12.05.2015, 04:10
A farewell to Berlin

INTERVIEW: Füchse coach Dagur Sigurdsson gets ready to say goodbye, but first has his sights set on the EHF Cup trophy.

A farewell to Berlin

Two final tournaments within one week as his farewell to Berlin: Dagur Sigurdsson and Füchse Berlin played the German Cup final tournament last week, and now will host the EHF Cup Finals as they did last year. 

And after missing the final in 2014, Sigurdsson – who will finish as coach of Füchse after the season to fully focus on the German national team – hopes Berlin have what it takes to defeat Velenje (Slovenia) in the semi-final and make it to the final. 

eurohandball.com: Do you like or dislike having to face Velenje in the semi of the EHF Cup finals?

Dagur Sigurdsson: To be honest, I did not care before or after about the draw. Four equal teams have deservedly qualified for the tournament, so it was not good or not bad to face Velenje. Maybe it was something like an omen, as we have faced Hamburg and Skjern twice in this season already, either in Bundesliga or the EHF Cup.

eurohandball.com: Last year Füchse were the host but missed the final. What is your plan to achieve a better result this year?

Dagur Sigurdsson: The situation is different this year. We experienced the event for the first time last year; now we have hopefully learned our lesson. All four participants are playing on a Champions League level, which doesn’t make things easier for us, but we are well-prepared.

eurohandball.com: So you don’t see any top favourite among the participants?

Dagur Sigurdsson: The matches in 2014 were all very tight, and it won’t be different in 2015. Maybe Hamburg deserve to have a little favourite role due to their international experience.

eurohandball.com: In 2014 Berlin won their first ever title just one week before the EHF Cup Finals in the German Cup. Does the cup event have any impact on Füchse’s performance level?

Dagur Sigurdsson: I don’t think so. First we focus on Hamburg, then we focus on Berlin. We are proud to be the only German team part of two final events. We can cope with this situation.

eurohandball.com: How important is the support from the stands for your team?

Dagur Sigurdsson: Extremely important! They have been at our side during all ups and downs and they have witnessed so many highlights in Max-Schmeling-Halle. I hope we can serve them another feast now.

As the EHF Cup Finals are your last major event as Füchse coach, are you under particular pressure?

Dagur Sigurdsson: No, not at all. We have some who say farewell, like Iker Romero and Konstantin Igropoulo, but we are all sitting in the same boat so we have to manage it together. And all – not only those leaving – are eager to win this trophy.

EHF Cup Finals Tickets

Handball fans across Europe can purchase their place at the 2015 EHF Cup Finals through the official website of the high-profile event www.berlinfinals.de.

The tickets, valid for all four matches, are available in four categories for 49, 69, 99 and 129 euro.

TEXT: Björn Pazen / cg