The Russian handball federation (ФГР) has provisionally suspended eight team players it suspects of deliberately underperforming at the U19 European Championships in Croatia in order to profit from betting. Russia unexpectedly finished 15th out of 16 teams at the tournament, which took place from 12-22 August. 

‘According to the results of the investigation, initiated by the ethics commission, it was established that a group of players was formed within the national team, which kept in contact with the persons involved in organising the bets’, read an ФГР statement. ‘The Executive Committee of the FGR at the next meeting on 29 September expects to hear the report of the ethics commission and discuss further actions to combat unsportsmanlike influence on the results.’

The eight players, provisionally suspended from 21 September, are:

• Dmitry Kandybin (Дмитрий Кандыбин – Chekhov Bears)
• Alexander Morozov (Александр Морозов – Chekhov Bears)
• Nikita Gogolev (Никита Гоголев – Chekhov Bears)
• Dmitry Frolov (Дмитрий Фролов – CSKA-2)
• Daniil Dmitriev (Даниил Дмитриев – CSKA-2)
• Maxim Naidunov (Максим Найдунов – CSKA-2)
• Maxim Ermolin (Максим Ермолин – SKIF-2)
• Georgy Kirilenko (Георгий Кириленко – SKIF)

‘Today the SKIF handball club received a resolution from the Russian Handball Federation, which requires the removal of two players of our club, Maxim Ermolin and Georgy Kirilenko, from the competitions held under the auspices of the FGR’, read a statement from SKIF. ‘We consider any contacts between professional athletes and representatives of bookmakers to be unacceptable. But we urge the public not to rush to conclusions and wait for the final results of the investigations of the FGR Ethics Commission.’ Chekhov Bears and CSKA have yet to comment.