During the handball World Cup in January this year, Danish TV 2 revealed that eight pairs of referees were suspected of match-fixing following a report from the analysis company Sportradar, which is an official partner of the EHF.
Two pairs of judges were named. The Croatian pair of judges Matija Gubica and Boris Milosevic, and the North Macedonian pair of judges Slave Nikolov and Gjorgji Nachevski.
Swedish commentator: – Shut up!
– Not good
Both pairs of judges were still allowed to judge in the championship. Now the North Macedonian couple has been selected for the EC in January.
Former national team manager Gunnar Pettersen reacts strongly to this. He emphasizes to Dagbladet that he is basing his comments on what has emerged in TV 2 Danmark’s documentary that was published this summer.
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– I find it strange that a couple of judges who are under suspicion are allowed to judge, and I have not read anywhere that they have been cleared. It is not good for handball as a sport that such referees get away with it, says Pettersen to Dagbladet.
He believes it is particularly strange that the North Macedonian couple was appointed to judge the WC final following the revelations.
THE HANDBALL VETERAN: Gunnar Pettersen has a long life in handball. Here at work as an expert for Viaplay during the Champions League last season. Photo: Beate Oma Dahle / NTB Show more
– They should not judge when they have that suspicion against them, says Pettersen.
Nachevski’s father, Dragan Nachevski, was also involved in the scandal report. He is now suspended from his role as head of the EHF’s referee committee. It was also claimed in the report that the two had links to a named criminal network.
Norway despairs: – Ends with black pepper
Dagbladet has asked EHF about the assessment they have made regarding taking out the North Macedonian couple.
– We do not comment on judge appointments, communications director Thomas Schöneich writes to Dagbladet.
Qatar move amazes
Croats the wreck
Gubica and Milosevic, on the other hand, are doomed to the championship. They have refereed top international matches for a number of years. In 2022 at the latest, they were named the world’s best referee couple.
Now they have been booked for the men’s handball European Championships in January 2024. This is revealed by the European Handball Federation’s (EHF) publication of the pairs of referees selected for the championship.
EHF claims in its response to Dagbladet that the wreck has nothing to do with the revelations this winter.
– No, writes Schöneich in response to the direct question.
WRECKED: Referees Matija Gubica and Boris Milosevic before a Champions League match. Photo: NTB Show more
This summer it became known that Austrian police have opened an investigation against referees following the findings in Sportradar’s report. It is not known which judges are under investigation.
The EHF states that none of the referees appointed to the WC are under investigation by the police.
Gubica and Milosevic refereed Norway’s match against the Netherlands in the World Cup earlier this year, it happened after the report had become known.
2023-09-28 04:06:41
#scandal #Strange
