Officials make the first step on the road to Poland

For 14 delegates and 28 referees the journey to the Men's EHF EURO 2016 in Poland started in Vienna on the last August weekend as they congregated for the first part of the seminar.

The three-day event was organised by the EHF Competency Academy & Network with still more than four months until the first whistle at the tournament.

"This seminar is divided into two parts. The second will take place in January in Poland on the eve of the EHF EURO," chairman of the technical refereeing commission Dragan Nachevski.

"While at his meeting our main focus will be the line player's play offensive fouls or penalty throws, in January we will analyse the progressive line on wings' play and special situation," he added.

"Based on what we have seen in the last season of the Champions League and at the World Championship in Qatar, I can say that we have to find a clear line on the pivot as there is a lot of fighting between the six and nine-meter line. There is a similar challenge on the wings' positions," Nachevski added.

While all the nominated delegates should make it to the final tournament, not all referees from Vienna will get a chance to take the floor in Poland.

"By the end of September we announce the final nomination,“ Nachevski explained.

One team, one goal

The idea of a joint preparation seminar for referees and delegates nominated for the EURO is not brand new any more. The first seminar was organised by the EHF CAN last year and although many referees were experiencing their premiere this time around, they quickly embraced the initiative.

"We are one team and have one goal for this top handball event, which is to perform at our very best. Therefore it makes a perfect sense that we prepare together,“ said Michael Johansson, who took part at the last world championship in Qatar and also at the VELUX EHF FINAL4 last May together with his colleague Jasmin Kliko.

"European championship is always a very tough tournament. All teams there are very strong and there are no easy games. In addition, whereas the FINAL4 is just a weekend event, this is a long tournament and referees have to be in a top shape, both physically and mentally to perform well throughout the whole tournament.“

The ticket sales for the EHF EURO in Poland indicate that the tournament will be a massive success in terms of attendance in all arenas. The raucous crowds can create a lot of pressure on the men with whistles, but this is nothing what referees should be afraid of.

"Always when there is a good atmosphere in the game it is much easier to stay concentrated. For me this is the part of the game and we also have to cope with the pressure from the stands.“

Read more about the seminar here.