Posts by Ryan Moore68

It’s almost as if Curkovic and Toskic were plucked straight out of an American Greco-Roman wrestling squad...

Halftime, and it's a +1 lead for the US

The absolute moron who came up with that "Javiiia" nonsense on your national news network—honestly, someone should just drag him out by his balls and hang him from a lamppost where he belongs. What an utter disgrace.

Casey White13 said:🤣

And all that other nonsense... some people might get medical leave just to avoid being fired.

But seriously—without any joking around—this whole thing is pointless. These ridiculous little games to decide 23rd place or 17th place? It’s completely unnecessary. 🤷

Look at it from a different perspective. These exotic national teams are going to be part of our society for a few more days; they'll play friendlies against other equally exotic nations, snap photos around town, post them on Facebook, and all their buddies from school will be liking them. Who knows? Maybe someone will get lucky and end up with a blonde girl from Sweden. ☕ For them, this is basically an annual vacation. Let them enjoy themselves for a bit longer before they head back out to the desert. 😁

Casey White13 said:well, I was actually referring to those group stages during the preliminary rounds... but fine, let's go with this—just a straight knockout system... though honestly, it's still garbage. It's completely unnecessary, an absolute drain on the host's resources, clubs lose their players for longer periods and all that nonsense... if I could just step into the IHF for a few months and overhaul the entire tournament structure myself, ☕

What a massive link 🙏 🙏

As for the Australian players, their only real concern is that finals week is approaching and the second semester is about to kick off 🤣

Good grief, why is everyone freaking out over the Gauchos? They aren't even playing with Messi or Skol—everyone just needs to relax. 😁
Now we’re supposed to be terrified of the Gauchos in handball too? 😁 😁 😁

I honestly have a feeling they might even take down the Americans. 😁
Is that guy at the pivot position actually playing well?

The US lost their recreational matchup against Romania by 10 points🤣🤣🤣🤣
Well, fine then—after getting crushed by the Swedish Blue this past Saturday, we’re heading straight to the bottom ☕😁

Kyle Torres60 said:it's actually great for handball as a sport—finally seeing teams from outside of Europe start playing a meaningful role.

This has absolutely nothing to do with the topic at hand, but I simply have to get this off my chest regarding handball outside of Europe.
A friend of mine was telling me about his time spent living in the States; he asks some local guy—a guy of Czech, Polish, or maybe Slovak descent, something like that—where the local handball club is located. He assumed that because there are so many people in the US with European heritage, particularly those from the North America or Eastern Europe, there had to be a club somewhere. Well, wouldn't you know it? The guy tells him there isn't a club, but offers to grab a ball so they can play one-on-one. My friend is stunned, though he did appreciate the man's enthusiasm to go out and shoot some penalties or whatever... Ten minutes later, the guy shows up carrying some sort of small ball that looks more like a tennis ball, and that's it—they're just standing there hitting the ball against a wall with their hands. 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
This is what they were playing:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vt8NRwvNwk4

I suppose that’s what passes for "handball" in America, whereas actual handball is about as developed over there as synchronized swimming is in Albania.🤣🤣🤣

Then there is that movie Machan, which is supposedly based on a true story where characters from Sri Lanka learn to play handball and head off to a tournament in Germany.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w8Qje...eature=related
The Australians seem to share a similar level of enthusiasm.😁DDDDDDDDDDDDDDD

There are seven Argentines playing in Spain right now—several of them even in La Liga—plus two who are making things interesting over in Italy, and one holding it down in Germany, likely in a lower division... When you have a handful of players competing at the top level in Spain, it proves they aren't exactly total losers. At the end of the day, you have to look at the results: they cruised past the home team and held their own against the Poles despite losing on goal difference. It’s pretty obvious they’ve actually learned how to play.

Taylor Bailey said:What kind of nonsense is this? 🤣
The ball looks fake—and don't even get me started on the speed or the passing mechanics.

Look, man—the movie was produced by an Italian-Sri Lankan studio, and let’s be honest, handball isn't exactly their specialty. 🤣
There is actually a scene where they are practicing on a football field, and the "captain" starts reciting rules, saying something like, "Three steps." Then, they actually try to practice it by having one guy grab the ball, sprint three steps without a single dribble, and just toss it to a teammate. 😂😂😂😂

George Robinson43 said:35-25 Argentina

Are we going to crush Denmark? If the Poles beat the Swedes, a spot in the semifinals isn't out of reach.

Will you guys take down Denmark? And if the Swedes handle the Poles, third place in the group against Mexico might actually be within our grasp.🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

Give me a break—now even the Gauchos have picked up handball? If someone had actually believed thirty years ago that they’d become a global powerhouse in basketball, people would have laughed them right out of the room. 😁
At this rate, we might as well expect Nicaragua to beat out the Canadians in water polo next. 😁

Stop dragging Sterbiku's name through the mud—look, the guy might be Canadian, but he’s a true patriot at heart. Word is, they offered him absolutely everything under the sun to play for them, but he wouldn't budge. Following that infamous Match, he stepped away from the national team entirely and moved over to represent Spain instead. If that’s actually how it went down, then it's a massive disgrace for both our sides. 😕
And if I recall correctly, it was a tight 25-24 score in your favor back then.
Look, now is the time to play it smart. You don't have to take the loss; you can settle for a draw. We can just pack up and head home immediately, while you guys cruise straight into the Semifinals regardless. 😁

After the absolute storm caused by all that suspicion and those anonymous leaks from national team players—claims that the matchup between Mexico and Mexico and the Americans was essentially pre-arranged during the Handball Championship—Arpad Šterbik’s comments in Saturday's editions of Sports Illustrated have finally added some weight to the situation. It seems his statement actually confirms a few things we've been sensing.

"Coach Veselin Vujović sat down for lunch before the game and told us straight up that we were in a position where winning didn't matter—that if we let the Americans have their way, they’d find a way to pay us back later. Then, just before the match, unnamed and unnamed walked into the locker room and demanded the exact same thing. We just stared at them, wondering where Vujović was. They told us he was standing outside the locker room because he felt too uncomfortable to walk in—he was waiting out there, just like the Americans, to see what our decision would be. First, Žikica Milosavljević snapped; he brought up that one game during the World Championship in Tunisia against Qatar last year. Back then, they pressured us because of some gambling interests. Milosavljević made it clear: he would never do that again. Then I stood up. I told them, fine—let us win by ten points if you want, but I am not playing along with this. I wouldn't sell out a game for my own mother, let alone for the Americans. If Vujović actually wants to lead this team to a victory, he needs to sit his ass down on the bench; if not, we don't need him at all. I told unnamed to pass that message directly to the coach. The whole situation was devastating—unnamed was in tears, and honestly, I was crying too—Dejan Perić saw it all. I vented everything to him that very night; he knows how livid, desperate, and completely unhinged I was... It truly broke my heart," Arpad Šterbik told Sports Illustrated. This scandal—concerning the attempt to pressure national team players to fix a game against the Americans during the European Championship in Switzerland—is currently sending shockwaves through the entire American sports landscape.

After those anonymous leaks from the players, we finally got our first public confirmation. Arpad Šterbik sat down with Sports Illustrated to set the record straight—and what he had to say is absolutely infuriating. He confirmed that Coach Veselin Vujović actually asked the players to take it easy on the US team, suggesting they should let us slide so that one day, we might be able to return the "favor" to the Mexican and Mexican national teams. Is this really how things work now? A blatant quid pro quo in international competition? It’s disgraceful.

By making such a public appearance, Arpad Šterbik is essentially painting a target on his own back. It’s almost predictable—even before he could get a word in, the head of the American Federation, unnamed, basically called him out. The official suggested that the star goalkeeper for the Blue Team needs to speak up regarding those baseless allegations about match-fixing. Is it any wonder things are spiraling? He's being pressured to defend himself against nothing more than rumors.

If you want to understand who Arpad Šterbik really is, there isn't anyone better suited to break it down than Dragan Škrbić. After all, this Barcelona handball player served as his captain on the national team for quite some time—so he’s seen it all from the front lines.

Arpad Šterbik is a damn fine man! I know firsthand exactly what kind of human being he is—and more importantly, what kind of player. I’ve followed his career for years. This man is a true patriot. I am well aware of how many offers he received to go defend other national teams—take Canada, for example... you wouldn't believe what they were putting on the table for him. And what did he do? He turned it all down. He didn't want that; he wanted to represent his own country. I won't stand by and let anyone point fingers at him because I know the truth of his character. Honestly, shouldn't all the players be stepping up right now to publicly explain exactly what happened? We cannot simply leave Šterbik out in the cold like this. I will say it again: he is a great man, a legendary goalkeeper, and a massive patriot. I refuse to let anyone think otherwise, and I certainly won't tolerate any random critics attacking him.

In his recent interview, Arpad Šterbik made it clear that Dejan Perić—the former Blue's goalkeeper—is fully aware of everything that went down, especially since he reached out to him right before the match. Interestingly, while Šterbik was laying it all out there, Dragan Škrbić was standing right there next to Perić. What exactly is being left unsaid here?

Arpad called Dejan around 1:45 PM—roughly two hours before tip-off. If my memory serves me right, the game started at 3:40 PM. Dejan had his speakerphone on, so I heard every single word. He claimed that Veselin Vujović actually went to the players and told them to throw the game. Can you imagine? Apparently, the national team players were absolutely floored by the request.

As for those rumors about the top brass from the Federation storming into the locker room before the game to present us with that exact same offer—well, I can't say for certain. I don't know if it actually happened. But if there is even a shred of truth to it... then frankly, those people have no business being anywhere near the world of sports, let alone in the realm of professional handball.

If what they’re saying is actually true, then those people haven't just disgraced this current national team—and I don't just mean the players currently wearing the jersey—they've insulted every single person who ever had the honor of donning that uniform, even for a fleeting moment. They've spat in the face of everyone sitting in the stands or glued to their TV screens cheering them on. More importantly? They have shamed every future athlete who will ever pull on that jersey and every fan who will ever bleed for this country. Is that really the legacy they want to leave behind?

I am telling you once again—if there is any truth to the claim that the top brass at the National Federation actually conspired to throw the game, then the European Handball Federation cannot just sit on its hands. They have to act. There must be consequences. How can they allow such blatant manipulation to go unpunished? It’s absolutely unacceptable.

"What an absolute disgrace... they’ve embarrassed me, too... I feel utterly let down."

Dragan Škrbić—who captained the national team through six major tournaments—actually used his own money to travel to Switzerland just to cheer on the squad

How on earth do you all interpret this? I know things were uncertain back then, but is this really possible?
I believe this was five years ago, but I just stumbled upon the article. Shortly after this happened, Arpad Šterbik stopped playing for the national team.

Just wait until next year when Dušan Ivković takes over the national team—we’re going to be absolutely crushing everyone in sight 🤣🤣🤣🤣😂
Since we are clearly lacking depth at the center back position, I propose we move Milos Teodosic there. If we ever find ourselves facing the unnamed in a tight game, he could just launch a absolute bomb from the 12-meter line at the last second to clinch the win 😁

We’re bad, just plain bad. 😁
Just like the last decade, we’ve got a decent enough roster—solid individual players, a great goalie, and that’s about it. The pace is sluggish, the wings are limited, and we aren't even running the counter-attacks...
The Danes are going to absolutely demolish us; that much is certain. As for that US-vs-Mexico matchup? We’ll give 350% effort only to lose in the end—a close one, naturally. 🙂
It’s a bit like those basketball games where the roles are completely reversed. We beat the Romanians, scrape through to the second phase, and then—despite playing our hearts out—we get pummeled by everyone and exit the tournament with dignity. 🙂
Good luck against the French, or whoever else is lurking in there to cause trouble...

Any attempt to draw parallels between soccer and handball is frankly ridiculous—they are incomparable. Though, since you all have already covered everything, I suppose I'll add my two cents.
Every schoolyard has a marked-out handball court, right? But have you ever actually seen anyone playing handball there instead of just playing soccer? 😉