PORTO - The best European club teams gather in FC Porto's billiard room this week to battle it out for the Coupe d'Europe. For the first time, the pre-rounds are played in the same week as the finals. A total of 24 teams have registered, divided into six groups of four teams. The final round is played with eight: seven qualified teams and FC Porto, the titleholder. Kozoom broadcasts the matches live.
The six group winners and the best number two come into action for the finals on Saturday from 10.00 and Sunday from 9.30. The preliminaries are on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. FC Porto won the European Cup last year with Dani Sánchez, Torbjörn Blomdahl, Rui Costa and Joao Perreira. The reigning champion is missing Blomdahl this year. The Swedish player is recovering from a medical procedure. His substitute is Dick Jaspers.
More strong teams and contenders are FBN Tekstil BSK with Tayfun Tasdemir, Murat Naci Coklu, Can Capak and Gökhan Salman, L&B Ledermode with Eddy Merckx and Dave Christiani, SIS Schoonmaak with Glenn Hofman, Jean van Erp and Jeffrey Jorissen, BK Gröndal with Dion Nelin, Brian Knudsen, Jacob Haack Sörensen and Tonny Carlsen, Billard Club Baulois with Frédéric Caudron, Jérémy Bury and Jean Paul de Bruijn, Club Cartagena with David Martinez and Juan Zapata, Varde with Eddy Leppens and Brian Hansen.
The groups for the preliminaries:
Group A:
Mecidiyeköy SK (Turkey)
BC Op de Meir (Belgium)
BSK Union (Austria)
SL Benfica (Portugal)
Group B:
Académie Lausannoise Billard (Switzerland)
SIS Schoonmaak (Netherlands)
Leca FC/Multicargo (Portugal)
BC Deurne (Belgium)
Group C:
BK Ekvita Kladano (Czech Republic)
BC Elite Vienna (Austria)
FBN Tekstil BSK (Turkey)
Bottroper BA (Germany)
Group D:
Billard Club Zurich (Switzerland)
Varde BK (Denmark)
Sportive Laxovienne Billard (France)
ASD Billiards Café (Italy)
Group E:
L&B Ledermode (The Netherlands)
Club Billar Paiporta (Spain)
BC Poruba (Czech Republic)
BC Elversberg (Germany)
Group F:
BK Gröndal (Denmark)
AS Billird La Biglia Modia (Italy)
Club Billar Casino de Cartagena (Spain)
Billard Club Baulois (France)
The most known players in the tournament:
Dani Sánchez (FC Porto, title defender)
Dick Jaspers (FC Porto)
Frédéric Caudron (Billard Club Baulois)
Jérémy Bury (Club Baulois)
Eddy Merckx (L&B Ledermode)
Martin Horn (Laxou)
Jef Philipoom (Laxou)
Eddy Leppens (Varde BK)
Tayfun Tasdemir (Tekstil BSK)
Murat Naci Coklu (Tekstil BSK)
Birol Uymaz (Mecidiyeköy SK)
Christian Rudolph (Bottroper BA)
Ruben Legazpi (Elversberg)
Ludo Dielis (BC Deurne)
Dion Nelin (BK Gröndal)
Tonny Carlsen (BK Gröndal)
Javier Palazón (Club Billar Paiporta)
David Martinez (Club Cartagena)
Glenn Hofman (SIS Schoonmaak)
Raimon Burgman (SIS Schoonmaak)