The handball president made a mistake: – Very embarrassing for him
On Sunday night, the stage was set for a nerve-wracking final in the World Handball Championship between Norway and France.
The Norwegian handball girls were under 10-16 against France with two minutes left of the first half. Just over a minute after the break, it was 16-16 in Granollers. Norway delivered a terrific second round and won World Cup gold with a 29-22 victory.
But everything did not go exactly according to plan during Sunday’s final night.
Steal the focus
The World Cup final between Norway and France was just finished when the handball president, Hassan Moustafa, suddenly stole the show.
After the World Cup final, the stage was set for a medal ceremony, and then things did not go quite as planned. In the handball president’s speech during the ceremony, Moustafa himself ended up designating Denmark as silver winners, writes Danish TV 2.
The audience in the hall shook their heads, and colleagues of the handball president tried to intervene, but Moustafa never managed to correct the embarrassing mistake that had just happened.
– I do not understand, said handball president Hassan Moustafa during the medal ceremony.
Furious
The embarrassing miss of the handball president was not well received. Just after the medal ceremony, French Beatrice Edwige slipped with the silver medal around her neck.
– In my opinion, this is very strange, says the French national team player Danish TV 2 sports.
– It is totally disrespectful to France. What more can I say? Do you think it is normal for the handball president not to know who is number two, right after the final has been played? I do not think so. To me, this is disrespectful to France, she continues.
– Flaut for ham
The criticism hailed from several quarters. Norway also sympathizes with the French, who had it hard enough from before after losing the final against Norway.
– It is a big mistake on his part. I’m thinking of France. It’s probably a little extra for them. You saw how they reacted, says Maren Aardahl from the Norwegian national team.
The Danish national team player Trine Østergaard also agrees with France, and calls it all a joke.
– Ha ha! We must have moved just one place higher up. It was a little embarrassing for ham, I think. But it’s just fun, says Østergaard.