http://www.eurohandball.com/article/012925/EHF+statement+on+IHF+matters

On 9.2.10 GROUP CLUB HANDBALL EEIG, the European Professional Handball League Association and the European Handball Players Union sent a common letter to EHF, asking for the position of EHF regarding the allegations against IHF President Hassan Moustafa in German DER SPIEGEL magazine.

On 25.2.10 EHF issued an official statement, recommending to IHF an external audit for IHF and IHF Marketing AG by an internationally known firm. IHF President Hassan Moustafa immediately accepted such a procedure.

EHF expects the results to be presented already during the next IHF Congress, taking place in Rome on 23/24.4.10. GB

According to German HANDELSBLATT the International Handball Federation (IHF) is ready to compensate Clubs and Federations with a total of 3.65 Mio CHF (incl. Insurance) per World Championship, once an agreement with the ‘stakeholders’ is achieved.

The German daily newspaper is quoting the minutes of a meeting with continental, federation and club representatives which took place on 28.1.10 in Vienna/Austria. According to HANDELSBLATT IHF President Hassan Moustafa confirmed the figures. GB

According to German DER SPIEGEL magazine the IHF Council increased the annual compensation for Council members from 204.000 to 1.325.000 CHF during a meeting in Nanjing/China in December 2009. The compensation for IHF President Hassan Moustafa was raised from 30.000 to 500.000 CHF per year. For further details:

http://www.spiegel.de/sport/sonst/0,1518,679098,00.html

English translation of the article:

IHF president Moustafa gets an increase of 1567 percent

The total annual ‘expense allowances’ for the top officials in the International Handball Federation (IHF) will, according to information obtained by Der Spiegel, increase from 204.000 CHF per year to 1.325.000 CHF per year. The increase for President Hassan Moustafa is particularly drastic.

The top officials of the IHF allow themselves a magnificent compensation for their services. This becomes clear in a document from the IHF Council that had until now been kept secret; the Council is the forum for the 17 IHF top officials. According to this document, when the Council met last December in Nanjing, China, they arranged for themselves an increase in the expense allowances from an aggregate of 204.000 CHF to 1.325.000 CHF.

The most grandiose increase concerns the president: 1567 percent. The Egyptian Hassan Moustafa, who last summer was re-elected in his position until 2013, will now get 500.000 per year instead of 30.000 CHF.

The Council members also allow themselves an increase in their daily allowances – instead of 250 CHF per day, when they are on duty for the IHF, they will now receive 400 CHF. For Moustafa this adds up to a six-digit amount, as he last year claimed to have been on duty for the IHF during 280 days.

Today the Presidents of the European Player, League and Club organisations expressed their concerns in a letter to EHF President Tor Lian, regarding the allegations against IHF President Hassan Moustafa, expressed in German DER SPIEGEL Magazine (No 4/2010).

The European President was requested to explain the position of his Federation and asked for further information.

At the same time the undersigned assured Tor Lian that the European Handball Federation can always count on Players, Leagues and Clubs for any action, serving to improve the image of handball. GB 

On 1.4.2009 GCH lodged a complaint against EHF/IHF, challenging the monopoly of the International federations. During the 13th ordinary General Assembly GCH discussed the possibility to split the complaint in two parts: one against IHF and one against EHF.

Since April 2009 GCH is in concrete negotiations with EHF, regarding the change of the structure of European Handball and the involvement of the various stakeholders (clubs, players, leagues) in the decision taking process concerning professional handball issues. The next meeting between GCH and EHF delegations will take place on 11.2.10 in Vienna. A draft of a ‘Memorandum of Understanding’ (to be presented to the next ordinary EHF Congress) will be discussed.

Splitting the complaint, GCH would be able to suspend the complaint against EHF temporarily.  

At the same time IHF continues to refuse any communication with GROUP CLUB HANDBALL EEIG, a representation of 19 European Top Clubs.  GB

Please find the following press information on the IHF-Homepage:

Historical moment for Handball

2010-01-29

On the fringes of the 9th Men’s European Championship in Austria a high potential working group met in Vienna on 28 January.

On initiative of the IHF President Dr Hassan Moustafa, representatives from the IHF, from the continental federations, national federations and, for the first time in handball history, representatives from four top clubs, met to discuss the future calendar of international handball and the involvement of the stakeholders into international handball in general. Specifically, proposals for an implementation of a releasing fee, an increase of the prize money and for a launching of an appearance fee were discussed. The members of this group of experts agreed basically on the following points:

1.    Coordination of the international competition calendar
2.    Launching of a releasing fee system
3.    Launching of an insurance system for players during the World Championship

The meeting participants supported the steps of the European Handball Federation to create a Professional Handball Board, integrating the current stakeholders, National Federations, Clubs, National Leagues, and Athletes, permanently dealing with issues regarding professional handball in Europe.

The International Handball Federation basically supports the idea of building a forum of expert’s representing the professional handball and is always open to the problems the members of the handball family might have, but not for subgroups who are not affiliated to the IHF.

The experts who met today created the following working group which will work out the details of the individual points:

•    Sandi Sola (Representative IHF)
•    Dr Mansourou A. Aremou (Representative of continental federations)
•    Alexander Toncourt (Representative EHF)
•    Ulrich Strombach (Representative of national federations)
•    Patrice Canayer (Montpellier HB, General Manager)

The results of the elaboration of this Working Group will be presented and discussed on the fringes of the Final Four of the EHF Men’s Champions League on 29/30 May 2010.

The meeting was held in an open and positive atmosphere and the participants emphasized their interest in the development of the sport handball on all fields.

Today for the first time during the Presidency of Hassan Moustafa the International Handball Federation (IHF) invited club representatives to discuss about Calendar issues. In the presence of the Continental Federation Presidents and various National Federations Presidents (CRO, FRA, GER, ESP) the participants from BM Ciudad Real, THW Kiel, HB Montpellier and RK Zagreb took the chance to raise further questions, such as ‘Compensation for release of players to the national team’ and ‘Insurance in case of injury during World Championships’.

It was achieved a common opinion about the fact that the

– International Calender has to be harmonized

– Compensation for release of players has to be discussed

– a solution regarding the insurance problem has to be found.

IHF agreed to continue the work on the mentioned issues.

As the working group is no body of the IHF, no decisions were taken in Vienna. GB/UD

The Super Globe, the official World Championship for Club Teams, will take place in Quatar for the next 4 years. According contracts were signed by IHF President Hassan Moustafa during the last weekend.

This year the tournament will take place from 17.-21. May 2010, 8 days before the EHF Championsleague final. IHF spreads this information via own Homepage.

The clubs were not at all involved in the decision taking process.  GB

On 18th January 2010 one of the most successful handball clubs in the world, the 8 times Women Championsleague Winner Hypo NiederÖsterreich from Vienna/Austria (Hypo NÖ) lodged a complaint at Vienna Court, challenging the monopoly of IHF/EHF and § 20 – 23 of the IHF Transferregulations. The club indicates that IHF/EHF have no legal basis to oblige the club to release players to various National Teams. 

Hypo NÖ complains about the fact that the National and International Federations do not pay any compensation to the club. At the same time the club is obliged to insure the player salaries against injury on the Clubs account, whilst the players are working and earning money as employees for the various Federations.

The complaint is split into two parts, one refering to players to be released to the Austrian National Team and the second refering to players to be released to other countries (ie France, Brazil, Norway).

As a consequence Hypo NÖ demands to be exempted from the obligation to release players to the various national teams or at least to receive an appropriate compensation.

The club intends to inform the international press during the final weekend of the EHF Euro 2010 in Vienna about the complaint in detail. GB

Am 18.1.2010 hat der 8-malige Frauen Championsleague Sieger Hypo NiederÖsterreich (Hypo NÖ) Klage beim ‘Landesgericht für Zivilsachen Wien’ eingelegt und das Monopol von IHF/EHF angegriffen, sowie die Internationale Transferbestimmungen § 20 – 23 in Frage gestellt.

Die Klage ist zweigeteilt und bezieht sich einmal auf Österreichische und einmal auf Nicht-Österreichische Spielerinnen. Hypo NÖ beklagt, dass der Österreichische Verband, dritte nationale Verbände, die EHF und die IHF Erträge generieren, indem sie auf Clubspieler zurückgreifen. Der Club trägt das Verletzungsrisiko und ist zudem verpflichtet die Spieler auf eigenen Kosten gegen Verletzung zu versichern, ohne hierfür eine Entschädigung zu erhalten.      

Hypo NÖ beantragt bei Gericht festzustellen, dass der Klub nicht verpflichtet ist, Spielerinnen auf Anweisung der Vebände zur Nationalmannschaft abzustellen.

Ersatzweise wird das Gericht aufgefordert, die Verbände auf Zahlung einer Abstellungsentschädigung zu verurteilen.

Eine ähnliche Beschwerde hatte die GROUP CLUB HANDBALL EEIG am 1.4.2010 bei der Europäischen Kommission in Brüssel eingereicht.

Am kommenden Wochenende will der Club im Rahmen des Finalwochenendes der EURO 2010 die Öffentlichkeit im Rahmen einer Pressekonferenz über die Einzelheiten der Klage informieren.  GB