Date:
5/11/2012
For the third straight time the IHF Super Globe will take place in Doha, Qatar. Eight teams from five continents will compete in this “World Championship for club teams” from 27 August to 1 September. Defending champion is the German club THW Kiel which beat Ciudad Real from Spain in the 2011 final.
The qualification process for this tournament under the umbrella of the IHF and the Qatar Handball Association is in full swing – as the participants from Africa, Asia, Oceania and Pan-America are all already known. THW Kiel as well as organizer Al-Sadd Club from Doha are directly qualified. The second team from Qatar will be announced soon.
The qualifications:
Oceania: University of Sydney (AUS)
Six club teams from Australia, New Zealand, New Caledonia and Tahiti took part in the first ever Oceania qualification tournament in Tahiti. After a close Preliminary Round the teams Dragon (Tahiti) and University of Sydney (Australia) qualified for the final, won by the “Aussies” 23:22. For most of the players the IHF Super Globe is nothing new, as they had been part of it in 2010 and 2011 with the “AHF Southern Stars” team.
Pan America: Metodista Sao Bernardo (BRA)
Eight club teams from four countries met in Londrina, Brazil, to determine the Pan-American IHF Super Globe participant – and as in all previous qualifications for this competition before, a Brazilian team took the trophy. For the third time after 2007 and 2008 Metodista Sao Bernardo became Pan-American club champion. In the all-Brazilian final in Londrina they beat 2011 IHF Super Globe participant Pinheiros 27:22 (10:12). In the all-Argentine bronze final River Plate beat Quilmes. Pinheiros and Metodista had won all their three games of the Preliminary Round before. Top scorers of the tournament were Diogo Kent Hubner (Metodista) and Fabio Vanini (Pinheiros) with 27 goals each.
Asia: Mudhar (KSA)
The host took the trophy: Team Mudhar from Saudi Arabia is the Asian representative of the IHF Super Globe after winning the 14th Asian club league championship in Damman, Saudi Arabia. The Saudis won the final against defending Asian club champion Al-Sadd from Lebanon 22:19 (11:7) and qualified for the first time in club history for the IHF Super Globe. Twelve teams from seven countries faced in this competition. Al-Sadd and the Saudi Arabian club Al-Khaleej had won their groups of the Preliminary Round, including an Al-Sadd 31:28 victory against their final opponent Mudhar. In two close semi-finals Al-Sadd beat Al-Jaish (Qatar) 25:23 (12:14) and Mudhar won 27:23 (13:9) against Al-Khaleej. Al-Jaish won the bronze final 30:27 (13:10) against Al-Khaleej.
Africa: El Zamalek (EGY)
Like in 2011 the Egyptian team El Zamalek won the Babacar African Club Champions Trophy and qualified for the IHF Super Globe for the third time. In the final in Hammamet, Tunisia, the Egyptians beat Force Armee and Police (FAP) from Cameroon 32:18 (18:7).
The continental qualification process will come to an end in Cologne, Germany. Attended by in total 40,000 spectators the Final4 tournament of the EHF Champions League will be played from 26 to 27 May. IHF Super Globe Champion THW Kiel will face their German rival Füchse Berlin in the first semi-final, Spanish side Atletico Madrid compete with the Danish newcomer team AG Kobenhavn. If THW Kiel wins the EHF Champions League trophy, the finalist is directly qualified for the IHF Super Globe 2012.