The extent of the allegations against the former Bundesliga coach André Fuhr caused a new stir in women’s handball shortly before the European Championship. More than 30 people have now contacted the “Start Against Violence” advice center with reports about the training methods used by the former Borussia Dortmund coach.
“Among them were those affected and bystanders who had observed the relevant incidents,” said Athleten Deutschland when asked by the dpa and demanded: “The frightening descriptions of those affected show again how the strong dependency relationships in top-class sport form a fertile breeding ground for abuse of power and interpersonal violence be able. It is now necessary to ensure that those affected receive the support that they are entitled to and that they need.”
Initially, the “Spiegel” reported that numerous players had suffered mentally from Fuhr’s training work. When asked by dpa, the lawyer for the 51-year-old initially did not comment on the new allegations.
“Blow” for women’s handball
With their termination without notice at BVB, the national players Mia Zschocke and Amelie Berger made the case public in mid-September. The club separated from Fuhr shortly afterwards, but pointed out that this was “expressly not associated with prejudice”. Fuhr had also ended his work at the German Handball Federation, for which he had been working on a fee basis since 2019, at his own request.
National coach Markus Gaugisch described the extent of the allegations against Fuhr as a “blow” for women’s handball. “Of course it’s not nice to read things like that about your own sport,” said Gaugisch in a media round.
The national coach reported that no other players from the national team were affected apart from Zschocke and Berger. However, within the DHB selection, which is currently preparing for the European Championships from November 4th to 20th in Großwallstadt, the incidents have been discussed in detail. “We have given space to talk about the subject because we cannot isolate ourselves from it,” said the 48-year-old.
Surprised by the scale of the allegations
Gaugisch was surprised by the extent of the allegations. “I was not aware of systematic things,” he said. In the national team, a different approach is cultivated, Gaugisch emphasized: “We want to support the players as much as possible so that they can enjoy their sport.”
National team captain Emily Bölk appealed to work through the incidents intensively. It is important to raise awareness of the issue “that such problems exist”. Now the clubs, the league and the association are required. “The most important thing will be that those affected can have their say and express their wishes for the future,” said Bölk of the German Press Agency.
The day before, the DHB had announced in a further statement that the “accusations against the handball coach André Fuhr published in the past few days are in no way in line with the values of handball sport”. “The German Handball Federation feels with the affected players and takes the allegations very seriously, critically questions its own approach and reviews its processes,” it said.
“Of course we and our members are very concerned,” said former national handball goalkeeper Andreas Thiel, CEO of the Handball Bundesliga Women. “We must and will actively work together with them to protect the well-being of the players in the best possible and permanent way.”
