17.03.2009, 10:38
Lindgren: new Löwen coach

Former Swedish international signs three-year contract.

Lindgren: new Löwen coach

One month after Noka Serdarusic called off the Rhein Neckar Löwen move, the club has found a new coach. Swedish national coach Ola Lindgren signed a three year contract with the German Champions League participant.

Lindgren is coach of the insolvent German HSG Nordhorn until the end of this season. It was rumoured already in December that either Lindgren or the second Swedish national coach, Staffan Olsson, would become the Löwen coach.

Now the club announced Lindgren (45) as the successor of Wolfgang Schwenke, who is interim coach after Youri Chevtsov was sacked at the beginning of the season.

“We found a coach with a lot of national and international experience,” Löwen manager Thorsten Storm said. “He’s one of the best coaches in Europe.”

Lindgren is coach of Nordhorn since 2003 and coach of the Swedish national team since 2008. He was looking for a new job after his club had to start insolvency proceedings due to financial problems.

“I’m very sad that I have to leave Nordhorn,” Lindgren said. “I had to leave due to financial problems and the relegation to the second division of Germany. Now I found a new challenge at Löwen.”

Lindgren, who had played for Nordhorn before, played 343 international matches for Sweden. He won Olympics silver medal and was World and European champion. As a coach he led Nordhorn to the EHF Cup title last season.

Even as the new coach is announced, nobody knows right now which players will join Löwen next season.

Up to now they signed Olafur Stefansson (Ciudad Real), Alex Alvanos (VfL Gummersbach) and Bjarte Myrhol (HSG Nordhorn). Sergej Shelmenko (Chechov) and Mariusz Jurasik (Kielce) will leave the club.

Löwen still want to sign Nikola Karabatic from THW Kiel, but as the Frenchman said several times before, he would only have gone to Löwen for Noka Serdarusic. Kiel manager Uwe Schwenker said last week that they want to know if Karabatic will leave or stay in Kiel as soon as possible.

TEXT: Björn Pazen