Norwegian floorball star Ketil Kronberg (41) believes the crash of the national team himself and several veterans was the association’s revenge for the noise before they played the World Cup five months ago.
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– Yes, that’s the only way I can interpret it, said Kronberg.
He made his debut for the national floorball team in 1999, is the captain of Sweden’s top league team IBK Dalen and will set a world record in the number of World Cup tournaments (12) if he plays in the championship in Switzerland in November.
For him, longtime national team captains Daniel Gidske (29) in Swedish Mullsjö and Ole Mossin Olesen (33) – one of the biggest profiles of Norwegian floorball – will be the World Cup in Finland in December 2021 the last being Ketil Kronberg.
Although they wanted to continue on the national team, the bandy association floorball section put an end to that. The federation management has decided that it is time for a generational change in the national team. Gidske and Mossin Olesen were brought out to February’s World Cup qualifiers – which were postponed – by national team manager Johnny Petersen.
Patrick Jonsson was then hired as the new national team manager. When he brought out his first national team for the current World Cup qualifiers in Latvia a few days ago at the end of May, both Kronberg and several other players from the last World Cup team were crushed – as well as the national team’s first goalkeeper Markus Jelsnes (27) from Greåker.
– It’s disrespectful to Daniel, Ole and me. This is completely incomprehensible, and there is no logic in it. The national team must be for the best players, whether they are 18 or 40 years old. Why Daniel Gidske is not in the national team. He is 29 years old, has captained the national team since 2016 and could be another five years, Kronberg said.
– Ole always performs at international level. We are no doubt quite good. The elder gave his best at the World Cup, added captain Dalen.
– The national team has always been a boy’s dream. That’s the greatest thing you can do. I have not received any explanation, Ole Mossin Olesen answered questions about the wreck.
The captain of the Oslo Tunet team is The ninth best goalscorer in World Cup history.
He also said a generational change could be good, but added that it had to happen together with those who had been playing in the national team for a while.
The general secretary of the bandy association Tomas Jonsson said that what Ketil Kronberg claimed was not in line with what he understood. According to Jonsson, the “change of generations” and the omission of “older players” have nothing to do with the noise and chaos associated with the 2021 World Cup, where Norway finished in 6th place.
Here you can read VG’s case about dispute about criteria for the World Cup election, Kronberg, then the departure and return of national team manager Petersen, the boycott of players and “Chaos Solution”.
– We’re done with the World Cup case. This is strategically appropriate for the development of the national team, said Secretary General Tomas Jonsson.
Confronted – again – with Kronberg’s “revenge” and “disrespect”, he stressed that was not true.
He also we don’t think anything of the older players “at all”, claiming that a new national team manager is not needed to lead in light of the “generational change” and that the time is right for that now – with the World Cup Qualifiers in Latvia if a few months.
The secretary general confirmed Daniel Gidske’s information that the two met for a conversation with the veteran of the national team in Sweden a few weeks ago – just before the final national team election. Tomas Jonsson said he wanted Gidske’s opinion on the status of Norwegian floorball and how they should “move on”.
Sweden became world champions in Finland in December.
– Of course I’m a little disappointed. I don’t feel that age matters, that I’m not too old. I play floorball at the highest level and I am interested in being in the national team. But it’s up to the coach of the national team to decide, Gidske answered the question that he is definitely not part of the future of the national team.
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