Handball: Vranjes fears star flight from Germany

The long-time Bundesliga coach Ljubomir Vranjes fears that due to the rush of deadlines in handball a further bloodletting of top players in Germany.The current situation with games on a daily basis is “not ideal and I therefore think that more and more Bundesliga stars will follow me and leave the league”, said Vranjes to the Danish-German daily Flensborg Avis (Friday edition).

In the discussion about the introduction of a European league, the Swede, who switched from SG Flensburg-Handewitt to the Hungarian champion KC Veszprem this summer, called the Bundesliga (HBL) programme “hard.There are certainly six more games on the border, because there would be six more top games,”said Vranjes.

With the enlargement of the squad to 16 players, HBL has taken “a first step in the right direction”,”but the league must show even more understanding for its top clubs, especially for those who play in the Champions League”.

The current form of the royal class is about to undergo a far-reaching reform.Starting in 2019, the top European teams will compete against each other in a clearly structured European league.The new concept foresees a single-track relay with twelve teams.

If there is an agreement between top clubs and the European umbrella organisation EHF, the top eight teams in the knockout system will play off the title at the end of the regular season – the quarter-finals will be followed by the Final Four in Cologne, which remains untouched in its current form.