Handball national coach Alfred Gislason meets his home Iceland in the first game of the European Championship main round in Germany. An emotional game for the 64-year-old.
Iceland, it is said, is the third windiest place in the world – but no one lives in the other two. A country full of natural forces, geysers, winds – and powerful handball players. Alfred Gislason was one of them before he became a coach in Germany in 1997 – and has stayed here ever since.
At the European Handball Championships in his new home Germany, of all places, he will be the national coach with the DHB team in Iceland (Saturday, 8.30 p.m., live on ZDF). “It will be a very special game for me,” said Gislason in the Sportschau after the 30:33 defeat against France. “It’s always special against your own country.”
Gislason took the sports show back home to Iceland
Gislason showed the Sportschau how important his home is to him for the exclusive ARD documentary “Alfred Gislason – Fateful days of the national coach”. Author Hendrik Deichmann was allowed to accompany the national coach to the island; the very personal film with many impressions of Gislason’s home and family is available in the ARD media library.
Among other places, they traveled to Akureyri, which is now the fourth largest city in the island state with 20,000 inhabitants. Gislason’s parents Adelheidur Alfredsdottir and Gisli Hjartarson, his older brother Hjörtur, and many of the 20 nieces and nephews live here.
The extended Gislason family – Alfred has five siblings and three children himself – now has to make a decision. “I’m very curious whether they are for Germany or Iceland,” said Gislason with a smile on Tuesday.
Alfred Gislason (r.) meets his parents in Iceland in the ARD documentary.
Handball European Championship – Gislason wants to win against Iceland
Two hearts have long been beating in the 64-year-old’s chest. “I’ve become quite German, that’s what my friends say. I’m unusually punctual for an Icelander,” says Gislason in the ARD documentary. “I think Icelanders are very flexible, but planning isn’t always their strong point. They’re still hunter-gatherers in a way.”
The Icelanders shouldn’t collect points in the main round because no matter what the family thinks: Alfred Gislason wants to win the game on Saturday. “We still have the goal of getting to the semi-finals, so we can’t lose any more games.”