It will be a different sport.
The JVM Women’s Championship is the first handball tournament to be played without gum.
Confederation captain Thomas Axnier has stated that non-stick ball is not the future of the sport.
– I don’t want to see this ball in great context, says Axnér.
Controversial IHF President Hassan Mustafa tried several years ago to push handball that should be played without glue in the future and tasked the ball manufacturer that supplies balls to world championships with the task of producing a glue-free ball.
Now developed and in the ongoing JVM for girls born in 2004-05 being played in North Macedonia, the non-stick ball is being tested for the first time in the tournament.
The established handball world was very skeptical about playing handball without glue in the future, let alone opposed the idea outright.
‘It becomes hell for disability’
Women’s national team captain Thomas Axnerwho had to jump as national team captain for the JVM team after regular national team captain Pontus Ward Weklund was suspended by the national team following Kastrup’s “bomb joke” last week, is no exception.
– I don’t want to see this ball in a great context. If it is presented at a high level, then the sport will change a lot and become very unattractive. Trap quality looks good here on the JVM. There are fewer bad passes. Young people tend to take a lot of glue, which then affects the proper quality. But you will be very limited in the shot. There are not many who have managed to soar through the air and press and jump into the chair. It rarely happens here. You can’t complain with her and it’s hard to freak out. Line workers will be very limited. You cannot hold it with one hand if you have physical contact. It will be a different sport with this ball and it will not be fun to watch. It’s not possible to do that much, Axnér says.
– Then I still held her by the “man’s hand”. Many girls have very small hands. Then it becomes a hell of a hindrance if you are not allowed to wear glue.
During last summer’s Olympics, Axnier, speaking of Norwegian women complaining about Olympic ball, “I myself can score a sugar beet goal when I play, you play with the ball you get.”
If you had to choose between playing sugar beet and non-stick ball right now?
– lol! Then I would probably pick this ball anyway.
“I prefer playing with glue”
However, he could see the use of the non-stick ball in the future.
It can be an alternative for children and youth in halls where you are not allowed to practice glue. After all, it is easier to shoot with an ordinary children’s ball.
The Swedish players had to get used to the new ball.
– It works well, but I don’t think it should be introduced permanently. It limits the handball too much if you want to remove the adhesive. Fear and grumbling are part of handball. I would have preferred to play with glue here, says winger Stella Husselius, an 18-year-old who has already played in the Champions League with Sävehof.
In the opening group stage, Huselius & Co outperformed Algeria but received plenty of manure from Iceland. Tonight they need to beat Montenegro, who have three points, in their final group stage match to advance as one of two teams from the group.
– We have great opportunities. Huselius says Montenegro is good and strong, but we are very good when we score.
