Delegate Repenšek admits mistake regarding the match report of BiH and Switzerland

SARAJevo, (Patria) - The report of the delegate of the handball match between Bosnia and Herzegovina and Switzerland, Darko Repenšek, sent to the EHF, states that the Slovenian did not personally check the match report and the score situation on the field one more time, N1 reports.

- Immediately after Switzerland's appeal after the match. The team leader B stated in the protest that player A27 Nuić Tomislav was not on the list signed by both teams before the match. As the match delegate, I would like to explain the following:

At the technical meeting held by EHF officials (myself and the two match referees) with representatives of both teams at 10 AM, we entered the data into the EHF system database on the attached delegate list. The representative of the BiH team, Gordan Muzurović, handed me the list (addendum 1) with 16 marked players. Among them, player number 27 Tomislav Nuić was listed under serial number 9.

Before we saved the entered data into the system, referee Peter Herczeg and I checked and counted twice whether there were 16 players on each page, so I was sure that everything was in order and that there were two teams of 16 players plus 2 times 4 official representatives listed.

Since the organizer at the hotel, where the technical meeting was held, did not provide the possibility to print enough copies of the match report, which I had approved in the system, I received the printed report only half an hour before the match, and during that time I checked it with the representatives of both teams. The accuracy of the data was confirmed by the signature of the BiH team representative, Gordan Muzurović. However, it is true that due to all the obligations I had (and due to the problems in the organization of the match in the hall), I did not personally check the match report one more time, nor the score situation on the field.

I learned that player number A27 was entered in the match report during the match (in the 43rd minute). This was noticed by an official from the Swiss team. After consideration, I requested a break in the match, and player number A27 was removed from the bench with a disqualification (I am now aware that this was the wrong decision), and the BiH team leader Mr. Muzurović received a warning (the correct decision).

After the match, I recorded player A27 and his statistics: 1 goal scored, 2 minutes suspension - 40:22 and D - 43-19.

I am sure that player A27 Mr. Nuić had the right to play in this match and was not entered in the match report due to a technical error. With the referees, we are all unanimous that we made a mistake by removing Nuić from the bench in the 44th minute. The player had the right to play the entire match. However, it is true that the BiH team leader Muzurović had the final control over the match report before the match started and that he did not foresee with enough care that there were not 16 players in the match report.

I do not think the protest of team B (Switzerland) is justified. The technical error occurred due to a series of factors: first, due to the poor organization of the match in terms of technical support for officials, second, we had technical problems with ICT (it was not possible to print match reports either at the officials' hotel or in the hall, we worked on my personal computer, as the organizer did not provide one in the hall, we were without WiFi, etc.). Furthermore, there was great euphoria before, during, and after the match, which also affected the organizers (excluding the police and security companies).

More than two thousand visitors remained outside the entrance to the hall. The hall was full, the atmosphere was like a boiling cauldron, the official announcer could not be heard, nor could he be understood, when the players of both teams were introduced, there were many children around them, and the official screen did not display the players by numbers. The delegate had a very poor view of the bench with substitute players, all of the above had an effect on the error related to the match report - the statement from delegate Darko Repenšek reads.

The men's handball team of Bosnia and Herzegovina will not play in the additional qualification matches for the 2019 World Championship in Denmark and Germany, after the European Handball Federation (EHF) in Vienna upheld Switzerland's appeal.

The appeal concerned the last qualifying round match played on January 13 in Tuzla, due to the improper registration of BiH national team player Tomislav Nuić, who played in that match but was not reported in the official match report.

In the disputed match, the BiH national team defeated Switzerland 21:15 and won first place in Group Six, but by EHF decision, the match was registered as 10:0 for Switzerland, which will thus play in the playoffs.

It was previously determined by draw that the winner of Group Six would play against Norway in the playoff matches (June 8 and 12, 2018).