TV Großwallstadt is missing its best player in the relegation battle due to suspected doping.

It should have been a handball festival for the traditional TV Großwallstadt club. For the derby in the 2nd Bundesliga against TV Hüttenberg, the Lower Franconians had moved to the Süwag Energie Arena in the Main metropolis of Frankfurt, about 50 kilometers away. 4045 spectators at least formed a worthy setting, but the ultimately clear 27:32 defeat was a further dampener in the mood for the former European Cup winners.

He’s had to deal with a whole series of low blows this year: This season was actually supposed to pave the way for us to finally be able to look seriously towards the first league again. Next year the club will celebrate its 100th anniversary, ideally with realistic promotion ambitions. But the season didn’t go as planned right from the start. First coach Michael Roth was replaced by André Lohrbach in October, then important players were repeatedly missing with injuries, and instead of a season with an upward view, the TVG is now in the middle of a relegation battle.

The most recent setback came a few days ago when the doping suspicion against TVG backcourt player Nils Kretschmer became public. This became noticeable after the home game against Ludwigshafen on September 23rd due to an “analysis result that deviated from the norm”. This is said to have been the sex hormone testosterone, which promotes regeneration and the increase in muscle mass and muscle strength. The Handball Bundesliga (HBL) has now suspended the Großwallstädter in accordance with its statutes; the 31-year-old is not allowed to take part in training measures or games until further notice.

Kretschmer was supposed to lead the TVG into better times. The Lübeck native was a junior national player and was active in the Bundesliga for the Rhein-Neckar Löwen, with whom he won the EHF Cup. He already wore the Großwallstädter jersey once in the 2013/14 season, most recently he was employed by the ambitious second division team HC Elbflorenz in Dresden before signing a three-year working paper with TVG before this season. The addition was not only captain, he was also Lower Franconia’s best goalscorer and head of defense in the left back. Kretschmer should lead with his experience and be a role model for the young players.

Kretschmer, known as a handball influencer, has more followers than the DHB

That has been put on hold for the time being; with the suspension, Kretschmer has plunged his club into dire straits. Großwallstadt is suddenly missing its most important player. Finding a replacement, which TVG is already trying to do according to managing director Stefan Wüst, will be anything but easy. The team is now missing its best player and the club is missing its most famous face: Kretschmer, known as a handball influencer, has generated a lot of attention; with around 420,000 followers on Instagram, he has more than the German Handball Association (350,000). Kretschmer knows how to showcase himself and his heavily tattooed and muscular body; he regularly posts videos in which he looks behind the scenes or presents fashion.

The presumption of innocence applies, but if doping is proven, Kretschmer faces a maximum ban of four years. In addition to the sporting proceedings following the positive A sample, the Munich public prosecutor’s office is also investigating suspected violations of the Anti-Doping Act and the Medicines Act; his apartment has already been searched. Kretschmer himself does not want to comment on the advice of his lawyer, but he says: “We ask for your understanding that out of respect for the investigations by the public prosecutor’s office, with which our client is cooperating fully, we do not want to comment on details at the moment.”

It wouldn’t be the first handball doping case this year. Magdeburg’s goalkeeper Nikola Portner tested positive for crystal meth at the beginning of April, but was acquitted after a suspension because the HBL assumed contamination was through no fault of his own.

Sunday brought at least some good news: Lars Röller celebrated his comeback after his serious eye injury.