The Unexpected Turn: Vipers Kristiansand Declares Bankruptcy!
Ah, what a time to be a fan of Norwegian handball! The mighty Vipers Kristiansand, the triumphant warriors who strutted their stuff in the women’s handball Champions League and snagged the trophy an astounding three times straight (2021-2023), have unfortunately decided to call it quits. If you fancy a good comeback story, this isn’t it – it’s a tragic tale of financial woe that makes the Hindenburg look like a minor blip in aviation history!
According to a rather somber press release, the board of the Vipers concluded that the funds to continue their operations had evaporated faster than your last paycheck after a shopping spree. Despite a valiant effort to tame the budgetary beast, the club couldn’t secure a sustainable financial vision. One might say they took “handball” literally as they threw money aimlessly while dribbling their financial responsibilities!
Last Match Trauma
Club president Peter Gitmark delivered the news with the kind of somberness usually reserved for funeral homes at a press conference. It seems the last home game for the Vipers was more dramatic than an episode of EastEnders. The Vipers managed a glorious win against Buducsnost Podgorica, finishing 32-23 and landing in fifth place in the group. They don’t go out on a whimper; oh no! They went out on a bang. Still, you have to wonder if they were celebrating their victory or mourning the loss of their finances.
Meanwhile, head coach Tamás Hlavaty is assuring fans everything will be fine. You’ve got to admire the man’s confidence; it’s akin to a person whose house is on fire insisting they’re just getting a bit of warmth from the flames. “We could have lasted a few more months…” said Gitmark, but alas, dear readers, the team has thrown in the towel, waving goodbye to their dreams of grandeur.
Financial Meltdown: A Slow Motion Car Crash
Now, let’s talk about the numbers. The Vipers first started showing signs of monetary instability last spring, which was about as surprising as discovering that water is wet. They needed an eye-watering 25 million Norwegian kroner (that’s around 850 million Hungarian forints) to avoid this calamity, but in typical fashion, they missed that target by a wide margin. By Sunday, when the curtain call commenced, they hadn’t even scraped together the bare minimum of 10-12 million kroner. Talk about a budget blowout!
The team’s withdraws from both the BL and the championship has left 19 players open to a more promising adventure – perhaps they’ll start a band or try their hand at reality TV? “Sorry, ladies, you can no longer handball your way to victory, how about baking?”
Total Handball Mayhem!
The European Handball Federation (EHF), bless their bureaucratic hearts, issued a statement regretting the situation but nonetheless taking note of the Vipers’ decision. In sports, that’s the fancy way of saying, “Well, that sucks, doesn’t it?”
In conclusion, while the Vipers Kristiansand may have triumphed on the handball court and taken home the Champions League trophy three times back-to-back, their financial management would make a novice magician’s disappearance act look like child’s play. Perhaps the lesson here is a classic one: Just because you can throw the ball well, doesn’t mean you can catch a break in budgeting. Here’s hoping the Vipers can regroup and find a way back! Because let’s be honest – the handball world needs a little drama.
The Norwegian Vipers Kristiansand, which won the women’s handball Champions League three times between 2021 and 2023, declared bankruptcy on Sunday evening.
According to the club’s press release, the board came to the conclusion that there is no funding for further operations, and despite intensive efforts to resolve the crisis, it was not possible to secure a sustainable financial vision for the team.
At the Sunday evening press conference, club president Peter Gitmark stated that the Vipers, led by head coach Tamás Hlavaty from Felvidék, played their last home match on Saturday, in which they beat Buducsnost Podgorica from Montenegro 32-23, so they are in fifth place in the group with interest from Győr.
Tamás Hlavaty is confident that the problems with the Vipers handball team will be resolved
The bankruptcy situation means that the team withdraws from the BL and the championship with immediate effect, and 19 of its players become free to certify. The club president added that on Monday they will officially announce to the relevant organizations and associations that they do not have enough money to continue until the summer.
“We could have continued for a few months, but then the problems would have resurfaced,” Gitmark explained.
Vipers’ serious financial problems first came to light last spring, and by Friday, it should have collected 25 million Norwegian kroner – about HUF 850 million – in order to avoid bankruptcy. The deadline was later changed to Sunday, but the management did not succeed: according to information from the Norwegian press, the club did not come close to accumulating the necessary amount, and the minimum requirement of NOK 10-12 million was not collected either.
The Norwegian team won the Champions League three times in a row between 2021 and 2023, defeating Győr once and Ferencváros once in the finals.
On Monday morning, the European Handball Federation (EHF) announcement issued, according to which they are sorry to hear, but take note of the club’s decision.
Cover image: Budapest, June 3, 2023. Ragnhild Valle Dahl, a player of the Norwegian team, played in the semifinals of the women’s Champions League handball in the Győr Audi ETO KC – Vipers Kristiansand match at the MVM Dome sports hall in Budapest on July 3, 2023. MTI/Tibor Illyés
