In an interview with blue Sport, Pascal Jenny, President of the Swiss Handball Federation (SHV), is delighted with the national team's performance at the World Championships - and with coach Andy Schmid.
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- The national team is putting in a strong performance at the World Handball Championships.
- Thursday is a highlight for the Swiss. They will face Olympic champions and defending champions Denmark.
- In an interview, association boss Pascal Jenny raves about the spirit of the Swiss team - and about young coach Andy Schmid.
Swiss Handball President Pascal Jenny will be supporting the team live on site against Denmark. "We are convinced that we Swiss will put in a good performance, even if there are over 16,000 Danes in the hall supporting the Olympic champions," he says in an interview with blue Sport.
The 50-year-old is delighted with his team's performance so far: "It's great that we've made it through to the main round. I see the team as very self-confident, euphoric, motivated and also as a unit - everyone has their role and plays their part, which is impressive. Especially because we know we're such a young team and we haven't had this experience every day in the past."
The responsibility for managing the young team was handed over to Andy Schmid - a coaching greenhorn - in February 2024. "When we chose him as national coach, straight from a world-class player, we gave him confidence and a pathway - the 2028 European Championships at home, where we really want to be at the top of the world," explains Jenny. "At the same time, we knew that as a former world-class player in the playmaker position, he was already the coach's extended arm as a player. He has a great deal of experience and it is now clear that he was able to put this into practice very quickly as a coach."
Great coaching career launched
Jenny is particularly pleased that Schmid has a knack for young players. He is certain: "We have been able to launch a great coaching future for Andi Schmid."
With an average age of 24.3 years, Switzerland has the youngest team at this World Cup. "The youngsters are benefiting hugely from Schmid," says Jenny. But it's not all down to the youngsters. "With goalie Nikola Portner and Lenny Rubin as the most important attacking players, Schmid has two experienced players in the team with whom he can exchange ideas on an equal footing," says Jenny. The mixture of experience, routine and the young, wild element is ideal, explains the association boss.
The goal of Andy Schmid and the team was the main round. "There is great joy and the conviction that we can achieve more. We wouldn't be top or competitive athletes if we didn't want more now. In the main round, we will face opponents against whom we can definitely succeed," says Jenny optimistically. On Tuesday, the team did indeed manage a win against Tunisia.
Start of a new era
After reaching the main round, there was also a culinary reward for the team - dinner at a restaurant that Schmid knew from his playing days in Silkeborg. "As president, I picked up the bill together with a business club member. It was a low, four-figure sum. It was a cool evening," Jenny sums up.
The thought of the showdown against Denmark gives Jenny "chicken skin". They want to play against the defending champions on an equal footing. However, he doesn't see a sensation on the horizon, although anything is possible in sport. "It wouldn't be realistic for us to expect points. But we will certainly perform well. We'll enjoy the atmosphere and try to inspire our fans," says Jenny.
Finishing in the top 10?
The last main round match against Italy is scheduled for Saturday. "An opponent that is within reach. I would even say we are the favorites. And if we manage to beat the Italians, we'll probably finish somewhere between 9th and 12th - at a World Cup with 32 teams. That would of course be a great achievement," emphasizes Jenny and adds: "That would be something that Swiss handball has not seen in the men's game in recent years."
For Jenny, it would be "the start of an era in which we gradually get closer to the world's best and hopefully can really reward ourselves at the home European Championships in 2028, as we have already done at this World Cup. We are looking forward to the future."
