[html] Jean Kaiser of Luxembourg has responded to a questionnaire covering many of the issues currently effecting the Handball world. Below are his responses. As of this posting neither of the other 2 candidates (Hassan Moustafa and Gudmundur Ingvarsson) have responded. Should they respond their answers will also be posted.

[center][b]IHF Presidential Candidate Questionnaire[/b][/center]

[b]GENERAL[/b]

 [b]Why do you want to be (or continue to be) the IHF President?[/b]
The first and most important reason is the fact that I fear that handball could possibly lose its Olympic status for 2016. The second one is the scandalous behaviour of Dr Hassan Mustafa concerning financial matters, such as expenses compensation without any proof, or irresponsible investments as the refurbishment of the IHF headquarters for almost the same amount as the purchase price or the purchase of a car at a price of almost 100.000 Eur. And so on.
[b]What are your qualifications to be the IHF President?[/b]
I spent almost 40 years of my life with handball. I was a player for more than 22 years. I was a referee. I was president of the Luxemburg Handball Federation for more than 13 years. I was also for 13 years president of the court of appeal of the EHF. I was an EHF/IHF delegate from 1991 until 2008 with 7 European Cup Finals and 6 European Championships and I was present at practically all the EHF and IHF congresses until 2008 In my job I was general manager of a bank. I am comfortable leading people in a democratic way.

[b]OFFICIATING CRISIS[/b]

[b]What actions would you take to address the current referee scandals?[/b] First of all there should be installed in each Continental Federation one commission responsible for making referee nominations. The Continental Federations should do the follow up. That means they should organize travel and hotels so that there will be no contact between the referees and the clubs or national federations until 1 hour before the match. There should be no common meal. The hotel should not be known by the clubs. And last, but not least, better payment for the referees. The present cases should be investigated properly with consequences for wrong doing.

[b]INTERNATIONAL/CLUB CALENDAR[/b]

[b]Do you favor a two year or four year cycle for the IHF World Championships? (The 4 year cycle would mean that World Championships would take place 2 years after each Olympics)[/b]
There should be changes, but I think that this has to be part of a whole concept, to be discussed on every level (big – small federations/ promotion of handball in small countries ….)
[b]Do you think the IHF World Championships should continue to be played in January?[/b]
Certainly not. I think that this interrupts the national competitions. Winter is also not the best time for handball fans to make long trips.
[b]How would you address the basic conflict of interest between European Professional clubs, the EHF, IHF, and player’s unions over the number of games the world’s elite players play each season?[/b]
My first aim would be a discussion with the concerned parties to listen to their problems. It is a certainty that the current schedule is dangerous for the health of the players. And we should care about their health.

[b]DOPING[/b]

[b]Two members of the IHF Doping Commission resigned due to concerns with the lack of funding and support from the IHF leadership. Do you feel their resignation was justified?[/b]
Absolutely. Nobody can understand the irresponsible behaviour of the IHF President. With this very dangerous game he played by dissolving the Anti-Doping-Unit of IHF and refusing the necessary funds, he endangered the Olympic status of handball
[b]What steps would you take to address WADA concerns with the IHF’s doping policies?[/b]
 The IHF needs to immediately remedy this situation, by fulfilling at 100%, the regulations of WADA. And this should be done in direct cooperation with the agency

[b]IHF FINANCES[/b]

Would you favor a release of the IHF’s finances at a top level? (i.e., information would include basic income and expenses)
I would like to see the president and the treasurer, behave like everybody in the economic world. That means they have to stand for integrity, correctness and transparency of all financial matters.
[b]What is your position on the IHF’s current accounting practices? For instance, do you think travelers should be required to keep receipts for auditing purposes?[/b]
It’s unbelievable that a council allows a president to spent almost 600.000 Swiss Francs without receipts. A president should have a certain amount for “out of pocket expenses” but for all other expenses he has should require proof as everybody has to do in a serious accounting.

[b]HANDBALL MARKETING AND DEVELOPMENT[/b]

[b]Are you satisfied with the IHF’s current website presence? And, if not, what would you do to improve it?[/b]
Actually I did not think about that, as there are more important problems to resolve. But one can always think about what we can ameliorate.
[b]What is your opinion of Internet web streaming of handball matches? Do you envision the IHF developing a platform similar to ehftv.com?[/b]
 That would, of course, be a goal for the future
[b]What steps would you take to ensure more TV broadcasts of Handball in countries where Handball is less popular?[/b]
 First look where the problems are. Why there is no coverage by TV. Discuss with those federations about what to do and which help is required. That will be part of a whole concept which I have partly in mind, but it is too early to present it to the federations.
[b]Handball is predominantly a European sport. What steps would you take to increase its popularity in the rest of the world?[/b]
 This will be a very important goal for the new President. I already have a concept developed, but I will present it later on.

[b]ASIAN OLYMPIC QUALIFICATION CONTROVERSY[/b]

[b]Do you think that the IHF President’s role (phone conversations with the AHF President) in the assignment of Jordanian officials (vice the experience German pair) at the 2007 Asian Olympic was appropriate? If not, how would you handle a similar situation? [/b]
It is not the responsibility of the president or the treasurer to intervene in the nomination of the referees. The same thing happened at the Olympic games 2008, when the President and the Treasurer did make changes to Alexander Kozhukhov’s nominations of the referees. It is scandalous.
[b]Do you think the IHF was sufficiently proactive in addressing the Asian Olympic Qualification controversy? [/b]
The only one who was active was P. Mühlematter, by bring this scandal to the public. With the result that the president asked for his resignation. Nevertheless the president had to confess in public. What a shame for our sport!

[b]OTHER: If you have any other issues, concerns or points that you would like to make please feel free to include them.[/b]
 For the moment being it were the most important items to talk about. Maybe that later on I will have some other items, then I would let you know. [/html]

The IHF has informed national federations with new candidates up for election at the IHF Congress that “for reasons of time we can not give the candidates the opportunity to introduce themselves to the Congress.” The brief memo then invites the nations to make sure that their resume is available for the official Congress Documents.

Jean Kaiser (LUX), a candidate for President fired off a terse counter-memo decrying this position as unbelievable, noting that it was counter to previous Congresses and that the current President has been globe-trotting at IHF expense to campaign directly to the different nations. He further notes that “an election congress is the most important congress within that 4 years period. Consequently it is of a very high importance for the representatives of the national federations, to make their own mind about the candidates, by listening to their proposals.”

A close look at the agenda provided on the Federation website does seem to indicated that time could be found for candidate introductions. Notably, Thursday, 4 June is a social day with a trip to the pyramids and a spa for the attendees.

IHF Congress Agenda: http://www.ihfcongress2009.org/congress2009/timetable.htm

Text of the IHF memo and Jean Kaiser response is in the extended post

To the Handball Federations CRO, DEN, FIN, FRA, GER, IND, ISL, ITA, JOR, KAZ, KOR, KUW, LUX, MKD, NOR, POL, SLO, SUI, TUN, UKR

Basle, 8th May 2009

XXXII Ordinary IHF Congress 2009 New candidates for positions at the IHF

Dear Handball Friends,

You presented candidates from your federation for a position in the IHF at the coming Congress. The candidature has been handed in in due time and has been announced in the circular letter dated 11th March 2009.

As for reasons of time we can not give the candidates the opportunity to introduce themselves to the Congress, we would herewith invite you to send us the respective CVs (if you have not already done so) in order to add them to the official Congress documents. We would kindly ask you to send us the CVs by the 15th May at the latest.

Please do not hesitate to contact us for any further information you may need.

Thanking you in advance for your kind cooperation we remain,

With best sporting regards

INTERNATIONAL HANDBALL FEDERATION
Christoph Geissler
Head of Administration

—————————————————————————-
To all Handball friends.

It is really unbelievable !!
We, the candidates to the different positions in IHF, at the congress 2009, are forbidden to present ourselves to all the congress participants.

An election congress is the most important congress within that 4 years period.

Consequently it is of a very high importance for the representatives of the national federations, to make their own mind about the candidates, by listening to their proposals.

In the past, this procedure has been a very appreciated usance

M. Hassan Moustafa, president of IHF in his dictatorial way, refuses this to the representatives of the national federations!

Whereas he is travelling around the world, "sponsored" by IHF-funds, to make his own election campaign, he does not allow the other candidates even to talk to the congress.

What kind of impudence! What an unfair competition!

What an indignity for democracy and an insult for all congress participants.

I kindly request you all, to rise and protest for democracy, and against the shabby behaviour of the IHF president.

Jean KAISER (LUX)
Candidate for President

In a letter sent to all National Federation, Handball legend Jackson Richardson decries the actions of President Moustafa and endorses Jean Kaiser for President. Joining Richardson in signing were former German National Team Player, Erhard Wunderlich and Zlatko Portner, who played for the former Yugoslavia. The complete text of the letter is below.

To all national presidents, secretary generals and functionaries,
To all national and internationalplayers, trainers and referees

Basel, May 2009

The signing athletes in connection with the IHF congress 2009 and in connection with the linked discussions want to make the following statements:

– the current president of the IHF, Dr. Hassan Moustafa, as well as the current treasurer of the IHF, Miguel Roca Mas, feel put out to entitled criticism.
– concerning the financial transactions, there is in many cases still no sufficient transparency. Hence, we demand a neutral financial control, combined with a publication duty, as it is usual in general for economic companies and federations
– apparently there is also not enough transparency concerning the IHF funds spent for the presidents personal matters, in connection with the expenses compensations without documents of proof
– the research of "Spiegel Online“, a famous paper in Germany, about the whereabouts of 1.6 millions CHF, supposed to be on an account in France, remains to date without exact clarification.
– President Moustafa apparently takes decisions without consulting the council. This could possibly be looked as not statuts-compliant, among other things the exclusion of Oceania’s eligible Mr. V. Winitana from participating in the councils meeting in
Herzogenaurach, or even to act as secretary general. The secretary general elected by the congress, is apparently forbidden by the president itself, to enter his own office
– the value of the athlete's commission, installed by decision of the congress does not have, until today within the IHF its recognition. Until today no meeting took place because the president of IHF did not give his permission. The president communicates exclusively with the federations
– there are still no insurances for the athletes and the promised equalization of the time schedule of the events, has not yet occurred. This all leads to a huge overloading of the players, with dangerous health consequences. This entails that the federations and their clubs have to deal with financial losses, as well as long-chronological health failures of their players
– the behaviour in the matter of anti-doping regulations of the WADA endangers the handball sport to loose its Olympic status, maybe even for 2016
– the president, as well as the treasurer currently intervened in the referees nominations during the Olympics in Bejing (statements from the legacy of passed away Alexander Kozhukhov)
– the president of the IHF has promised during a press conference, which took place in the office of the IHF in Basel in February, 2009, a full transparency concerning all the reproaches against him. The carrying out is missing till today.

All these points prevent massively an improvement of the high-class standard, which we see as absolutely necessary, namely in the national federations, as well as in the continental areas. We, the athletes, simply form the basis for the exercise of our sport and to its marketing world wide.

In view of these lacks of transparency and the worldwide discussions linked to it, we would like to request all responsible officials of the handball sport, on the next IHF congress, which takes place from the 4th to the 7th of June, 2009 in Cairo, to express to

Jean Kaiser candidate for president

their trust and vote for him, so that the handball sport can enter a new, clean and prosperous era.

With our signatures we stand for „ clean handball “!

Jackson Richardson
World Handball Player, 1995

Erhard Wunderlich
German century Handballer

Zlatko Portner
World Champion with Yugoslavia, 1986