Last year the Czech Handball Association appointed one of the country’s all-time greats, Ondrej Zdrahala, as its new president.

Zdrahala brought with him plenty of experience at top level, having led the Czech men to their best-ever EHF EURO finish in 2018 – sixth – while also becoming the second Czech player to secure the top goal scorer award, after Jan Filip.

Now, Zdrahala is planning to improve the Czech national team, by applying some of the knowhow learnt over his playing career in Germany, Norway and Poland.

One of the first decisions he made was to appoint a new coach to the men’s senior team, handpicking Spaniard Xavier Sabaté in February 2022 to lead the side over the next years.