Manipulation of a different kind
Handball Association removes referee duo from European Championship squad
01/10/2026 – 3:09 p.mReading time: 2 minutes
The 2026 European Handball Championship will begin in a few days. Shortly beforehand, a referee duo was axed by the European Handball Association.
The North Macedonian referees Slave Nikolov and Gjorgji Nachevski were actually supposed to officiate games at the European Handball Championship from Thursday. But nothing will come of it, as the European Handball Association (EHF) announced on its homepage.
“The European Handball Federation has withdrawn the nomination of two referees from North Macedonia, Slave Nikolov and Gjorgji Nachevski, for the men’s EHF EURO 2026. The two will therefore not travel to the tournament, which is scheduled to take place from January 15th to February 1st in Denmark, Sweden and Norway,” it said.
The reason: In preparation for the tournament, all referee pairs must complete fitness training including a fitness test. This is intended to guarantee physical fitness during the tournament. Nikolov and Nachevski are said to have manipulated this test because it is digital.
The EHF explains the exact procedure of the test: “This includes uploading two video recordings of a so-called ‘Multistage Fitness Test’, one eight weeks and one four weeks before the EHF European Championships. These videos are evaluated by the EHF’s fitness partner, Fitgood Pro.”
During this evaluation there were indications “that the videos were most likely manipulated.” After internal consultation with the tournament management, the European Handball Federation withdrew the nomination of Slave Nikolov and Gjorgji Nachevski.
“17 pairs will be nominated for the men’s EHF Euro 2026, and the functionality of the championship’s refereeing system will remain fully guaranteed,” emphasizes the EHF and adds: “The case will be further investigated and the EHF reserves the right to take legal action before its legal authorities.”