Two different versions of International Handball Federation (IHF) council minutes from the November 2012 meeting caused a lot of headache to European Top clubs. IHF submitted to the European National federations on 18th Feb 2013 that ‘the Council agreed to distribute the compensation fees (for release of players to the World Championship in Spain 2013, red) only to those clubs which agree to work directly with the IHF through the national federations. Therefore it is needed that your affiliated clubs are confirming to the IHF by use of the attached form that they agree to this decision. Attention is drawn to the fact that the money will be paid upon receipt of the attached confirmation.’
In a first version of the minutes this sentence did not exist. During the January 2013 Council meeting, the second highest body of the IHF suprisingly found out that the IHF Council had not taken this decision. Consequently it says in the according minutes: ‘The Council unanimously approved to delete the passage concerned … ‘.
It seems like IHF intended to put pressure on the clubs, quoting a Council decision which obviously never had been taken …..
Anyhow a big number of European top clubs, ie Barcelona, Bjerringbro-Silkeborg, Celje, Chambery, Flensburg, Hamburg, Kaerjang, Kiel, Kielce, Kolding, Minsk, Montpellier, Plock, Veszprem and others refused to sign the required declaration.