Handball European Championship: Player praises spectators with Iceland anthem after mishap

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Handball European Championship 2024
Embarrassing mishap with the Iceland anthem: national player praises spectators’ reaction

Error in the audio player: Island’s anthem was initially played much too quickly and erratically in Cologne

© Tom Weller / DPA

Before the game against Germany, the Icelandic handball players’ anthem was initially played incorrectly. The audience bridged the break that followed by shouting “Iceland”. National player Timo Kastening celebrates the reaction.

Handball national player Timo Kastening paid great praise to the audience in Cologne for their reaction to the anthem breakdown before the German handball players’ first European Championship main round game against Iceland (26:24). “I thought that was brilliant. That’s what makes handball,” said the right winger of the DHB selection. During the performance before kick-off, the Icelandic anthem was initially distorted and played haltingly on the tape. The organizers said the reason for this was a technical problem with the laptop’s audio player.

The 19,750 fans then started chanting for Iceland, bridging the almost one-minute break. “I would have liked to call,” said Kastening and added: “You could see that everyone was keen on handball and the Icelanders. That’s why they were rightly celebrated.” When the Icelandic national anthem was played in the usual sound quality, national coach Alfred Gislason also sang along. For the 64-year-old Icelander, it was his first competitive game against his home country.

The anthem was a warning sign for the Icelandic handball players

For the Icelanders, the anthem faux pas was a warning sign for the game. In the fierce duel, both teams gave each other nothing, but the Germans had a big advantage: goalkeeper Andreas Wolff. Without the numerous saves made by the outstanding keeper, the German team might not have won in the end. Wolff saved numerous balls, out of play and seven meters. In the heated and tense final phase alone, he saved two penalty throws and drove the Icelanders to despair.

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DPA

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