– It wasn’t necessary for any progress in any processes, it wasn’t. Yes, no, I was lured a little out there, says Johann André Forfang to Viaplay.
The background is a statement he made on Friday evening, when he was asked by NRK what he thought about jumping coach Alexander Stöckl appearing in Dagsnytt 18. Forfang reacted strongly to Stöckl appearing.
– That was not the agreement. So he now gets to rule. It’s hard to think anything about it until you know what he’s going to say. He is on a sympathy tour in the media. He has a need for it. It will be up to him, stated Forfang.
When Stöckl was confronted with Forfang’s statements right after the appearance on Dagsnytt 18, he had to think for a few seconds before answering.
– I think that is very unfair. I stand up for the media, as I have always done. I have stood up in the media whether it is going well or badly. I was asked to come here and that’s why I came. It’s something I just have to do, it’s part of my job. I think it is very unfair to say that. It feels painful, quite simply, Stöckl replies.
Received criticism on social media
On X (formerly Twitter), Forfang receives criticism for the statement on Friday night. Among those who were critical was VG’s sports commentator, Leif Welhaven. Welhaven writes there that it is “an unnecessary kick from Forfang to accuse Stöckl of a ’round of sympathy’ in the media”. To that Forfang replies:
EXECUTIVE REPRESENTATIVE: Johann André Forfang.
Photo: NTB
– After – our meeting at Gardermoen, we agreed that we should speak out about sport in the media and continue the conversation internally with regard to the letter. So when I went from standing on the podium in today’s competition to being asked what I think about Alex sitting at dax18, I was disappointed, Forfang wrote back.
In the Dagsnytt studio, there was a clearly marked Stöckl who sat and answered questions.
– There are several things that have not worked. But there are also allegations against me personally that are very incriminating. I don’t see myself as it says in that letter, says Alexander Stöckl in Dagsnytt 18.
Recently, there has been a storm around the jumping trainer. After the WC in January, the athletes on the national team sent a letter in which they pointed out several things that do not work in the coaching staff of the national show jumping team.
For Stöckl, the past few weeks have been an enormous strain.
– I am basically very motivated to continue, but the challenge is that for me personally, it affects my health. At the moment I’m pretty far down in the basement and I think I have to take care of myself and my family at the moment, says Stöckl.
– Intense round
At the same time as the Norwegian jumpers Johann André Forfang and Kristoffer Eriksen Sundal celebrated second place in the team competition in Oberstdorf, the national team coach sat down in the Dagsnytt 18 studio in Oslo.
– The situation is not as it should be, I should be there with the athletes. We have received a letter that I was informed about just before leaving for the USA, which was at a very late stage, so I chose to stand over those gutters to find out the situation, says Stöckl.
It’s starting to be a few weeks since he was last on tour with the national team. Right after the WC in ski flying at the end of January, the Norwegian jumpers sent a letter to the jumping committee. There they criticized the national team coach and wanted him to resign. Stöckl has subsequently confirmed that he has refused a severance package.
NATIONAL TEAM COACH: Alexander Stöckl.
Photo: ISMAIL BURAK AKKAN / NRK
Stöckl does not want to say anything concrete about what is in the letter from the athletes, but thinks it was a shame that it took two weeks before he even got to read the letter.
– I think the handling of the case itself was done in a very special way, to say the least. But I got to talk to them, it was a good dialogue, it was an intense round about the athletes’ dissatisfaction with how we work as a team, says Stöckl.
The coach says he is currently not in contact with any of the jumpers, but that he is nevertheless motivated to continue as national team coach. He believes that people now need to talk to each other even more.
– The challenge as of today is that we have to get back to where we were, that we talk to each other, not about each other. It has been a challenge in recent weeks. I feel quite alone. I do. I have support from the coaching team and the staff, but otherwise I feel very alone, says Stöckl.
Takes self-criticism
On Monday this week, the national team jumpers and Stöckl met for a meeting at Gardermoen.
– We were able to talk together, we were able to start a dialogue, but it is a process we are in now. You really just have to give it time. At the same time, I have had a meeting with all the employees the day after the meeting with the athletes, and together we will try to achieve a good end to the season. That is one thing, but the other is the process that I am very dissatisfied with, says the coach.
At the same time that Stöckl is having a hard time, he is self-criticizing about several things. Among other things, how he has followed up jumpers who have not joined World Cup races.
– I feel I could have been better in terms of technical follow-up and keeping in touch with those who have been out of the World Cup, says the head coach.
SELF-CRITICAL: Alexander Stöckl admits that he has not done everything perfectly, but at the same time puts the responsibility on others.
Photo: ISMAIL BURAK AKKAN / NRK
He believes that those in the coaching team should have distributed the tasks better, but that it has also been demanding due to the few coaches in the support apparatus.
– We have the challenge of having limited resources. stand on the plain with five people when there is a prize ceremony, while Germany, Austria, Slovenia and Poland stand there with 15 people. It is incredibly difficult to maintain a system that works when there are so few of us, believes Stöckl.
– I can say that I have certainly made mistakes in my time as a coach, but we as a system have also done a lot right. I don’t think the responsibility lies solely with me. The responsibility lies with everyone. We have not been able to communicate, we have not been able to follow up the athletes in an optimal way, says Stöckl.