Slovakia name Fernando Gurich as men’s senior team coach

Five months after Jorge Dueñas was named the coach of the Slovakia women’s senior national team, the Slovak Handball Federation (SZH) appointed another Spanish coach, this time for the men’s senior national team.

Despite a plethora of other coaches being considered, SZH eventually went with the one they knew best, Fernando Gurich, who has been closely associated with the Slovak Federation since 2017, working first as men’s youth national team coach and since 2018, the role of technical director has been added.

Gurich replaces Petr Kukucka, a legendary player for Slovakia, who was replaced after missing the qualification for the 2023 IHF Men’s World Championship, conceding a painful 54:57 aggregate loss against Belgium in the European qualifiers.

“The main objective for our new coach will be qualifying for the IHF Men’s World Championship or the Men’s EHF EURO at least once in the next four years. There is a change of generations in place right now, but the future is for our young players,” said Ernö Kelecsényi, the Vice President of the SZH.

Indeed, Gurich knows Slovak handball inside out, having also served as the men’s junior and youth teams coach over the last few years, while also supervising the whole sporting project as the technical director.

However, this will be the first stint as a coach for a senior national team for the 40-year-old Spanish coach, with huge challenges waiting for him, as Slovakia aim to become better and better and transform into a mainstay in the top tournaments in the world. 
 
“It is necessary for him to be informed and have a perfect overview not only of the current squad, but also of our junior and youth players. There will certainly be some problems, so he must be able to solve them. We do not have an easy time ahead, but I believe that with hard work, a fair approach, and communication, we will achieve our objectives,” added Kelecsényi.

Gurich, who signed a four-year contract, is the second foreign coach who has been promoted at Slovakia’s helm from the position of technical director of the SZH after Danish coach Heine Jensen, who served between 2017 and 2019, failing to qualify for a major tournament.

“I will also continue in the position of technical director. I have been here for nearly five years, I want to have some Slovak coaches near me, in my staff, because they know the handball here intimately. This project will not be easy, but I know the players and I hope to deliver good results,” said Gurich, during the press conference where he was unveiled.

The first challenge for the Spanish coach will be to qualify Slovakia for the Men’s EHF EURO 2024. They will play in Group 2 of the Qualification Phase 2, facing Norway, Serbia and Finland, with a difficult challenge ahead for Gurich.

Photo: SHZ