Stefán Arnar Gunnarsson (13 March 1978 – ) was an Icelandic handball coach and player. During his career, he coached several teams in Iceland,

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Early life

Born in Keflavík, Stefán Arnar grew up in Akureyri.

Coaching career

Stefán Arnar was hired as the coach of Fjölnir men's team in 2014 and in 2017, he guided the team to victory in the Icelandic second-tier 1. deild karla. In October 2017, he was unexpectedly fired by Fjölnir's chairman Aðalsteinn Snorrason. Later, it turned out that Aðalsteinn did not have the board's support in the matter and Stefán Arnar was reinstated a week later. Following the season, where Fjölnir was relegated, his contract was not renewed. He coached HSG Krefeld in Germany from 2019 to 2020. He was the coach of Neistin from 2020 to 2022 and guided the team twice to the Faroese Cup final. In February 2022, he was hired as the interim coach of HK women's team, following the firing of Halldór Harri Kristjánsson. The following season, he continued coaching HK's youth teams.

Death

On 2 March 2023, Stefán Arnar was reported missing. An extensive search was conducted by the Icelandic Association for Search and Rescue, Icelandic Police and the Icelandic Coast Guard in the following weeks. On 2 April 2023, his body was found washed ashore on a beach in Reykjanesbær. Following his death, Stefán's brother, handball coach Samúel Ívar Árnason, heavily criticised family members of players for their treatment and undermining of Stefán Arnar to force preferable treatment of certain players and the HK club for his firing shortly before his death.

Personal life

Stefán Arnar's stepfather was Árni J. Stefánsson, a former handball coach. Two of his brothers, Samúel Ívar Árnason and Stefán Árnason were also handball coaches.

Achievements

Titles

* 1. deild karla: 2017

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gunnarsson, Stefán Arnar 1978 births 2020s missing person cases 2023 deaths Stefán Arnar Gunnarsson Stefán Arnar Gunnarsson Formerly missing people Deaths by drowning Stefán Arnar Gunnarsson Stefán Arnar Gunnarsson Missing person cases in Iceland