A new record attendance is expected for the 22^nd General Assembly of Forum Club Handball, taking place in ClarionSign Hotel in Stockholm on 24^th January 2020. 54 clubs from 29 countries registered more than 80 participants. Jointly the club representatives will attend the Semifinals of the EHF EURO 2020.

In the meeting information on the upcoming changes will be provided. As of season 20/21 there will be significant increase of revenues for the participants in the various European Cup competitions.

IHF President Dr. Hassan Moustafa is expected to address the participants with a welcome speech.

On the fringes of the IHF-Congress, taking place in Belek/Turkey at the moment, for the first time ever FORUM CLUB HANDBALL and IHF signed a partnership agreement.

The document was signed by Women’s Forum President Zsolt Akos Jeney, Men’s Forum President Xavier O’Callaghan and IHF President Dr. Hassan Moustafa. It regulates the relationship between European top clubs and IHF on issues concerning release of players to the National team, compensation, insurance, calendar and others.

In the same congress IHF implemented clubs as stakeholder into the IHF statutes. FCH member clubs will receive full information on the partnership agreement in the upcoming General Assemblies in Hamburg and Zagreb.  GB

IHF-President Hassan Moustafa met with the FCH Presidents Xavier O’Callaghan/FC Barcelona (Men) and Zsolt Akos Jeney/Ferencvaros Budapest (Women) in autumn 2016.

During the meeting the parties agreed to sign an agreement about future cooperation. In the meantime a first draft was produced by the Managing Directors of IHF and FCH. The result will be presented to the General Assemblies of FCH in Budapest (May) and Cologne (June). If the club representatives confirm the content of the agreement, the signing could take place during the next IHF Congress in November 2017.

The 10th anniversary of FCH was celebrated on the fringes of the ordinary board meetings of the Men’s and the Women’s Forum Club Handball in Spain on 6^th November 2016.

FCH President Xavier O’Callaghan welcomed the guests, among them from the International Handball Federation President Dr. Hassan Moustafa, from the European Handball Federation President Jean Brihault and Secretary General Michael Wiederer, from the European Professional Handball Leagues Association President Frank Bohmann, from Euroleague Basketball Elisendra Salrach, from Women’s FCH President Zsolt Akos Jeney and the former FCH Presidents Tomaz Jersic and Joan Marin.

During a reception the guests were interviewed and described their relation to Forum Club Handball. In the following dinner Xavier O’Callaghan highlighted the situation in 2006 which lead to the foundation of the FCH predecessor Group Club Handball. Jean Brihault emphasized the unity of the handball family: There is no ‘you’ and ‘we’, there is only an ‘us’. Hassan Moustafa stressed in his speech the importance of the clubs for the handball system and showed his willingness to communicate with the clubs on a regular basis.  

On invitation of IHF President Dr. Hassan Moustafa the Presidents of FCH Xavier O’Callaghan/men (accompanied by his Vice-Presidents Bert Servaas and Dierk Schmäschke) and Zsolt Akos Jeney/women visited the IHF headquarter in Basel. The IHF President informed the club representatives about the positive picture of handball during the Olympics in Brazil and about various IHF projects such as the ‘former players project’. The club representatives expressed the wish to base the relation between Clubs and IHF on a contractual basis, as it is common practice in football or between EHF and FCH. The meeting took place in a good atmosphere. Xavier O’Callaghan invited the IHF President to the celebrations on occasion of the 10th aniversary of FORUM CLUB HANDBALL in November 2016.

During the top nations and top clubs Meeting in Copenhagen/Denmark the President of the International Handball Federation (IHF) invited FCH-representatives to a meeting in Basel. The meeting will take place on 30th August 2016. GB

Scandal on the fringes of the Women World Championship in Denmark 2015: The well-known and highly qualified female German official Jutta Ehrmann-Wolf complained in various interviews about the fact that she was not  nominated for the tournament due to her sexual orientation. Jutta Ehrmann-Wolf is married to a women. According to her statement she received this clear and unambiguous message from a Council member of the International Handball Federation (IHF); the family situation is not accepted by the President of the IHF, Dr. Hassan Moustafa.

The same holds true for Spanish  Carmen Manchado, also a well-known and highly qualified delegate.

According to the official IHF version, both delegates are not nominated ‘due to technical reasons’.

According to the understanding of Women FCH this behavior of the IHF is directed against Olympic values and principles. Today all international federations face a lack of female officials. Usually they try to include as many of them as possible in women competitions. Without any doubt the decision of the IHF is directed against the attempts to achieve gender equality in sports.

The Board of Women Forum Club Handball has decided to take position against this type of discrimination and expressed full support to Mrs. Jutta Ehrmann-Wolf/GER and Mrs. Carmen Manchado/ESP.

On behalf of Women Forum Club Handball, President E. Kelescenyi/HUN filed a complaint to the President of the International Olympic Committee:  “We strongly believe in the Olympic idea and in Dr. Thomas Bach as a person. We believe that he will take appropriate measures to exclude similar discrimination in the future!”

With the support of FCH, 17 Bundesliga-Clubs won the 1^st instance of the court case against German Handball Federation (DHB) and International Handball Federation (IHF) and lost the 2^nd instance at the high court OLG Düsseldorf.

After the positive decision of the 1^st instance, the Council of the IHF changed 4 points of the ‘Regulations for International Transfers’ in favor of the clubs:

• The overall release period was limited to 60 days per year (plus Olympic Games).
• The overall period for Championships (including preparation period) was limited to 29 days.
• The IHF obliged itself to play compensation to the clubs for the release of players to the World Championships.
• The IHF obliged itself to provide an insurance of player salaries in favor of the clubs.

These changes are positive for the clubs, but:

• The amount of compensation, paid to the clubs, is not negotiated or even defined.
• The insurance services are limited to 3 months, which is not sufficient in case of severe injury.
• All regulations can be changed in the next Council meeting without any influence of the clubs.

IHF always has the possibility to change the regulations again, once the trial is over.

The court of the 2^nd instance (the Oberlandesgericht Düsseldorf) decided that

• The case is not admissible due to a lack of legal interest.

• IHF has changed the regulations effectively.
• The statutes of IHF are not a violation of European competition law.
• The regulations of the IHF are not harming the competitiveness of the clubs.
• The behavior of the IHF is not an abuse of dominant position.
• The case is not of general importance.
• An appeal against the decision is not permitted.

Anyhow it is possible to appeal to the 3^rd instance against the decision of the 2nd instance that an appeal is not permitted. In case of a positive decision, the 3^rd instance will deal with the case immediately.

The board of FCH will deal with the case during the next ordinary board meeting on 19/20^th October and decide whether to proceed with the Trial or not. GB

On 1. April 2015 the lawyers of 17 Bundesliga-Clubs on the one side and International Handball Federation and the German Handball Federation on the other side met for a hearing at the court of Oberlandesgericht Düsseldorf. In the first instance the court Landgericht Dortmund had decided that the plaintiffs do not have to release their foreign national team players to the respective National teams, as the statutes of the International Handball Federation are not in accordance with European Competition law. The judge Prof Kühnen criticized the decision of the 1st instance partly and raised questions which the parties will have to answer during the next 10 weeks. The next hearing in court is scheduled for 24th June 2015. GB

25 Clubs from 16 different countries met on the fringes of the EHF Euro 2014 in Budapest/Hungary. Under the leadership of Ernö Kelecsenyi/Györ they listened to the reports of the WFCH representatives in the various EHF and EHFM bodies. Two Club representatives were elected as deputy board members: Thomas Hylle from Team Esbjerg/DEN and Torbjorn Balstad from Byasen/NOR. In the second part of the meeting, the Club representatives welcomed as guest the 1. Vice-President of the International Handball Federation (IHF) Miguel Roca. The IHF representative underlined the importance of the Clubs for the World Federation and mentioned that IHF tried to implement Clubs as stakeholders in the statutes – but failed to reach the needed 2/3 majority. The Clubs expressed the wish to base the relation between Clubs and IHF on a Memorandum of Understanding. Roca promised to inform the IHF President about the wish of the Women Clubs.