04.01.2010, 05:21
Austria awaits 170 CL players

A large amount of EHF Champions League Players can be seen at the EURO 2010.

Austria awaits 170 CL players

The EHF Men’s Champions League is on winter break and will continue in February. Before that, 170 of its top stars will meet from January 19th to 31st in Austria for the EURO 2010.

170 of the 448 first-stage nominated EURO players are from EHF Champions League clubs. The national squads include athletes from 21 of the 24 clubs that currently are in the Champions League group phase.

Team / Country / EURO Players
Chechovskie Medvedi / RUS / 16
BM Ciudad Real / ESP / 15
KS Vive Targi Kielce / POL / 13
HSV Hamburg / GER / 12
Rhein-Neckar Löwen / GER / 12
HC Croatia Osiguranje-Zagreb / CRO / 11
THW Kiel / GER / 10
F.C. Barcelona Borges / ESP / 10
MKB Veszprém KC / HUN / 10
RK Gorenje Velenje / SLO / 9
Pick Szeged / HUN / 8
Montpellier HB / FRA / 8
Pevafersa Valladolid / ESP / 7
Chambery Savoie HB / FRA / 7
FCK Handbold A/S / DEN / 7
KIF Kolding / DEN / 6
Reale Ademar Leon / ESP / 4
Alingsås HK / SWE / 2
Fyllingen Handball / NOR / 2
HCM Constanta / ROM / 1
GC Amicitia Zürich / SUI / 1

Most of the Euro Players from the Champions League (22) play for Spanish clubs. Which is quite understandable as Spain is the only country with four CL Participants in the current season. Only one nominated Spanish player doesn’t play in his home country: Pivot Carlos Prietois, who is under contract at the Rhein Neckar Löwen/GER.

Second team in the nations ranking is France with 19 CL players, led by current World Handball player of the year, Thierry Omeyer/Kiel, his forerunner Nikola Karabatic/Montpellier or Jerome Fernandez/Ciudad Real.

The “bronze medal” is split between Croatia and Russia. The Croatians with not only a lot of Zagreb players but also competitors from different European top clubs, Russia with all but two players from Chechov.

Host nation Austria is the only EURO participant without any players in the EHF Champions League.

From 28 nominated players per team the national coaches have to choose their final 18 players squad for the EURO right before the start of the tournament.

TEXT: Björn Pazen