Veselin Vujovic about handball future: We need new rules!

One of the best handball players in the history of our sport, now PPD Zagreb coach, Veselin Vujovic, gave interesting interview for Balkan-Handball.com, in which he spoke about necessity of changing rules of the game in order to cope with other sports in the future. He stated about shot-clock, two goals for a score out of nine meter line and forbidding attack-defense substitution. Here are some interesting quotes:

– We are the only sport in the world where refferes saying to you: Now, you have to shoot”. He raised his hand, that is his decision. That isn’t assessment of the players or a coach, who is thinking about that 24 hours per day, no, it’s up on them – “Shoot”. No matter that you put all efforts to score that goal, and defense giving maximum to defend own net. That isn’t a passive attack. That is amazingly good defense, people have to enjoy in that moment. After raising hand, if he hasn’t sympathy for you, he will take ball from you after two pass, if he likes you, you will have six or seven pass. This is even bigger chance to be damaged by them  – said Vujovic and added:

– I agree with shot-clock for attack. I would like also that we forbid attack-defense substitution, because defensive specialist killing handball. Score out of nine meter line has to be doubled (2). In that case, the wing who running in counter-attack won’t jump from six meter than from 10, that is bigger chance for goalkeeper to save it. If you are losing three goals two minutes before the end, you didn’t lose already, because your back-shooter can jump and score from 10 meters. These changes would push handball forward, give more atractivity. Even zeppelin could be counted with two goals. Some new details would bring new fans in the hall.

Look basketball…

– Sometimes I see some handball match on TV and ask myself: Who is watching this?”. Two giants “kill” Karabatic, he is lying on the floor, psychio and players trying to return him from unconscious, spilling water on him. Who wants to watch that? Then, I take remote control and find basketball Olympiakos and Efes Pielsen and enjoying in atractivity and rhytm of the game. They developed their sport, bring one more reffere, you can check all disputable details…

What about handball…

– It was historical thing for handball to give us the third time-out? The last three minutes of NBA game last for 20 minutes. Attack, time-out, attack, time-out, while in handball they told you “Well, you have two time-out, but only one in the last five minutes”. Why? I maybe want to use them in the last two attacks to score two goals and win the game? It is absurd. I am coming again in the situation that some of them say “Vujovic is crazy”, even I know how normal I am. Why? Because these guys in EHF and IHF have dementia, they don’t think about what is good for handball, only for themselves.

There is no new things in handball. Why?

– That is because all big things in handball already happened. Why? Because we don’t change the rules. New rules give you new opportunities. Everything else has been seen already. Now, some teams trying to play with seven players in attack, but my opinion is that it is too crowded, that ball passing isn’t faster than without him. I can’t make new tactics based on some imaginary rules, some ideas. Valero Rivera made a lot with Barcelona, but he had amazing team, he could change all 7 players on every 15 minutes. You have to have players for that kind of handball.

Vujovic doesn’t think that France making some “revolutionary” with Claude Onesta…

– What Onesta invented in handball? Karabatic and Omeyer? Let’s see him what he will do without these two guys. New things in handball waiting for new rules. I can’t say that we can change handball if someone gives me time-out or “fast center”.

Inovations…

– If I can’t change player for every defensive action, if score out of nine meter line is count as two goals, than, we can talk about tactical innovation. In that case, maybe I will play with five players in defense, while sixth will be on the center line, waiting for the ball. I will risk to receive a goal in order to score two! That is something new, something interesting, but I can’t do that now. Hot water is already invented – pointed out legendary Vujovic.