EHF CL “Wild Card” “auction”: RNL, Granollers, Gorenje and Kielce?

After many serious teams failed to qualify for the next edition of the EHF Champions League, media speculations about “Wild Card” tournament invitations started. The most secure is probably fourth team from Germany, the best League in the World.  Rhein Neckar Lowen will have same possibility as last summer, when “Lions” got a chance through “WC tournament” and then came to the “EHF F4” tournament in Cologne.

After Spanish final and domination in Cologne, one is definitive. Fourth team from Spain MUST have a chance to enter the competition of 24 best teams of Europe. Team with the tradition, CWC finalist last season and fourth in ASOBAL this season was Fraikin Granollers with the same number of points as Ademar Leon.

Slovenian vice-champion, Gorenje Velenje has an adequate status in the European handball. That is why, team from Velenje played at previous “Wild Card” tournament. Only Champion isn’t the same. Last year that was Celje PL and this season Cimos Koper won Championship. Gorenje is second and for the third year in a row is expected that EHF gives a chance to Slovenian vice-champion.

Fourth “expected” team is Polish vice-champion, Vive Targi Kielce. Maybe sounds unfamiliar to the French third team (Dunkerque) or Swiss vice-champion (Pfadi Wintertur), but Polish Vive Targi Kielce has a quality and financial stability to find a place in TOP 16 of the EHF Champions League, like two seasons ago. It would be interesting to see, what will be the decision of EHF, if it is a fact that even Polish champion, Wisla Plock, has to go through qualification, so it could be interesting situation that Champion of one country doesn’t play in the EHF CL, while Vice-champion does.

2009/10: Reale Ademar, Kadetten, Celje PL, Lemgo
2010/11: Rhein-Neckar Löwen, Silkeborg, Reale Ademar, Gorenje Velenje