Snorri Steinn Guðjónsson has reportedly reach an agreement with the Icelandic Handball Association (HSÍ) to become the head coach of the men’s national handball team, Vísir reports. He will lead the team at the 2024 EHF European Men’s Handball Championship in Germany.
Extended negotiations
Negotiations between representatives of the Icelandic Handball Association (HSÍ) and Snorri Steinn Guðjónsson have been protracted, with talks appearing to have broken down last weekend. According to Vísir’s sources, however, it is now clear that Snorri will be introduced as the new national team coach over the coming days: “possibly less than a hundred days after the departure of Guðmundur Guðmundsson in February.”
According to Vísir, Arnór Atlason – Snorri’s former teammate from the national team – will be hired as the national team’s assistant coach, although his contract has yet to be finalised. Arnór is the current assistant coach of the Aalborg handball team and head coach of Denmark’s U21 national team. He will relinquish both positions this summer and take over as assistant coach of TTH Holstebro in Denmark.
Among the first interviewed
As noted by Vísir, Snorri was among the first individuals that representatives from HSÍ informally interviewed as a possible successor to Guðmundur. Dagur Sigurðsson was also interviewed informally – and he subsequently criticised the association for their handling of his interview, which he characterised as “sloppy.”
Snorri Steinn, who is 41 years old, returned to Iceland in 2017 following a successful professional career abroad. He was hired as a playing coach of Valur, which he managed in concert with Guðlaugur Arnarsson.
Under Snorri’s management, Valur became Icelandic and Cup Champion in 2021 and 2022. Valur also secured a league title in 2020 and again this spring. The team also achieved notable success in the European League this winter and reached the round of 16.
