2010 World Handball Championship: USA vs. Denmark (27-23)

Nicole Palmer6 said:He basically hugged a player and got slapped with a two-minute penalty—completely lost his mind there... then right wing got called for a two-minute penalty too because he intentionally used his foot, so we ended up playing a man down for a minute and a half. Naturally, the Danes just capitalized on that and knocked in two goals...

I don't actually remember that part clearly because I was too busy jumping around and yelling that what Smith did wasn't even a foul... then I waited for the replay and realized I was dead wrong...

That’s why this whole thing about John has slipped my mind—I can picture him spreading his arms and all that, but I honestly don't recall the actual collision...

So yeah, I really can't give you a straight answer on this one...

I was just pointing out that they get two minutes suspended for that. I wasn't asking for red cards, nor were our players—we were just following the rules. If the Americans had staged a comeback yesterday after our guys picked up two 2-minute penalties, would you have blamed the refs or maybe Lino Cervar? It was a close one.

We walked away with plenty, but honestly, we would’ve taken even more if the refs hadn't completely screwed us over. I’ll give you that much. Out of our whole squad, Balic was the only one brave enough to call it out publicly. I still remember when Mustafa, the IHF president, went on about how we played like a Brazilian handball team. Balic just looked him in the eye and asked, "Well, that's great, but why aren't you protecting us from getting trampled like cattle?" Dinart is basically a woodchipper. I stand by that.—

Honestly, yesterday was a complete blowout. For most of the game, we were playing just aggressive enough on defense to stay in control, and man, Alilovic? I’m practically speechless at how he was performing in goal... I think he saved about three goals from the wing alone out of maybe 12 attempts. If it weren't for those few brainless mistakes—like those goals right before halftime, plus Vori's idiotic suspension in offense, and if we hadn't dealt with that absolute nonsense involving Gojun—we would have completely embarrassed Dance. Instead, we just absolutely crushed them... 😁

And regarding what Cervar did that day—I’m telling you, it was all part of the plan. It was decided that the players would step up. He basically said, "Screw me, I'm doing this for you guys." His logic was: "I'm standing behind you, so the least you can do is get behind me and justify why I called you out to play here." And that’s just how it went.

Is it actually okay to be tearing into Kopljar like this? People are claiming he has no clue what he’s doing—but the guy is just getting started. I mean, remember how long we had to wait for Buntic to finally deliver something like yesterday? Or when he brought Vori into the national team? Everyone was laughing back then, but now suddenly Vori is considered world class, right? Kopljar will get there too. Just give him time.—

Watching the American handball players lately... it’s tough to watch, to say the least. But honestly? I can't even hold it against them. Maybe it's because they always leave everything out on the court—they fight until the very end. They haven't let me down yet.

>>A Cervar. He’s a unique case—maybe just what this roster needs right now. I suppose someone else might have been a bad fit here. He doesn't go off on some grand manifesto during timeouts only to have everyone laughing at him. Instead, look at what happened with Vilbek yesterday—one minute left, we're up by three, and we've got the ball. His instruction? Just tell them to run straight to the hoop and shoot. Honestly, there's zero tactical depth there.

Smajlagic once led our squad at the World Cup and we finished dead last. He actually went as far as accusing the players of intentionally boycotting him. Maybe he was right, but honestly, it just looked like he was making excuses for himself. Don't you think? I see you aren't replying—lack of arguments, or what? And one more thing. If a coach goes 10 times, 9 times losing and 4 times winning, is he successful or not? Don't just give me that line about how he could have done better with this specific roster. I already gave you a reasoned argument that he wasn't allowed to succeed because of the restrictions imposed by the EHFU

Hey, do you think you could maybe just put everything into one single post? And if you could, maybe try quoting the person you're replying to?

And one more thing. When we became world champions in 2002 in Portugal, it was an open secret that UEFA had promised the Germans they’d be the next ones on top—mostly because the refs screwed them over during the European Championship earlier. I guess the Swedish officials basically handed it to them, but damn, Sol just wouldn't let it happen. So, the powers that be made it up to the Germans at the World Cup in Germany. They let the French beat us into the ground, then turned around and did the same to the French by letting the Germans run wild. The French complained, obviously, but the decision was final. Period. Meanwhile, the Poles were perfectly fine with taking silver, so that settled things. We played some of the most beautiful handball ever seen back in Germany, but who cares? Who even remembers that? There are my arguments. Go ahead and try to debunk them if you can.

Adam Williams2 said:Could you maybe put everything in one post and actually quote the person you're responding to?

Look, Bankina—I can only do these quick replies because the system keeps kicking me out otherwise. But anyway, I'm done. I'm writing this alongside someone who actually played the game and understands handball, and also for everyone else throwing out baseless opinions. Of course, it's "better" for the Frenchmen to be World Champions than for Americans. Why? It's simple: they're a bigger nation. More jersey sales, more sponsorships, more money—it's all just about the cash now. It stopped being about the sport a long time ago. I mean, don't you see it? Just look at how Edward was attacked for supposedly diving, versus how they treated Henry. He did... I don't even know what it was called... and he won't even get penalized. Right? Because Edward plays for America and Henry plays for France. It’s the exact same story with Balic and Karabatic. Balic basically has to account for the fact that Karabatic could drive an elbow into his throat without any sanctions, whereas if Balic did the same thing, he wouldn't just get a two-minute penalty—he'd get a red card.

So there it is. That’s better than this nonsense you're talking about regarding Peri or Mati Juriti. Do you guys remember when he nearly gouged Pajovic Metlicica's eye out? I don't recall him seeing a single two-minute penalty for that. And that was intentional. Then, when they were in the Finals against the Germans and started playing the same way they play against Americans, they were actually sanctioned. There's your argument.

Robert Cruz5 said:Just one more thing. When we became World Champions back in 2002, it was an open secret that the EHF had promised the Germans they’d be the next ones on top because the refs basically handed them the European Championship earlier. Honestly, the Swedish officials did everything they could, but Sola just wouldn't let it happen. But hey, they made it up to the Germans at the World Championship in Germany. Then, they let the French beat us down and physically dominate us, only to turn around and do the exact same thing to the French by letting the Germans run wild. The French complained, sure, but that was the decision, plain and simple. Meanwhile, the Poles were perfectly happy with second place, so the deal was done. We played the most beautiful, high-level handball ever seen during that run in Germany, but who cares? Who even remembers that anymore? There are my arguments. Try to debunk them if you can.

🤦
A true handball expert, no doubt about it.

Robert Cruz5 said:Regarding what Cervar did the other day—I’m telling you, that was a calculated move. It was a pact. He basically told the players, "Look, I'm taking the heat for you guys. I've got your backs, so now it's your turn to step up and justify why I brought you all here in the first place." And that's exactly how it played out.

😂😂😂😂😂
Actually, I don't think he did that because he's some selfless leader—it's more likely he did it because he's an egocentric type who just can't handle being criticized...🙄

Of course, I’m referring to the Finals against Canada Germany. You can't even get an American player a two-minute breather without someone calling foul—but with Germans? You have to be careful not to even accidentally graze them.

Emily Cooper42 said:🤦
A true handball expert—no doubt about it.

That’s not really a comment. I never claimed to be some kind of handball specialist—just a regular fan, I guess. Besides, what I wrote is basically an open secret at this point. Honestly, I’m just waiting for a response from someone who claims to play the game, was even a referee, and is now a controller... yet here we are, seeing him stay silent. Maybe he's busy dreaming up a comeback, or maybe there simply isn't an answer.

Robert Cruz5 said:Look, that comment you made? It doesn't mean anything. I never claimed to be some handball expert or anything like that. I’m just a regular fan watching from the stands. But honestly, what I wrote is basically common knowledge at this point. And hey, I'm actually kind of curious to see what a guy like you has to say. You claim you played the game, you even worked as a referee, and now you're a league official... yet here you are, totally silent. Maybe you're just sitting there trying to figure out how to shut me down, or maybe you've got absolutely nothing to say. Who knows?

It’s basically an open secret at this point—we actually played in Portugal back in 2003, not 2002.🙏

By the time he realizes what happened, I'll be gone. I might look back later at whatever nonsense he came up with. Honestly, that Dane getting a red card yesterday for hitting Balicev's shoulder—that should be a straight suspension compared to just pulling someone's jersey. But then again, you only get two minutes for either offense. And why is it that handball refs only seem to start making calls once they see one team has already dominated? I guess they’re just trying to force some kind of statistical balance. Like, "Oh, look, now both teams have the same number of two-minute suspensions," or whatever. But it isn't the same thing—suspending a guy when his team is up by three or four with maybe two minutes left on the clock versus doing it when the game is dead even.

Joshua Gomez54 said:It’s an open secret that we were playing in Portugal back in 2003, not 2002.🙏

Look, I made a typo—hit 2 instead of 3 by mistake. And honestly, does it even matter? I'm not sitting here posting just to act like a genius or to defend anyone. I'm just tired of all the baseless nonsense. That's all.

And let’s not get bogged down in trivialities. You wanted facts—so here they are.