EHF CHAMPIONS LEAGUE INTRODUCES: VLADO SOLA (CO ZAGREB) – PART 4/4

In the past four weeks, we have introduced you CO Zagreb goalkeeper, Vlado Sola. The Croatian handballer reached his best results with the national team. He won silver medal at the 1995 World Championship in Iceland, just as in 2005 Tunisia. Sola took the gold medal at the 2003 WCh in Portugal, and he is also Olympic Champion of Athens 2004.

CO Zagreb have played the second group match at home in the Champions League. Despite the great expectations, the Croatians could not celebrate victory against Vardar Skopje in front of an enthusiastic public. In the closing chapter of our interview series with Vlado Sola, we talk to him about the difficult situation of CO Zagreb, but also about all the issues in handball that are interesting for the goalkeeper.

Eurohandball.com: Last weekend was not successful against Skopje. What was your opinion about the game?

Vlado Sola: We played... Well, I cannot find a word for it... Let's say, badly! We started badly and we were five and six goals down. Than we started to fear making a bad result.

Eurohandball.com: What's happened then?

Vlado Sola: We went for the break and our club director, Zoran Gobac, came in the dressing room. He was very angry, I have never seen him so angry before. So we had to play better...

We were leading by two goals just two minutes from time, but we lost two balls and lost two points at the end.

Of course we were disappointed. We are a better team, the strongest in the group with Leon, in my opinion.

Eurohandball.com: The situation is not tragic, however. There are only a few points of difference on the group table...

Vlado Sola: The players know that it is not tragic, but how can you explain it to the supporters who pay their money for the game and than we don't win? Or to the sponsors?

People pay for it and than they expect you to win. But this is a sport and in sports it is not always like this. Sometimes also the hot favourites can lose.

Eurohandball.com: Did it happen to you before that you were part of a great team, but the results did not come?

Vlado Sola: Oh yes, in Minden. I played their for two years. We had the best players of that time, such as Magnus Andersson, Hedin, Stoecklin, but we finished only eighth in the Bundesliga.

Eurohandball.com: So do you think it is only a question of time for CO Zagreb?

Vlado Sola: Oh, yes. All our trainings are hard and we did not forget how to play handball.We are simply in bad form, but when you have good players and a good team, it is only a question of form.

Now we must win in Switzerland against Schaffhausen, no matter how.

Eurohandball.com: Let's leave this group for a moment. Many people say that Men's CL is a competition between Spanish and German teams. They add, however, that Zagreb may reach their level...

Vlado Sola: I don't think that it is a race between Spanish and German teams only. There are many good teams, not only from these two countries. Veszprém, Celje, Szeged, Zagreb or Gudme are all good sides.

It's enough to see that the halls are full everywhere. Okay, the Macedonians have a small hall, but they are building a new one and that will also be filled with people.

So, I'm not sure that only German and Spanish teams matter. Maybe today they have some more money, but I hope that in the future all these teams will have enough money for players and good sports halls. I really believe that handball has a future!

Eurohandball.com: What has changed over the almost two decades that you spent in top handball?

Vlado Sola: In Germany, for example, only small cities had handball teams and there were 1,000 spectators a game. Today big cities have good handball with a minimum of 6,000 supporters. The biggest arena hosts 20,000 and all the halls are full.

In Spain there were only two good teams, today there are many.

Also many Eastern Europeans are on a high level. The interest is big and the clubs are more professional. This is good for handball, but for me the most important is something else.

Kids' handball has made a big step. Today there are small goals, small balls and the children learn quickly a fast and technical game. In my time it was different. We didn't have these equipments, while today it helps a lot.

Eurohandball.com: You talk like an enthusiastic young coach... Do you have such ambitions?

Vlado Sola: I have ambitions to work in handball, but not as a coach. I would like to be involved in organisation and management.

Eurohandball.com: You have some practice in management at least in your own restaurant...

Vlado Sola: Well, I played in three countries and I have seen a lot. I also played with two generations and I see the difference. I see what is good for handball, in what direction it should move.

Eurohandball.com: And what is the right direction in your view?

Vlado Sola: My vision for European handball is to have one professional European league for the entire season. I know that this is difficult and there are national leagues, but I still believe that this is the way to take a bigger market share and earn more marketing revenues.

In the past four weeks we got to know Vlado Sola who is not only a great and successful goalkeeper, but also a very friendly and talkative sportsman dedicated to hanbdall and to all the sports in general. Eurohandball.com wishes Sola all the best for the CL season and also for his future career inside the sport.