La pallamano italiana : quale futuro?........ma ci siamo!! (di Paolo Baresi )

Mi sto muovendo ,anche in questo periodo del anno, tra i campi di pallamano italiani e ,tra una partita e l' altra, ascolto le sensazioni,le percezioni della base,del movimento pallamano storico italiano. Davvero siamo in questo stato di morte dolce e lenta,come qualcuno vuole definire? AlLa realtà dei fatti , ed anche osservando gli ultimi eventi, la situazione pare davvero questa! Eppure, ascoltando gli amici che stanno sui campi ogni giorno, ho ritrovato in questo ultimo periodo energie residue, passione e voglia di provarci ancora! La pallamano italiana non è ancora morta! Sta mostrando colpi di coda , voglia di esserci, voglia di innovazione e di visione positiva. C è un desiderio grande del movimento, su un cambio di passo. Incontro regolarmente tecnici, anche molto giovani e molto capaci, che vogliono far parte della pallamano italiana 2.0,vogliono innovare, studiano, si confrontano, condividono ipotesi e materiale , si "aprono" all'interazione. E vedo allenatori meno giovani riscoprire il gusto di andare in palestra , di progettare , di sperimentare percorsi virtuosi ,anche se sporadici e legati ad iniziative individuali. Ma ci siamo!! C' è ancora voglia di coltivare il sogno! Abbiamo bisogno di un team leader che raccolga queste energie ,le coordini, riesca a fare buona sintesi di queste competenze e dia la benzina giusta al movimento! Abbiamo bisogno di un "pusher" che alimenti questa passione, che amplifichi le motivazioni di questi "pazzi furiosi". Abbiamo bisogno di una squadra di giovani dirigenti che rimettono al centro la pallamano nei territori, il reclutamento dei piccoli atleti con progetti chiari, trasparenti e con le giuste coperture economiche. Abbiamo bisogno di dare le giuste priorità ai club ,a gli allenatori , ai dirigenti. Ma Ci siamo! Ci siamo se ricominciamo a parlare , e se ne sente parlare sempre più nei palazzetti, di merito, di competenze , di eccellenze ,di organizzazione a disposizione dei CLUB CHE FANNO LA PALLAMANO IN ITALIA. Ci siamo, se si torna a sentir parlare di Trasparenza e di credibilità del movimento , di responsabilità individuale! Abbiamo raggiunto, forse, il minimo storico in quantità e qualità , ma abbiamo ancora vivo il nostro sogno! DOBBIAMO SVOLTARE ,POSSIAMO SVOLTARE, ABBIAMO LE COMPETENZE INTERNE AL NOSTRO MOVIMENTO PER FARLO. La pallamano italiana ce la farà! Viva la pallamano italiana!

Nota del blogger:Cari pallamanisti lasciate pure i vostri commenti e idee sotto l' articolo. Aspettiamo con impazienza. Grazie.

What future for Italian handball ? We are here to stay ! ( by Paolo Baresi )

Even at this time of the year, I have been spending time across Italian handball courts.That gave me the chance to listen to the mood of the handball community and see with my own eyes what is going on. Are we sure we are as Italian handball on that sweet, slow death path as somebody calls it? Unfortunately the answer would be ..yes , if you take into consideration the latest facts and events.But at the same time by talking to friends who are working so hard daily on the court, I have realised that there are still some energy, passion and a never give up attitude which says loud and clear that " Pallamano is not dead yet ! " Italian handball is eager for innovation, a change of direction.I meet regularly with coaches, very young coaches too who wants to study, they want innovation and interaction in order to succeed.On the other hand, I have seen more mature coaches going back to the court eager to experiment, to find new way to improve the game. Though it is up more to individual initiatives at this stage. We are in need of a new leader who could pick up all this energy and then lead properly the handball community. We also need a new team of young handball officials whose priority would be to grow the sport at grassroot levels across Italy. That should be done by proper clear planning, transparency and with enough economic funds. We have to give the right priority to clubs, coaches and officials. We are here to stay if in the arenas we are going to talk more and more about meritocracy,skills and structures available for clubs. We are here to stay if we are going back to talk about transparency,credibility of the sport and of individual responsability. Mind you! We might have reached the bottom of the barrel when it comes to quantity and quality but our dream is still alive and kicking! In a nutshell, we have to change direction, we can do it , we have the right skills to do it. Italian handball can make it! Viva Italian handball!

Crashing away ( by Luca Del Bianco )

Some people know about my handball background, others do not. I was born in a family where handball was a daily bread and butter. My dad was one of the handball pioneers in Rimini, circa 1970. He was involved with the club ( HC Rimini), organising one of the very first outdoor tournaments , spreading the handball message across the local community. Who still remember the epic derbies between HC Rimini and La Rapida first played on the outdoor court behind the football stadium and then in the Flaminio arena? Those were the days of unforgettable battles which made handball very popular in town. Now, I have just watched the umpteenth defeat of a national team on live streaming. Honestly after the first 20 minutes of the match, the end was nigh..I thought to myself " Luca hang on , perhaps things could change in the second half ".. and so I kept on watching the second half of the match until I could not stand anymore witnessing the modest,inexperienced and fragile women's national squad, being " buried " by a much stronger , more experienced Serbian team. By the way, Serbia did come to the match without many important players.If you do not believe me google and check by yourself the info. To go back to my introduction, in the 70s, 80s and early 90s, nobody would have predicted the upcoming crash of Italian handball, in terms of results, popularity, number of players and the birth of that amateurish top men league. So after my ranting, what can be done to save this sport? I have not got a clue, as the lack of new ideas, people with management and business skills and passion are really rare.

These ghosts: The hidden world of Italian handball ( by Max Dovere)

I have realised the strange way some emotions make you see a different reality from the one offered by people who are supposed to grow it and make it an efficient one. It is a powerful force coming from the past and reaching the future through the country history and its champions. Unfortunately the two realities do not intertwine, rather they are both aliens in the very same body : handball. I have been living in Rome for the last few years and I have witnessed important handball clubs disappearing from the scene after the initial enthusiasm. What are the reasons ? Laziness , tiredness ? Maybe is there a lack of support from the national authorities? I do not have an answer, but I know for sure that in Rome, the Italian capital city, there has been a huge effort to save handball from disappearing from the local sport scene. But then doubts start to come up when I hear stories, like the one where a parent rang the federation to enquire about handball teams in Rome where his kids could play our beloved sport. Do you know what was the answer? " In Rome handball does not exist". So if that is true, where I have been playing and with whom I have been training with all these years?? With ghosts? Teams such as Virtus Roma, The German School, SS Lazio, Roma Trionfale, Roma Handball.. Do not exist according to the federation! Local sport authorities are eager to open to handball but because we do not exist we cant do anything about it. We have got SS Lazio which has been playing in the top Italian league for years.Even though they have been through hard times. There is also another team made up of foreigners who would like to play in the serie B league. Two other teams which are devoted to grass roots playing activities and other two teams who have been playing in the EHF Masters competitions. What do these teams have in common is the hard-core passion for handball, the enthusiasm and the " never surrender " kind of attitude towards the authorities which deny their mere existence on the Roman handball scene. By the way, Nice, has been the host of the European Master Games, where Italian handball has been represented by Roma Handball team. The club is lead by two historical figures : the coach Tonino Santucci and the ex player, Giorgio Alfei. Giorgio says that even though the club has gone through ups and downs, they have ben playing handball at European level in the Masters category since 2005 ( Barcelona ). Anywhere they went, they had fun, created great memories and left a good image of Italy. Again the very same question comes up : how come we are an actual reality in Europe but we do not exist and we are not acknowledged by our own federation?

The Netherlands : how the "Handball Academie Dames" was born

The Netherlands has become in recent years a force to reckon with in women handball. But how did they come to that? Well the local federation together with the Dutch Olympic Committee, sat together and start off the "Handball Academie Dames"in September 2006. The first group of promising talents was made up of 25 young players coming from across the country.A specific day to day program tailored to each player was created, where they would play play handball and study as well. On Friday's evening players would go training with their own team and at weekend they would play in the local league. Across the years there were quite a few young talented players moving to the national team like Lois Abbingh and Laura Van der Heijden. In 2008, a team from the "Academie" played in the Dutch Women Handball League.After that the federation decided to let the team compete on the international stage where eventually they reached the 2011 Challenge Cup semifinal. Certainly the NHV,besides the "Academie", has developed the game at grassroot levels through other two important initiatives: the "Handball Scholen" which are certified by the federation itself and the "Handball Talent Centra" which instead are certified by the "Handball Scholen". In a nuthshell, Dutch women handball would not be one of the emerging nations if the federation would not have created a detailed development plan which included the above mentioned Handball Schools and Handball Talent Centres.

Good Luck Mat!!

This summer will see Matome Rampyapedi one of the most talented South African handball players moving to the German team TV Aldekerk which plays in the 4th German division. Matome will be initially playing with the B team and possibly being able to move the A team later on. During his one year German “Adventure”, Matome will be also working as a coach for the local Landessportbund. We wish all the best to Mat! Hopefully we will be seeing other young talented South African players moving overseas and compete one day in the German Bundesliga! Useful links: http://www.tv-aldekerk.de/ https://www.facebook.com/matome.rampyapedi?fref=ts Twitter: @matome_lefty

Meet The New South African Handball Generation by Matome Rampyapedi

Two weeks ago the South African senior national teams, both ladies and gents, had a friendly outing to their neibouring country, Mozambique. This was initially supposed to be a tournament between SA, Mozambique and Angola, but the Angolan team pulled out of the tournament late after confirming that they would be part of the event. This then left only SA and the hosts only in the tournament. This trip was a very important one for the SA national team because both the squads had been revamped and so it served as a good test for both the teams. It seems both coaches of the national teams had the same idea in picking the players as teams were relatively “young” compared to recent years. And interesting enough, even the coaching staff were revamped; the ex-coach for the male senior side, Rapule Thebyane was now given the honour to coach the ladies, while the now retired and long serving former captain of the senior national side, Kgomotso Motetsoe had been given the next best level of leadership as head coach for the male senior national team. Both teams played two matches, on the court, and one beach handball match. The men team drew their first match but lost the second one. In my opinion,the team played very well considering that more than 60% of the team was new in the green and gold. And the ladies lost one and won their second match. This was a huge pointer for the team, you could see it in their faces after the match was dusted, they hadn’t won any international match in a long while and things were finally coming together after the drought. The biggest challenge came when the teams had to play beach handball.I am saying this because none of the players had ever played any sort of handball outside the court and now they had to do it wearing the national colours. But they showed character and both teams beat the Mozambique squads at the beach, even after they were taught the rules 30 min before they played! But all in all, this was a good outing for the South African guys and girls.I am hoping the teams will get more matches and training camps so that they will really gel and grow from this point on.

L' analisi di Paolo Baresi sulla pallamano femminile italiana

Paolo Baresi dice la sua sulla situazione della pallamano femminile in Italia. Grazie Paolo per la tua consueta disponibilita'. Potete seguire Paolo Baresi su Twitter al seguente account: @pbaresi. Se pensiamo alla situazione della pallamano femminile italiana ai tempi del mitico Cassano Magnago che andava assai forte in Europa e la crisi di ora,che cosa si e'perso in questi anni? "Beh si é perso su tutto il fronte! Lo dico da anni..almeno da 10!E' mancata la visione da parte della Figh come anche la programmazione,la strategia ma soprattutto,ripeto é mancato un obiettivo da raggiungere.Cosi'ogni societá é andata per la propria strada,senza essere coinvolta in un progetto comune di allargamento della base delle praticanti,di diffusione dell'handball nelle palestre delle scuole,della fidelizzazione di tecnici capaci ed esperti nel raggiungere questi obiettivi. Nel frattempo é cominciata a venir meno anche la passione di alcuni dirigenti e di molti tecnici che lavoravano sodo per " Allargare il movimento" e siamo arrivati alla situazione attuale:meno programmazione,meno impegno,meno atlete ,meno clubs." Si e'sentito dire varie volte nell'ambiente, che le ragazze italiane in genere non sono portate per giocare a pallamano e quindi preferiscono altri sport come basketball e volleyball.Cosa ne pensi? "Credo siano sciocchezze...il nostro problema é che non riusciamo a rendere accattivante questo sport alle ragazze...ma oserei dire ad alcuni che non mi pare che la maschile stia molto meglio! Eppure nei paesi italiani le proposte di sport al femminile ,per le giovani, sono davvero poche! Vivo in un paese di media grandezza ma le proposte per le bambine sono:danza,ginnastica artistica, pallavolo e basket..se ci fosse la pallamano qualche giovane sarebbe sicuramente attratta ....poi toccherebbe mettere in campo la passione,la competenza di allenatori e dirigenti perche questa passione si diffonda!Ma la motivazione di dirigenti e tecnici a chi tocca??Torniamo al primo punto quindi alla Figh,alle sue scelte, all'idea di generare un gruppo di folli appassionati che diffondono il verbo..e ti posso garantire che negli anni 90 queste persone c'erano! La Figh li ha buttati via per incapacitá di condividere,di ascoltare la " pancia" dei tecnici e dei dirigenti appassionati!Li ha sempre visti come reazionari e come tali li ha messi all angolo." Come cresceresti la base dei particanti della pallamano femminile in Italia? "C'é poco da fare....ritornare in palestra a lavorare a progetti di ampliamento della base...risorse sui progetti che coinvolgono l'handball dei giovani.Mettere in cantiere un lavoro di 7-8 anni che consenta alla pallamano femminile di aumentare il numero delle praticanti e solo successivamente lavorare sul talento. Ora arrivano poche fanciulle alla pallamano per pensare di programmare la crescita del talento. In questo momento la ragazza di talento va al volleyball...la domanda é "Come possiamo catturare la ragazza di talento che oggi sceglie la pallavolo?" Credo che noi tecnici dobbiamo giocare il nostro ruolo di educatori, di "trasferimento" della nostra passione,sposando un percorso federale fondato sulla ragionevolezza degli obiettivi." Il progetto Futura:quale e'la tua onesta opinione? "Beh non ho una opinione positiva!Credo sia fatto nel paese sbagliato(Italia) ,dove le atlete sono ormai contate, nel tempo sbagliato!Fatto 15 anni fa poteva avere un senso...ora é tardi! Ora é il momento di ripartire dal reclutamento! Quanto costa questo progetto? Era possibile spendere diversamente queste risorse? Perché quelle risorse sono state utilizzate su un programma che interessa solo a pochi? Perche' le societá hanno accettato che questa squadra giocasse nel campionato sloveno? Ed il Coni che dice?? Quale futuro per le atlete ora in quel progetto?? Squadre estere?Oppure italiane?Quali squadre italiane? Sono solo alcune delle domande che mi pongo quando penso a questo progetto. Ho la sensazione che il progetto Futura sia fumo negli occhi per qualcuno e soddisfi soltanto l'egocentrismo di altri!" Alla luce dei risultati ottenuti fino ad ora, pensi che la federazione dovrebbe continuare o no con il progetto Futura? "Mi pare ovvio per quanto esprimo sopra che questo progetto, per me, debba essere abortito!Non ha ragione di esistere, in una nazione che ha pochissime praticanti e clubs che continuano a diminuire.Io credo che le prioritá debbano essere necessariamente altre!" Serie A femminile:quest'anno 6 teams ( 5 dopo l'esclusione del Teramo) nel torneo.fSecondo te quanti teams parteciperanno nella prossima stagione? "Beh credo che meno di sei sia difficile.....nessuno segue questo campionato, nessuno!Nemmeno la classifica del campionato di quest'anno ,a parte i pochissimi diretti interessati!" Capitolo Nazionale femminile: cosa ne pensi dei risultati ottenuti e non ottenuti finora? "Pochi commenti...credo che siano sotto gli occhi di tutti!La nazionale é lo specchio del movimento....poca qualita' in entrambi i casi!" Se avessi la bacchetta magica cosa cambiaresti immediatamente nel settore femminile in Italia senza tenere conto delle varie clicche di potere che esistono nell'ambiente? "Io sinceramente metterei ad un tavolo i tecnici più qualificati ,più esperti, più appassionati, e mettendo da parte le piccole lotte di quartiere ,costruirei un grande progetto sui settori giovanili,premiando economicamente le societá che mettono insieme qualitá e quantitá di lavoro. Risorse a pioggia a tutti i comitati regionali? No!Risorse maggiori ai comitati che storicamente,hanno garantito qualitá di lavoro in ambito giovanile. Credo che sia un errore continuare a guardare al vertice...é ora di potenziare la base!5 anni di qualitá in ambito giovanile e si può ripartire.."

Paolo Baresi's analysis about Italian women's handball

Paolo Baresi provides his detailed analysis about the current situation of Italian women's handball. If we bear in mind the great years of women's handball at the time of the legendary Cassano Magnago and the current crisis of the sport, what would you think had been lost over the years? "Well, a lot has been lost across the board! I have been saying it at least for the last 10 years! The Italian federation is guilty of not having provided a vision,a clear program, objectives and a strategy to apply to the sport.Because of it, every club has gone its own way, without being involved in a comprehensive development project. In the meantime, some managers started to lose passion in the sport, as well many coaches who had been working hard to grow the players'base.Eventually we ended up in the current situation which translated in little planning, less effort, fewer players and teams." I have heard several times the story that Italian girls are not suitable to play handball.Therefore they prefer to embrace other sports such as basketball and volleyball.What you think about it? "I think it is silly to state that ...Our problem is that we are failing to make handball an attractive sport to girls ...but mind you..I would not say that the situation is better in the men's side.. Yet in small Italian towns there are few available sport choices for women and young people! I live in an average town where the available sports for girls are:dance, gymnastics, volleyball and basketball .. if handball was available, I am sure few young players could embrace our sport and being supported by passionate and skilled coaches and managers!But who should be the one to motivate those managers and coaches?Well,the federation would be the responsibile body through its choices which would create the basis for a passionate work group who could spread the handball fever across the nation..I can guarantee you that we already had these people during the 90's! But the federation set them aside, because they were unable to share,to listen to the skilled coaches and passionate managers!The federation saw these group of skilled and enthusiast handballers as a bunch of reactionary fellows who deserved to be pushed to a corner." How would you grow the players'base in Italy? "There is not much to do: we would need to go back to the playing court,working on plans to grow the players' base .. and making resources available for youth activities.We should create the basis for a 7-8 years long plan to allow a growth of the players'base and only after that to focus on a talent drive. At present talented girls do choose volleyball.The question would be "How could we "steal" these girls from volleyball?" I think that we, coaches,should play our role as educators and spread the passion by keeping in mind a reasonable list of objectives set by the federation." The Futura project:What is your opinion? "Well I haven't got a positive opinion! I think it has been made in the wrong country (Italy), where players are a handful and at a wrong time!If made 15 years ago, it could have made sense ...but now it is too late! Now is the time to start again from the bottom by growing the players'base!" How much is this project? Could these resources had been spent in a different way? Why those resources had been used on a project which affects only a few individuals? Why did clubs agree to let Futura play in Slovenia? What does the Italian Olympic Committee have to say on the matter? What will the future hold for Futura players? Will they move to European teams? Or will they play in Italian ones..and if so..in what teams? These are just some of the questions I have been asking myself when I think of this project. I have got a feeling that the Futura project is a smokescreen for somebody and only an ego booster for others!" In the light of the current results,do you think that the federation should continue or not with the Futura project? "Obviously the project should end in my opinion!It has no reason to exist in a country where players are becoming fewer and fewer every year.We have got other more important priorities than carrying on with Futura at this stage!" Only 6 teams are playing in the women Serie A League this year(5 teams after Teramo exclusion).How many teams do you think will be playing in the next season? "Well I think that going for less than than six teams would be difficult ..... nobody follows this league,nobody!" Women's national team:What do you think of the results obtained so far? "There's little to say.. I think they are there for everyone to see!The national team is the mirror of the movement .... there is little quality in both cases!" If you had a magic wand what would you change immediately in Italian women's handball? "I would create a working group made up of the most skilled, experienced and passionate coaches.I would put aside all the provincialism and bickering which has been destroying handball.Then I would set the basis for a large youth activity project,by rewarding on a monetary basis the most deserving clubs on the basis of quality and quantity of their recruitment drives. I would also put aside resources for the historically most deserving regional working groups which have been a guarantee of a job well done amongst young players. I believe it is a mistake to look at the top ... it's time again to strengthen the players'base!A five years youth recruitment drive and we could start all over again!" You can follow Paolo Baresi on Twitter on: @pbaresi

Fact or Fiction?

Let’s try to predict through an imaginary crystal ball what the next Italian men’s handball season might bring about. Men’s “Serie A, Divisione Nazionale”: Not many of the current season’s teams will be able to afford to compete in 2013/14.The average handball manager will blame the economic recession and refusing to be kept accountable for the amateurish way of running the sport in Italy. Maybe the federation would like to avoid a complete failure by reshuffling again the championship format as rumored in various quarters. Will the Lipam (Italian men’s handball league) still be around and indeed promoting effectively handball in the media? We doubt the Lipam will keep up with its initial promises, because since its launch, a year ago, it did not stick to its initial plans to market handball properly. Handball will have a minimal coverage on TV networks and national press if any at all. YouTube and other social media will be used more and more by the individual teams to market the game. The current federation top officials group will be still running the show, as apathy and a lack of incisive actions to bring about change will contribute to leave things as they were before. Nationwide, teams numbers will be shrinking more and more, leaving big areas of the country without any clubs and any playing activity. The men’s national team will still be amongst the worst performing Europeans teams due to amateurish and incompetent coaching and managerial style. A lack of an effective scouting, mentoring and youth program will be the last straw to the urgent need of a players’ generational change in the senior squad. The sport popularity will be plummeting again among youngsters who would rather follow and support the Velux Champions League, French and German teams than local top clubs. All in all, not a pretty scenario: hopefully facts will prove us wrong.

Emerging nations, IHF and petrodollars

Let us face it, handball is not a truly global sport.Why should I say that? Well have a look at how European and non European teams performed at the recent men's World Championship.A plethora of old continent squads battled it up from the 16th round accompanied by Brasil and Tunisia.Can we truly call the IHF championship, a world championship or perhaps should the International federation reconsider the format of the tournament?
In my opinion the IHF should either decrease the number of teams partecipating or as suggested by some analysts to go back to the old version of the tournament split in three groups (A,B,C). If I had to choose I would rather decrease the partecipating teams,mainly from Europe but I would insist with allocating a place to "Emerging" European nations like : Uk,Italy,Greece in the tournament.

I know,most likely the quality of the game could get worse ' leaving out traditional handball countries;but honestly how longer the Ihf will be able to neglect and leave out from the world championships such markets?
The same would apply to other continents,like North America and Sub Saharan Africa with developing handball nations like Usa and South Africa.
Can you imagine a World Championship matches broadcast by ESPN or NBC in US and by SABC or Supersport in South Africa?
Well dear Mr Hassan,it is about time that your people sit together and create a real strategy which will help those developing handball nations to get stronger at an international level.Perhaps some Quatari petrodollars should end into a "Development"fund to use for this goal instead to channel them into the organisation of that meaningless Super Globe tournament which at the end of the day makes only the IHF, organisers and winning/partecipating teams richer.

Italian federal elections appeal : "What the court of appeal will decide"by Roberto Petazzi

In my opinion it is likely that the Federation court of appeal will not come to any final verdict on the matter. In other words, even though it had a 90 days'time frame to compile a detailed judgement,the court most likely will set aside the matter due to some sort of procedural mistakes. Why would I say that?For two reasons:firstly because the court will not enter into the actual merits of the appeal.By avoiding that,the federal body will stay away from analysing the various points of the appeal which could unveil actual facts.Facts which would cause the court to back the appeal up. Secondly, because in another instance,the very same court has recently reiterated the importance of taking into consideration the "other party's side of the story" when it came to an appeal case. So, is it really like that? In my view,when we have been facing the chance that a mistake had damaged the legality of a process which brought about an elected assembly, then the question would be whether there was such a mistake. If this procedural mistake can not be rectified the only solution would be to declare null and void the elected federal body. The Italian federation's disciplinary code of rules(Art. 42 paragraph 5, provides only the "possibility" that there would be the "other party".Therefore conflicting parties are not a dogma. For example,a judge who has to deliberate about the responsibility of a car accident,will have to listen to all parties involved.By doing that he would have a better understanding on the facts and then come to his final verdict. If, however, a court must decide whether a passport is valid or expired, it will have simply to look at the passport. It does not help anyone, neither the judge nor the expired passport holder,to inform the very same office which issued the document that the passport is either valid or expired.

Ricorso Elezioni Federali: "Cosa decidera' la C.A.F" di Roberto Petazzi

Penso sia verosimile che la C.A.F. deciderà di non decidere. In altri termini è ipotizzabile che eviterà con cura, nonostante i circa 90 giorni che ha avuto a disposizione, di scrivere una sentenza motivata; dovrà quindi limitarsi a non ammettere il ricorso per un qualche vizio di forma procedurale. Perché ho questa impressione? Per due diversi ordini di motivi. In primo luogo perché non vorrà entrare nel merito, sapendo che ove mai giungesse ad approfondire i vari punti del ricorso potrebbe, molto facilmente, trovarsi di fronte a fatti, ancor prima che argomentazioni legali, che la avvicinerebbero pericolosamente al dover affermare che il ricorso è fondato. In secondo luogo perché ha recentemente avuto modo di affermare l’importanza, in caso di ricorso, della “informazione della controparte”. E così non è? A mio avviso il principio del contradditorio ha grande senso quando il giudice, terzo tra le parti, è chiamato ad esprimersi su una controversia. Quando invece siamo di fronte alla eventualità che un errore abbia forzato la legittimità di un procedimento, come ad esempio una assemblea elettiva, allora si tratta di appurare se l’errore ci sia stato. Se l’errore non è sanabile il procedimento è semplicemente da annullare. Lo stesso Regolamento di Disciplina della FIGH, all’art. 42 comma 5, prevede solo la “eventualità” che esista una controparte. Il contradditorio quindi non è un dogma. Esemplificazione pratica? Il giudice che deve valutare la responsabilità di un incidente stradale non può fare a meno di sentire tutte le parti coinvolte; spesso, grazie al contradditorio, riesce a meglio focalizzare i fatti e quindi a decidere con la miglior giustizia possibile. Se invece il giudice deve valutare se un passaporto è valido o scaduto, gli basta guardare il passaporto stesso. Non è di aiuto a nessuno, né al giudice né al possessore del passaporto scaduto, informare dell’accaduto la persona o l’istituzione che ha rilasciato il documento.

Paolo Baresi: "My World Championship final"

What to say about this World Championship final? In my opinion it was a disappointment...Luckily the crowd showed plenty of enthusiasm which indeed pushed the Spanish team to win the world title. The match was already over after 15 minutes!Denmark looked overwhelmed by a pregame tension with plenty of mistakes in their game play.The Danes were indeed the shadow of the team which according to many analysts was the favourite to win the world title. Instead it was Spain which built up its victory on his super defense: Canellas,Morros,Guardiola Maqueda were unbreakable...Denmark was unable to find any tactical solutions to beat the Spaniards'defence.The few times they did succeed it was up to Sterbik to stop the Danish attacks! Spain broke away in the beginning of the game and without any doubt the gold medal was assigned after 20 minutes of the first half!The second half was meaningless and boring. The Spanish crowd puts up a show!What a great feeling! What are my thoughts about Hansen being chosen as MVP? Well, it is likely a reward to a player who is an icon for handball around the world. On the other hand, I was greatly impressed by Canellas who during the three days'finals had shown to be: a great leader,an awesome defender and a super playmaker who took Maqueda to play an awesome final match...Anyhow, as a former goalkeeper myself, I can not forget to mention Sterbik.This guy has shown again on to be the one who can make a difference in a game...a terrific goalkeeper.. Denmark again failed to win..great skills,great players!What's wrong with the Danes?What are this team's limitations?I believe it is about time for the Danish to sit and find out what is going on...

Paolo Baresi: "Ora dico la mia sulla finale mondiale"

Beh che dire??Finale del mondiale deludente dal punto di vista agonistico e delle emozioni sportive...per fortuna lo spettacolo lo ha fatto la bella cornice di pubblico, l'entusiasmo del popolo spagnolo che ha voluto questo titolo mondiale...Dopo 15 minuti la finale era già incanalata verso una direzione della asfaltata!La Danimarca probabilmente "mangiata" dalla tensione pre gara,errori di precisione,di spazi e tempi in continuazione! L'ombra della squadra della semifinale che ,invece, aveva fatto dire a molti che la Danimarca era la candidata alla vittoria!Invece la Spagna costruisce la vittoria sulla sua super fase difensiva:Canellas,Morros,Guardiola Maqueda sono impenetrabili...la Danimarca non trova soluzioni tattiche per battere la difesa e quelle poche volte che riesce c'è sempre Sterbik-the wall!La Spagna prende subito il largo ed al 20' la medaglia d'oro è gia assegnata! Nel secondo tempo più nulla e lo spettacolo lo fa il pubblico e quello spagnolo in particolare!Momenti emozionanti per gli amanti delllo sport vissuto con il cuore!

Mvp Hansen??probabilmente è un regalo ad un atleta che ,comunque rappresenta, uno spot per l'handball....nei 3 giorni delle finali ho visto ,invece, un Canellas grande leader,grande difensore ,vero regista dei "campeones"....da lui passa ogni scelta di tempi, ritmi,strategia....il vero leader di questa squadra...lui porta Maqueda ad una finale monstre...ma da ex portiere lasciatemi dire che Sterbik ha,ancora una volta, mostrato chi sia Sterbik..cosa decida quando decide di fare la differenza!Mostruoso...... Danimarca ancora seconda!!ma non vince mai pur se mostra qualità di gioco eccellenti!Ma cosa ha questra squadra??Che limiti??Credo che sia arrivato il momento di una riflessione profonda...

Nello Attias : "Italia svegliati!"

Abbiamo avuto il piacere di discutere con Nello Attias, uno dei grandi "vecchi"della pallamano italiana, la situazione di questo sport in Italia. Grazie Nello per la disponibilita'.

Come vedi la situazione della pallamano in Italia dal tuo punto di vista? "Una regressione totale nel settore maschile. Nel femminile purtroppo campionato con pochissime squadre (ce ne vorebbero 12 in un girone UNICO !)e una nazionale che si sveglia ma il cammino é ancora lungo." Se tu fossi il presidente della federazione italiana cosa cambiaresti e cosa lasceresti nel modo di gestione della pallamano? "Non ho questo tipo di ambizioni! Farei una riforma dei campionati, serie A1 a 14 co, tre gironi di A2. Quarti di finale con le 5 prime di A1 e le prime di ogni girone di A2 dopo di che final four ! NAZIONALE maschile under 18 e A "concentrate" a Roma o Milano, il venerdi ogni giocatore fa l'ultimo allenamento colla sua squadra e gioca in A1 o A2." Secondo te cosa si potrebbe imparare da altre federazioni che stanno raggiungendo buoni risultati internazionali, come la Tunisia ai mondiali maschili e il Brasile soprattutto a livello femminile? "La Tunisia lavora con campionati, provinciali, regionali poi nazionali già con giocatori di 12 anni ! e ci sono anche i campionati scolastici. I migliori giocatori sono presi in mano dai tecnici federali e fanno tanta esperienza. Dei 15 che hanno fatto gioco uguale con la Francia e battuto la Germania, 9 sono under 20 ! 4 giocano in Francia!" Brasile, PAESE IMMENSO, soluzioni diverse ! campionato PRO con 8 squadre, tanti campionati, regionali e interregionali, selezioni under rigorose, poi le migliori mandate a giocare all'estero (per mancanza di vera strutturo professionale !) e un tecnico con i fiocchi ! Sia in Tunisia che in Brasile, grosso lavoro sugli arbitri per far si che i giocatori si adeguino all'arbitraggio internazionale e non ai regali fatti alle "grandi squadre" o alle squadre di casa." Cosa risponderesti a chi dice che la causa della crisi della pallamano in Italia e'dovuta alla recessione economica? "Che si mi affidano la direzione tecnica della nazionali maschili, trovo gli sponsors e in due anni siamo ai livelli di Brasile e Argentina." Per finire, un tuo pronostico sul team vincitore dei mondiali in Spagna? "Io non ho mai vinto ne al superenalotto ne al totocalcio, per cui un mio pronostico ha poco valore ! La Spagna gioca in casa, la Francia e la Danimarca hanno uno squadrone, Islanda e Russia non scherzano, e non dimentichiamoci che la Croazia é sempre là quando ci vuole : è tutto APERTO!"

Nello Attias " Italy wake up!"

We had the pleasure to chat with Nello Attias, one of the "Fathers"of Italian handball, about the current situation. Thank you Nello for your time.

What's your point of view on the current situation of Italian handball? "A total regression on the men's activities side. A women's top league with very few teams where an ideal scenario would see a league with 12 teams.A national squad which has shown improvements but still, it does have a long way to go." If you were the president of the Italian federation, what would you change and what would you keep in the current management of the sport? "I have no ambition to become president!" I would start a reform of the leagues: an A1 division with 14 teams, three A2 divisions. Quarter-finals with the first 5 teams of A1 and the first two A2 teams of each division.Finally the best teams would compete in a Final 4! The men's NT under 18 and the senior team would be part of a residency program either in Rome or Milan.On Fridays players after their last training session would leave and join their individual teams." What do you think we could learn from other federations which have been achieving good international results, such as Tunisia at the Spanish WC and Brazil mainly in the women's sector? "Tunisia has been working on grassroots levels with provincial and regional leagues. They select and run national teams with players starting already at the age of 12.Furthermore there are also regular schools championships. The best players have been chosen by federal coaches in order to gain experience.Amongst the 15 players who have been playing France and beat Germany, 9 of them are younger than 20 years of age and four have been playing in France!". Brazil,a HUGE COUNTRY with different solutions!A pro league with 8 teams, so many championships, regional and inter-regional rigourous selections.After that the best ones are sent to play overseas, due to a lack of a real professional structure at home!Let's not forget that this process is managed by a great coach! Both Tunisia and Brazil have been working hard on the refereeing side to make sure that players get used to the International refereeing style and where players will not witness possible biased referees'decision in favour of the home team or a famous one." What would you say to those critics who state that the cause of the crisis of Italian handball is due to the economic downturn? "Let me manage the men'national team,I will find sponsorhips and in a couple of years we will be on the same level of Brazil and Argentina." Finally, who will win the Spanish World Championship? "I have never won the lottery or any soccer bettings, so I do think my prediction would have little value!Anyway Spain plays on the homeground, France and Denmark have great teams,Iceland and Russia are still good opponents.Let's not forget that Croatia is always ready when it is crunch time! It's all OPEN!"

Tarafino on Italian Handball

Alessandro Tarafino, according to many the best Italian player ever, talks with Handball Galore about the current situation of Italian handball. Thanks Alessandro for your time. How do you see the post federal elections in the Italian handball world? "Now, what is done is done .. We need to move on and look at the future.It's going to be up to the relevant authorities to find out if there had been any irregularities during the last federal elections in Naples. We are going through a difficult historical time from where we have to try to get out of in the best possible way. That could be done through: programming and working at grassroots levels. I would expect the elections'winners to come up with an effective plan which can restore confidence and enthusiasm to teams in difficulty.A partnership and technical support to show the right path to teams which run youth league activities. I would also expect to see coaching clinics and a suitable plan which would restore momentum and visibility to the men's national team and the top league." What is your opinion about "The Great Handball Family"? "I do not think we can be happy and satisfied with the current situation of Italian handball. The fact that there have been numerous teams and managers who were in favour of a leadership change at the elections it is in my opinion legitimate and meaningful. There are still those who believe that we can recover from the shameful condition in which we find ourselves when compared to the Italian sport scene and to the International handball world. The Great Handball Family through its initiatives aims to make a contribution towards the relaunching and giving back hope of renewal to teams and fans." What role should former internationals like you have in Italian handball? "It's high time to stop sitting on the fences and jump into action instead. Everyone has to get involved in some of kind of activity which will help handball to recover. Here it is my message to former athletes, national squad players,any players on the territory,qualified coaches who feel to have been left in a corner.Let's go back to work together to revitalise and make our sport more professional. The Great Hnadball Family gives everyone: athletes, coaches, managers, referees or ordinary fans the opportunity for discussion and partnership linked to initiatives which will improve handball." Have you got any "recipe" to save Italian handball? "Each of us must do our part. Mine is to focus on activities at grassroots level by making my own experience available to the youngest generations.Teams should put more effort and energy into developing youth activities in their own territory.Teams should have a first quality squad in any relevant category in order for younger players to view it as a point of reference and a goal to reach.The same goes for senior and junior national squads. The implementation of a specific marketing strategy which would aim at making handball more popular and visible at national level is of paramount importance if we are seriously going to grow and attract new financial resources. There are many initiatives and ideas that we could implement in order to believe again in this sport.As a matter of fact, we have been failing in believing in our sport which is the most negative aspect in my opinion. There are no magical recipes:we have to start with a brand new slate and with the support of all fans".

Let's go back to International handball: have you got any favourite teams at the Spanish World Championship? "Yes I have.My favourite teams are:France, Denmark, Poland, Spain and Hungary."

Tarafino dice la sua sulla pallamano italiana

Alessandro Tarafino,secondo molti il miglior giocatore italiano di pallamano di tutti i tempi dice la sua sulla situazione attuale della pallamano italiana. Grazie Alessandro per la disponibilita'. Come vedi il post elezioni nel mondo della pallamano italiana? "Ormai, quel che fatto è fatto..Dobbiamo andare avanti e guardare al futuro. Se ci sono state delle irregolarità nello svolgimento delle elezioni federali a Napoli saranno gli organi competenti a stabilirlo. Stiamo attraversando un momento storico difficile da cui bisogna cercare di venirne fuori il meglio possibile. Questo si traduce in: programmazione e lavoro con i giovani. Mi aspetto dai vincitori delle elezioni, un piano efficace, che possa ridare fiducia ed entusiasmo alle società in difficoltà, collaborazione e supporto tecnico che mostri la strada da percorrere ai club che svolgono attività con i giovani, corsi per allenatori adeguati e un piano che ridia slancio e visibilità alla Nazionale Maschile e al campionato." La Grande Famiglia dell’Handball”: cosa ne pensi? "Credo che non si possa essere contenti e soddisfatti dell’attuale situazione della pallamano Italiana . Il fatto che ci siano stati numerosi Club e Presidenti che abbiano voluto dimostrare il loro desiderio di cambiamento attraverso delle regolari elezioni è legittimo e significativo. C’è ancora chi crede di poter riemergere dallo stato vergognoso in cui ci troviamo rispetto al panorama degli altri sport Italiani e al livello della pallamano Internazionale. La Grande Famiglia dell’Handball attraverso le sue iniziative vuole contribuire a rilanciare e ridare speranza di rinnovamento ai club e a agli appassionati in genere." Che ruolo dovrebbero avere gli ex nazionali come te nel movimento? "E’ giunto il momento di non stare più a guardare, chiunque si sente di poterlo fare e di averne le capacità, dovrà avere la possibilità di svolgere delle attività che aiutino il nostro sport a riemergere. Ex atleti, Nazionali e non, bandiere dei rispettivi club, tecnici qualificati messi in disparte , rimbocchiamoci le maniche e cerchiamo di dare maggiore competenza ed energia al nostro sport. La Grande Famiglia dell’Handball dà a tutti : atleti, tecnici, dirigenti, arbitri o semplici sostenitori l’opportunità di confronto e collaborazione per tutte le iniziative volte al miglioramento." Avresti una "ricetta'per salvare la pallamano italiana? "Ognuno di noi deve fare la propria parte. Il mio è quello di svolgere attività giovanile, cercando di mettere le mie esperienze al servizio delle nuove generazioni. Più sforzi ed energie devono essere coinvogliate dai club nei settori giovanili. Le società devono cercare di mantenere una dignitosa prima squadra che svolga un qualsiasi campionato di categoria e che sia punto di riferimento e di arrivo per i giovani delle categorie inferiori del club.. Lo stesso discorso vale per le squadre della federazione : la Nazionale e le varie rappresentative nazionali giovanili. L’attuazione di una strategia di marketing precisa che renda più popolare e visibile la Pallamano su tutto il territorio Nazionale è indispensabile se vogliamo crescere ed attirare maggiori risorse economiche. Esistono innumerevoli iniziative ed idee da poter realizzare, che ci permetterebbe di riacquisire la voglia di credere in questo sport, cosa che attualmente sta venendo meno, e che è l’aspetto a mio avviso più negativo. Non esistono ricette magiche, dobbiamo ripartire da zero, con il contributo di tutti gli appassionati." A proposito di pallamano internazionale, quale e'il tuo pronostico sui mondiali spagnoli? "Francia, Danimarca, Polonia, Spagna, Ungheria sono le mie favorite"

Dimitris Dimitroulias on the upcoming Spain Men's World Championship

Dimitris Dimitroulias,the coach who lead Greek team Diomidis Argos to win last year's Challenge Cup was keen to talk to Handball Galore about this year's Men's World Championship. Thank you Dimitris for your time. What do you think could be the highlights of the upcoming World Championship? "The World cup is a trophy that sounds so sweet to every sportsman's ears. “There will be blood” for whoever is gonna be the conqueror . The host country is one of my favorites because it combines very warm,passionate people with deep understanding of the meaning of team sport!!It is gonna be so exciting, I can’t wait to be there for the finals!!" Who are your favourite teams for the final? "To me, the absolute favorite of this WC is gonna be Spain. It is not only the tournament host country, but for what I have seen until now, Spain has been developing their game attitude rapidly and have a good plan to every gameline!!Of course I never underestimate the force of the French, the temperament of the Croats and the completeness of the Danish!!" What team would you see as a possible surprise during the WC? "Slovenia and Hungary are teams with a lot of classy players combined with much experience in top tournaments. On the other hand,I would love to see some surprises from so called underdogs,especially from South America. Brazil has been preparing for Rio 2016 and Argentina has a lot of potentials.Infact the Gladiatores got many players performing in European leagues.On Africa’s side, I would expect Tunisia to be really strong in the tournament." Any specific players to keep an eye on? "First I must say that it is a pity that Jicha, the world's best player to my opinion, is out of the World Championship.There will be so many top class players which makes it difficult to choose from. But I could make a “not so risky” prediction about:Nagy, Hansen, Karabatic, Sterbic, Lazarov ,Igropulo and Ilic.These guys are going to put their skills and vast experience onto the handball court and make it happens!!" Where would you like to see the WC being hosted in the future? "I would love to see a WC in my country, but I know that it is yet far to come. I suppose same goes for Italy, but, on the other side, this can be achieved by promoting handball on a large scale. Greece hosted not long ago,a youth handball world championship with great success and gained a lot of new supporters. Italy and Greece are strategically important countries for European and world handball. So if the sport in the two nations will improve,handball will become globally more popular and attractive to sponsorships and media oulets. I hope in the future we will have a chance to see also such a big tournament in our countries."