The European Handball Federation's disciplinary body has decided the case against North Macedonian referees Slave Nikolov and Gjorgji Nachevski, imposing the two-year suspension. In addition, they are each fined 5,000 euros, equivalent to approximately 55,000 kronor. The rules require appointed referees to submit a video documenting their physical fitness eight and four weeks before the start of the final tournament.
According to an EHF statement, an analysis from the federation's partner Sportradar concluded that the videos were manipulated, and the referees were found guilty of serious unsportsmanlike conduct. The manipulation was discovered just before the two were to referee in the European Championship final tournament for men, resulting in their removal from the referee list for the championship. The referees can appeal the decision within seven days.
Based on an analysis from EHF's partner Sportradar, it can be concluded that the videos in this case were manipulated, and therefore the referees are found guilty of serious unsportsmanlike conduct.
It remains unclear what specific manipulation was done to the training videos or why the referees altered them. Additionally, the referees have not made any public statements in response to the allegations, and the impact of this suspension on their future careers in handball refereeing is uncertain.