Montenegro will not participate in the World Cup, with Italy stepping in as the underdog instead. This decision comes as no surprise…

A faction of supporters at “Morača” called for the resignation of coach Vlad Šola following the team’s playoff exit from World Cup qualification. Shortly after, the Croatian coach accepted responsibility and announced he would step down from leading the “lions”.

“I commend the players and take ownership of everything that went wrong… All the unfortunate outcomes are my fault. I am resigning immediately, and I apologize if I disappointed Montenegro’s handball community,” Šola stated at the post-match press conference.

He expressed gratitude towards the Handball Association of Montenegro.

“We had a strong period during the European Championship. Thank you to the players for their collaboration, and I wish everyone well. I will never speak poorly of anyone I worked with in Montenegro; if negativity arises, it will likely be justified,” Šola emphasized.

He maintained a similar tone…

“I don’t want to suggest that anyone acted intentionally or lacked effort. We were outplayed; we lacked the necessary energy and confidence.”

Clearly disheartened, the former coach refrained from delving deeply into the double confrontation with Italy.

“Italy was simply superior in both matches — they excelled in both defense and offense. We had no answers; we started poorly, but… I won’t elaborate on the reasons, as that would come off as making excuses, and I have no intention of doing so. We were outplayed,” Šola concluded.

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