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Will you soon see him in the national jersey again?
Uwe Gensheimer from the Rhein-Neckar Löwen
Photo:
Frey-Pressebild / Deines / imago images / Thomas Frey
The German Handball Federation (DHB) had not yet invited Uwe Gensheimer and the other national players for the course, with national coach Alfred Gislason, the DHB selection for the European Championship qualifiers against Bosnia (November 5 in Düsseldorf) and in Estonia (November 8 in Tallinn) wants to prepare.
And yet the Bundesliga clubs in question declared to the umbrella association - as well as to all other national associations concerned - in a sample letter on Wednesday that "the request for dismissal could not be met for the time being".
The managing directors of the handball Bundesliga team justify this one-off process with the worsening conditions in the corona pandemic.
The letter that SPIEGEL has received is basically acknowledging that the associations are obliged to discard.
In addition, however, the club has "a legal duty of care for the health and maintenance of the workforce of our contract players as well as a responsible handling of economic risks towards the club's shareholders".
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Out in the main round: The national team at EM 2020
Photo: Robert Michael / dpa
A decision on the removal will be made on October 28th and communicated to the associations, it said.
"That is anything but an affront to the associations," says Frank Bohmann, the managing director of the Handball Bundesliga (HBL), when asked by SPIEGEL.
"We just want to gain a week and then reassess the situation."
The league's approach was coordinated with the DHB, said Bohmann.
According to SPIEGEL information, the HBL clubs had already decided on a concerted action on Wednesday a week ago in a conference call and asked the HBL administration to prepare a sample letter.
The clubs are demanding a guarantee from the national associations that the national players do not have to be quarantined when they return to the clubs.
"At the moment, the regulations in Hesse are such that the professionals would have to be quarantined for five days after returning, which is why they could not play for the next home game against Coburg," explains Björn Seipp, Managing Director of HSG Wetzlar.
The problem of international players
The problem - and that shows how delicate the matter is: No association can guarantee the league that a player does not have to be quarantined after returning from a risk area.
This would require agreements with the authorities.
And in view of the dynamic development of the corona pandemic, it is inconceivable that there will be assurances from politicians in advance.
Tallinn, Estonia, where the German national team will play on November 8, is currently not classified as a risk area by the Robert Koch Institute (RKI).
In the Bundesliga, however, there are numerous international national players, many of whom would have to travel to a risk area designated by the RKI if they were released.
SG Flensburg-Handewitt alone has several Scandinavian national players from Denmark and Sweden in its own ranks, both countries are sometimes considered to be risk areas.
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The Swiss Andy Schmid (Rhein Neckar Löwen; center) should compete with his national team in Zug, among other places - a risk area
Photo: Uwe Anspach / dpa
"We have carefully weighed the associated risks against each other," says HBL managing director Bohmann.
If the Bundesliga clubs do not relinquish their national players, the professionals are threatened with a ban for two days before and five days after the course.
With a corresponding escalation, these professionals could therefore for the seventh HBL game day on 11/12.
November will be blocked, which would force the HBL to cancel the game day.
Bohmann is aware that the sanctions imposed by the European Handball Federation (EHF) and International Handball Federation (IHF) "could go much further for the DHB".
European federation sticks to qualifying matches
He emphasizes that one "feels a little uncomfortable" with the national associations.
They do not want to give the impression that they want to impose German standards on other nations.
But one is "legally in a quandary", so Bohmann.
On the one hand, sanctions from the umbrella organizations threatened.
On the other hand, the professionals could also sue their employer if he neglects health protection.
And even the shareholders of the HBL clubs would have the opportunity to sue their managing directors.
The EHF, as the organizer of the qualification for the EM 2022, told SPIEGEL that a cancellation of the games was not an option.
EHF General Secretary Martin Hausleitner said: "There is no alternative for us to play the competitions to which we have contractually agreed."
All associations have declared that they will adhere to the test regime discussed.
The EHF has signed a 500 million euro marketing contract with the Swiss agency Infront and the streaming service DAZN for the period up to 2030, which also includes the national team competitions.
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