Why does national handball coach Alfred Gislason keep raging on the sidelines despite two big victories against Switzerland and North Macedonia? Because he knows that nothing has been achieved at this home European Championship – and the next opponent is France.
The professional handball player Alfred Gislason from Akureyri on Iceland had the aura of the tough dog even during his active days. This is the name given to professionals who uncompromisingly subordinate their sporting life to success. Such people are usually tough – and tough on others. Can this nature be explained by the harsh nature of the volcanic island with its geysers, thermal springs and lava fields? In any case, Gislason’s approach has not changed in his second professional phase as a coach. On the sidelines he is seen as someone who allows dialogue with the players, but whose determination it is best not to stand in the way of.