The 2024 Euros is crazy, the crisis in Vipers is real & super week for Brest – that is 3 things we learned this week.
Craziest Euros ever
It might be. Spain, with 4 straight Euro finals (and 2 gold medals in those four finals), out in the Preliminary round. The Faroe Islands getting a draw against Norway. Switzerland took one point from France in their matchup. Portugal defeated both Norway and Slovenia in the Main round. And the craziest one of them all: Austria having a real chance of reaching the semi-finals. What the hell is going on?
Maybe the reason behind all of this is easy. Maybe it’s just the simple fact that the ”bad” teams are getting better each tournament. And they certainly have. But there has to be more to it. But let’s leave that analysis to the experts, not to a simple sports reporter from Sweden.
Vipers threatened with bankruptcy
Three years in a row Vipers Kristiansand has won the EHF Champions League. They probably won’t do it for years in a row since they have looked quite bleak (but not today against Esbjerg) during the group phase. But it gets worse – next year there may not be any Vipers at all. That’s the bitter truth after the announcement this week that the club may go into bankruptcy.
The budget for next year is decreased with 5 million Norwegian crones (around 400,000 Euros) and that alone will of course mean a weaker squad. Rumors have already floated around that Anna Vyakhireva is leaving the club after this season and more players could follow. Have Vipers bit off more than they could handle with all of the expensive players they have in their squad? It certainly looks like it.
Super week for Brest
I know Brest is one of the best teams in Europe. That is nothing new for anyone. But this past week was an especially strong one for the team from the western parts of France. They defeated league rivals Metz 23–22 in Metz, a crucial win means that Brest have the league in their own hands. And they followed that by taking care of Bietigheim in the Champions League, after destroying the German side in the second half, a half that they won 24–13. The game ended 37–30 and capped off a perfect week for Pauletta Foppa, Alexandrina Cabral, Jenny Carlson, and the other stars in Brest.