“Never stop dreaming”: Faroes, Georgia, Greece make EURO debut

For Greece centre back Petros Kandylas, the dream began when he was 13 and visited the Athens 2004 Olympic Games.

“As a young kid, I went to the Olympics to see the Greek national handball team. I still remember the feeling I had, and that it made me want to go to a big event as a player one day,” says Kandylas two decades later – when his childhood dream is about to come true at the Men’s EHF EURO 2024.

Greece are one of the three teams, alongside Georgia and the Faroe Islands, that are about to make their EHF EURO debut. By coincidence, all three play their respective opening match on Thursday (11 January) at 18:00 CET: the Faroe Islands in group D against Slovenia in Berlin, Georgia in group E against the Netherlands in Mannheim, and Greece in group F against Portugal in Munich.

“When the national anthem starts, we are going to be proud”

Delight, positive energy, and enthusiastic faces is what the Faroe Islands are bringing to their first EHF EURO. Head coach Peter Bredsdorff-Larsen is adamant that his young but talented squad isn’t in Berlin just to take part, and the 56-year-old has complete trust in his players to cope with the pressure.

“We have a strong focus on the assignments on the court that each player has, and the team has as a whole, and that’s how we combat that. But the team and the players are very strong mentally and they are well connected and have a lot on confidence in each other.  We have good conditions to perform very well despite the fact that we are in a big tournament,” Bredsdorff-Larsen says.

One of the key players in the squad is right wing Hákun West av Teigum, who represents Füchse Berlin at club level. The 21-year-old proudly speaks about Faroe Islands’ debut at a major tournament.

“It means a lot, it’s the first time we experience this together as a team. But that doesn’t make any difference to what we are trying to achieve, and I don’t think it’s going to affect our game. We are not going to let the nerves or anything affect or ruin our game, even though we know that we are in a tough group,” av Teigum adds.

The young team might get help from the ‘eighth player’ as many Faroese supporters are expected to attend the game in Berlin.

“When the national anthem starts, we are going to be proud. I think we are going to feel like we are at home on the court as we have never seen so many Faroese fans in an away game, and we are definitely going to feel like we are playing at the Faroe Islands. It’s going to be a first time for all of us, both the players and the fans, and we are expecting a huge support for sure and a really great experience,” av Teigum says.

“We need to keep cool and show what we can”

Georgia are another team that has been dreaming of reaching the EHF EURO since the tournament’s inauguration in 1994.

When Tite Kalandadze took over as head coach a year ago, the goal was to make it to at least one major competition in two or three years. But they have done it in just one year – and done it in style. In the crucial game, they upset Hungary 31:30 thanks to a last-second penalty from Giorgi Tskhovrebadze.

“I am very excited and proud to be part of this moment. I am looking forward to the upcoming games. We will do our best to make progress as a team and continue this journey. We have been fighting for this for a long time,” says Tskhovrebadze.

“Unfortunately, we had some injuries, we are not complete. We are missing our key player Nikoloz Kalandadze but we will give our best.”

It was a long way for Georgia, but from winning the Challenge Trophy in 2021 to the Men's EHF EURO 2024, the team showed handball has its place in the country.

“We have our games broadcast on national television. It is really exciting because before it was not like this. Now, little by little, handball has become more of a focus,” adds Georgia’s top scorer from the qualifications.

At only 22, Tskhovrebadze already has the experience of playing for Montpellier HB, Pfadi Winterthur, and VfL Gummersbach. Knowing where he comes from, what does it mean for Georgia to be among the best teams in Europe? 

“It means a lot for Georgia and handball, only to be here,” he says. “Each accomplishment we will have here will boost us to get to another level. It is really important, but it does not mean we should have pressure on our shoulders. We need to keep cool and show what we can.”

“We know we are the underdog in this group, but we never stop dreaming”

Greece experience a same level of excitement ahead of their EHF EURO debut – 20 years after hosting the Olympics and 19 years after their last appearance at a major event, the 2005 IHF World Championship, where they even reached the main round.

Finally being back at a big stage means a lot to Greece.

“We are very excited about it. A group of players tried to achieve this goal for almost a decade now. Luckily, with the new young players, we have now created a very good and attractive team. For us, it is the most important game so far in our lives,” centre back Petros Kandylas says.

“Still, it feels surreal. We will only understand it fully when we play against Portugal, when we see the full arena. Then we understand we participate in this big event. It will be awesome. It will be an experience we are going to remember for our lives.”

The most experienced force in the squad is Dimitrios Tziras, with 85 caps. When Greece finally secured qualification for Germany last April, emotions were running high for the right wing.

“I remember how I was crying on the court. It was the most important moment in my handball life. Now I am dreaming of even bigger and more victories. We want to enjoy it, but of course we didn’t only come here for just being here, we want to be competitive,” says Tziras, adding a warning to his team’s first opponents, Portugal.

“If they underestimate us, they will have a problem. We know we are the underdog in this group, but we never stop dreaming.”

Head coach Georgios Zaravinas played as a left wing for Greece at the Olympics and the World Championships two decades ago.

He feels it as his “personal big responsibility” to help the current generation of players by sharing his own experiences of competing at major events. Greece should finally become a regular appearance at final tournaments.

“We don't want – as a team, as a federation – make the same mistakes that were made in the past. We want all of us to be focusing this target,” the coach says. “Generally, I think we start slowly, slowly to get to the biggest level in handball.”

For one Greek player, the EHF EURO feels like a home tournament.

“We have been waiting for this moment, worked for this moment. Now we want to live it to the fullest,” says Petros Boukovinas, who is a goalkeeper at TV Grosswallstadt in Germany’s second division.

“We want to gain as much as we can from this event and take a step to become a country known as a good handball country, not only as a vacation country.”

Photos © Alvur Haraldsen, Aniko Kovacs, Erwin Verheul