Scandal of proportions before the semifinals of the European » SHAMEFUL images, the selector announced the boycott
Article by Maria Olteanu – Published Thursday, January 29, 2026, 5:57 p.m. / Updated Thursday, January 29, 2026, 5:58 p.m.
Croatia national team coach Dagur Sigurdsson (52) has decided to boycott the EHF's official media obligations ahead of the European Championship semi-final against Germany, scheduled to take place on Friday evening at 18:45 in Herning, Denmark, in the Jyske Bank Boxen hall.
The reason that caused the anger of the Croats? EHF officials' poor treatment of their delegation and last-minute hotel change are just some of the reasons for this decision.
After qualifying for the semifinals of the European Championship, the national handball team of Croatia set off for Denmark, after playing the main stage of the competition in Sweden, in Malmo.
Scandal erupted before the semifinals of the European men's handball
Although the team was originally expected to be accommodated in Herning, according to previous announcements, the organizer changed overnight the city and hotel where Croatia will await the duel with Germany in the semi-finals, so the delegation had to travel four hours to Silkeborg. The other three semi-finalists are accommodated in the host city of the penultimate act.
Croatia players on the way to Silkeborg // photo: X @Ivan Forjan
What happened terribly angered the Croatians, who “exploded” when they heard the news, because Silkeborg, the city where they were sent, is 40 kilometers away, and on Thursday, early in the morning, after two days of playing consecutively, they had to travel 5 hours by bus, according to sportnet.hr.
Exhausted, the Croatian handball players had to sleep on the floor, the absolutely shameful images being shared on social networks.
The selector decided to boycott the conference
This situation was not only difficult for the players, but also for the Croatian journalists who had rooms booked in Herning. Now, they have to travel the 40 minutes by car, and most of them do not have such an opportunity, the EHF decision turning their plans upside down.
Coach Dagur Sigurdsson gave the players the afternoon off today. Due to the poor treatment of the Croatian handball players, he has decided to boycott the media obligations imposed by the EHF and will address the media to explain his decision.
As for tickets, the situation is equally problematic.
“As usually happens in such situations, hundreds of calls are going to Denmark in search of the precious papers that allow access to the semi-finals, respectively the last day of the European Championship. There are no tickets for sale, and anyone who manages to get them through their own channels can say they have won the lottery“, stated the representatives of the Croatian Handball Federation on the official website.
