The two Gipuzkoan teams that are going to play the European Handball League -until now known as the EHF Cup- they have known since yesterday what to expect. The organization released the details of both competitions, to the joy of the Super Amara Bera Bera and slight disappointment of Bidasoa-Irun.
The irundarra club counted on beginning in the second previous one, but it will be released in the first one. This means not only entering the competition almost a month before, the last weekend of August, but two risky situations before reaching the long-awaited group stage.
Twelve teams are already classified for the same and nine -among which surprisingly there is Benidorm instead of Bidasoa- they will wait in the second preview. To this fifteen teams will arrive from as many playoffs to a double match and the team from Irundra will play one of them.
Among the 29 possible rivals there are some teams from Luxembourg or Austria, to cite less powerful countries, but also names to consider such as SKA Minsk, Butel Skopje, Metalurg or CSKA. The draw will be held next Tuesday in Vienna.
Joy of the Bera Bera
And if Bidasoa-Irun is in a hurry to have to play two foreplay instead of one, Bit was Bera doesn’t hide her satisfaction for being exempt from the first two previous and entering the third, since in the women’s competition three rounds had been planned before the group stage, although the first one has finally been eliminated.
Who would have thought that among so many bad news caused by the coronavirus on a global level, such a positive one would come to the interests of Super Amara Bera Bera. And is that, despite having to wait until November to compete in the European Handball League -the initial idea was to start in September-, the people of San Sebastian will avoid two previous ones that seemed to be a guaranteed punishment.
Therefore, the Gipuzkoans will need to overcome a single qualifying round-trip to achieve the long-awaited goal of playing in the group stage of the second highest continental competition, only behind the Champions League. Imanol Álvarez’s squad will have less game load at the beginning of the season and will have more preparation time to be able to reach this preliminary phase, decisive for their interests, in top form. The first leg will take place on November 14-15 and the return will be one week later.
The decision of the International Federation was forwarded yesterday to the offices of Bidebieta and the news was received with open arms. Because, although it is normal that the rivals in the first rounds were of a lower level, that does not exempt from the difficulty of playing a commitment of those characteristics after so long without competing officially. In the statement, the other seventeen teams that, together with Super Amara, are already immersed in Q3 are also cited. The draw will be held in October and the San Sebastian club especially wants to avoid traveling to countries like Russia or Turkey.
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