SCHILTIGHEIM - The prologue had already a wonderful and unexpected result, including the surprising group wins of BC Deurne and FC Porto. The seven times European Cup winner Agipi has followed the matches with a more than great interest and now may enter the tournament as the defending titleholder, this week from Thursday 7 to Sunday 10 June.
The Agipi auditorium is the podium where many world class players will compete for the trophy in the upcoming four days. The European cup history started in 1959, but never before was the hegemony of one team as big as the last seven years with Agipi.
The first European cup tournament was played in Paris in 1959, where the Antwerpse Biljart Academy grabbed the title. The Belgian team took the title five more times in subsequent years and was one of the major players in the championship race.
BC Barcelona won the title seven times in total, including five times in a row since 1970. Among the finalists for this year, Agipi won the trophy seven times, FC Porto twice, BC Deurne and Andernos once.
Claude Fath's Agipi team team, playing in a super strong line up with Frédéric Caudron, Marco Zanetti, Jérémy Bury and Jean-Christoph Roux, seems unbeatable, because they have the best team in the world at four positions. But still they have to battle hard for victory, like in last year's thrilling final when Agipi needed an excellent playing Zanetti to win the title in a great endrush.
The opposition is in the look-out for revenge and will come in full strength to the final. The big contender in the preliminaries seemed to be the Turkish team with Tayfun Tasdemir, Lütfi Cenet, Adnan Yüksel and Murat Naci Coklu, who were playing in the Cartagena group. But the Belgian team with Davy van Havere, Steven van Acker, Ludo Dielis and Jef Gysels surprised the whole three cushion world, when they prevented qualification of the top team.
Very surprising as well was the elimination of Bfr Horster Eck with Torbjörn Blomdahl, Martin Horn, Haeng Jik Kim and Thorsten Frings by Futbol Club de Porto, although after the match there werd many discussions about the system that was used by the CEB: when teams finished with the same matchpoints, the total of caroms were decisive for the group win, not the average. Therefor FC Porto ended up as first in the group and not Horster Eck.
Which teams are the competitors now for Agipi?
Club de Futebol Porto with Dick Jaspers Dani Sánchez, Joao Ferreira and Manuel Santos Oliveira.
Clichy Montmartre with Eddy Merckx, Eddy Leppens, Richard Bitalis and Jean Reverchon.
BC Andernos with Roland Forthomme, Peter De Backer, Jérôme Barbeillon and Francis Connesson.
BC Deurne with Davy van Havere, Steven van Acker, Ludo Dielis and Jef Gysels.
BC Grüner Tisch Buer with Jens Eggers, Mark Galla, Stefan Hetzel and Uwe Kerls.
The final stage will be played according to the usual system: two groups of three teams, the first two qualify for the semifinals in cross matches. The winners play the final. The games will be played to 40 points without equalizer.
The group format:
Group A: AS Agipi (Fr): Caudron-Zanetti-Bury-Roux.
BC Andernos (Fr): Forthomme-De Backer-Barbeillon-Connesson.
BC Deurne (Bel): Van Havere-Van Acker-Dielis-Gysels.
Group B:
Futebol Club of Porto (PT): Jaspers Sánchez-Ferreira-Santos Oliveira.
Clichy Montmartre (Fr): Merckx-Leppens-Bitalis-Reverchon.
BC Grüner Tisch Buer (Ger): Eggers-Galla-Kerls Hetzel.
Results and general information on the website of the CEB. Address of the match: Agipi, 12 avenue Pierre Mendes-France, 67300 Schiltigheim (FR), Tel: 33390239269.
Hotel bookings via Ariane Lanois on +33390239269 or billard@agipi.com
The matches will be broadcasted live on Kozoom, a Premium pass is required.