Today GCH sent out the invitations to participate in FORUM CLUB HANDBALL – HEART OF THE GAME, taking place in Cologne/GER on occasion of the EHF Championsleague Final Four Event on 29.5.2010.

GCH invites/invited – according to the results of the season 2009/10 – the clubs finishing 

• Last 24 Championsleague
• Last 16 EHF Cup
• Last 16 Cup-Winners Cup
• Last 8 Challenge Cup
• + National Champion or No 1 in the National League on 26.4.2010

and qualified for the upcoming European Cup season.

For more information, please click our page: Forum Club Handball

The ordinary EU FORUM SPORT 2010 will take place in Madrid on 19/20.4.2010. The European Top Handball Clubs will be represented by GCH President Joan Marin and General Manager Dr. Gerd Butzeck. GB

The working group ‘Calendar’ met on 1.4.2010 in Basle. GROUP CLUB HANDBALL (GCH) member clubs FC Barcelona, Ciudad Real and THW Kiel were invited to the meeting which took place under the chairmanship of IHF President Hassan Moustafa who underlined ‘that the clubs are very important for handball in general’.

BM Ciudad Real was represented by GCH President Joan Marin, FC Barcelona by GCH Deputy President Xavier O’Callaghan. THW Kiel was not able to follow the invitation due to a match of the German TOYOTA-Handball-Bundesliga on the same day.

Further participants: M. Roca/IHF 1. Vice-President, Sandi Sola/IHF Treasurer, Joel Delplanque/IHF Secretary General, Mansourou Aremou/President Africa, Alexander Toncourt/Assistant Secretary General EHF, Uli Strombach/President Germany, R. Witte/President German League.

Among others the working group discussed the following issues:

1. Calendar

1.1 Time period of World Championships (WCH)

1.2 Time period of Continental Championships

2. Compensation for National Federations for participation in WCHs

3. Compensation for Clubs for release of players to World Championships

4. Insurance of player salaries in case of injury

Results:

Point 1: IHF will study the possibility to organize WCHs in September/October.

Continental Championships shall take place in the same time period.

Point 2: IHF intends to pay compensation to National Federations, participating in WCHs.

Point 3: IHF intends to pay compensation to Clubs, releasing players to WCHs.

Point 4: IHF is looking for insurance/fund solutions.

The discussions will be continued on occasion of the EHF Final Four in Cologne.

Comment: For the second time Club representatives were invited by IHF to discuss the most important issues: Calendar, compensation for release of players to the national teams and insurance of player salaries in favor of the clubs.

Obviously IHF intends to change its strategy and involve all stakeholders in the decision making process.

Up to now the clubs invited are selected by IHF. Clubs are invited individually – and not as representatives of a group of clubs.

Starting from May 2009 the FORUM CLUB HANDBALL (FCH) will be the representative of interests of all European Top Clubs. GB 

GROUP CLUB HANDBALL EEIG (GCH) took position in the conflict between European Handball Federation (EHF) and International Handball Federation (IHF) regarding the motions which will be forwarded to the IHF Extraordinary Congress on Bylaws, taking place in Rome on 23./24.4.2010.

The proposed changes include a dramatic increase of power for the IHF President. GCH is very concerned about these proposals.

GCH supports the position of EHF that key responsibilities shall be ‘held by different persons of different status so that they may check and control each other’. IHF should follow the democratic principle of “checks and balances” which is the basis for any democratic organization.

GCH President Joan Marin informed EHF President Tor Lian today accordingly.

On 24/25.4.2010 the International Handball Federation (IHF) Congress on Bylaws will take place in Rome.

The leadership of the European Handball Federation (EHF) criticized in a letter, dated 10.3.2010 and addressed to all European member nations, the proposals of the International Handball Federation (IHF) Council to change the IHF bylaws and increase the power of IHF President Hassan Moustafa dramatically:

‘… the point that we find the most worrying is the structural reform proposed in this document. It would result in one person, the President, simultaneously holding several responsibilities: President, President of IHF Marketing, Head of Administration, Treasurer or Financial Controller. This is in total contradiction with the principle of “checks and balances”’

IHF replied on 23.3.2010 to all European National Federations. The letter is signed by all Council members beside Tor Lian, Jean Brihault, Joel Delplanque and President Hassan Moustafa.

The 13 Council members ‘fully decline’ all EHF statements. Even more:

‘We rather consider them as an attempt to manipulate and mislead the entire handball community in the personal interest of a few individuals from the EHF.’

The Council Members address the EHF President and Vice-President as ‘a few individuals’ and impute ‘personal interests’.

The Council Members state that ‘he (Lian) voted in favor (of the motions in question) and had no objection’. In the EHF letter Lian denies that the motions were treated in the Council meeting and refers to the minutes.

The Council Members continue: ‘… The phrasing of the letter is not respectable and not worthy of such a major federation. We believe this is a classic example of improper conduct and an illicit attempt to discredit others in the personal interest of a few individuals.’ and summarize:

 ‘… we must strength the power of the President as if we have a weak president, the whole handball organization will collapse. ….. As for the personal attacks against the IHF President; the Executive Committee and Council members are disappointed to see such wording formulated by someone who is a member of the important IHF bodies. We declare ourselves against such irresponsible accusations. We are civilized and respected personalities, everyone in his field of activities. Therefore we do not make such accusations against one another in this manner and without evidence.

…. We are wondering if these allegations are raised because the President is a non-European!’ GB