Macedonian Fans Score Prized Handball Tickets

Macedonian fans | Photo by: Balkan Insight

Police had to intervene at the Skopje railway station to prevent incidents as the winners of a lottery boarded the train for Serbia, and a few hundred diehard supporters were left to watch the game on television at home.

The Macedonian government staged a TV lottery at the weekend, giving away 1,000 free tickets to tonight's match plus the train ride to Belgrade, where the game will be played Monday night.

The small Balkan country has been overwhelmed by handball euphoria since the start of the Championship, which is hosted this year by Serbia. More than 5,000 Macedonian fans armed with flags and horns poured into the southern Serbian city of Nis over the past week to show support for their team.

Macedonia secured a place in the second round, which will be played in Belgrade and Novi Sad, after it won against the Czech Republic on Thursday.

But fans were disappointed after Denmark snatched the lead against Macedonia in the final moments of their second round match on Saturday in Belgrade, winning 33 to 32.

Now Macedonia’s only hope for coming out near the top of the rankings is a victory against Poland today and another against Serbia on Wednesday.