Macedonian head coach Zvonko Šhundovski resigns

FYR Macedonia will have to look for a new men’s national team coach for the EHF EURO 2014 qualifiers as Zvonko Šhundovski announces his resignation.

After two successful years as the FYR Macedonia’s men’s national team head coach, Zvonko Šhundovski brought an end to his spell in charge, announcing his retirement by e-mail to the federation and media, just two days after returning from the World Championship in Spain and defeat in the last 16 against Germany. 

“I submit an irrevocable resignation as head coach of the Macedonian handball team. I make the decision solely in the interest of the national team.

“I believe in this generation. With a selection that I made exclusively from domestic players, we qualified for EURO 2012, finished in fifth place at EURO 2012, played in the qualification for the Olympics, and continued to the World Championship in Spain.

“I created a stable base for new success, that this generation of players deserves,” said Šhundovski in a written explanation.
FYR Macedonia travelled to Spain with the main goal to play in the last 16, but many players believe they could have gone one step further and qualified for the quarter-final.

The team had an up and down tournament, with two wins against Qatar and Chile, one draw with Russia, and two defeats against Iceland and Denmark, in the preliminary round. Pressure increased from Macedonian media on the coach and the federation, with questions asked about the team’s performances.

“The national team is reaching its maximum potential and is prepared to play in the final tournaments of the EURO or World Championship, and winning medals, which I leave to my successor.

“I thank the President of Macedonian Handball Federation, the Macedonian Handball Federation, the players, and technical staff for their cooperation.

“I am proud of the successes that we have achieved together, and FYR Macedonia has become a relevant factor in European and world handball.
The next international duty for the team is in March, when FYR Macedonia will play a double-header against Spain in the EHF EURO 2014 qualification.

The Macedonians will be looking for at least one win, due to their 32:25 loss against Portugal, two defeats against the Spanish will make qualification for the EHF EURO 2014 very difficult.