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...