Macedonia Winless at the Euro While Three of Our Clubs Await European Draws: Home Handball Between Struggle and Hope

Macedonia winless at the Euro: a fourth straight loss for the young handballers

Macedonia's under-20 handball team took another blow at the European Championship in Romania - a 28:24 defeat to Austria in the placement round. It's a fourth loss in a row for the side of coach Igor Ilievski, which means all chances of a better finish are already gone. The bright spot, such as it was, were Popovski and Mateski with six goals each, but that wasn't enough against an in-form opponent. Our selection goes on fighting in the lower half, for the positions from 17th to 24th, with Latvia the next opponent. The question that remains isn't why one match is lost - it's why younger generations know victory on the big stage ever more rarely.

EHF releases the pots: Tikveš, Đorče Petrov and Vardar await rivals

Tomorrow at 11 in Vienna the draws for part of the European handball cups take place, and three Macedonian clubs are waiting to learn who they got. GRK Tikveš will play in the EHF European Cup for men from the first pot, with possible rivals such as Omonia (Cyprus), Dubočica and Budvanska Rivijera from the region, or Spor Toto from Turkey. Women's champions Đorče Petrov head to the European League, where the possible opponents include teams from Croatia, Serbia and Germany. ŽRK Vardar, meanwhile, await rivals from the second pot in the European Cup. Three Macedonian names on the European map in a single draw - a reminder that home handball, despite its troubles, still has something to show beyond the borders.

Ohrid left without one of its pillars - off to Poland

One of Ohrid's most important handballers is leaving - he continues his career at Poland's Wisła Płock, a club that moves regularly among the European elite. For the player it's a step up, for Ohrid - a gap that won't be filled easily. This is the story Macedonian handball has lived for decades: the moment someone proves themselves at home, foreign clubs with fatter budgets carry them off. It's hard to blame the players - where should they stay when the conditions aren't comparable? But every such departure is another reminder of how hard it is to build lasting success when the best keep leaving.

The neighbours as hosts: the M20 championship is played in Priština

While ours play in Romania, in the neighbourhood handball of a different calibre is boiling. Priština is hosting the Men's 20 EHF championship - two parallel tournaments with six national teams each, which began on July 12 and end with the final on July 19. In the first, Italy, Montenegro, the Netherlands, Estonia, Georgia and hosts Kosovo battle it out, and in the second Slovakia, Luxembourg, Great Britain, Finland, Belgium and Bulgaria. The region is well represented - Montenegro, Bulgaria, Kosovo as host. Handball on the Balkans is alive, the only question is why some neighbours know how to organise and to compete at these tournaments, while at home the young generation reaps a fourth loss in a row.

Prolet withdraws from the Super League - the sponsor decided

And one piece of news that says more about the state of home sport than about results: Prolet was left without a general sponsor and withdrew from the Super League. Not a defeat on the pitch, but an empty till - the reason that decides matters at home more often than any opponent. Clubs come and go depending on whether someone will open their pocket, not on how well they play. How many talented players have been lost over the years not because they weren't good enough, but because the club simply had nothing to pay them with? Handball needs a court, a ball and will - but without money, not even the will lasts long.