The German Athletes Association considers the handball commission’s long time to come to terms with the serious allegations against coach André Fuhr to be appropriate. “It is counterproductive if processing takes place under time pressure. Inappropriate time pressure can lead to errors and negligence, which in the worst case can harm those affected a second time,” a spokeswoman for the interest group told the German Press Agency.
Since March, a new commission has been working on the allegations against the handball coach. The originally formed committee had previously dissolved due to the members’ irreconcilable personal differences. The six-member working group is expected to submit a final report within 18 months. “We currently have no reason to assume that the process will fizzle out. The DHB has committed to carrying out an independent processing process, made resources available and acted quickly,” said Athletes Germany.
The former Bundesliga coach Fuhr has been exposed to serious allegations since last year. Dozens of athletes, including national players Mia Zschocke and Amelie Berger, turned to “Anlauf gegen Violence”, an advice center run by athletes in Germany. They said they suffered from Fuhr’s training methods. The 52-year-old is said to have harassed and humiliated the handball players.
Both the Bundesliga club Borussia Dortmund and the German Handball Association, where he worked as a U20 coach, then ended their collaboration with Fuhr. The coach recently criticized in an interview with “Sport Bild” that he only knew about the allegations from the media and had not yet been questioned by the review committee himself. He firmly believes “that there are also many people who really appreciated me and my work,” said Fuhr.
