The European Handball Federation (EHF) and the international expert organisation DEKRA are expanding their cooperation.

With the start of the 2025/26 season, DEKRA will become the Official EHF Referee Partner in several club and national team competitions, including the EHF Champions League, the EHF European League, the EHF’s youth national team competitions and the EHF Wheelchair Handball Championship.

The new partnership covers around 1,300 matches per season. It will initially run for the 2025/26 as well as for the 2026/27. In March this year, the EHF and DEKRA had already announced a refereeing partnership for the Men's and Women's EHF EUROs 2026.

As part the agreement the DEKRA logo will be firmly visible on the referees’ shirts. LED perimeter advertising will be added for youth national team competitions such as the Men's 20 EHF EURO and Women's 19 EHF EURO, the latter currently being played in Montenegro.

At the EHF FINAL4s and the EHF Finals, the final weekends of the EHF Champions League and the European League, DEKRA will present the fair play announcement ahead of the matches.

The cooperation also includes a range of sustainability services which the EHF will be commissioning from DEKRA.

Martin Hausleitner, EHF Secretary General, said: "Our extended cooperation sees DEKRA being present as official refereeing partner in almost all EHF competitions. There could not be a better brand-fit with our referees, as neutrality, objectivity and precision are the common values we share. We are very pleased about this broad and comprehensive partnership."

Uta Leitner, Executive Vice President Communications and Brand Management at DEKRA, added: "Actively supporting the EHF with our expertise in the area of sustainability will turn the collaboration into a genuine, active partnership. We are very much looking forward to getting started at the beginning of the 2025/26 season."

Photo caption: Looking forward to a comprehensive partnership for around 1,300 matches per season in European handball: EHF Secretary General Martin Hausleitner and DEKRA Head of Communications Uta Leitner.