The current situation between Ukraine and Russia has an impact on upcoming matches organised under the umbrella of the EHF, as several European men’s and women’s top handball clubs and national teams are located in the region.
"The European Handball Federation always aims to safeguard the integrity of its competitions and is of the opinion that the best option is a decision on court," says EHF President Michael Wiederer. "At the same time, the safety of teams, players and officials is of highest priority."
Given that several competitions have reached the knockout stages and therefore with time also playing a role, the EHF has taken the following decisions, looking at the next four weeks.
The European Handball Federation currently sees no option to have matches played in Ukraine.
In the EHF Champions League Men, in which 11 out of 14 rounds in the group phase have been played, the group B matches HC Motor vs Paris Saint-Germain Handball, initially scheduled for 17 February, and HC Motor vs Barça, scheduled for 3 March, are planned to be played on neutral ground.
On 1 March, HC Motor will face PSG Handball in Prešov, Slovakia. The match against Barça will remain scheduled for 3 March and is planned to be also held in Prešov.
The upcoming Women’s EHF EURO 2022 Qualifiers matches between Czech Republic and Ukraine, currently scheduled for 2 and 5 March, is planned to be played as a double-header on 4 and 5 March in the Czech Republic.
The further organisation of the Men’s World Championship 2023 Phase 1 Play-Offs between Finland and Ukraine, with the matches scheduled for 16 and 20 March, will be handled by the European Handball Federation together with the federations of Finland and Ukraine.
Over the past 10 days, two matches were not played as scheduled. This concerns the EHF European Cup Women match, HC Galychanka Lviv (UKR) vs H71 (FAR), which was scheduled for 13 February, and the match Skif Krasnodar (RUS) vs Drammen HK (NOR), scheduled for 19 February.
For the further handling of both matches, legal procedures have been opened by the European Handball Federation.
Subsequently for the case of the match Skif Krasnodar vs Drammen HK, only the “winner of” this tie has been drawn on Tuesday’s EHF European Cup Men quarter-final draw.
The EHF continues to monitor the situation between Ukraine and Russia from a European handball perspective and will issue updates on the matches mentioned as well as on future matches whenever necessary.
