More than five years after he lost his position as the selector of the Slovenian national handball team, Boris Denic, after 6 years of media silence, which he ended before leaving for Kuwait and spoke exclusively for „Delo“ about current topics in the world and sports. From the coronavirus crisis to the changes in Belarus and the situation in the Middle East. We bring you part of the conversation.
The former coach of Slovenia returned to his homeland this year after his contract with the Saudi national team expired. He is now returning to the Middle East as the selector of the Kuwaiti national team. He will lead them for at least a year, while his contract can also be extended.
Kuwait is open, it has a good handball tradition. The problem is that the IOC suspended him for four years due to political interference in sports, and they were nowhere to be found. They have only just returned when they organized the Asian Games. The federation wants serious work, I will see how it is with the players „, said Boris Denich about going to Kuwait.
He worked in Slovenia for several years. In 2006, he took on the role of assistant coach of the national team and collaborated with Kasim Kamenica, Miro Požun and Zvonimir Serdarušić. Four years later, he took over the coaching role and remained in it until May 2015. He coached the teams of Ljubljana’s Slovan, Maribor Branik and Belarusian Dinamo from Minsk, as well as in Saudi Arabia and Qatar. Sam says the probability of his returning home is less than one percent.
I don’t see myself in Slovenia. For the simple reason I said earlier. There is no respect for the coaching job. Among other things, journalists are to blame for that, Denic said.
Denic’s former extended hand on the field, Uros Zorman, started his independent coaching career, which he started excellently in Trebnje. After three months, he is still undefeated, and the coronavirus, which postponed the first league derby in Celje a few weeks ago, prevented him from achieving new successes.
His handball knowledge is not disputed. As in any beginning, it will be difficult for him. All his successes, titles, medals, have been forgotten. Being a player and being a coach is something completely different. You can’t sleep on playing laurels, „Denich said of Zorman’s start.“ He worked with the best coaches, but he always thought like a player, now he’s going to have to cope. I told him he had to forget what it was right away. At this point, the players still know who Zorman was, in a few years, when the generations change, that won’t be the case. he knows well „, states the 53-year-old from Ljubljana.
