PARIS
vs
SAINT-RAPHAËL VAR HANDBALL
Founded in 1963, Saint-Raphaël Var Handball have played in the top tier of French handball since season 2007/08, having been promoted as second division champions at the end of the previous campaign. Between 2014 et 2019, the team has been coached by Joël Da Silva, following a successful spell with Toulouse.
Saint-Raphaël appointed Rares Fortuneanu, former player and assistant, as new head coach. Jean-François Krakowski, the club’s iconic president since 1987 and a familiar figure in the seaside resort, is greatly involved in the running of the club, having previously played for and coached the team, and having even had a spell as a referee.
After finishing the 2017/18 season at an impressive fourth place, Saint-Raphaël qualified once again for the EHF Cup, a tournament in which they earned runners-up medals in 2017 after losing to German outfit Füchse Berlin in the final.
PREVIOUS ENCOUNTERS
On 2019/20 season, Nikola Karabatic's teammates have been receiving Saint-Raphaël at Coubertin on matchday 11. The Red and Blue have defeated them 39 - 26, with 12 goals from Mikkel Hansen.
On October 6, 2020, the Parisians won 37 - 23 in Saint-Raphaël. With a very convincing performance, the Red and Blue were able to make the difference thanks to great defensive skills, with only 10 goals conceded in the first half.
On May 30, 2021, Parisians realized a great offensive performance against Saint-Raphaël by scoring 71% of their shots. Ferran Sole stood out in this game with 8 goals.
PSG meets Saint-Raphaël in its Pierre de Coubertin stadium as part of championship matchday 10 of the Liqui Moly StarLigue 2021/22. The Parisians won 42-31 and accomplished their 10th consecutive victory in the championship. A few months later, the teams from Var and Ile-de-France faced each other during the penultimate day of the season. This meeting at the Palais des Sports JF Krakowski will mark the 29th victory of the Parisian club in as many days following its 38-33 victory.
Players to follow Duel
Elohim Prandi was destined to become a handball player. Son of Raoul Prandi, former half-center who played for US Ivry, and Mezuela Servier, former captain of the French Handball Team. From the 98 generation, he has already won everything with the French Youth and Junior Teams, including a Gold Medal at the 2016 Under-18 European Championships, as well as a Gold Medal at the 2017 World Youth Championships. On December 18, 2019, for one of the last matches of the year 2019, Elohim Prandi and his former USAM Nîmes team were playing on the Saint-Raphaël field. The left-back made a very nice performance punctuated at 8 / 13 on shooting.
Revealed by Montpellier Handball, with whom he won 4 consecutive French Championship titles between 2008 and 2011, Adrien Dipanda is one of the most notable player within the Liqui Moly Starligue. This right-back of 2.02 meters for 104 kilos has been playing at Saint-Raphaël Var Handball since 2012, after a loan spell at the Spanish club CB Ademar Leon. The man nicknamed Panda first entered the French national team in 2015 as an understudy to Paris Saint-Germain Handball player Nedim Remili. With Les Bleus, Adrien Dipanda won the World Championship in 2017, as well as a silver medal at the Rio Olympic Games in 2016 and a bronze medal at the European Championships in 2018.
The Palais des Sports JF Krakowski
Inaugurated in 2005 on the occasion of a gala match against Jackson Richardson's Chambéry Savoie Mont-Blanc Handball, the Palais des Sports JF Krakowski is the official venue of the Saint-Raphaël Var Handball. Its name refers to the president of the club Jean François Krakowski, in office since 1987 and the cornerstone of the success of the Var for over 30 years now. Its current capacity is 2,000 seats.
72 allée du Sagittaire
83 600 Saint-Raphaël
Practical information