Fans attending Handball World Cup set to cause controversy

The International Handball Federation IHF has received a hail of criticism over approving the attendance of fans at courts during the handball World Cup tournament set to take place in Egypt between 13 and 31 January amidst the ongoing spread of new covid-19 infections in the country facing the second wave of the virus.

The federation had earlier allowed fans to attend the tournament's games at 30% of the court's capacity, a percentage that has later been decreased to 20% due to the current pandemic situation in the middle-eastern country as announced in an official statement by the competition's general manager Hassan Labib.

Denmark's Mikkel Hansen considering missing the tournament:

One of those opposing the idea of fans' existence at the stands of the competition's courts is Danish national team star Mikkel Hansen who revealed he is considering the idea of missing out on participation in the tournament as he is not convinced with the idea of allowing fans to watch the games from the stands despite the ongoing pandemic situation.

"I feel worried and I haven't decided on participation yet, maybe I need some time to think again before making a decision". He said.

German goalkeeper Peter Johannesson has also criticized the decision pointing out that handball is in need of the return of international competitions but behind closed doors due to the worrying situation in most countries.

Norwegian star Sander Sagosen has joined the list of players opposing fans' attendance explaining that the situation is disturbing which might lead to many players reconsidering taking part in the tournament.