Cologne (AP) – The Ukrainian handball series champion Motor Zaporischschja will play in the 2nd Bundesliga next season.
“We’re helping to ensure the existence of the club because it’s not possible to play games in Ukraine because of the war,” said HBL Managing Director Frank Bohmann of the German Press Agency and confirmed a corresponding report in the “Bild” newspaper.
Accordingly, the Champions League participant, who has won the domestic championship without interruption since 2013, will play his home games in Düsseldorf and be listed in the table as normal. However, the plan provides for the games to be deducted from the promotion and relegation battle.
The 2nd division was originally supposed to consist of 19 teams in the 2022/23 season. As a result, Zaporizhschja can be easily integrated into the schedule as the 20th team. “It would have been absolutely impossible in the Bundesliga,” emphasized Bohmann. After the second division clubs voted by a large majority last week to accept the Ukrainians, almost all the formalities, such as the accommodation of the players and their families or the permission of the Ukrainian government, have now been clarified.
