PORTO – The Danish title holders BK Varde is competing again for the European Cup for club teams this. Following the last World Cup, the tournament will be played in Porto. Myung Woo Cho won the World Cup at the sports centre, and many of Europe's top players will return this week to battle it out for the European Cup for club teams. Varde BK plays with Eddy Merckx, Jean Paul de Bruijn, Dion Nelin and Allan Schröder.
The teams from Varde and FC Porto are automatically qualified and don’t have to play in the preliminary rounds. The other teams compete for qualification starting on Wednesday (9 July). The final is played on Sunday 13 July at 16.30, following the semi-finals at 9.30 and 11.30.
The five group winners and the best runner-up joins the two qualified teams.
Many of the leading players from the last World Cup also come into action for their teams in the European Cup in the coming days. Eddy Merckx was one of the great players with high runs. The leader of the Varde team has taken a few days off and is now concentrating on defending the title with, among others, Jean Paul de Bruijn, who was quickly eliminated in the World Cup, and Dion Nelin.
FC Porto is still missing the captain Torbjörn Blomdahl, who is in the final stages of his recovery from the Achilles tendon injury the Swede sustained during a game of padel. Dick Jaspers is the leader of FC Porto with the Portuguese line-up: Rui Manuel Costa, Jose Miguel Soares, Jorge Costa and Joao Ferreira.
The opposition for the two seeded teams comes primarily from the French team Soissons with Frédéric Caudron and Jérémy Bury, the World Cup finalist, as leaders and Pierre Soumagne and Mikaël Devogelaere as strong French teammates.
Götzepe is led by Tayfun Tasdemir, the captain who did not play his best World Cup, Tolgahan Kiraz, Berkay Karakurt and Tarik Yavuz. The French team from Andernos comes with Marco Zanetti, Roland Forthomme and the Frenchmen Gwendal Maréchal and Jérôme Barbeillon as challengers to the champions.
Pottendorfer has a strong core with Sameh Sidhom and Martin Horn as leaders. Team Eekhoorn from the Netherlands is playing with its team from the own league: Nick Polychronopoulos, Peter Ceulemans, Frans van Kuyk and Jerry Hermans.
Eddy Merckx, the leading man in the Varde team
Dick Jaspers first man in the FC Porto team
The teams and the players:
Titleholder BK Varde
Eddy Merckx, Jean Paul de Bruijn, Dion Nelin, Allan Schröder
FC Porto, organiser:
Dick Jaspers, Rui Manuel Costa, Jose Miguel Soares, Jorge Costa, Joao Ferreira
Pottendorfer BSK
Samey Sidhom, Martin Horn, Herbert Szivacz, Nikolaus Kogelbauer
BC Neusiedl
Glenn Hofman, Gerhard Kostistansky, Claus Maurer, Wolfgang Zenkner
Italya Bilardo Spor Kulübü
Emrullah Basegmez, Mesut Ekinci, Volkan Cimentepe, Cern Ozkaya
Götzepe Spor Kulübü
Tayfun Tasdemir, Tolgahan Kiraz, Berkay Karakurt, Tarik Yavuz
Cues&Darts/Xtreme
Jef Philipoom, Huub Wilkowski, Therese Klompenhouwer, Joey de Kok, Joris van ’t Zelfden
Team Eekhoorn
Nick Polychronopoulos, Peter Ceulemans, Frans van Kuyk, Jerry Hermans
Leça FC
Paulo Andrade, Oliveira Santos, Jose Escudeiro, Joao Gomes
Sporting Clube de Portugal
Rui Edgar, Francisco Rodrigues, Joaquim Alves, José Correira
BC Weywiesen
Sam van Etten, Amir Ibraimov, Christian Rudolph, Jens Eggers
BC Elfenbein
Dustin Jäschke, Martin Spoormans, John Tijssens, Stefan Galla, Markus Galla
Club Billar Mostoles
Ruben Legazpi, Ruben Fernandez, Alfonso Legazpi, Andres Anson
Sokol Zizkov
Martin Bohac, Radek Novak, Tommy Magnussen, Marcel Dirn
Billard Club Kladno
Adam Koak, Michael Puse, Jan Ales, Milan Ettel
Soissons
Frédéric Caudron, Jérémy Bury, Pierre Soumagne, Mikael Devogelaere
Andernos
Marco Zanetti, Roland Forthomme, Gwendal Maréchal, Jérôme Barbeillon
Fingsted Billard Club
Jacob Haack-Sörensen, Michael Lohse, Thomas Andersen, Björn Mikkel Jensen
BC Herstalien
Thomas Broux, Paul Wallerand, Christophe Wyn, Thierry Finet
Mister 100 Lier
Marc Celen, Erwin Hens, Bart van Hove, Philip Coenen
Billard Club Zürich
Cetin Behzat, Kenan Canturk, Johannes Boode, Gian aolo Tronati
Randers BK
Tonny Carlsen, Thomas Andersen, Lukas Mortensen, Michael Corlsen
Billiard’s Cafe
Giuseppe Tiranno, Francesco Rampolla, Miroslaw Mutavdzic, Vito Gambino.
The group formats:
Group A: Andernos, CLUB Billar Mostoles, Sokol Zizklov, BC Elfenbein Höntrop
Group B: Cues&Darts, Pottendorfer, Ringsted Billard Club, Sporting Clube de Portugal
Group C: Mister 100, BC Weywiesen, Leça FC, Billiards Cafe
Group D: Team Eekhoorn, Götzepe Spor, BC Herstalien, Billard Club Zürich, Randers BK
Group E: BC Neusiedl, Soissons, Antalya Bilardo Spor, Billiard club Kladno.
The first matches are Wednesday from 9.30 Portuguese time. Kozoom will broadcast all matches live.