Category Archives: Handball Web Streaming

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Memo to IHF: Please add a web TV platform- I’ll gladly send you money

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Do I really want to download the Sopcast platform? Yes, if I want to see whether Serbia or Poland qualifies for the Olympics.

Last weekend I had the unexpected treat of watching some great handball matches.  Sure, the Olympic Qualifying Tournaments had some real snoozer games where the outcome was all but pre-ordained, but there were also a few matches with very real drama and thanks to the Macedonian fans in Sweden, tremendous atmosphere as well.

“But, why was watching these matches an unexpected treat?” you ask.  Well, with the IHF’s apparent decision to only sell traditional TV rights to these matches and with no U.S. network buying I figured that it was about a 50-50 shot that I’d find a webstreaming video.  But even then, I also figured that it would be a poor quality picture, barely worth watching.  But, maybe those odd are improving or perhaps I’m getting a little savvier in finding viewable viewable webstreams, as last weekend I was able to watch Macedonia battle Hungary and Sweden and see Poland-Serbia battle to a 25-25 draw.

All well in good, I suppose.  Nothing like watching free handball on TV in the United States.  After all, just a few years ago, all anyone outside of the European continent could expect to do was read a computer generated translated summary of the match afterwards.

But, no, it’s not good enough.  I want more.  I want a better quality picture from a reliable source.   And, this should be music to the IHF’s ears– I’m willing to pay for it.   Heck, the word “free” is one of my favorites, but when you go to access the video from these fly by night websites, rest assured that they aren’t providing this service simply out of their love of handball.  With the video come advertisements and some level of access to your computer, especially if it requires some sort of platform download to watch the video.  Annoyingly, somehow my homepage was changed both for Internet Explorer and Google Chrome.  Sure, easy to fix, but now I’m wondering what else has found its way on to my laptop.

It really doesn’t have to be this way.  The IHF has provided webstream subscriptions for the World Championships and the forward thinking EHF even streams the Champions League for free.  Not to mention, the free European Championships streaming this past January.  The technology is there and there are a number of entities like Youtube willing to help.

If unofficial entities can webstream these matches, then very clearly it’s possible that the IHF could officially do so.  There’s simply no good excuse for this and the IHF should fix this in a timely manner.  Let’s say in time for the Women’s Olympic Qualification Tournaments coming up in May.

 

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VIDEO: March Madness: Team Handball Style

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Can Nikola Karabatic lead Montpellier to an upset over Barca?

I may have declared myself America’s #1 Team Handball fan, but even I can’t resist the lure of America’s NCAA Basketball Tournament.  It’s kind of hard to explain to Europeans, but this tournament is kind of like a knockout National Cup tournament on steroids.  Played over 3 successive weekends it totally captures the imagination of the American sporting public unlike any club event in Europe.  Everybody fills out a bracket for the 64 teams to compete for bragging rights and/or money.  Inevitably a little club or two knocks out a big club rendering predictions futile.  It is simply an awesome event, but as much as I’d like to see European Handball adopting something similar I won’t hold my breath waiting for that to happen.

Instead, I’ll make do with watching the Champions League Round of 16 over the next couple of weeks.  The 16 teams that advanced out of the Group Stage have been paired off and they will now play a 2 game aggregate goal playoff.  The lower seeded teams host the first match and the higher seeded teams host the return leg.  A definite advantage as those teams will know how much they need to win by in front of their home crowd.

At the EHF’s webstream platform, ehfTV.com, some of these matches will be available live and all of them should be available for viewing on-demand a day or so after the match is played.  As I’m still immersed in the NCAA tournament the on-demand feature is my preference and catching up with the Champions League is great on Mon-Wed when the tournament is dormant.

The EHF has already posted a great summary of the 8 pairings and what to expect, so I’ll simply reiterate that there are two great showdowns (Montpellier-Barcelona and Berlin-Hamburg) worth watching.  Normally, this type of matchup wouldn’t appear until the quarterfinals or the final four, but both Montpellier and Hamburg stumbled in Group Play resulting in a 4th place seeding.

In particular, I’m really looking forward to the Berlin – Hamburg showdown.  These two sides have already played each other twice this season with Berlin winning 26-25 in Berlin and Hamburg winning 24-23 in Hamburg.  With neither side having a realistic shot at catching 1st place Kiel this Champions League double-header takes on extra importance as a trip to the final four in Cologne is one thing they can still hope for this season.

Montpellier – Barcelona could also be interesting.  Montpellier is undefeated and 8 points clear of Chambery in the French league, so for all practical purposes continuing on in the Champions League is the only interesting thing left for them to do this season.  In Group Play they lost a lot of close games and slipped all the way to 4th place in the Group of Death.  One sure indication of what they can do when they play well is their 24-23 victory in Kiel.  Barcelona will surely be wary of Karabatic and company.

EHF Preview of the first stage for the round of 16: http://www.ehfcl.com/men/2011-12/article/14682/Prepare+for+the+knockout+stages%21

Tips on watching

To watch the matches without finding out the scores ahead of time, I’ll try and post direct links to the videos below.  You can also find the videos with the ehfTV (full matches) link provided.  I suggest you use this link instead of going directly to the efhTV home page.  I say this because  you’ll have a better chance of not finding out the final score of the match.  Despite countless pleas for a different webpage design the EHF still likes to post all kinds of videos and smiling player interviews tend to reveal the outcome of matches.  Even with the direct links to the actual matches, though, you would be wise to either have a sheet of paper available to kind of glaze over your eyes as there are annoying links at both to the top and right hand side to these sorts of videos.  Once you start the video and click full screen, though, you are safe from harm.

With 16 matches you probably won’t have time to watch them all.  Accordingly, I suggest you focus on the Berlin-Hamburg and Montpellier-Barca showdowns.

On paper, some of the other pairings should be one-sided affairs.  For instance, I’m guessing that Kiel had little problem with Wisla Plock, but I could be wrong.  So just in case, I’ll check out that match using the sliding bar at the bottom to check the score throughout the match to make sure that Kiel didn’t unexpectedly stumble in the first leg.  I’ll do the same thing for Madrid and Copenhagen as well.

The other 3 matches (Leon-Veszprem, Kielce-Koper, Metalurg-Zagreb) should be more evenly matched, but I don’t think these teams are strong final four contenders.  I’ll probably skim through these matches as well, just in the interest of time.  I will say, though, that it’s usually entertaining to see the enthusiastic crowd at Macedonia’s Metalurg.

One final point:  Make sure you write down the scores of the first leg matches, so you’ll know what that means in terms of aggregate for the final match.  Also, keep in mind that the 2nd tiebreaker is away goals scored, as it wouldn’t surprise me at all if this doesn’t come into play in at least one of these pairings.

ehfTV (Full Matches): http://www.ehftv.com/ehfcl/men/2012/search/video/full-match/ (use this link to avoid final outcomes)

1 vs. 4 Seed Matches

Berlin vs. HSV Hamburg
(18.03.2012) http://www.ehftv.com/ehfcl/ec/cl/men/2011-12/video/002260
(25.03.2012) http://www.ehftv.com/ehfcl/ec/cl/men/2011-12/video/002266

Montpellier vs. FC Barcelona
(18.03.2012) http://www.ehftv.com/ehfcl/ec/cl/men/2011-12/video/002262
(25.03.2012) http://www.ehftv.com/ehfcl/ec/cl/men/2011-12/video/002250

Wisla Plock vs THW Kiel
(14.03.2012) Video: http://www.ehftv.com/ehfcl/ec/cl/men/2011-12/video/002244
(18.03.2012) http://www.ehftv.com/ehfcl/ec/cl/men/2011-12/video/002263

Kadetten Schaffhausen vs.  BM Atletico Madrid
(15.03.2012) Video: http://www.ehftv.com/ehfcl/ec/cl/men/2011-12/video/002259
(25.03.2012) http://www.ehftv.com/ehfcl/ec/cl/men/2011-12/video/002265

2 vs. 3 Seed Matches

Leon vs Veszprém
(17.03.2012) http://www.ehftv.com/ehfcl/ec/cl/men/2011-12/video/002245
(25.03.2012) http://www.ehftv.com/ehfcl/ec/cl/men/2011-12/video/002267

Kielce vs RK Cimos Koper
(18.03.2012) http://www.ehftv.com/ehfcl/ec/cl/men/2011-12/video/002247
(24.03.2012) http://www.ehftv.com/ehfcl/ec/cl/men/2011-12/video/002248

HC Metalurg vs. Zagreb
(18.03.2012) http://www.ehftv.com/ehfcl/ec/cl/men/2011-12/video/002246
(24.03.2012) http://www.ehftv.com/ehfcl/ec/cl/men/2011-12/video/002249

IK Sävehof vs. AG Kobenhavn
(18.03.2012) http://www.ehftv.com/ehfcl/ec/cl/men/2011-12/video/002261
(24.03.2012) http://www.ehftv.com/ehfcl/ec/cl/men/2011-12/video/002264

THN (17 Mar 2010): EHF Champions League Format: More tinkering needed. Why not a field of 64?: https://teamhandballnews.com/2010/03/ehf-champions-league-format-more-tinkering-needed-why-not-a-field-of-64/

 

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VIDEO: Champions League Game of the Week (Kiel at Copenhagen)

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AG Kobenhavn vs THW Kiel: Who will make a statement?

I’ve been remiss in posting links to the EHF Champions League Game of the Week, but having sat down to watch the first few minutes of this match, I thought it was worthy of a reminder.  Quite often the Group Phase of the Champions League can be somewhat boring with most of the teams knowing who’s going through to the knockout stages.  Both Kiel and Copenhagen are in that category, but this match will decide who will place first in their group.  While both sides are likely to win their first knockout pairing, having a first seed in the quarterfinals can be pretty important as it means you will avoid the other #1 seeds.

But, in addition to the Champions League implications this match is interesting in that it’s an opportunity for both sides to make a “statement.”  Kiel has dominated the HBL this year with no losses and barring a monumental collapse they will win the title.  They’ve been less impressive, though, in the Champions League and a win in Copenhagen will make a statement.   And for Danish League leaders, Copenhagen, the same is true as they surely want to make it clear that they are every bit as much a contender as Kiel is.  So, a clash of titans worth watching and a taste of what’s to come in the knockout rounds.

Link to On Demand Video:  http://www.ehftv.com/ec/cl/men/2011-12/video/002111

 

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TV Options for this weekend: Try Team Handball

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If the NFL Pro Bowl is the highlight of your TV sport watching weekend you have nobody to blame, but yourself.

Well, it’s that dreaded weekend between the NFL Conference Championships and the Super Bowl.  Two weeks of hype is bad enough, but foisting this farce of a game (the Pro Bowl) on the viewing public adds insult to injury.  I suppose you could watch 20 different NCAA Hoops matchups or the Australian Open.  But, if you’re looking for something a little different this is a great weekend to try Team Handball courtesy of the European Handball Federation (EHF) and YouTube.

The European Championships are wrapping up this weekend in Belgrade, Serbia with matches on Friday and Sunday.  It’s been a fabulous tournament with many twists and turns, and the final four is set to begin.   Friday’s matches take place in the evening in Europe, so unless you’re not working or have a lenient boss it will be tough to take in the matches live in many other parts of the world.

Never fear, though, as the EHF has been posting the complete matches for fans to watch at their convenience.  As soon as they are available we’ll post a link to the video.  This should help to avoid finding out the score, but you’ll still need to be careful for extraneous information like chatter in the comment box.

Friday’s Matches (All Times are U.S. East Coast)

Live Feed:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_6qQZKTxdL8

9:15 AM Slovenia vs. Macedonia (5th Place Match)
This match is for 5th place and a guaranteed spot in an Olympic Qualification Tournament.  These two teams were not expected to place in the top tier of this tournament, but both sides have ridden their “home crowd” advantage as fans from the nearby nations have crossed the border in large numbers to cheer their teams on.  Why, there are so many scarlet and gold fans in the arena one could even think they were in Hilton Coliseum.  Accordingly, Macedonia is a 1 goal favorite.

On Demand Broadcast:  1st Half / 2nd Half

11:45 AM Denmark vs. Spain (Semifinal #1)
Spain waltzed through their group with their only blemish a draw against Hungary.  Denmark, however, lost two of its first 3 matches and looked to be all but eliminated heading into the main round.  They took care of business, though, winning their last 3 matches.  Those wins and a timely assist from Poland beating Germany let them slip in the backdoor.  Spain is a half goal favorite.

On Demand Broadcast:  1st Half / 2nd Half

BE FOREWARNED:  Requests to the EHF to remove video pictures (Smiling players and previews for Sunday) that may give away the score have been ignored.  To avoid finding out the outcome have a sheet of paper ready and click full screen immediately.

2:15 PM Croatia vs. Serbia (Semifinal #2)
Since the breakup of the former Yugoslavia, Croatia has had far greater handball success than its neighbor Serbia.  Croatia may have a better pedigree, but this match will be in Belgrade and you can be certain that the home crowd will be loud and vocal.  It goes without saying that there’s still some strain in the relationship between these nations which fought each other not that long ago both on and off the court.  For a sense of that strain, check out the Once Brothers documentary that’s periodically replayed on ESPN.  This game is expected to be another tight affair with Croatia favored by a half goal.

On Demand Broadcast:  1st Half /2nd Half

 

Sunday’s Matches (All Times are U.S. East Coast)

8:30 AM Bronze Medal Match
Bronze medal matches are often meaningless, but these two teams will have something to play for as the winner automatically qualifies for the 2013 World Championship while the loser will have to slug it out in Group Play over the course of next season.  A few weekends off are definitely worth fighting for.  (Editor’s note:  Correction; As Spain is hosting the 2013 WC, the other 3 semifinalists have already qualified.  In other words the match is indeed now a meaningless third place match.)

On Demand Broadcast:  1st Half /2nd Half

11:00 AM Gold Medal Match
Not a whole lot needed to be said here.  The winner takes the European title and directly qualifies for the 2012 Olympics.

On Demand Broadcast:  1st Half /2nd Half

 

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European Championships to have FREE Webstreaming via YouTube

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Every Match of the European Championships will be available on YouTube

 

In the last episode of Handball Talk we hinted that a big announcement concerning viewing options for the European Championship would be forthcoming.  And a big announcement it is as viewers around the world will be able to watch every match, free, live and on demand via the world’s #1 online video delivery system: YouTube

Long time readers of Team Handball News are fully aware of the highs and lows that Handball fans around the world have experienced in regards to webstreaming.  At times it has been Handball Nirvana as fans that previously had no viewing options were suddenly able to watch every match of a major tournament.   Conversely, at times it has been Handball Hell with fans paying a subscription for poor quality webstreams, horrendous audio commentary and non-existent customary service.

It remains to be seen how the YouTube option will work this time around, but showcasing Handball for free on the world’s best known webstreaming platform is an experiment worth trying.

A few notes on the YouTube webstreaming and upcoming matches:

Availability:  The following countries (Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Germany, France, Belarus, Russia, Israel, Croatia, Iceland, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Romania and Spain) will be geoblocked from live broadcasts.  According to the EHF website, however, there will be no restrictions for on demand viewing after the match.

On Demand:  For fans that can’t watch live, the EHF has indicated that video of full matches will be available on demand.  It is not clear, however, how soon after completion that the match will be posted for viewing.  Additionally, I have requested that the EHF YouTube interface refrain from posting final scores and pictures of celebrating teams, lest they ruin it for those fans that like to watch oblivious of the outcome.  Hopefully, this sensible request will be met, but be prepared to click on the links with a piece of paper to shield you from too much information.

Audio Commentary:  The EHF will have veteran broadcasters, Paul Bray and Clayton Lewis, providing commentary for some of the matches

Match Schedule:  I strongly recommend that you download the following schedule for reference the next two weeks:  http://www.ehf-euro.com/fileadmin/ehfeuro/EChM2012/Downloads/Match_Schedule_Mens_EHF_EURO_2012_.pdf

(Match times are local for Serbia which is 6 hours ahead of the U.S. East Coast)

Two Key Early Matches:

Sunday, 15 January, 1720 CET, Germany vs. Czech Republic
These two nations are top contenders for the 2 European slots that will be awarded for Olympic Qualification Tournaments.  This match could be pivotal to Olympic Qualification and with the bulk of the Czech team playing in the German Bundesliga these players all know each other well.

Monday, 16 January, 1815 CET, France vs. Spain
This match may set the tone for the rest of the tournament for these two teams.  France is the favorite to win it all and Spain was the only team to blemish France’s record at last year’s World Championships.  (They played to a 28-28 draw)  The loser of this match may very well have to win out if they want to advance to the semifinals.

EHF Announcement (11 Jan 2012): http://www.eurohandball.com/article/014514/Live+streaming+on+YouTube

EHF YouTube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/ehfeuro

 

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Women’s World Championships: Russia, Norway and everybody else

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Watch every match live: http://www.livehandball.tv/page/Home?WT.mc_id=aff140 ($40 for a complete subscription)

The Women’s World Championships got underway in Sao Paulo, Brazil last night with the host team easily defeating Cuba, 37-11.  As I don’t follow the Women’s game as closely as the Men’s I won’t pretend to have very many keen insights as to how these games will unfold.  Recent history does suggest, however, that Russia and Norway are the top two teams to beat and that’s exactly the odds set in the online sportsbooks. Following Russia and Norway, France, Montenegro and Romania are modest underdogs, while Denmark, Sweden, Spain, Germany, Brazil, South Korea and Croatia could all be classified as conceivable longshots. The odds on the remaining teams suggest that there is not a realistic path to a title

Here are the best odds available for the 24 participants

Russia 1.75 to 1
Norway 3 to 1
France 6 to 1
Montenegro 10 to 1
Romania 14 to 1
Denmark 34 to 1
Sweden 34 to 1
Spain 39 to 1
Germany 40 to 1
Brazil 50 to 1
South Korea 50 to 1
Croatia 100 to 1
Angola 500 to 1
Netherlands 500 to 1
Tunisia 699 to 1
Iceland 749 to 1
Japan 749 to 1
Argentina 1000 to 1
China 1000 to 1
Ivory Coast 1000 to 1
Kazakhstan 1000 to 1
Cuba 1999 to 1
Australia 2999 to 1

Format Changes and Breaking Down the Groups

The format for this year’s tournament is a significant departure from previous championships in that there are no Main Round Groups after Preliminary Group Play.  Instead the top 4 team from each of the 4 Preliminary Groups will play a 16 team knock out tournament.  This should provide for some interesting jockeying of positions as teams look ahead to try and figure out potential quarter and semifinal opponents.  With that in mind here’s how the oddsmakers see the four groups

Group A
Norway .55 to 1
Montenegro 2.3 to 1
Germany 8 to 1
Iceland 250 to 1
Angola 500 to 1
China 500 to 1

Norway is the clear favorite, but Montenegro is seen as a realistic threat.  Germany is pegged for 3rd, while Iceland, Angola and China are expected to battle for the fourth slot.

Group B
Russia .2 to 1
Spain 6.5 to 1
South Korea 9 to 1
Netherlands 150 to 1
Kazakhstan 1000 to 1
Australia 1499 to 1

Russia is the prohibitive favorite and the Spain-South Korea match should determine 2nd-3rd.  Netherlands is pegged for 4th.

Group C
France 1 to 1
Romania 1.6 to 1
Brazil 3 to 1
Japan 199 to 1
Tunisia 199 to 1
Cuba 999 to 1

This group is projected to be a 3 way battle for first between France, Romania and Brazil.  I think the oddsmakers discounted Brazil a little too much and it wouldn’t surpise me much if the home court advantange propelled Brazil to a first place finish in this group.  (Going further, 50-1 to win the whole tournament seems like a pretty good deal if you ask me.)  For all three contenders in this group securing first place is pretty important for improving your prospects of reaching the semifinals.  Second place in the group means a likely quarterfinal vs Russia and third place will likely mean taking on Norway.

Group D
Sweden 1.5 to 1
Denmark 1.75 to 1
Croatia 2.75 to 1
Argentina 500 to 1
Ivory Coast 500 to 1
Uruguay 1000 to 1

Group D pretty much mirrors Group C with Sweden, Denmark and Croata battling it out for first.  And as with Group C, a first place finish is important if you want to avoid Russia and Norway in the quarters.
Breaking out the placement into Round of 16 Quads

For reference, here’s how the brackets will align based on oddsmaker projections on winning each group.  Of course, anything can happend and should Russia or Norway slip up in Group play it could really make things interesting in the last round of matches.  Some teams might even theoretically benefit from losing.

Quad 1
1B vs 4A Russia vs Iceland
3D vs 2C Croatia vs Romania

Quad 2
1D vs 4C Sweden vs Japan
3B vs 2A South Korea vs Montenegro

Quad 3
1A vs 4B Norway vs Netherlands
3C vs 2D Brazil vs Denmark

Quad 4
1C vs 4D France vs Argentina
3A vs 2B Germany vs Spain

Link to PDF Schedule (Entire tournament): http://www.ihf.info/files/Uploads/Documents/10071_match_schedule.pdf

Link to schedule and results: http://www.ihf.info/IHFCompetitions/WorldChampionships/WomensWorldChampionships/WomensWorldChampionship2011/FixturesandResults/tabid/5821/Default.aspx

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EHF Game of the Week: Veszprem at Kielce (Live webstreaming with English language commentary)

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Slawomir Szmal will be in the goal as Kielce hosts Veszprem

The EHF Champions League is back for the 2011-2012 season with the first weekend of Group play.  Out of the gate, Polish Wild Card qualifier, Kielce, hosts perennial Hungarian champions Veszprem in a Group B showdown.  Kielce is a two goal favorite.

Veszprem at Kielce (-2) (ehfTV: Sunday, 2 October: 3:00 PM CET, 9:00 AM (U.S. East Coast))
Live Broadcast link:  http://www.ehftv.com/ehfcl/ec/cl/men/2011-12/live/high/001779
On Demand Broadcast Link:  http://www.ehftv.com/ec/cl/men/2011-12/video/001779

Group B could be interesting this year as it may be a legitimate Group of Death with each of the 6 clubs having realistic expectations of earning one of the top 4 slots.  Veszprem, Madrid (formerly Ciudad Real) and Chekov have pretty much always advanced out of Group Phase.  Berlin and Kielce are relative newcomers, but they clearly have the talent and expectations to do the same.  Only Danish side, Bjerringbro-Silkeborg, can be considered an outsider, but they surely have the pedigree to win a few matches.

The Kielce-Veszprem match will be the only one with English commentary, but there are several other matches worth checking out like Chekov(-1.5)-Berlin, Montpellier (-4.5)-Leon and Szeged-Kiel (-6.5).  The EHF has a handy page with the links to all the video streams and most of the matches are available “on demand” a few hours after they are completed.  To see what’s available for viewing click on the video link at the top of the page and then select the full match option for viewing.  On Monday, if you want to catch up you can watch the 25 minute weekly highlight show.  Great lunch time viewing at work if your office allows it.

EHF Preview of Week 1 matches:  http://www.ehfcl.com/men/2011-12/article/14214/Raise+the+curtain%21

ehfTV broadcast schedule: http://www.ehftv.com/schedule

Note to American viewers:  It appears that the MHz Network is not broadcasting Champions League matches this year.  We’ll update you if this changes or another network picks up the TV package

 

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VIDEO: Free Webstreaming of Men’s Junior World Championships

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Argentina easily took care of PATHF rival Venezuela 31-17 on opening day of the World Juniors

The International Handball Federation is providing free webstreaming of the Men’s Junior World Championships in Greece.  Up to 8 matches per day will be shown live at laola1.tv from 17 to 30 July.

VIDEO Link:  LAOLA1.TV: http://www.laola1.tv/en/int/more-sports/handball/junior-world-championship/video/273–.html

Note:  Scroll to the bottom and select the match that you want to watch.  Central European Time (CET) is 6 hours ahead of the U.S. East Coast.  Also matches can only be watched live.  There is no “on demand” option.

 

IHF: Web Broadcast Schedule: http://www.ihf.info/IHFCompetitions/WorldChampionships/MensJuniorWorldChampionship/XVIIIMensJuniorWorldChampionship2011/News/NewsDetails/tabid/5688/Default.aspx?ID=702

IHF Junior World Championships Website: http://www.ihf.info/IHFCompetitions/WorldChampionships/MensJuniorWorldChampionship/XVIIIMensJuniorWorldChampionship2011/tabid/5683/Default.aspx

Official Junior World Championship Website: http://www.greecehandball2011.org/

 

 

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Fatsis requests more Team Handball, ehfTV delivers!

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Will German Coach Heiner Brand go out a winner?

There’s little doubt that NPR’s Stefan Fatsis, is America’s #1 mainstream media reporter Team Handball fan. Just this past Monday, Fatsis gave a shout out (starts at 58:15) to the USA Men’s National Team for their qualification for the PANAM Games and at the same time put out a plea for more Team Handball viewing opportunities. Well what Fatsis requests, the European Handball Federation (EHF) delivers. And in a big way starting on Wednesday with 2 critical European Championship Qualification matches webstreamed for free at ehfTV.com

European Qualification for Team Handball can often be a humdrum affair with top teams quickly distancing themselves from weaker teams in their group leading to inconsequential games in the final rounds. Not so in Group 5 this year as Austria, Germany and Iceland are locked in a 3 way battle for two spots. All three sides control their own destiny and the first pivotal match will be Austria hosting German Wednesday night.  Austria leads the group with 7 points and Germany is in 2nd place with 5 points. An Austria win would qualify Austria and put Germany in a dire straight as Iceland, currently in 3rd place with 4 points will likely knock off winless Latvia to move into in 2nd place with 6 points. Germany, in all likelihood will pick up 2 points from Latvia on Sunday as well, but then they will need an already qualified Austria to knock off Iceland in Iceland. So, translation: This is must not lose situation for Germany. (Also, based on goal differential for a three way tie, Germany would be in good shape with a draw)

But it’s also a key match for Austria, because they surely know that beating Germany in Innsbruck is going to be a whole lot easier then beating Iceland in Reykjavik. Should Austria lose to Germany the Iceland-Austria on Sunday will become a true elimination game with the winner punching a ticket to the EURO 2012 and the loser staying home.

The 3rd match has Lithuania hosting Spain. At first glance, this looks to be a showdown between two sides fighting for one remaining spot. And indeed both sides are level on 4 points. Only problem is that Spain is clearly a better side (they won the first head to head match in Spain 33-17) and Lithuania has to travel to Croatia on Sunday. So, even if Lithuania pulls off the upset, they’ll likely need Spain to lose again to Romania.

Handicap point spread in parenthesis

Wednesday, 8 June, 2011, 2015 CET (1415 US East Coast)
Germany (-1.5) at Austria
ehfTV On Demand: http://www.ehftv.com/ech/adults/men/2012/video/001751

AUDIO Commentary popup is below (Synch with the ehfTV video webstream)

Thursday, 9 June, 2011, 1845 CET (1245 US East Coast)
Spain (-6.5) at Lithuania
ehfTV Live Link: http://www.ehftv.com/ech/adults/men/2012/live/high/001750
ehfTV On Demand: http://www.ehftv.com/ech/adults/men/2012/video/001750

Sunday, 12 June, 2011, 1630 (Iceland Time) (1230 US East Coast)
Austria at Iceland
ehfTV Live Link: http://www.ehftv.com/ech/adults/men/2012/live/high/001752
ehfTV On Demand:http://www.ehftv.com/ech/adults/men/2012/video/001752

Subject to the on demand streams being posted in timely manner and the demands of the Ryan family household I will do an audio commentary of the Austria matches.

Stefan Fatsis article in NY Times (11 May 2009) Team Handball Has It All…: http://www.stefanfatsis.com/2009/05/11/team-handball-has-it-all/

 

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EHF Final Four (Best Weekend of the Year for Handball Webstreaming Fans)

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Four teams will battle for the Champions League Trophy this weekend and you can see it all at ehfTV.com

No complaints from this Handball fan in regards to this weekend’s matchups.  The semifinals on Saturday should be interesting to say the least with the Liga Asobal and the Handball Bundesliga going head to head in both matches.  Rhein-Neckar is a 2.5 goal underdog to Spanish champions Barcelona.  Rhein-Neckar will have the home country court advantage while Barcelona will be going for a rare 2 sport “double” with their sister team going for the Champions League soccer title later in the evening.  The second match pits German champion Hamburg vs. Spanish runner up Ciudad Real.  The oddsmakers couldn’t pick a favorite between these two titan, so don’t be surprised if it goes down to the end.

On Sunday, there will be two more matches with the semifinal losers squaring off for 3rd place, before the final match.  ehfTV will be broadcasting all four matches live and will have English commentary with Tom O’Brannagain on hand for pre and post game commentary as well.

Match Schedule (Handicap point spread in parentheses)

Saturday, 28 May

Rhein-Neckar vs. Barcelona (-2.5) (ehfTV: 3:15 PM CET, 09:15AM (U.S. East Coast)
On Demand Broadcast: http://www.ehftv.com/final4/ec/cl/men/2010-11/video/001671

Ciudad Real vs. Hamburg (Pick em) (ehfTV:  6:00 PM CET, 12:00 PM (U.S. East Coast)
On Demand Broadcast link:  http://www.ehftv.com/final4/ec/cl/men/2010-11/video/001672

Sunday, 29 May

3rd Place Game: 3:15 PM CET, 09:15AM (U.S. East Coast)

On Demand broadcast at ehfTV: http://www.ehftv.com/final4/ec/cl/men/2010-11/video/001711

 

Final: 6:00 PM CET, 12:00 PM (U.S. East Coast)

On Demand broadcast at ehfTV:  http://www.ehftv.com/final4/ec/cl/men/2010-11/video/001712

U.S. TV Broadcast

There is also a televised tape delayed broadcast of the Final on the MHz Network in the U.S. at 4:00 PM (U.S. East Coast) on Sunday, 29 May. For information on how you can watch MHZ see this link: http://www.mhznetworks.org/mhzworldview/carriage/

Side note:  For those of you who can’t watch the matches live, be advised that you may want to strategically use a sheet of paper to avoid seeing the still photos used for the on demand video link.  I’ve pleaded with the EHF to not use a trophy hoisting celebration photo (for those who don’t want to know the outcome), but I haven’t got any response as to whether they will meet this reasonable demand.  UPDATE:  If you use the links above you can watch the games without knowing the outcome.  However, if you go to ehfTV.com directly be advised- you’ll immediately know the outcome.

ehfTV Preview of Final Four: http://www.ehftv.com/ehfCL-show

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EHF Game of the Week (Quarter Finals): Barcelona at Kiel (Live webstreaming with English language commentary)

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Can Siarhei Rutenka and Barcelona hold off Kiel?

Last weekend’s first leg had two great matches and two duds.  The two duds were Hamburg-Chekov and Flensburg-Ciudad Real.  Hamburg and Ciudad Real both won by 14 goals, so barring turnarounds of epic proportions those two sides will formally punch their tickets for the Final Four in Cologne this weekend.

The two great matches were Montpellier’s 29-27 victory over Rhein-Neckar in Germany and Barcelona’s 27-25 victory over Kiel in Spain.  Montpellier’s victory in Germany was a mild surprise, so they will have the luxury of a two goal cushion at home.  This, of course, means they will still advance if there’s a draw or they lose by 1 goal.  If they should lose by 3 or more Rhein-Neckar will advance and in the event of a two goal loss the tiebreaker will be away goals.  While the 2 extra goals provide comfort anyone who’s seen Rhein-Neckar play this year knows they are more than capable of a road win in France.

The other matchup, Kiel hosting Barcelona is also a 2 goal margin, but this time the away team has the cushion.  The oddsmakers think it will go down to the wire as they’ve made Kiel a 2.5 goal favorite.

ehfTV will be broadcasting each of the matches live and will have English commentary with Tom O’Brannagain for the Kiel vs. Barcelona matchup.  Subject to the availability of the ehfTV on demand stream and the demands of the Ryan family household, I plan to do an audio commentary of the Montpellier – Rhein-Neckar match.  Hopefully, I’ll be able to post it Saturday afternoon in the states. Check back at the site for updates.

Match Schedule (Handicap point spread in parentheses)

Rhein-Neckar at Montpellier at (-1.5) (ehfTV: Saturday, 30 April: 5:00 PM CET, 11:00 AM
(U.S. East Coast)

On Demand link:  http://www.ehftv.com/ec/cl/men/2010-2011/video/001619

Audio files are below
1st half commentary starts at 18:20 on ehfTV Clock
2nd half commentary starts at 66:30 on ehfTV Clock

Barcelona at Kiel (-2.5) (ehfTV: Sunday, 1 May: 6:30 PM CET, 12:30 PM (U.S. East Coast)
Live Broadcast link:  http://www.ehftv.com/ec/cl/men/2010-11/live/high/001622

On Demand Broadcast Link:  http://www.ehftv.com/ec/cl/men/2010-11/video/001622

There is also a televised tape delayed broadcast on the MHz Network in the U.S. at 4:00 PM (U.S. East Coast) on Sunday, 1 May. For information on how you can watch MHZ see this link: http://www.mhznetworks.org/mhzworldview/carriage/

Note:  Chekhov-Hamburg is on Saturday and Ciudad Real-Flensburg is on Sunday.  I  recommend only checking the score halfway through the on-demand video, on the off chance that a miracle is taking place.

Audio recording links are below. Open the on demand video in one window and then click on the podcast link. I do a countdown of the ehfTV clock in the lower left hand of the screen. Pause the audio when I start the countdown and then play the video. Then unpause the audio when you get to the appropriate time on the clock.