For the first time in Handball history a Federation will pay compensation to the clubs for release of players to the National team. During these days EHF started to pay compensation for the 2010 European Championship. 270 Euros per player per match are paid via federations to the clubs.
The total compensation for the clubs amounts to 400.000 Euros which equals to 10% of the profit of the 2010 European Championship. GB
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.
During their 6th meeting on 11.2.10 in Vienna GROUP CLUB HANDBALL EEIG and EHF finalized a draft for a “Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)” describing the future cooperation of clubs and the EHF respectively the basis for a future ‘Professional Handball Board (PHB)’.
The draft needs to be approved by the EHF Executive Committee and confirmed by the next ordinary EHF Congress, taking place on 24/25.9.10 in Copenhagen and by the 3rd General Assembly of FORUM CLUB HANDBALL, taking place on occasion of the 1st Tournament of the EHF Champions League FINAL4 on 29.5.10 in Cologne.
Basis for the future FORUM CLUB HANDBALL which is foreseen to represent the clubs’ part in the PHB is the participation of clubs in CL/EC competitions.
Under the condition that a club is qualified for the 2010/11 European Cup season, the following teams will be automatically invited to FORUM CLUB HANDBALL:
– Top 24 teams of the 2009/10 EHF Champions League
– Top 16 teams of the 2009/10 EHF-Cup
– Top 16 teams of the 2009/10 Cupwinners-Cup
– Top 8 teams of the 2009/10 Challenge-Cup
+ all national champions 2009/10 from those countries which are not already represented in the mentioned groups.
Text: EHF/GCH
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
The President of the German Handball Federation (DHB) Ulrich Strombach set up the following demands in SPORTBILD 4/10:
– Reduction of the number of teams in TOYOTA Handball-Bundesliga
– Reduction of the number of teams in EHF Champions League
– Re-scheduling of World- and European Championships from January to summer
– Abolition of the European Championship in the Olympic years
– A bigger share of the revenues of the International Handball Federations for the National federations
According to Strombach the boycott of World Championships is possible, but not the target. ‘An own world series would be an alternative’. GB
Forum Club Handball (FCH) regards itself to become the acknowledged by EHF and IHF representation of all European Top Clubs.
The 3rd meeting of FCH will take place on invitaiton of GROUP CLUB HANDBALL EEIG on the EHF Champions League Final Four weekend in Cologne.
GCH will invite the Top 24 Championsleague Clubs, the Top 16 EHF Cup Clubs, the Top 16 Cup-Winners Cup, the Top 8 Challenge Cup Clubs and all National Champions to the meeting.
The upcoming General Assembly shall confirm the structure of FCH which will operate similar to the acknowledged by UEFA ‘European Club Association (ECA)’ in Football. GB
A delegation of the US Team Handball Federation with CEO Dieter Esch, President Brad Krassner and Managing Director Steve Pastorino attended the 13th ordinary meeting of GCH on 31st January in Vienna.
The delegation presented its plans to develop Handball in the USA. GCH member clubs will study the possibilities, how to support the development of the European Sport ‘Handball’ in the big sport market of North America. GB