27.04.2020, 09:36
EHF Executive Committee gathers via video conference

While the future of the 2019/20 European handball season was at the heart of the 151st meeting of the EHF Executive Committee, several decisions concerning club and national team competitions were also reached

EHF Executive Committee gathers via video conference

The EHF Executive Committee came together for its 151^st meeting on Friday last week; this time via video conference as the COVID-19 pandemic prevented the meeting's regular rundown which was supposed to be held in Bratislava.

At the meeting’s core were the decisions on the future of the 2019/20 European handball season which eventually saw current competitions either being postponed or cancelled because of the crisis. However, the EXEC reached several decisions outside and beyond this issue.

The Executive Committee took note of a variety of reports – overall close to 500 pages –  including those of the EHF Secretary General, the legal management and anti-doping unit as well as of the overall event report which referred to January’s Men’s EHF EURO 2020 as well as to upcoming events.  

The minutes of the most recent meetings of the EHF’s commissions were approved and special reports presented. Several motions developed after the commissions’ meetings and drafted to improve the EHF’s regulations were being dealt with.

Club competition matters

Solidarity payment in the EHF Champions League

The Executive Committee confirmed a proposal of the Men’s and Women’s Club Boards. In the VELUX EHF Champions League, as neither the Last 16 nor the quarter-finals can be played, a solidarity pot is installed into which the guaranteed disbursements from the Last 16 (12x €30,000) and the quarter-finals (8x €45,000) are added.

Furthermore, €250,000 from the guaranteed disbursements for the winning team as well as €50,000 from the second ranked team at the EHF FINAL4 are added. The pot's total of €1.02 million will be shared equally among all 14 teams which have reached the knockout stage.

A solidarity payment of €25,000 per club also comes into effect in the DELO WOMEN’S EHF Champions League for the four clubs that miss out on the possibility to qualify for the EHF FINAL4 in Budapest should it not be possible to play the quarter-finals.

Players’ eligibility at final events

With the EHF FINAL4 events for both men and women being moved to the 2020/21 season, the Executive Committee dealt with the topic of players’ eligibility at final events.

As a player currently is not allowed to play for two different clubs during the same season, it approved a Competitions Commission’s motion that a player can participate at the EHF FINAL4 event with the club for which he/she is eligible to play at the time of the event independent of any other engagement in the 2019/20 season.

2^nd grandstand in the EHF European League

In order to deliver a certain level of quality for the TV picture of the new Men’s EHF European League it is considered to be a minimum requirement for clubs to have a grandstand on both long sides of the court. The corresponding motion was confirmed.

National team competition matters

New date for Men’s EHF EURO 2022 Qualifiers Draw

The new date for the Men’s EHF EURO 2022 Qualifiers Draw, initially set for 23 April, has been confirmed as 16 June 2020, 17:00 hrs.

Younger Age Category events awarded for 2021

With the respective applications at hand, the EXEC awarded the Women’s 19 and Women’s 17 EHF events for the summer of 2021.

• The Women’s 19 EHF EURO 2021 will take place in Celje, Slovenia
• The Women’s 19 EHF Championships will take place in Lignano Sabbiadoro, Italy, and in Skopje, North Macedonia.
• The Women’s 17 EHF EURO 2021 will take place in Podgorica, Montenegro
• The Women’s 17 EHF Championships will take place in Tbilisi, Georgia, and in Klaipeda, Lithuania.

Extended official squad list

A motion was approved to extend the official squad lists for EHF EURO events and the corresponding Qualifiers to a maximum of 35 players.

Women’s EHF EURO 2022 Qualifiers with six groups

As for the first time, in 2022, there will be three organisers hosting the Women’s EHF EURO (Slovenia, North Macedonia and Montenegro), the Executive Committee approved a motion of the Competition Commission that the corresponding Qualifiers will only be played with six groups instead of the usual seven.

The first and second ranked teams of these groups will qualify for the final tournament. The champions of the Women’s EHF EURO 2020 will also qualify directly for final tournament in 2022.

Other matters

EHF Congress 2021 and awarding of EHF EURO events 2026 and 2028

The EHF Executive Committee took note of the timeline towards the 15^th Ordinary EHF Congress scheduled to take place in Luxembourg on 23 and 24 April 2021. As this congress is an election one with more than 60 functions to be voted for in the different commissions and bodies, it is the EHF’s aim to separate the awarding of EHF EUROs from the elections to allow for an unimpeded bidding process.

At the same time, more preparation shall be granted to potential organisers which is why it is foreseen to award the EHF EURO events 2026 and 2028 for men in and women in November 2021 in an extraordinary congress on the occasion of the EHF’s 30^th anniversary.

The bid process will start in due time in order to have top organisers for the EHF’s flagship national team events.

TEXT: EHF / ts