The World Championship (WCH) is over – and Spain became Champion! Congratulations! On 18th February 2013 the International Handball Federation (IHF) informed the clubs via the National Federations that the organization is now ready to pay a compensation fee for the release of players to the WCH to the clubs.

And sets up a condition for the payment: The clubs have to show good conduct, they shall confirm in writing ‘to work directly with the IHF through the national federations.’

This condition causes irritation among the European Top teams. The clubs sent their players to the WCH. The WCH is over. And afterwards IHF sets up conditions before executing the compensation payments.

A number of clubs failed to receive information from the National Federations about the IHF compensation payments before the World Championship. They did not receive any concrete figures. The information, which IHF calls ‘common knowledge’, has been given partly and orally to a number of invited clubs during a meeting in October 2012. No written information has been provided to the clubs.

Written information, indicating the opposite of the ‘common knowledge’, can be found in the IHF Players eligibility code where  it says:

‘7.2. A club releasing a national player in accordance with Article 7 shall not have any claim to compensation.’

The clubs also do not have any claim to receive IHF insurance coverage for their players.

7.3.2 The club for which the player is eligible to play shall take out insurance coverage for the player in the event of personal injury and resulting consequences for the period for which the player has been called to his federation’s activities.

FIFA and UEFA changed their policy during the last years. Both organizations reached an agreement with the European Club Association (ECA). The European Handball Federation (EHF) signed a ‘Memorandum of Understanding’ (MoU) with the European clubs/Forum Club Handball (FCH) in May 2010. Clubs and said Federations discussed issues like ‘Good Governance’, Calendar, Compensation and Insurance. IHF refuses any type of talks with FCH, the sole organization, recognized by EHF to represent the interests of European top clubs.

As a reaction of the IHF behavior a number of German clubs will go to court against IHF and the National Federation in the near future. For the moment clubs have obligations only – but they want to have some rights. IHF/the National Federation shall be adjudged to refrain from obligating the clubs in the scope of their currently valid regulations to release their employed foreign handball players upon demand of their respective national federations for measures of said national federations.

This position is supported by many European Top clubs, such as Barcelona, Bjerringbro-Silkeborg, Celje, Chambery, Flensburg, Hamburg, Kiel, Kielce, Kolding, Montpellier, Plock, Veszprem and others.

El campeonato del mundo ha terminado – y ¡España es la Campeona! ¡Enhorabuena!

El 18 de Febrero de 2013 la IHF informó a los clubs a través de  las federaciones nacionales, que la organización está ahora preparada para pagar una compensación económica por la  cesión de jugadores para el torneo. Y añade una condición para el pago: Los clubs deben mostrar una buena conducta, deben confirmar por escrito que van a `trabajar directamente con la IHF a través de sus federaciones nacionales’.

Esta condición causa confusión entre los clubs Europeos. Los clubs mandaron a sus jugadores al Campeonato del Mundo. El torneo terminó. Y hora la IHF pone condiciones antes de pagar las compensaciones.

Algunos clubs no recibieron información concreta de las federaciones nacionales sobre los pagos compensatorios de la IHF. No recibieron ninguna cifra. Esta información, que es ‘conocida por todos’, la dieron durante una reunión a un grupo de clubs invitados en Octubre de 2012.

Una información escrita, indicando lo contrario a la ‘información conocida por todos’ se puede encontrar en los estatutos de la IHF, donde está escrito:

7.2 Un club, que cede a un jugador nacional de acuerdo con el artículo no tiene derecho a recibir una compensación.’

Además los clubs no tienen ningún derecho a tener un seguro de la IHF para sus jugadores:

7.3.2 El club, que tiene el derecho para que el jugador juegue en el, tiene que firmar un seguro, que cubra las consecuencias durante el periodo en el que juega con su equipo nacional.

La FIFA y la UEFA cambiaron su política durante los últimos años. Ellos aceptan a los clubs como socios y establecieron representación de los clubs en su estructura. Ambas organizaciones alcanzaron un acuerdo con la ECA, la asociación de clubs de fútbol. La EHF firmó un convenio con los clubs europeos/Forum Club Handball en Mayo 2010. Los clubs y dichas federaciones discutieron y están discutiendo temas como ‘el buen gobierno’, calendario, compensación y seguro.

La IHF rechaza todo tipo de negociaciones con el FCH, la única organización, reconocida por la EHF para representar los intereses de los clubs Europeos.

Varias cartas y una invitación para una reunión se quedaron sin respuesta.

Como reacción ante el comportamiento de la IHF, varios clubes alemanes irán a juicio contra la IHF y su federación nacional. En este momento los clubs tienen solamente obligaciones – pero quieren tener también derechos.

La IHF/la federación nacional deben ser juzgados para que se abstengan de obligar, en el marco de las actuales regulaciones, a los clubs a ceder a sus jugadores extranjeros internacionales a su equipo nacional.

Esta posición es apoyada por muchos clubes Europeos, como por ejemplo Barcelona, Bjerringbro-Silkeborg, Celje, Chambery, Flensburg, Hamburg, Kiel, Kielce, Kolding, Montpellier, Plock, Veszprem y más.

Germany, handball-world.com: Strombach: “Wenn der DHB verklagt wird, wird er den Prozess aufnehmen”

http://www.handball-world.com/o.red.c/news-1-1-1-45171.html

Spain, Blog-de-Rosca: FCH clubs critisize lack of respect of IHF

http://www.cope.es/blog-De-Rosca/Los-clubes-del-FCH-critican-la-falta-respeto-de-la-IHF.html

USA, team handball news:

http://teamhandballnews.com/wordpress/2013/02/top-clubs-put-pressure-on-ihf-through-lawsuit-against-german-federation/

Germany, handball-world.com:

http://www.handball-world.com/o.red.c/news-1-1-1-44947.html

Slovenia, Ljubljanske Novice:

http://www.ljnovice.com/default.asp?podrocje=40&menu=7&novica=168639

Belgium:

http://www.handbal.be/all/nieuws.php?id=1506&cat

Germany:

http://sport.t-online.de/handball-bundesliga-klagt-gegen-dhb/id_61863652/index

For a very long time European Top Clubs tried to reach an agreement with International Handball Federation (IHF) on issues like ‚Good governance‘, calendar, compensation and insurance – without any success. During the last months IHF did not even reply on FCH letters or an invitation to a personal meeting.

Now the clubs decided to take action: a number of German clubs will lodge a complaint against IHF (for formal reasons the German Federation will be included). ‘Up to today we have no formal information about the compensation which we will receive from IHF for sending our players to the World Championship in Spain’ stated a club official during the FCH meeting which took place on the fringes of the World Championship in Barcelona on 26.1.13. The clubs complained about a lack of respect of IHF. ‘We are the heart of the game. We are paying the players. We are doing the work. They take our players whenever they want, they earn a lot of money and refuse speaking to us’ – the opinion of the 40 club representatives from 25 countries was more than clear.

According to the statutes of the IHF the clubs are not existing. The complaint intends to improve the situation of the clubs. ‘We are comparing our situation to football’, says FCH President Tomaz Jersic/Slovenia. ‘And we want our relation to be based on written agreement – as we did with European Handball Federation (EHF)!’ Clubs and EHF signed a ‘Memorandum of Understanding’ (MoU) in May 2010.

In football the European Club Association (ECA) has reached agreements with UEFA and FIFA. Clubs are represented in the bodies of UEFA and FIFA.

The IHF will be adjudged to refrain from obligating the clubs in the scope of their currently valid regulations to release their employed foreign handball players upon demand of their respective national federations for National team matches. The complaint will be lodged as soon as possible.

The 9^th General Assembly of Forum Club Handball (FCH) took place in Barcelona on 26^th Jan 2013. 39 Member clubs from 25 countries were present and discussed issues of interest for European Top clubs.

It was decided that the establishment of the European Games by the EOC may not lead to an increase of the number of big competitions. Currently Handball plays 5 big competitions (2 WCHs, 2 ECHs + 1 OG) in one Olympic cycle. The clubs accept the participation of Handball in the European Games, under the condition that a plan for a reduction to 4 big competitions is confirmed by IHF, EHF and FCH.

The General Assembly discussed the relation between IHF and clubs. The IHF refused any contacts with club representatives until 2010. In December 2011 IHF envisaged a ‘Memorandum of Understanding’ (MoU) between clubs and IHF. This commitment was withdrawn in 2012. Various letters of FCH and an invitation for a meeting remained without answer.

Starting from 2006 EHF is in close communication with clubs. Although there were different opinions of various issues in the past, a MoU has been signed between FCH and EHF in May 2010. This MoU contains agreements on  issues like ‘Good Governance’, calendar, compensation for release of players to the National Teams, insurance and the involvement of club representatives in the various bodies of EHF and EHF Marketing GmbH.

In Football UEFA signed an according agreement with the European Club Association (ECA) in January 2008, dealing with the same issues. It has been prolonged recently. FIFA made according agreements with ECA. Club representatives are working in FIFA bodies. Calendar, insurance, and compensation issues are agreed.

IHF imposes all regulations, calendar, compensation and insurance on clubs without any negotiation. Therefore at least 12 German clubs will lodge a complaint against IHF. The clubs decided to clarify the question, whether IHF has the right to act in this way. As the IHF monopoly is executed via the National Federations, it is necessary to direct the complaint against IHF and one (in this case the German) National Federation. The complaint shall be lodged as soon as possible. GB