"We had November 1st as the deadline for confirmation of our participation, stipulated by the International Federation, and we had no option but to confirm the presence of Angola," said the outgoing president of the Angolan Handball Federation (FAAND), Pedro Godinho, quoted by Jornal de Angola.
The national team will be part of group C, where it will have to face Qatar, Japan and Croatia.
According to the responsible, for the team to be minimally prepared for the championship will need at least eight weeks of training: six weeks in Angola and two in Egypt.
"In order to be able to meet this minimum, it is necessary to start work now, in the first week of November. We have the issue of medical tests and we think that the Ministry should be responsible," he said.
As for the team's call, Pedro Godinho revealed that the federation has everything ready, just waiting for the green light from the Ministry of Youth and Sports to move forward. As for the coach, Nelson Catito, he should continue to hold the position, at least until he plays in the World Cup.
According to the same newspaper, the participation of the selection in the World Cup could be effective through exclusive state funding, since the contracts that the Federation had with the sponsors have already expired due to the change of direction.
"I don't believe there is time for the new direction to negotiate with partners and they will make some sponsorship available to the Federation before January. Therefore, our appeal to the structure of the Ministry of Youth and Sports for the necessary facilities," indicated Pedro Godinho.
Pedro Godinho, José do Amaral Júnior "Maninho", the elected president, and Zeca Venâncio, outgoing vice-president, meet on Monday to discuss issues related to the competition.
