Media Guide VELUX EHF Champions League Season 2014/15 Last 16 Title sponsor Premium sponsors Regional Premium sponsor Partners VELUX EHF CHAMPIONS LEAGUE SPONSORS Table of contents Foreword 4 Media contacts 5 Map of participating clubs 6 Playing system diagram - stages and dates 7 Media accreditation for the VELUX EHF FINAL4 9 Facts & Figures of the Group Phase 10 Important regulations - scoring of the Last 16 matches 11 Quarter-final draw - seeding pots 11 Naturhouse La Rioja vs MKB-MVM Veszprem 12 Montpellier Agglomeration HB vs Vive Tauron Kielce 21 Aalborg Handball vs FC Barcelona 30 SG Flensburg-Handewitt vs THW Kiel 39 Dunkerque HB Grand Littoral vs PSG Handball 48 Orlen Wisla Plock vs HC Vardar 57 Rhein-Neckar Löwen vs MOL-Pick Szeged 66 HC PPD Zagreb vs KIF Kolding Köbenhavn 75 Current top scorers 84 Past winners 85 3 Foreword Dear Media Representative, Welcome once again to the matches of the VELUX EHF Champions League. We are down to a matter of weeks, twelve to be exact until the 2014/2015 season reaches its spectacular conclusion. But before we head to Cologne, the remaining teams in the competition face their next challenge…the Last 16. The ten rounds of the Group Phase came to an end in February 2015, and with 120 matches now behind them, the group phase survivors stand on the eve of the Last 16. The players of KS Vive Tauron Kielce (POL) were the best of the 24 teams in the previous round; Kielce exited Group D with maximum points after 10 impressive victories. It will be interesting to see if their winning streak remains unbroken as they face Montpellier Agglomeration HB (FRA). Enjoying their 18th season in the Champions League, the ultimate team of this elite competition, FC Barcelona will meet Aalborg Handball. The Danes are hoping to move to the next round; only in their second season in the Champions League, they are hungry and ambitious. The other Danish presence, KIF Kolding Kobenhavn takes on HC Prvo plinarsko drustvo Zagreb of Croatia, who are back in the Last 16 after a two season absence. Naturhouse La Rioja (ESP) have made it to the Last 16 for the first time in the history of their club, but they face a mammoth task overcoming the prowess of MKB-MVM Veszprem (HUN). In the previous season, though they faced different teams, Orlen Wisla Plock (POL) departed the competition in the Last 16, whilst HC Vardar (MKD) went on to the quarter-finals, will the tide turn or will history repeat itself? Rhein-Neckar Löwen (GER) and MOL-Pick Szeged (HUN) are very experienced teams, focused and determined, and both want the ticket to the next round. In the ‘clash of the titans’, the reigning Champions, SG Flensburg-Handewitt take on the former Champions, THW Kiel in a German derby. But it is not the only one, as the players of Dunkerque HB Grand Littoral meet their counterparts of Paris St. Germain – though the both teams are relative newcomers to the VELUX EHF Champions League participating for the third time, their players are world renowned, and accustomed to the action that waits in the Last 16. As the excitement continues to build, we look forward to an exceptional round of the Last 16. With the dramatic pairings, there is no way to predict the eight teams that will cede into the quarter-finals of the VELUX EHF Champions League. Approaching the end of the 22nd season of the men’s Champions League, there is still so much more to experience. 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. I therefore hope you consider this media guide a useful and enriching resource for your work in the upcoming weeks and months. Should you require any further 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 in the coming season! Jean Brihault EHF President 4 EHF/M Media contacts Media matters TV and Radio Vlado Brindzak Miguel Mateo Marcellan Media and Communications Media Manager European Handball Federation EHF Marketing GmbH +43 1 80 151 161 +43 1 80 151 224 [email protected] [email protected] Twitter:@ehfmedia Media accreditation for the Last 16 matches The written media and photographer’s accreditation procedure in the Group Phase is entirely in the responsibility of the participating clubs. TV and Radio accreditations are subjects to approval by EHF Marketing GmbH – please contact Miguel Mateo Marcellán. Clubs – Media contacts POT 1 POT 2 POT 3 POT 4 THW Kiel (GER) PSG Handball (FRA) HC PPD Zagreb (CRO) Naturhouse La Rioja (ESP) Christian Robohm Louise Cosnard Goran Roknić Jaime Luis Gonzalez Gutierrez +49 1635306300 +33 (0)675 591 939 +385 95 9999 334 +34 63 77 66 107 [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] FC Barcelona (ESP) KIF Kolding København (DEN) Orlen Wisła Płock (POL) SG Flensburg-Handewitt (GER) Gustau Galvache Thomas Christensen Piotr Raczkowski Sandra von Wallis +34 618522789 +45 22 629062 +48-691-99881 +49 4611609625 [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] MKB-MVM Veszprém KC (HUN) HC Vardar Skopje (MKD) Rhein Neckar Löwen (GER) Montpellier Agglomeration HB (FRA) Zsolt Sevinger Marko Savovski Christopher Monz Suzy Demonte +36 305024547 +389 75 200 008 +491744288849 +33 499 610 358 [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Vive Tauron Kielce (POL) MOL-Pick Szeged (HUN) Dunkerque HB Grand Littoral (FRA) Aalborg Handball (DEN) Sebastian Kozubek Nandor Szögi Melanie Lefevbre Poul Madsbjerg +48 505031244 +36 70 3878234 + 33 3 28 66 91 52 +4520804976 [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] 5 VELUX EHF CHAMPIONS LEAGUE SG Flensburg- THW Kiel, Orlen Wisla Alingsas HK, Handewitt, GER GER Plock, POL Season 2014/15 SWE Haslum HK, ZAGREB NOR RUKOMETNI KLUB PRVO PLINARSKO DRUŠTVO KS Vive Tauron Teams eliminated in the Qualification Kielce, POL Teams eliminated in the Group Phase HC Brest Meshkov, BLR Teams qualified for the Last 16 Aalborg Handbold, DEN KIF Kolding Kobenhavn, DEN Chekhovski Medvedi, RUS Targos VELUX EHF FINAL4 HC Bevo, NED Host City Cologne, GER Tatran Presov, SVK Hubo Initia Hasselt, BEL 6 HC Motor Zaporozhye, UKR Dunkerque HB G. Littoral, FRA MKB-MVM Rhein-Neckar Veszprem, HUN Löwen, GER bevo hc PSG Handball, MOL-Pick FRA Szeged, HUN Montpellier HB, HCM Constanta, FRA ROU Futebol Clube HC Vojvodina do Porto, POR Novi Sad, SRB Naturhouse Besiktas La Rioja, ESP MOGAZ HT, TUR Alpla F.C. Barcelona, HC Hard, AUT Junior Fasano HC Vardar ESP I TA MKD Kadetten HC Metalurg, Schaffhausen, SUI HC PPD RK Celje Pivo. MKD Lasko, SLO Zagreb,CRO VELUX EHF Champions League 2014/15 playing system Qualication Tournaments Group Phase Last 16 Quarter-nals FINAL4 Semi-nals 4 vs. 1 3 vs. 2 2 vs. 1 vs. vs. vs. vs. vs. vs. vs. vs. 3rd Place Match vs. vs. vs. vs. 7 Final Home Matches 5 1 1 Total Matches 10 2 2 vs. Season 2014/15 playing dates Qualication Tournaments Group Phase Last 16 Quarter-nals FINAL4 12 teams 4 groups with 6 teams each 16 teams 8 teams 4 teams 24. - 28.09.2014 19. - 23.11.2014 rst leg rst leg 30/31.05.2015 3 tournaments with semi-nals 01. - 05.10.2014 26. - 30.11.2014 11.03. - 15.03.2015 08.04. - 12.04.2015 and nals 08. - 12.10.2014 03. - 06.12.2014 15. - 19.10.2014 11. - 15.02.2015 second leg second leg 06. - 07.09.2014 12. - 16.11.2014 18. - 22.02.2015 18.03. - 22.03.2015 15.04. - 19.04.2015 30 / 31 May 2015 LANXESS arena Cologne 2015 VELUX EHF FINAL4 TICKET SALE Admission prices Category 1: € 265,- Category 2: € 195,- Category 3: € 135,- Category 4: € 65,- Tickets are available by phone, online and at the LANXESS arena ticket shops www.ehfFINAL4.com Ticket hotline +49 221 280 288 THE ULTIMATE CHALLENGE. THE ABSOLUTE THRILL. EUROPE’S BEST. Imagine your ehfFINAL4.com #EHFFINAL4 VIP experience! VIP Arrangements VIP-Hotline: +43 1 80151 – 216 [email protected] Media Accreditation for the VELUX EHF FINAL4 With 12 weeks to go before the start of the VELUX EHF FINAL4, Requests for media accreditation could only be made online and the final round of the VELUX EHF Champions League, accreditation should be made by Monday 27 April at 15.00, almost two weeks after requests from media representatives are now being accepted. the completion of the quarter-final matches. For the sixth time the top event of the club season will take place in Media accreditation is only open to professional media the LANXESS arena, Cologne on 30 and 31 May 2015 and will see the representatives working at the event. Freelance media continent’s best four teams battling it out over two days to lift the representatives may be asked to provide additional evidence of their coveted VELUX EHF Champions League trophy. work. There are limited places and it may not be possible to accept all requests for an accreditation. Journalists, photographers, TV and radio representatives can now submit their request for accreditation via an online form at www.