Female support for the hosts 

Andrea Lekić has been the greatest icon of Serbian women’s handball in recent years.

The 24-year-old Győr player is a well-known sportswoman in her country. She regularly appears in the newspapers, and is much loved by children and young players.

The gifted centre-back looks forward to the men’s EHF EURO 2012, and in this interview with ehf-euro.com she shared her thoughts about Serbian chances for the championship, gave a prediction for the semi-final spots, and also talked about the importance of the tournament for her country, Serbia.

ehf-euro.com: The EHF EURO is just about to start tomorrow. A few weeks ago you visited your male colleagues in Smederevo, where they beat FYR Macedonia. What was your impression of the men’s National Team?

Andrea Lekić: Because of the big championship I was very interested to see how they looked prior to the big event, and my impressions were very good.

The defence is at a high level and the team fought hard during the whole game. Besides that, the hall was full, which is always a tremendous support to the players.

ehf-euro.com: Is Serbia ready to welcome Europe’s elite for this historical event? What does the EHF EURO mean to the country

Andrea Lekić: I recently heard from the organisers that everything is set up and ready to go for the championship. I certainly hope that we will represent our country in the best possible way.

The whole nation is speaking about this tournament, so it will receive huge publicity across the country, which gives fantastic support to our team.

Also, we will welcome a huge number of handball tourists, fans who are going to see and discover the beauties of our country, and so it’s another excellent advertisement for Serbia.

ehf-euro.com: How do you see the Serbian chances and who are your favourites for the semi-final spots?

Andrea Lekić: Our players know that reaching the semi-final would be a huge success, and I wish them well in trying to achieve this aim. I hope they will be one of the best four teams at the EHF EURO.

Well, it’s really hard to predict the Top 4 spots. The only thing I’m confident about is that France will be again among the semi-finalists.

ehf-euro.com: Will you attend the continental event as a spectator? What are your expectations about the arenas, especially Belgrade, where Serbia will be playing?

Andrea Lekić: Yes, I will come to Serbia to watch and support my male colleagues - I can’t wait for this!

I’ve already been to both Belgrade Arenas and I’m confident that the spectators will be amazed by the beauty of them. This is something that everybody has to see! I hope that these Arenas will bring us luck in this tournament.

Further information

Download the Official EHF EURO 2012 Playing Schedule (pdf)

Buy your EHF EURO 2012 tickets HERE.

Ticketing is managed by the Serbian Organising Committees. Should you need further assistance for buying your tickets, please contact via email: tickets@rss.org.rs

Find more information on the tournament on the official website www.ehf-euro.com/SRB2012/

Join the growing community of fans of the event on Facebook www.facebook.com/SRB2012