Foreword 4
Media Contacts 5
Playing System Diagrams 6
Berlin To Host 2014 EHF Cup Finals 8
Playing System Quarter-Finals 9
Group A
TSV Hannover-Burgdorf 10
Reale Ademar Leon 13
Lugi HF 16 Csurgoi KK 19 Group B Montpellier Agglomeration HB 22 Skjern Handbold 25 HC Zomimak-M 28 Sporting CP 31
Table of contents
Table of contents
Group C Pick Szeged 34 Tatran Presov 37 HBC Nantes 40 IFK Kristianstad 43 Group D Füchse Berlin 46 HCM Constanta 49Chambery Savoie Handball 52
HC Sporta Hlohovec 55
Top Scorers Of The Qualification 58
Last Season’s Top Scorers 59
Past Winners 60
Appendix 1 – Qualification Results Overview Appendix 2 – Group Phase Playing Schedule
Foreword
Dear Media Representative,
Welcome to the second season of the Men‘s EHF Cup Group Phase and to the competition‘s official Media Guide.
Following the conclusion of an intensive qualification phase that consisted of three entertaining rounds, the next phase of the 2013/14 Men’s EHF Cup is about to start. The final sixteen teams are now positioned across the four groups and are ready to prove their staying power as they compete to reach the quarter-finals of the competition.
Though many teams have fallen by the wayside, one team from Slovakia (HC Sporta Hlolovec) proved their dogged determination in the first stage of the EHF Cup having come through to the Group Phase from Qualification Round 1. Proving once again that just anything is possible in handball.
We are gearing up for the next exciting rounds that will see 48 matches played out across the arenas. There are ten different countries represented in the competition - three French teams, two German, Hungarian, Slovakian, and Swedish teams - as well as five teams with a wealth of experience from their stints in the Champions League last season: Füchse Berlin, Montpellier, Constanta, Pick Szeged and Ademar León. When the competition resumes in February 2014, there will be eight weeks of top handball action and, with the 2013 winners (Rhein-Neckar Löwen) forging ahead in the VELUX EHF Champions League, the title is up for grabs for the second time. As seen at the inaugural EHF Cup Finals in Nantes, the men’s EHF Cup has
transformed, now with its own unique look and feel. On this occasion, as we ride on the success of the first event in France and as the 21st European club handball season draws to a close, we take the EHF Cup final to the City of Berlin. The Max-Schmeling-Halle is ready to host 10,000 handball enthusiasts and where the kings of the men’s EHF Cup will be crowned.
We pride ourselves on our positive and cooperative relationship with the press and media and I am sure this will continue and develop in the future. Should you require any information, help or assistance during the course of the season, your first point of contact is the EHF Media and Communications Department based in our office in Vienna. They will be more than happy to assist you with any questions you might have.
We look forward to working with you!
Jean Brihault EHF President
EHF/M Media contacts
Clubs – Media contacts
Media matters Vlado Brindzak
Media and Communications European Handball Federation +43 1 80 151 161 [email protected] TV and Radio Akos Moczan Media Manager EHF Marketing GmbH +43 1 80 151 226 [email protected] Group B MONTPELLIER AGGLOMERATION HB Suzy Demonte +33 499 610 358 [email protected] SKJERN HANDBOLD
Henning Kjaergaard Christensen +45 20 669374 [email protected] HC ZOMIMAK-M Aleksandar Jankov +389 71 239932 [email protected] SPORTING CP
Jorge Manuel Simoes de Sousa +351 92 5763608 [email protected] Group A TSV HANNOVER-BURGDORF Markus Ernst +49 511 270 412-34 [email protected] REALE ADEMAR LEON Jose C. Ludena Montenegro +34 609 8446050 [email protected] LUGI HF Emme Adebo +46 705 874978 [email protected] CSURGOI KK Peter Erdelyi +36 30 9340634 [email protected] Group C PICK SZEGED Nandor Szögi +36 70 3878234 [email protected] TATRAN PRESOV Branko Benko +421 911 620435 [email protected] HBC NANTES Marina Normand +33 606 78 22 52 [email protected] IFK KRISTIANSTAD Nikolas Larsson +46 705 454332 [email protected] Group D FÜCHSE BERLIN Andre Tzschaschel +49 172 3188 441 [email protected] HCM CONSTANTA Ali Nurhan +40 724 341014 [email protected] CHAMBERY SAVOIE HANDBALL Noémie Catalan +33 479 706 055 noemie.catalan@ chamberysavoiehandball.com HC SPORTA HLOHOVEC Roland Osvald +421 903 416014 [email protected]
Qualification Qualification Final
Round 1 Round 2 Tournament
20 teams 40 teams 32 teams 16 teams 8 teams 4 teams
07/08.09.2013 12/13.10.2013 23/24.11.2013 R1: 08/09.02.14 19/20.04.14 17/18.05.2014
first leg first leg first leg R2: 15/16.02.14 first leg Tournament
R3: 22/23.02.14
14/15.09.2013 19/20.10.2013 30.11/01.12.2013 R4: 15/16.03.14 26/27.04.14 NATION second leg second leg second leg R5:22/23.03.14 second leg
R6:29/30.03.14
23.7.2013 23.7.2013 22.10.2013 5.12.2013 1.4.2014 29.4.2014
1 Loser CL WC KO Pick Szeged/HUN
2 Loser CL WC KO Montpellier MAHB/FRA
3 Loser CL WC KO Füchse Berlin/GER
4 GER TSV Hannover-Burgdorf
5 2nd CL QT 2 Tatran Presov/SVK
6 2nd CL QT 3 RK Vojvodina/SRB
7 2nd CL QT 4 HCM Constanta/ROU
8 ESP Reale Ademar Leon
9 3rd CL QT 2 AEK Athens/GRE
10 3rd CL QT 3 Alpla HC Hard/AUT
11 3rd CL QT 4 Elverum HH/NOR
12 DEN Aarhus Haandbold
13 Loser CL KO Q 1 Handball Esch/LUX
14 4th CL QT 2 Besiktas JK/TUR
15 4th CL QT 3 Borac m:tel Banja Luka/BIH
16 4th CL QT 4 KRAS / Volendam/NED
17 SLO RK Maribor Branik
18 RUS SKIF-Krasnodar
19 ESP BM. Aragon
20 FRA Chambery Savoie HB
21 DEN Skjern Handbold
22 RUS HC Kaustik
23 FRA HBC Nantes
24 DEN Mors-Thy Handbold
25 SWE Lugi HF
26 ROU Stiinta M. D. Bacau
27 UKR HC Portovik
28 NOR OIF Arendal
29 POR S.L. Benfica
30 RUS Permskie medvedi
31 MKD HC Zomimak-M
32 CRO RK Nexe
33 SUI Kadetten Schaffhausen
34 SRB RK Partizan
35 HUN Csurgo Handball Club
36 SWE IFK Kristianstad
37 ROU HC Caras Severin
38 POR Sporting CP
39 CRO Porec
40 SUI Pfadi Winterthur
41 BLR SKA Minsk
42 GRE A.C. Diomidis Argous
43 NED OCI-Lions
44 AUT Bregenz Handball
45 CZE HBC Ronal Jicin
46 LUX Handball Käerjeng
47 EST Pölva Serviti
48 BEL Achilles Bocholt
49 TUR B.B. Ankara Spor Kulübü
50 MNE HC Lovcen Cetinje
51 ISR Maccabi Rishon-Lezion
52 SVK HC Sporta Hlohovec
53 BUL HC Dobrudja
54 KOS KH Prishtina
55 GBR London GD Handball Club
56 LTU Klaipeda Dragunas
57 NOR Fyllingen Bergen
58 SUI TSV St. Otmar St. Gallen 59 HUN Grundfos Tatabanya KC
60 BLR HC Meshkov Brest
61 ISL Haukar Hafnarfjördur 62 ISR Maccabi Tyrec Tel Aviv
2013/2014 MEN'S EHF CUP
DRAWS: Qualification Round 3 Group Phase Quarter finals 4 W in ne rs o f Q ua rt er fin als 16 W inne rs o f Q ua lif ic at io n R ound 3 1 st a nd 2 nd pl ac ed t ea m s o f e ac h g ro up o f t he G ro up P ha se 20 W inne rs o f Q ua lif ic at io n Ro und 2 10 W inne rs o f Q ua lif ic at io n Ro und 1
S ea so n 2 0 13 /1 4 p la yi ng d at es M en ’s E H F C up 2 0 13 /1 4 p la yi ng s ys tem To ta l n um ber o f ma tc he s: 1 5 2 Qualific at ion R ound 1 G roup P has e first le g 1 9 /20 .0 4 .20 1 4 se co nd l eg 26 /27 .0 4 .2 0 1 4 0 8 /0 9. 0 2 .20 1 4 1 5 /1 6. 0 2. 2 0 1 4 2 2/ 2 3 .0 2 .2 0 1 4 Quart er-finals first le g 2 3 /2 4 .11 .2 0 13 se co nd l eg 3 0 .1 1 ./ 0 1 .1 2 .2 0 13 fir st l eg - 0 7/ 0 8 .0 9 .2 0 13 se co nd l eg - 1 4 /1 5 .0 9 .2 0 13 Qualific at ion R ound 2 fir st l eg - 1 2 /1 3 .1 0 .2 0 13 se co nd l eg - 1 9 /2 0 .1 0 .2 0 13 Qualific at ion R ound 3 17 / 1 8 .0 5. 2 0 1 4 EHF C up F inals 15 /1 6 .0 3 .2 0 1 4 2 2 /2 3. 0 3. 2 0 1 4 29 /3 0 .03 .2 0 1 4 Home Mat ches 3 A w ay Mat ches 3 Semi-finals vs . vs . vs . 10 v s.10 vs . 16 v s.16 vs . 20 v s. 20 3 rd P lac e Mat ch vs . Final vs . vs . 2 1 vs . vs . vs . Qualific at ion R ound 1 Qualific at ion R ound 2 Qualific at ion R ound 3 G roup P has e Quart er-finals EHF C up F inals 20 w inn er s 16 w inn er s 4 w inners 8 teams 10 w inn er s
Berlin to host 2014 EHF Cup Finals
The EHF has announced that the right to organise the second edition of the final phase of the EHF Cup has been awarded to the EHF Cup participant, Füchse Berlin. The two-day event will be played in the Max-Schmeling-Hall, which has a capacity of 9,000 spectators.
Six further bids from Meshkov Brest, London GD, AEK Athens, Montpellier Agglomeration HB, the Luxembourgish Handball Federation and in.Stuttgart were also considered.
Füchse Berlin will enter the draw for the Group Phase alongside 15 other top teams from across Europe on Thursday, 5 December 2013 at 12.00 hrs in Vienna. The event will be streamed live at ehfTV.com.
EHF President, Jean Brihault commented: “Handball’s profile in Berlin has grown significantly in recent years, and after the EHF Cup Finals’ highly successful premiere in Nantes last season, I am confident that the German capital is the right choice for the second edition of this top-class club event.”
Manager of Füchse Berlin, Bob Hanning said: “We are very happy to have been chosen to organise the 2014 EHF Cup Finals in Berlin, having already shown the EHF during our matches last season in the VELUX EHF Champions League that we can be a good host.”
Men’s EHF Cup
The Men’s EHF Cup was re-launched at the start of the 2012/13 season and formed from the merging of the EHF Cup and Cup Winners’ Cup. The second tier of top-class European club handball competition, after the VELUX EHF Champions League, the Men’s EHF Cup is played with a qualification phase, group phase, quarter-finals and final tournament.
The EHF Cup Finals were played for the first time in 2013 in Nantes, France, with German team, Rhein Neckar Löwen, taking the title. The two-day event will be played with semi-final matches on Saturday and finals on Sunday. According to the competition’s regulations and as in the previous season, the host of the EHF Cup Finals can qualify directly for the EHF Cup Finals semi-finals from the Group Phase if they finish in first place in their group or as one of the three best-ranked second placed teams. If the event organiser finishes as the fourth-ranked second placed team then they must play in the quarter-finals to qualify.
Accreditation for the EHF Cup Finals
Playing System – Organiser Füchse Berlin
Possibility no. 1
Füchse Berlin finish 1st in their group or are one of the three best 2nd ranked teams
Füchse Berlin qualifies directly for the EHF Cup Finals and the other six teams play three quarter-finals. The worst second ranked team will be eliminated.
Possibility no. 2
Organiser/Füchse Berlin are the 4th ranked of the 2nd ranked teams
Füchse Berlin play the quarter-finals and are qualified for the EHF Cup Finals if they win the quarter-final. Possibility no. 3
Füchse Berlin are ranked 3rd or 4th in the group and become a neutral organiser
TSV Hannover-Burgdorf
In 2005 TSV Hannover-Burgdorf played in the third German division – and already at that time team captain Lars Lehnhoff and coach Christopher Nordmeyer were part of the team, which then made their way to the second and in 2009 to the first division. When Nordmeyer took over as the coach in February 2011, the team was close to relegation to the second division again.
But he succeeded to keep the club in bundesliga and 18 months later, TSV Hannover-Burgdorf finished on sixth position, qualifying for a European Cup competition for the first time.
By beating Swiss runners-up Kadetten Schaffhausen in the third qualification round, they managed to be among the 16 best teams of this competition in their maiden campaign.
Manager Benjamin Chatton is confident: “The draw put us in a very interesting group with different challenges. In our first participation in the EHF Cup we are looking forward to enjoy every game and gain experience of the Group Matches. Our main goal is to reach the quarter-finals, although it will be a very difficult task for our team.” Team captain Lars Lehnhoff, who wears the Hannover jersey for a lifetime, is also expecting to proceed.
“I like those matches ahead of us. I’m especially excited for my teammates Juan Andreu and Gustav Rydergard who will face former clubs or teams of their home country. We’ll have our chances in this group to advance to the quarter/finals but it’ll be a tough test for us,” he said.
Club Address: TSV Hannover-Burgdorf Podbielskistrasse 293 30655 Hannover Germany Media contact: Benjamin Chatton +49 151 122 220 10 [email protected] Online information: www.die-recken.de Facebook: TSVHannoverBurgdorf Playing hall
Swiss Life Hall
Ferdinand Wilhelm Fricke Weg 8 30169 Hannover
Germany Capacity: 1,218
Kit colours Light
Player shirt: White Player short: Green Goalkeeper shirt: Orange Dark
Player shirt: Green Player short: Green Goalkeeper shirt: Black
Alternative Playing Hall TUI Arena
Expo Plaza 7 30539 Hannover Germany Capacity: 10,767 The road to the Group Phase:
Qualification Round 3: TSV Hannover-Burgdorf vs Kadetten Schaffhausen 28:28, 41:27
Newcomers:
Nikolai Weber (HSG Wetzlar, Germany), Borut Mackovsek (RK Celje, Slovenia), Vasko Sevaljevic (HC Dinamo Minsk, Belarus), Runar Karason (Rhein-Neckar Löwen, Germany), Mario Clößner (reactivated, TSV Hannover-Burgdorf). Left the club:
Nenad Puljezevic (unknown), Aivis Jurds (ThSV Eisenach, Germany), Malte Semisch (TuS N-Lübbecke, Germany), Morten Olsen (Saint Raphal Var HB, France), Jannis Fauteck (HF Springe, Germany), Tamas Mocsai (Veszprem; Hungary).
Coach:
Christopher Nordmeyer (since February 2011)
Past achievements First ever participation in EHF European club competitions
Team roster
TSV Hannover-Burgdorf
No. First Name Surname Nat. Position Date of Birth Height Weight 4 Juan Andreu Candau ESP Line Player 20 Jan 1985 197 113 13 Jan Fiete Buschmann GER Right Back 17 May 1981 193 97 3 Mario Clößner GER Line Player 7 Dec 1983 196 103 12 Jannis Finke GER Goalkeeper 13 Oct 1993 196 91 37 Julius Hinz GER Left Wing 4 Mar 1993 180 72 14 Joakim Andre Hykkerud NOR Line Player 10 Feb 1986 194 114 2 Torge Johannsen GER Right Wing 6 Apr 1983 187 82 24 Runar Karason ISL Right Back 24 May 1988 196 100 73 Timo Kastening GER Right Wing 25 Jun 1995 176 69 15 Lars Lehnhoff GER Left Wing 20 Sep 1986 181 76 9 Mait Patrail EST Left Back 11 Apr 1988 200 102 45 Hendrik Pollex GER Right Wing 14 Oct 1993 186 92 6 Frederic Repke GER Left Back 22 Jan 1991 189 87 18 Gustav Rydegard SWE Line Player 9 Jul 1984 198 105 22 Vasko Sevaljevic MNE Centre Back 21 Jun 1988 193 107 21 Csaba Szücs SVK Centre Back 28 Jul 1987 203 104 98 Nicolai Weber GER Goalkeeper 25 Oct 1980 196 95 1 Martin Ziemer GER Goalkeeper 14 Apr 1983 188 87
Christopher Nordmeyer coach
In his whole life, 46-year-old Christopher Nordmeyer only played for and coached one club: TSV Hannover-Burgdorf. He started playing handball in the youth of TSV Burgdorf in 1975, later was one key player when promoting from the third division to Bundesliga – and was their star in 2009, when the Bundesliga dream became reality. In February 2011 he took over the team as their head coach from current Iceland national team coach Aron Kristjansson, when Hannover-Burgdorf were close to relegation to the second division. Eventually Nordmeyer secured their place in the top flight and only two years and four months later led his club to the EHF Cup – the first ever international appearance of TSV Hannover-Burgdorf.
Although he is very familiar with his players, they nickname him “Mourinho” because of his tough training sessions and as Hannover became more successful year by year, Nordmeyer’s contract was extended to 2015. Before he became a fulltime coach at Hannover, he was a teacher of German and physical education.
Mait Patrail left back
He is from a handball-crazy family with his father Maidu, who played for Estonian record champions Pölva Serviti, and his sister Janeli plays for the Estonian women’s national team. Like father, like son, Mait started his career also at Pölva and played in the first domestic league when he was only 16 years old. His star rose at the 2008 under 20 European Championship, when he became top scorer of the tournament with an astonishing 83 goals in seven games. After that he transferred to Swiss side Kadetten Schaffhausen, became Swiss champion twice and reached the EHF Cup final in 2010.
After three years on Swiss soil the two-metre tall back court shooter made his way to Germany, playing for TBV Lemgo. But after only eight months the contract was cancelled, Patrail went to Qatari side Al-Sadd before he returned to the Bundesliga and became Hannover’s second best scorer last season.
Martin Ziemer goalkeeper
30-year-old goalkeeper Martin Ziemer has played for four different Bundesliga clubs, before he joined TSV Hannover-Burgdorf in 2012. Already in the youth age category, the Rostock born keeper made it to the former EHF Champions League winner SC Magdeburg. In 2004 he left for second division club Anhalt-Bernburg, before he promoted to the first league with ASV Hamm, where he played for five years, including the time when the club was re-named to HSG Ahlen-Hamm. Later he joined HBW Balingen-Weilstetten – and arrived in the focus of new German national team head coach Martin Heuberger.
In April 2011 Ziemer had his debut in the German team – and as number three below Silvio Heinevetter and Carsten Lichtlein, Ziemer made his next step in 2012, joining TSV Hannover-Burgdorf. He is consistently among the top three in terms of saves over the last few seasons. In contrast to most goalkeepers, Ziemer is quiet and keeps his emotions to himself.
Lars Lehnhoff left wing
Once “Recken”, always “Recken” is also the motto of left wing Lars Lehnhoff. Like his sisters Inga and Britta (who played for HSG Blomberg) he made it to the first German handball league – and if someone is related to the rise of TSV Hannover-Burgdorf, then it is the 27-year-old counter attack specialist, who is the only current player to make it from the third division to EHF Cup with Hannover. Right after finishing his handball youth at Celle, 17 years old Lehnhoff transferred to TSV Burgdorf in 2004 – at that time playing in the third German division.
Mainly thanks to the goals of Lehnhoff, Burgdorf were first promoted to the second division in 2005 and then to the Bundesliga in 2009. From that moment on he was permanently one of the best scorers of his team in Bundesliga with constantly more than 130 goals per season, highlighted by 142 goals in the 2012/13 season. In recent years Lehnhoff also played in the centre back position.
TSV Hannover-Burgdorf Profiles
GROUP A
Reale Ademar Leon
Ademar Leon is a well-known name in international competition, not only as the Spaniards have won the Cup Winners’ Cup three times, but in April 2012 only one goal was missing against Füchse Berlin to make it to the VELUX EHF FINAL4 in Cologne. However, Ademar were then hit really hard by the financial crisis.
Leon have since overcome the crisis to an extent and are back on track with a new professional board– still having a great reputation to form talents into later-on world stars, mainly connected with the name Manuel Cadenas. The long-term Ademar coach now is in charge of the Spanish national team and just led them to the bronze medal at EHF EURO 2014 in Denmark.
His successor at Ademar is his former assistant coach Daniel Gordo Rios. His job and ambition are still to form stars from talents, as Leon have the youngest squad in the Spanish league. The job is anything but easy, as eight players left and twelve newcomers had to be integrated this season.
After being a perennial participant in the VELUX EHF Champions League (excluding the 2010/11 season, when they made it to the quarter-finals of the EHF Cup), Ademar are now competing in the Group Phase of the EHF Cup as the only Spanish team after beating Croatian side Nexe in qualification.
In the group phase the opponents are Hannover-Burgdorf, Lugi and Csurgo – so the goals are clearly set for proceeding to the quarter-finals despite the long-term injury of Victor Alonso, who has been sidelined since November.
Club Address: Reale Ademar Leon P. Saenz de Miera s/n Estadio A. Amilivia 24009 Leon, Spain Media contact:
Jose C. Ludena Montenegro +34 609 8446050 [email protected] Online information: www.ademar.com Facebook: Ademar-León Twitter: @ADEMARLEON Youtube: cdademarleon Playing hall
Palacio de los Deportes de Leon Paseo saenz de miera s/n 24009 Leon
Spain
Capacity: 5,900
Kit colours Light
Player shirt: white Player short: white
Goalkeeper shirt: multicolour Dark
Player shirt: red or blue Player short: red or blue Goalkeeper shirt: multicolour
Past achievements
VELUX EHF Champions League Quarter-final: 1997/98, 1999/00, 2001/02, 2011/12 Last 16: 2003/04, 2005/06, 2009/10, 2012/13 Main Round: 2007/08, 2008/09 Qualification: 2010/11 EHF Cup Quarter-final: 2010/11 Cup Winners’ Cup Winner: 1998/99, 2004/05 Final: 2000/01, 2006/07 Quarter-final: 2002/03
Spanish champions: 2001, runners-up: 1997, 1998, 2000
Spanish cup winners: Asobal Cup 1998, 2008, Copa del Rey 2003 The road to the Group Phase:
Round 3: Reale Ademar Leon – RK Nexe 29:34, 33:28
Newcomers:
Predag Vejin (Metaloplastika Sabac) Victor Alonso (BM. Valladolid), Leonardo Domenech (Sao Leonardo/BRA), Predaj Dacevic (Serbia), Sergio Mellado (BM Alcobendas), Iñigo Jorajuria, Rogelio Llamazares, Mario López, Ricardo Diez, Javier García, Rodrigo Pérez, Alberto Molina (from former club Ademar) Left the club:
Carlos Ruesga (Veszprem), Djorde Golubovic (BM. Gijon), Faruz Vrazalic (Eisenach) Vladimir Vranjes (Pick Szeged), Alvaro Cabanas (Vila de Aranda), Iñaki Malumbres (Skopje), Iosu Goñi (Aix a Provence), Raul Nantes (Tremblay)
Coach:
Daniel Gordo Rios (since 2013, before assistant coach of former head coach Manoel Cadenas)
Team roster
Reale Ademar Leon
No. First Name Surname Nat. Position Date of Birth Height Weight 73 Victor Alonso Garcia ESP Right Wing 9 Mar 1990 187 87 21 Mario Alvarez Freijo ESP Left Back 3 Dec 1990 187 85 16 Matej Asanin CRO Goalkeeper 4 Sep 1993 203 118 7 Gonzalo Carou Marcel ESP Line Player 15 Aug 1979 194 98 15 Jose Mario Carrillo Gutierrez ESP Right Wing 18 Dec 1990 180 75 13 Juan Castro Alvarez ESP Centre Back 31 Oct 1990 190 89 25 Predrag Dacevic SRB Left Back 21 Jul 1986 198 91 19 Ricardo Diez Villamanan ESP Right Wing 19 May 1988 187 82 22 Leonardo Domenech de Almeida BRA Line Player 2 Sep 1992 198 105 29 Javier Garcia Lopez ESP Line Player 16 May 1995 191 131 11 Jorge Garcia Vega ESP Centre Back 6 Aug 1976 200 96 14 Inigo Jorajuria Calvo ESP Right Wing 7 May 1992 181 78 1 Rogelio Llamazares Roldan ESP Goalkeeper 9 Jul 1979 196 90 3 Mario Lopez Alvarez ESP Right Wing 19 Sep 1994 180 72 4 Sergio Mellado Sanchez ESP Left Wing 5 Apr 1989 181 80 32 Ivan Mendez Bayon ESP Goalkeeper 23 May 1993 186 85 9 Alberto Molina Martinez ESP Centre Back 14 Jan 1993 181 75 8 Rodrigo Perez Arce ESP Left Wing 4 Oct 1995 185 75 10 Diego Pineiro Martin ESP Line Player 12 Sep 1994 192 91 18 Alexander Tatarintsev RUS Left Back 13 Mar 1990 202 87 5 Predrag Vejin SRB Right Back 17 Dec 1992 190 90
Daniel Gordo Ríos coach
The 32-year-old is in his first season as Ademar coach. He Started handball as a goalkeeper at the age of 10 in the rival city of Valladolid, which is his home town, but soon discovered that being on the side-line would be far better for him than playing. At 16 he was already taking care of different youth teams until he arrived to León in 2007, where he began training regional handball groups. His only experience in top handball comes from last season when Daniel was appointed as Manolo Cadenas’ assistant coach. When Cadenas left for Plock, he was the natural choice from inside the club to continue the work, as the team was full of local players he knew perfectly (Ademar are the youngest team in ASOBAL this season).
Although he knows this is a great deal of responsibility, he also considers this is a fantastic opportunity. In possession of a Environmental Sciences degree and with a diploma in Physical Education too, he is passionate about his job and takes any chance to review videos, prepare trainings or study English, even during trips.
Gonzalo Carou Marcel line player
Although the Argentinian started handball at the early age of eight, he played many different sports until he was 18, when he joined River Plate’s handball section. He had played as a right back because of his height and strength, but when he took up handball seriously, his coach decided to change him to the line because of some injuries in the team and it was easier to understand the team’s concepts from that position. He has been playing in Spain for the last 13 years now (between Arrate and Ademar de León). Carou wears number 7 in ASOBAL and 15 in the Argentinian side, with whom he has played since 1999.
José Mario Carrillo right wing
He started playing handball at the age of 6 because all of his friends were doing the same. He joined Ademar at 14, first playing as a back court player, but a few years later he finished in his current position (left wing) as he did not grow much (180 cm.). He is always played with number 15 since he joined ASOBAL. As a Physical Education student, he loves to practice other sports such as basketball and football. Also enjoys going to the cinema and reading about sports.
Although he declares not to be superstitious, he always uses the same compression socks while playing and
bounces the ball three times before taking a penalty. He is a good shooter from that distance since facing FC Barcelona and attempting a spin shot around Saric in the last minutes of the match and missing it. His coach (Jordi Ribera) was obviously not too pleased with that effort. While playing for the youth national team in Finland in April 2010, the now famous Icelandic vulcano Eyjafjallajökull erupted, creating a massive transport chaos across Europe. The return trip consisted on a boat to Sweden, a bus to Paris, a plane to Madrid and a train to León.
Juan Castro Álvarez centre back
He started handball in Ademar as his father was at the same time the doctor and Vice-president of the club. He took up the sport at seven while studying in Maristas (the school from which the club was created).
He started as a goalkeeper and was not bad at his age but in his own words he “wanted more action” and changed to his current position of centre back when he was 15.
He wears the same number (13) since his time on the under 18 Spanish national team. Currently studying to become a Psychology Md.
This is the 190 cm tall player’s third participation in European competition.
Reale Ademar Leon Profiles
GROUP A
Lugi HF
Lund is a well-known place for handball in Sweden, not only because the local club Lugi is organizing the famous “Lundaspelen” tournament with more than 500 teams between Christmas and New Year, but also as one venue of the 2011 men’s world championship in Sweden.
Club Lugi, which celebrated their 100th anniversary in 2012, now continues in history at Lund. With former Bundesliga top scorer Tomas Axnér, who coaches the team since 2010, now they managed their first ever qualification for the EHF Cup Group Phase after being among the best 16 teams in the Cup Winners’ Cup two seasons ago. Lugi Lund were one of the leading Swedish teams in the 1980’s – and they managed a transfer coup at the start of the current season, signing former FC Barcelona EHF Champions League winner Magnus Jernemyr.
In the two qualification stages for the Group Phase they eliminated Hungarian side Tatabanya and Greek champions AEK Athens. Now Lugi will face the two debutants Hannover, Csurgo and former Champions League participant Leon in their Group Matches – and additionally head to their first ever Swedish championship title since the 1980’s.
Manager Emme Adébo hopes to reanimate the old history. “We are honoured to represent our country and it is an important part of our players’ education to play international matches. The opponents are extremely tough but we are not only here to learn but also to win some matches!” he says.
Club Address: Lugi HF Stattenavägen, Klostergardens id 22228 Lund Sweden Media contact: Emme Adebo +46 705 874978 [email protected] Online information: www.lugihandboll.se Twitter: @LUGIHandboll Playing hall
Färs & Frosta Sparbank Arena Klostergardens Idrottsomride 22228 Lund Sweden Capacity: 3,474 Kit colours Light
Player shirt: white Player short: black Goalkeeper shirt: red Dark
Player shirt: red Player short: black Goalkeeper shirt: blue
Past achievements EHF Cup
Last 16: 1998/99 EHF Cup Winners’ Cup Last 16: 2011/12 Round 2: 2006/07 Swedish champions: 1980 The road to the Group Phase:
Round 2: Lugi HF – Grundfos Tatabanya 27:27, 24:20
Round 3: Lugi HF – AEK Athens 24:22, 25:23
Newcomers:
Magnus Jernemyr (FC Barcelona/ESP), Hampus Jildenbäck (Haslum/NOR) Left the club:
Johan Fohlin (end of career), Joakim Svensson (IFK Skövde), Jonathan Wilthorn (OV Helsingborg) Coach:
Tomas Axnér (since 2010)
Team roster
Lugi HF
No. First Name Surname Nat. Position Date of Birth Height Weight 1 Espen Christensen NOR Goalkeeper 17 Jun 1985 190 88 8 Joacim Ernstsson SWE Centre Back 19 Sep 1982 0
13 Niklas Gudmundson SWE Left Wing 28 Oct 1983 177 83 11 Anders Hallberg SWE Centre Back 1 Apr 1986 183 86 19 Johannes Hippe NOR Left Back 24 Jul 1990 193 95 17 Simon Jeppsson SWE Left Back 15 Jul 1995 0
20 Magnus Jernemyr SWE Centre Back 18 Jun 1976 198 106 24 Hampus Jildenbäck SWE Right Wing 8 Sep 1987 180 82 3 Felix Kasch SWE Left Back 17 Aug 1995 195 100 23 Otto Lagerguist SWE Line Player 28 Sep 1995 0
16 Johan Larsson SWE Goalkeeper 16 Dec 1989 191 89 4 Jonatan Leijonborg SWE Line Player 24 Sep 1992 183 92 15 Kristian Meijer SWE Right Wing 4 Feb 1980 187 80 14 Nemanja Milosevic SRB Centre Back 26 Mar 1979 198 79 21 Niklas Mörk SWE Centre Back 28 Feb 1995 0
12 Oscar Norman SWE Goalkeeper 7 Dec 1995 0
22 Anton Roth SWE Centre Back 8 Jun 1992 185 92 10 Gustav Sjölin SWE Left Wing 30 Oct 1994 0
18 Olof Skäremo SWE Left Wing 2 Mar 1992 179 92 7 Simon Stridsberg SWE Right Wing 16 Jan 1992 184 92 9 Albin Tingsvall SWE Right Back 31 Dec 1987 198 85 2 Jakob Wickman-Modigh SWE Line Player 8 Jan 1986 205 86
Tomas Axnér coach
In his playing days, Axnér was a hard-shooting right back, whose career started in H 43 Lund and continued in the other Lund based club, Lugi HF, where he has been head coach since the summer of 2012. However, it was in the Bundesliga that the name Tomas Axnér was really noticed. Through his seven years in the German top flight, from 1998 to 2005, he was successful in VfL Gummersbach and later GWD Minden. He never made it to the Swedish national team, but he and an even more famous countryman, Stefan Lövgren, are the only players in history who have managed to score over 1000 goals in the Swedish Elitserie and in the Bundesliga. In 2005 he went home to Sweden and a job as assistant coach in H 43. In 2010 he took over the same job in Lugi, where he was promoted to head coach in 2012. These days, apart from being a successful coach in Lugi who are currently in the top of the Elitserie, Tomas Axnér also finds the time to be an expert commentator at the Swedish TV station TV4 as well as to write a regular column in the newspaper Kvällsposten.
Magnus Jernemyr line player
It was a tremendous boost to Lugi, and to the Swedish league, Elitserien in general, when he chose to return home this summer after five successful years with FC Barcelona. And so far, the extremely experienced defence specialist, who is a very rare guest on the opponents’ half of the court, has lived up to the expectations. He has really met head coach Tomas Axnér’s hopes that he would make Lugi a team who can compete for the Swedish championship as well as make its mark in Europe. Jernemyr, who played his first European matches in the CL with Redbergslids as far back as the 1997/98 season, later moved on to a successful spell in Danish GOG before joining mighty Barcelona in the summer of 2008. For the following five years he was a crucial figure in Barcelona´s central defence, and he could take his part of the credit for the Spanish team’ successes in those years, winning the CL in 2011 being the greatest triumph. To the Swedish national team, he is also still an essential asset, having played over a hundred internationals.
Espen Christensen goalkeeper
191 cm tall is a Norwegian and actually in the squad for the Norwegian national team on a more or less regular basis. However, he has been playing in Sweden for several years, first representing IFK Ystad, and later Lugi’s local rivals H 43, from whom he joined Lugi in the summer of 2012. His experience with European Cup matches goes as far back as to his time in Norway, where he reached Round 3 of the Cup Winners’ Cup with Stavanger Handball in the 2003/04 season. Espen Christensen is characterised by being a goalkeeper with a modern approach to the game, meaning that he has an offensive style of playing, and that he likes to take the initiative against the shooters. This season in particular has he been especially successful in the Lugi goal, and apart from playing an important part in the Swedish team reaching the EHF Cup Group Phase, his performances also made Norway’s – Swedish – national coach Robert Hedin include him in the squad for the EHF EURO 2014.
Albin Tingsvall right back
With his 198 cm, left handed Albin Tingsvall has the physical assets to be a fine shooter from the distance, and that is exactly what he is, and what makes him one of the most important key players in the Lugi team. He has a lot of European experience already, not least from his years with another Swedish team, Hammarby with who he appeared in the EHF Champions League and the Cup Winners’ Cup twice. He also possesses international experience from 11 matches for Sweden, and he would probably have been in the Swedish team for EURO 2014, if he had not chosen to say no thanks himself. With Kim Andersson being ruled out with a shoulder injury, Johan Jakobsson from Aalborg and Tingsvall looked like the obvious right back duo by Sweden. However, Tingsvall chose to pass due to his studies. He finds the time to study psychology at the university in Lund beside his handball career, but that does not stop him from still doing his best for Lugi, for whom he is also likely to be one of the key players in the EHF Cup Group Phase.
EC trophies: CL 2011 OG: S 2012
Lugi HF Profiles
GROUP A
Csurgói KK
For the first time ever Csurgoi Kezilabda Klub have qualified for any EHF European Cup competition in this season and they waste no time to make it directly to the EHF Cup Group Phase.
Csurgo, backed by internationally well-known newcomers like Spaniard Alberto Aquirrezabalaga, Belarusian Barys Pukhouski or rising Polish goalkeeping star Piotr Wyszomirski, eliminated big names on their way to the Group Phase like Spanish side Aragon or Turkish champions Besiktas.
The winners’ way should not be left in the next stage, though Csurgo have already reached their main goal by the qualification for the group phase – now they
additionally hope to finish on the third rank in the Hungarian league to make it to the European Cup competitions also next season.
Csurgo will face Hannover-Burgdorf, Leon and Lund in their Group A matches.
Manager Peter Erdelyi explains the humble objectives of his club: “It is our first season in European Cup, so we are fully satisfied with what we have reached already. We achieved our goal, but as we are here, we will fight for the quarter-final ticket.” Team captain Gabor Herbert is also pleased with the previous performances of his team in the EHF Cup. “We won against solid teams in the two qualification rounds at home and away as well, we have several players with international experience, so we want to reach the next round,” he said.
Club Address: Csurgo Handball Club Csurgói Kézilabda Klub Szechenyi 15 H-8840 Csurgó Hungary Media contact: Peter Erdelyi +36 30 9340634 [email protected] Online information: www.cskk.hu Facebook: CsurgoiKK Playing hall Sports Hall Csurgo Sargati Street 18 8840 Csurgo Hungary Capacity: 850 Kit colours Light
Player shirt: White Player short: White Goalkeeper shirt: Green Dark
Player shirt: Red Player short: Red Goalkeeper shirt: Blue
Past achievements
First ever participation in EHF European Cup competitions
The road to the Group Phase:
Round 2: Csurgoi KK – BM Aragon 30:27, 28:25
Round 3: Csurgoi KK – Besiktas IK 31:29, 34:25
Newcomers:
Akos Lele, Balint Pordan (Tatabanya-Carbonex KC), Barys Pukhouski (SKA Minsk), Alberto Aquirrezabalaga Garcia (Trimo Trebnje), Tibor Gazdag (Gyöngyösi Kezilabda Klub), Kosta Savic (Aix Provence)
Left the club:
David Katzirz (Tatabanya Carbonex Kc), Zoltan Miss (Kecskemet), Laszlo Szeles, Tibor Cifra (Oroshaza)
Coach:
Imre Vilmos (since 30 September 2012)
Team roster
Csurgói KK
No. First Name Surname Nat. Position Date of Birth Height Weight 88 Alberto Aguirrezabalaga Garcia ESP Right Wing 1 Dec 1988 185 75 12 Tibor Balogh HUN Goalkeeper 25 Sep 1995 186 82 15 Tamas Borsos HUN Left Back 13 Jun 1990 202 105
Zoltan Csonka HUN Right Back 11 Oct 1993 180 80 13 Tibor Gazdag HUN Left Wing 7 Aug 1991 187 84 44 Djordje Golubovic SRB Right Back 20 May 1992 192 81 8 Gabor Grebenar HUN Left Back 17 Aug 1984 195 100 2 Gabor Herbert HUN Line Player 6 Feb 1979 194 108 21 Akos Lele HUN Left Wing 24 Mar 1988 194 96
Gergö Miklos HUN Goalkeeper 4 Nov 1994 196 88 66 Mate Nagy HUN Left Wing 19 Mar 1986 175 80 17 Gabor Olah HUN Right Back 21 Jan 1980 193 104 23 Adam Orszagh HUN Right Wing 6 Oct 1989 183 79 29 Peter Pallag HUN Goalkeeper 22 May 1990 198 98 22 Balint Pordan HUN Line Player 12 Oct 1988 185 97 10 Barys Pukhouski BLR Centre Back 3 Jan 1987 184 83 33 Kosta Savic BIH Right Back 15 Dec 1987 193 92 28 Szabolcs Szöllösi HUN Line Player 28 Jan 1989 194 101 22 Gabriel Vadkerti SVK Centre Back 4 Jan 1985 185 80 16 Piotr Wyszomirski POL Goalkeeper 6 Jan 1988 194 95
Vilmos Imre coach
Imre is a household name in Hungarian handball and holds the reputation of a great traveller. He had stints with both men and women clubs and led the Hungarian women’s national team and the men’s junior and youth national team for a short while, too. The 45-year-old handball expert played for Honvéd and Dunaferr before he established himself as a coach. His best result came in 2008 when he was assistant coach of the Hungarian women’s national team that reached the semifinal of the Olympic games in Peking and reached the same heights with his Dunaferr team in the EHF Cup in 2003. Imre is famous for his organisational skills and meticulous planning of games, which resulted in Csurgó’s best ever league performance and the chance to compete in an EHF tournament. Imre’s contract was to expire in the summer but with his team reaching the group stage it was extended to an additional year.
Szabolcs Szöllősi line player
The 25-year-old pivot is a real jack-of-all-trades. He flirted with football, waterpolo and various combat sports before opted to play handball, which he turned out to be so good at that MKB Veszprém signed him when he was only 17. He became a regular for Hungarian youth teams as a line player, though he tried himself out as playmaker and left back earlier in his career. Due to lack of playing time in Veszprém he signed for Csurgó where he continued to progress. Szöllősi made his international debut in 2011 and has been a regular member of the Hungarian national team ever since. The strong, intelligent pivot is scoring more and more goals as he is getting more playing time but considered to be excellent at making room for the backs to shoot in attack, too, while he is a reliable defender both in second and third positions. Szöllősi is in a long-term relationship with women’s
handball national team member Szandra Zácsik.
Piotr Wyszomirski goalkeeper
The 56-time Polish international is the first choice deputy of world class goalkeeper Slawomir Szmal and at the age of 25 he is considered to be his heir. Wyszomirski debuted in the Polish league at 19 and after his first full season he was selected to the All-Star team of Ekstraklasa in 2008. With his previous club, Pulawy Wyszomirski reached the quarter-final of the Challenge Cup but it was with the national team he gained most of his international experience. He finished fourth in the EHF EURO 2010 and has been a regular member of the Polish team since his debut. The 1,96 meter tall goalkeeper is an excellent penalty killer and despite the lack of common language a great director of Csurgó’s defence. Wyszomirski signed a one year contract with the Hungarian bronze medalist in the summer of 2013.
Alberto Aguirrezabalaga right wing
The Spanish right wing comes from a handball family, both his brothers play professionally. Aguirrezabalaga had stints with Ademar León, Ciudad Real and Pamplona but after the San Antonio club went bankrupt he moved to Slovenia to follow his girlfriend and fellow handball player, Carmen Martin. The 25-year-old Basque player signed a 1+1 year contract with Csurgói KK in the summer of 2013, where once again he will have the chance to play international games. Aguirrezabalaga played for Spain’s youth and junior national team but not at senior level. Despite his young age his considerable European experience will be heavily counted on in Csurgó, where the team is entering European competitions for the first time. Aguirrezabalaga is a top winger and a reliable defender who is a lethal force at fastbreaks, too.
Csurgói KK Profiles
GROUP A
Montpellier Agglomeration HB
First they had missed the direct qualification for the VELUX EHF Champions League in the last second of the French championship 2012/13 against Dunkerque.
Then they were eliminated by Polish runners-up Wisla Plock in the wild card play-offs for the Champions League – so Montpellier MAHB will be part of a competition, which they had not been part of since 1997: the EHF Cup.
After an overall of 37 titles including the Champions League trophy in 2003 and 14 times winning the French league, Montpellier are now facing new challenges, but as usual the objective of the club is clear: Winning the competition!
By signing their old and new goalkeeper Thierry Omeyer, who led France to win the EHF EURO 2014 in Denmark, Montpellier made a huge coup, additionally they transferred two Slovenians (Dolenec and Gaber from Velenje) and an Argentine player (Simonet) to improve their quality and to raise their chances in domestic and international competitions.
Montpellier will face Skjern, Zomimak and Sporting in the Group Phase, and coach Patrice Canayer (leading the team since 1994) is expecting a top duel for the first position.
“There are two favourites, Montpellier and Skjern. It is our clear first objective to win the group, then to proceed to the EHF Cup Finals in Berlin and finally to win the trophy,” he says.
Club Address:
Montpellier Agglomeration HB Centre Jean-Paul Lacombe Centre Jean Paul Lacombe - 1000 34090 Montpellier France Media contact: Suzy Demonte +33 499 610 358 [email protected] Online information: www.montpellierhandball.com Facebook: montpellierhandball Twitter: @MAHB Playing hall Arena Montpellier Rue de la Foire 34470 Pérols/Montpellier France Capacity: 8,000 Kit colours Light
Player shirt: white Player short: white
Goalkeeper shirt: orange/light blue Dark
Player shirt: blue Player short: blue Goalkeeper shirt: blue
Alternative Playing Hall Palais des Sports René Bougnol 1000 Av. du Val de Montferrand 34090 Montpellier
France
Capacity: 3,000
Past achievements
VELUX EHF Champions League Winners: 2002/03 Semi-final: 2004/05 Quarter-final: 2000/01, 2005/06, 2009/10, 2010/11 Last 16: 1995/96, 2003/04, 2006/07, 2011/12 Main Round: 2007/08, 2008/09 Group Phase: 1998/99, 1999/00, 2012/13 Qualification 2013/14 EHF Cup Quarter-final: 1996/97 Last 16: 1993/94, 1994/95 Last 32: 1997/98
EHF Cup Winners’ Cup Quarter-final: 2001/02 French champions: 14 times French cup winners: 13 tmes The road to the Group Phase:
Round 3: Montpellier Agglomeration – HC Kaustik 38:26, 35:29
Newcomers:
Thierry Omeyer (THW Kiel), Diego Simonet (US Ivry), Jure Dolenec (Gorenje Velenje), Matej Gaber (Gorenje Velenje) Left the club:
Christian Malmagro (destination unknown), Petar Metlicic (end of career), Remi Desbonnet (USAM Nimes), Uros Vilovski (MKB Veszprem)
Coach:
Patrice Canayer (since 1994)
Team roster
Montpellier Agglomeration HB
No. First Name Surname Nat. Position Date of Birth Height Weight 7 William Accambray FRA Left Back 8 Apr 1988 194 104 31 Arthur Anquetil FRA Left Wing 23 Jul 1995 175 70 5 Maxime Arvin-Berod FRA Left Wing 19 Aug 1991 183 80 24 Baptiste Bonnefond FRA Left Back 22 Jan 1993 194 96 18 Felipe Borges Dutra Ribeiro BRA Left Wing 4 May 1985 186 86 11 Jure Dolenec SLO Right Back 6 Dec 1988 190 90 27 Ludovic Fabregas FRA Line Player 1 Jul 1996 190 80 Jean Loup Faustin FRA Left Back 23 Mar 1995 186 81 22 Matej Gaber SLO Line Player 22 Jul 1991 198 110 30 Dragan Gajic SLO Right Wing 21 Jul 1984 190 83 10 Mathieu Grebille FRA Left Back 6 Oct 1991 198 94 14 Michael Guigou FRA Centre Back 28 Jan 1982 179 79 19 Antoine Gutfreund FRA Right Back 5 Oct 1992 196 90 88 Wissem Hmam FRA Back 21 Apr 1981 197 104 23 Vid Kavticnik SLO Right Back 24 May 1984 190 85 12 Kevin Mesnard FRA Goalkeeper 11 Jan 1993 192 86 16 Thierry Omeyer FRA Goalkeeper 2 Nov 1976 192 93 1 Mickael Robin FRA Goalkeeper 28 May 1985 190 87 21 Alexandre Saidani FRA Centre Back 30 Jul 1994 188 84 91 Arnaud Siffert FRA Goalkeeper 6 Dec 1978 190 91 4 Diego Simonet ESP Centre Back 26 Dec 1989 189 86 6 Issam Tej FRA Line Player 29 Jul 1979 188 110 20 Vincent Thouvenot FRA Left Back 30 May 1994 198 102 26 Allan Villeminot FRA Centre Back 24 May 1995 187 80 9 Romain Zerbib FRA Right Wing 31 Jul 1993 184 71
Montpellier Agglomeration HB Profiles
Patrice Canayercoach
15 French championship titles, 14 cup victories, 15 participations in the VELUX EHF Champions League since 1995 including winning the title in 2003 – these are just some of the achievements of Montpellier coach Patrice Canayer. In 1994 he started his coaching career and coached players like Nikola Karabatić, Thierry Omeyer, Jérôme Fernandez and Didier Dinart. Now Canayer’s 20th straight season on the Montpellier bench has begun. With a younger roster and not as many stars as in the past, he will be able to see how good he is at forming tomorrow’s stars. Having already won the French league cup this season, he really wants to win the EHF Cup, a competition he’s never taken part in before. A real team leader, few are the players who can say a bad word about him.
In his active career the 52-year-old coach played for Bordeaux and Racing Paris.
William Accambray left back
The new star of Montpellier and the French national team. The powerful left back is one the most powerful shooters in Europe. He rose to prominence at the 2011 World Championship, where Accambray won his first international title. In 2012 he was one of the key players responsible for the French Olympic gold medal in London.
As he was born to an athletic family with his father a high-level hammer thrower and his mother a discus thrower, it’s no surprise William is such a powerful player. Nearly two meters tall for over 100 kilos, he’s one of the continent’s strongest player and his shots from beyond the 9m line have devastating effects. But William is not only an arm, since he’s a very good defender as well. Coming back from the EHF European Championship, where he did not enjoy too much playing time, but still earned a gold medal, he’s really looking forward to playing against the best players on the continent for his first EHF Cup participation.
Thierry Omeyer goalkeeper
He is back in the club where he won his first CL title. After playing six years in Montpellier, he then left to Kiel where he played for seven seasons. Keen to finish his career in his native country, he decided to head back to Montpellier last summer, meeting again with one of the coaches who made him what he is today, Patrice Canayer. Omeyer came back to Montpellier with the firm intention to add some more titles to his already impressive record of four CL titles, two Olympic gold medals, three EHF EURO golds, including one (in 2006) where he was elected best goalkeeper of the competition.
At 36, he is a goalkeeper who can change a game. All the experience he gained in Germany make him one of the goalkeepers that many players fear. He has got one special ambition this year in the EHF Cup, because it is a title he has never won before and would undoubtedly like to add a new trophy to his collection.
Dragan Gajic right wing
The Slovenian is a counter-attacking expert. The right wing is fast as light and extremely self-assured in front of goal. He’s a penalty specialist (he scored 28 in a row this season without missing one in the french league), but he’s got a wide range of shots as well, being able to score from almost impossible angles. In France, Gajic is for now the best scorer of the league, having put the ball over a hundred times into the net in only half of the season. Arrived in 2011 in France after playing for Celje, Zagreb and Maribor, he’s very useful to the staff since he helps settling in new Slovenian players in the team, like Matej Gaber and Jure Dolenec this season. At only 29, he’s now become one of the best right winger on the planet, feared by all goalkeepers and wanted by some of the biggest clubs. But for now, he’s happy in Montpellier, and he shows that on the court.
EC trophies: CL 2003
OG: G 2012, EURO: G 2014, WCh: G 2011
OG: G 2008, G 2012, EURO: G 2006, G 2010, G 2014, B 2008, WCh: G 2001, G 2009, G 2011, B 2003, B 2005
EC trophies: CL 2003, 2007, 2010, 2012, IHF Super Globe 2011
GROUP B
Skjern Handbold
Skjern Handbold, the double EHF Challenge Cup winner (2002, 2003) and 2007 EHF Cup semi-finalists from Denmark, have high hopes going into their first participation in the EHF Cup Group Phase, in which they will face Montpellier, Zomimak and Sporting Lisbon.
“We are going to meet three talented teams, which we have never met before in our European Cup history,” said manger Anders Dahl-Nielsen, who adds: “The overall objective is to participate in the finals in Berlin.”
The full Skjern squad consists only of Danish players, led by experienced national team aces Kasper Sondergaard and team captain Henrik Mollgaard.
“We have ended up in a very exciting group. We of course hope to get to the quarter-finals and after that to meet the three three remaining teams in Berlin,” said a confident Mollgaard.
In qualification for the Group Phase, Skjern did not have high hurdles to clear, beating Ronal Jicin from the Czech Republic and Serbian champions RK Vojvodina clearly before entering this stage of the competition.
Coach Ole Nørgaard will have to deal with the absence of right back Jesper Dahl Joergensen, who is out for the rest of this season, and internationally experienced Nikolaj Markussen, who is doubtful this season with his Achilles tendon injury.
Club Address: Skjern Handbold Ostergade 40 6900 Skjern Denmark Media contact:
Henning Kjaergaard Christensen +45 20 669374 [email protected] Online information: www.skjernhaandbold.dk Facebook: skjernhaandbold Twitter: @SkjernHaandbold Playing hall
Skjern Bank Arena,Skjern Ranunkelvej 1 6900 Skjern Denmark Capacity: 2,400 Kit colours Light
Player shirt: green Player short: black Goalkeeper shirt: red Dark
Player shirt: red Player short: black Goalkeeper shirt: gray
Past achievements
VELUX EHF Champions League Last 16: 2003/2004 Main Round: 1999/2000 EHF Cup Semi-final: 2006/07 Last 16: 2011/12 Round 3: 2004/05 Cup Winners’ Cup Quarter-final: 2005/06 Round 4: 2000/01 Challenge Cup
Winner: 2001/02, 2002/03 Danish champions: 1998/99 Danish cup winners: 1999/2000 The road to the Group Phase:
Round 2: Skjern Handbold – Ronal Jicin 38:21, 29:21
Round 3: Skjern Handbold – RK Vojvodina 31:24, 24:18
Newcomers:
Thomas Bruhn (former clubs: Mors-Thy Håndbold, AG København, FCK Håndbold, Bjerringbro- Silkeborg, Rhein-Neckar Löwen)
Left the club:
Palle Kjærgaard Hansen (HC Midtjylland) Coach:
Ole Nørgaard (since 01.07.12)
Team roster
Skjern Handbold
No. First Name Surname Nat. Position Date of Birth Height Weight Mikkel Arndal DEN Goalkeeper 14 Oct 1994 188 91 5 Frederik G. Borm DEN Line Player 12 Aug 1988 195 110 18 Rasmus Hjarnø Boysen DEN Centre Back 14 Oct 1992 191 98 19 Bjarke Fredsted Christensen DEN Left Wing 26 Jan 1992 187 85 9 Morten Balling Christensen DEN Left Wing 12 Aug 1987 185 88 23 Palle Kjaergaard Hansen DEN Right Back 1 Mar 1987 202 102
Frederik Haugaard DEN Goalkeeper 20 Jan 1994 189 78 26 Thomas Bruhn Helleberg DEN Right Wing 18 Jun 1981 0
2 Moller Claus Jakobsen DEN Left Back 24 Sep 1976 190 96 Jonas Baek Jensen DEN Left Wing 29 Jan 1994 188 85 20 Jesper Dahl Joergensen DEN Right Back 23 Mar 1994 190 87 7 Thomas Klitgaard DEN Line Player 10 Dec 1977 195 98 12 Kristoffer L. Laursen DEN Goalkeeper 8 May 1989 98 196 11 Nikolaj Markussen DEN Left Back 1 Aug 1988 211 95 15 Lasse Mikkelsen DEN Centre Back 19 May 1988 197 94 6 Henrik Mollgaard Jensen DEN Left Back 2 Jan 1985 195 97 24 Alexander E. Nielsen DEN Right Back 2 Mar 1991 197 94 Simon Opstrup DEN Left Wing 5 Jan 1994 180 70 21 Rene Toft Brølling Rasmussen DEN Right Wing 29 Aug 1989 176 83 Mathias H. Skraeddergaard DEN Left Back 1 Aug 1994 207 95 22 Kasper Sondergaard Sarup DEN Right Back 9 Jun 1981 192 95 25 Daniel Svensson DEN Centre Back 3 Apr 1982 190 95 16 Tim Legaard Duus Winkler DEN Goalkeeper 14 Feb 1986 189 94
Ole Nørgaard coach
As a matter of fact, it was Ole Nørgaard’s debut as senior coach, when he took over in Skjern Håndbold in the summer of 2012. Until then he had been head of development of talents under the Danish Handball Federation, where he was also in charge of various Danish junior national teams, finishing with the Men’s U21 team. Nørgaard made the step from juniors to seniors at top level very well, though. In his first season in Skjern, he led the team to the bronze medals in the Danish league which gave access to the qualification matches for the EHF Cup group phase. This season has he not only taken Skjern to the group phase, but also to a current second place in the Danish league. Being known as a calm and analysing coach who is good at making his players understand his plans and ideas, he has really not faced any major problems, when it came to gaining the necessary respect from the many experienced players in the club.
Henrik Møllgaard left back
He started his career in Ribe HK, once a traditional club in the Danish top flight, but being far from the headlines when Møllgaard played there. He got his career going when he joined KIF Kolding who got his signature on a contract in 2005 in keen competition with several other league clubs. He won the Danish championship twice and the Danish Cup once with the club before moving on to AaB Håndbold in 2009. With AaB he won the Danish championship in 2010 – defeating his former club Kolding in the finals – and when the club name changed to Aalborg Handball the following year, he stayed on until he joined Skjern in the summer of 2012. Henrik Møllgaard is a strong and experienced defender at an internationally high level, a quality which has also made him valuable to the Danish national team. However, due to his height (196 cm) his physical strength and his hard and varied shot he is also a great asset to Skjern in the attacking play.
Kasper Søndergaard right back
His career at top level really got going, when he joined KIF Kolding from Aarhus Håndbold in the winter break of the 2006/07 season. With Kolding he won the Danish Cup in the 2007/08 season and the Danish championship the following year. It was also while being with Kolding that he was part of the Danish national team who won the EHF EURO2008 in Norway. Four years later, in his first season in Skjern, he also played his part in Denmark’s second European triumph, when the Danes won EURO2012 in Serbia. While Søndergaard does not have his finest skills on the defence, he is an attacking right back at the highest international level. His characteristics are a highly varied left hand shot from eight to nine meters as well as from 10-12 meters and a highly developed ability to break through the opponents’ defence. These skills have made him an absolute key player in Skjern’s successful season so far, being second in the domestic league and having qualified for the EHF Cup Group Phase.
Claus Møller Jakobsen centre back
Before returning home to Skjern Håndbold – the club of his childhood and early youth – in the summer of 2009, Claus Møller Jakobsen spent nine successful years in Spanish handball. When it comes to winning titles, the peak of his career at top level was his time in Ciudad Real, with whom he won the EHF Champions League in 2006. However, he also celebrated triumphs with the other Spanish clubs he represented – BM Altea, C. BM Ademar Leon and Portland San Antonio. With Leon he reached the final of the 2006/07 Cup Winners’ Cup. Despite his glorious club career,
Jakobsen was never part of the Danish national team’s greatest triumphs, winning EURO 2008 and 2012, even though he reached 122 internationals. To his club teams, however, he has always been crucial, being an intelligent and shooting playmaker, who is also capable of playing the left back position. Apart from these attacking qualities, he is also an extremely strong and uncompromising defender.
EURO: G 2008 and G 2012
EC trophies: Champions Trophy 2005 and 2006, CL 2006
Skjern Håndbold Profiles
HC Zomimak-M
For the first time three Macedonian men’s clubs are part of the crucial stages of both top European Cup competitions. While Metalurg and Vardar made it to the Group Phase of the VELUX EHF Champions League, HC Zomimak from Strumica entered the Group Phase of the EHF Cup right in their first ever participation in the European Cup. After an away defeat at Aarhus, they clinched their berth for the Group Phase by a clear win on home ground after eliminating Tel Aviv in their first qualification round. Now the third ranked team of the Macedonian league will face Montpellier, Lisbon and Skjern in their Group Matches. The squad nearly only consists of Macedonian players, with the exceptions of each one from Georgia, Serbia and Cuba. And at Strumica they hope that their journey will not determine in the Group Phase, but earliest in the quarter-finals in the year of the 60th anniversary of the club, for which a new mascot, “Risko”, was created.
Coach Dimitar Pandev, who is also acting as the manager of Zomimak, feels proud to have come so far: “It is a great honour to have a spot in the Group Phase of the EHF Cup and to stand head to head with some of the best handball teams in Europe. This is the first time in our history that the team competes in any European Cup and I am convinced that the lack of experience will be compensated by the motivation to get the best out of these games.”
Club Address: HC Zomimak-M Aleksandar Jankov Krsto Uzunov 3/12 2400 Strumica FYR Macedonia Media contact: Aleksandar Jankov +389 71 239932 [email protected] Online information: www.rkstrumica.mk Facebook: RK-Strumica Playing hall
Sport hall Strumica Gjuro Salaj b.b. Strumica FYR Macedonia Capacity: 3,500 Kit colours Light
Player shirt: Red Player short: Red Goalkeeper shirt: Orange Dark
Player shirt: Black Player short: Black Goalkeeper shirt: Red
Past achievements
First ever participation in EHF European club competitions
The road to the Group Phase: Round 2: HC Zomimak-M – Maccabi Tyrec Tel Aviv 26:26, 30:23
Round 3: HC Zomimak-M – Aarhus Handbold 26:29, 33:24
Newcomers:
Stefan Terzic (on loan from Vardar), Kire Mitrevski (HC Pelister)
Left the club:
Rade Stojanovich (Drammen, Norway), Igor Milosavljevich
Coach:
Dimitar Pandev (since June 2013)
Team roster
HC Zomimak-M
No. First Name Surname Nat. Position Date of Birth Height Weight 18 Aleksandar Angelovski MKD Left Back 7 Mar 1989 194 90 3 Pavle Atanasov MKD Left Wing 28 Dec 1992 185 78 23 Revaz Chanturia GEO Right Wing 31 May 1982 178 79 2 Risto Georgiev MKD Line Player 20 Jul 1994 180 106 55 Mite Karaivanov MKD Left Back 13 Mar 1984 199 103 12 Kiril Kolev MKD Goalkeeper 18 Jul 1978 197 100 4 Milorad Kukoski MKD Left Back 7 Dec 1987 195 100 11 Igor Milosavljevikj SRB Right Back 24 Jun 1980 196 102 6 Jovica Mladenovski MKD Left Back 20 May 1987 190 80 8 Tome Nakov MKD Centre Back 10 Dec 1991 187 97 5 Igor Pavlovski MKD Line Player 12 Feb 1981 187 103 14 Zoranco Shalevski MKD Left Wing 19 Feb 1985 183 82 7 Stojan Stojanov MKD Right Back 9 Apr 1995 188 79 44 Radoslav Stojanovic MKD Left Back 20 Sep 1978 190 87 16 Aleksander Stojanovski MKD Goalkeeper 14 Jul 1989 188 93 9 Aleksandar Trencevski MKD Line Player 12 Jul 1990 186 100 77 Zlatko Vezenkovski MKD Centre Back 1 Jul 1985 184 88
Dimitar Pandev coach
This is the first season for Dimitar Pandev as a full-time coach. Last year he played for Zomimak M and coached the team at the same time as they achieved the club’s biggest success the domestic cup final. He was part of the team when the handball rise began in Strumica.
Now Pandev (43) is completely devoted to the coaching job, attempting to form a team that can compete with Vardar and Metalurg.
As a player he played with Pelister Bitola in the Yugoslavian first division in the early 90’s. After the independence of FYR Macedonia, Pelister were the first national champions. He played for several deferent teams from Macedonia: Pelister Bitola, Shevro Kumanovo, Rimako Radovis, Povardarie Negotino, Jug Skopje, Superra Strumica and represented the Macedonian national team.
Stefan Terzic right back
The most famous reinforcement for the team, young Serbian international Stefen Terzic signed before the New Year from champions Vardar. He should boost the right back position, which was understrength. In Vardar, he did not have a real chance and will expect to have more opportunity to play and score in Strumica.
He has a gold medal from VELUX EHF Champions League last year as a member of Hamburg. The 19-year-old has played two games (6 goals) for Serbia and for the under 19 squad - 48 games (440 goals). His other previous clubs are Arilje and Borac Banja Luka.
Revaz Chanturia right wing
The Georgian has played ten seasons in the Macedonian league for different clubs. When his club Shevardeni Tbilisi played against Metalurg back in 2004, Chanturia stayed in Skopje and signed for them. In Skopje, he is married and has a family. The season he has scored 17 goals in the EHF Cup matches for Zomimak M.
He played with Shevardeni Tbilisi from 1999 until 2004 and won the league and cup double in Georgia three times. With Metalurg (2004-2009), he was four-time league champion, two-time cup winner, twice played in the quarter-finals of the EHF Cup and once in the Cup Winners’ Cup. His one season with Vardar saw him reach the Cup Winners’ Cup semi-final in 2011.
He has scored 144 goals for the Georgian national team and won the EHF Challenge Trophy in 2007 when he was named the best right wing in the tournament.
Igor Pavlovski line player
One of the most experienced players at Zomimak M, has played handball since 1994 for several teams. This is his second season in Zomimak M and was part of the team that played last year in the final of the domestic cup, which is the club’s most notable success. Named best player and scorer, and is among the record holders in the Macedonian league with 22 goals scored in one match as a Metalurg player.
He has represented the Macedonian national team 20 times (45 goals). In career has played for teams of Ovce Pole, Prolet, Metalurg, Ohrid, Dinamo Bucharest (ROM) and VV Tikvesh.
He drives motorcycles as a hobby and is a member of motorcycle club Sveti Nikole.
EC trophies: CL 2013
