstadion (5.45 pm). Up to 11,500 spectators could even provide a record crowd in Swiss handball history. The right stage is therefore set for a sporting exploit.
HANDBALL EM QUALIFIER
05.11.16, Hallenstadion Zurich
TICKETS
