During the last months a number of European Women Top Clubs representatives discussed, how to improve the situation of women handball in Europe. Forum Club Handball envisaged support for this initiative.  

It is intended to found a Women Forum Club Handball during the EHF Women Final4 in Budapest. All European Women Top Clubs will be invited to this meeting which will take place in Budapest prior to the finals on 4th May 2014. Save the date! Further Information will follow.

http://baloncesto.as.com/baloncesto/2014/03/26/euroliga/1395794817_276485.html

Ricardo Gonzales, Journalist of AS, one of the leading Spanish sports newspapers, took an interview with Jordi Bertomeu, CEO of Euroleague Basket. The issue: As of 2017 the World Basketball Federation FIBA plans to schedule qualification matches for National teams during the season – as in football or handball. For the moment in basketball there are no National team matches during the club season between September and June. A major conflict ahead!?

“Ni la NBA ni la Euroliga van a parar por las selecciones”

‘Neither the NBA nor the Euroleague are going to stop (their competitions) for the National teams’

 Jordi Bertomeu, director ejecutivo de la Euroliga, nos habla de los planes de la competición continental. También de sus problemas, de las disputas con la FIBA.

Jordi Bertomeu, the CEO of Euroleague, speaks to us about the plans of the continental competition. And also about his disputes with FIBA.

Ricardo Gonzales ¿ La FIBA cambia el calendario, la Euroliga hace sus planes, los clubes tienen intereses opuestos… Y, mientras, el baloncesto pierde peso. Seré ingenuo, ¿pero no es posible una sentada colectiva?

¿FIBA is changing the calendar, the Euroleague makes its own plans, the clubs have opposite interests … and, in the meantime, basketball is losing weight. Maybe it is naive, but why it is not possible to have a common approach?

Jordi Bertomeu —Sí, el mensaje es contradictorio. La FIBA (Federación Internacional de Baloncesto) ha decidido unilateralmente que las selecciones jueguen a partir de 2017 partidos de clasificación en febrero y noviembre, durante la temporada de clubes, como en el fútbol. La NBA ya ha dicho que no parará su competición, y la FIBA lo asume; pero si lo dice la Euroliga, está mal. Quizá esa sea la contradicción más grande. ¿Por qué debemos ser condenados por decir lo mismo que la NBA?

• Yes, the message is contradictory. FIBA has unilateraly decided that the National teams will play Qualification matches in February and November, during the club season, as in football. NBA has announced that they are not going to stop their competition, and FIBA accepts; but if Euroleague says the same, it is bad. Maybe this is the greatest contradiction. Why shall we be condemned for saying the same as FIBA?

¿ A lo mejor el baloncesto europeo necesita a las selecciones más que la NBA.

¿ Mainly because European Basketball needs the National teams more than the NBA.

—Esas selecciones serán falsas. Nosotros no somos la NBA, pero la FIBA no puede pretender ser la FIFA (Federación Internacional de Fútbol). Cuando esta tiene que hacer un calendario, Messi juega en Paraguay un miércoles de febrero. Pero cuando la FIBA quiere hacer de FIFA, Ricky Rubio no viene con España durante la temporada a jugar contra Hungría. Los NBA no van a estar ni en América ni en Europa ni en África ni en Asia.

• These National teams will be false. We are not the NBA, but FIBA shall not pretend to be FIFA. If FIFA makes a calendar, Messi plays in Paraguay on a Wednesday in February. But if FIBA wants to make the same like FIFA, Ricky Rubio is not going to play for Spain during the club season against Hungary. The NBA players will not play neither in America,nor in Europe, nor in Africa or Asia.

¿ Piensa entonces que la Euroliga y los clubes no necesitan a las selecciones?

¿ Though you think that the Euroleague and the clubs do not need the National teams?

—No. Las selecciones son importantes. Por eso promocionaremos la Copa del Mundo de España en la Final Four y por eso hemos propuesto dos alternativas. Una: que jueguen en junio y julio. Y la otra: en septiembre y octubre y empezar la Euroliga en noviembre. ¿Y sabe qué? Ni nos han escuchado. Su proyecto está devaluado porque las selecciones no contarán con los mejores. La Euroliga disputará sus partidos y no pasará nada. Mis clubes lo han decidido así. Y ya hay jueces que han dicho que no es obligatorio ir con las selecciones. Ha pasado en Grecia con Mavrokefalidis.

• No. The National teams are important. Therefore we are promoting the World Championship during the Final Four and therefore we proposed two alternatives. One: that we play in June/July. And the other: in September and October and to start Euroleague in November. And you know what? Nobody has been listening to us. The project is devaluated, because the National teams do not count on their best players. The Euroleague will play its matches and nothing is going to happen. My clubs decided to do so. And there are judges who have said that it is not obligatory to go to the National team. This happened in Greece with Mavrokefalidis.

¿ Y si el jugador quiere ir?

¿ And if the player wants to go (to the National team)?

—Que lo hable con su club. No tenemos nada en contra. Lo que digo es que la NBA no va a participar y la Euroliga tampoco. El 90% del proyecto FIBA nos encanta, pero no el calendario. Está bien que se juegue el Eurobasket cada cuatro años, es muy bueno que las selecciones disputen más partidos en casa, pero no invadiendo nuestro espacio. Y así lo pactamos en el año 2000.

• He will speak to his club. We are not opposing. What I say is that neither NBA nor Euroleague will stop. We like 90% of the FIBA project, but we do not like the calendar. It is good that the European Championships in Basketball are played once in four years, it is very good that the National teams have more home matches, but without touching our period in the calendar. We agreed upon this in the year 2000.

¿La Euroliga lleva unos meses debatiendo su futuro, ¿qué hay ya en claro?

¿ The Euroleague is leading debates about its future, anything is more clear now?

—A corto plazo no veo un cambio de competición, ni de formato ni de días (jueves y viernes) ni de fechas. Nuestras reformas han ido encaminadas a jugar más partidos entre los mejores equipos y si siguiéramos esa política… No quiero transformar nada que complique la vida a las Ligas nacionales.

• Shortly saying, I do not see any change in the competition, not in the format, not in the playing days (Thursdays and Fridays) not in the dates. Our reforms led to more matches between the best teams and we continue this policy …. I do not want any changes which complicate the life of the National leagues.

For the full interview please visit AS:

http://baloncesto.as.com/baloncesto/2014/03/26/euroliga/1395794817_276485.html

Another day in court: Yesterday the lawyers of 17 Clubs of the HBL, the German Handball Federation (DHB) and the International Handball Federation (IHF) met at the court Landgericht Dortmund. Judge Harbort will anounce a decision end of April 2014.

The history: On 2. April 2013 the 17 German Clubs

THW Kiel

SG Flensburg-Handewitt

HSV Hamburg

TSV Hannover-Burgdorf

Rhein-Neckar-Lions

Frisch-Auf! Göppingen

TBV Lemgo

MT Melsungen

TUS Nettelstedt-Lübbecke

HBW Balingen-Weilstetten

VFL Gummersbach

GWD Minden

TV Grosswallstadt

TuSEM Essen

TV Emsdetten

Bergischer HC

ASV Hamm

lodged a complaint against International Handball Federation (IHF) and Deutscher Handball Bund (DHB).

IHF and DHB shall be adjudged to refrain from obligating the Clubs to second their employed foreign handball players upon demand of their respective national federations for measures of said national federations.

The complaint is the result of a non-communication between the club representations GROUP CLUB HANDBALL EEIG (GCH) and Forum Club Handball eV (FCH) which started in 2006 when GCH proposed its support to IHF in matters of professional handball without any response.

In 2010 EHF and GCH/FCH signed a ‘Memorandum of Understanding’ (MoU), regulating the implementation of Club representatives into the bodies of EHF and EHF Marketing GmbH, compensation for release of players to the National teams, insurance and calendar questions. The current MoU expires end of this season and is expected to be renewed shortly.

According agreements do exist in Football between European Club Association (ECA) on the one hand and UEFA/FIFA on the other hand.

During the course of 2010+2011 GCH/FCH led negotiations with IHF. IHF press releases spoke about historical meetings with club representatives.

In January 2011 for the first time in history IHF paid compensation for release of players to the World Championship and signed an insurance for player salaries for injured players in favor of the clubs.

In May 2011 the IHF Council proposed to the IHF Marrakesh Congress to integrate the clubs as stakeholders into the IHF bylaws. This implementation was not agreed with the clubs. The clubs were supposed to fulfill a big number of obligations without getting any rights. This proposal fortunately and reasonably was refused by a number of European Federations. It was not adopted.

Anyhow IHF continued negotiations with FCH. In December 2011 FCH received the information, that ‘the President welcomes the proposal of a ‘Memorandum of Understanding’’.

In March 2012 IHF changed its point of view and refused a ‘Memorandum of Understanding’, using the Marrakesh Congress decision as argumentation. FCH was informed that ‘We are unable to discuss a MoU at present’.

In May 2012 the FCH General Assembly decided to take all necessary measures to achieve a written agreement with IHF.

Further letters of FCH to IHF and an invitation to a meeting remained without answer.

Im Sportradio 360 berichtet Sascha Staat unter der Rubrik ‘Kreis ab’ in regelmässigen Abständen über aktuelle Themen des Handballs.

In der Episonde 14 geht es um die Historie von GROUP CLUB HANDBALL und FORUM CLUB HANDBALL in der Episode 15 um aktuelle Themen zum Handball in Europa. Gesprächspartner ist in beiden Fällen der Geschäftsführer des FCH, Gerd Butzeck.

Teil 1: http://sportradio360.de/kreis-ab-episode-14/

Teil 2: http://sportradio360.de/kreis-ab-episode-15/