Selbys column: "A closed door, three candidacies, and an election shrouded in silence"

In recent time, I have interviewed the three men challenging Hassan Moustafa for the IHF presidency: Gerd Butzeck, Franjo Bobinac, and Tjark de Lange. All three conversations were open, unfiltered, and surprisingly candid. They answered every question I asked. They challenged assumptions. They spoke about governance, transparency, and their vision for handball.

The one person I have not been able to speak with is the man who has run the IHF for 25 years.

Despite repeated requests to the IHF’s media department – which appears, in practice, to consist of one person – I have not been granted a direct interview with president Moustafa. The response, after multiple reminders, was that an interview might be possible, but not in the traditional sense: I would submit questions, someone inside the IHF would ask them on my behalf, and I would receive written answers by email.

No journalist should accept those terms. And frankly, it is a weak way to handle communication in an election year (or any year for that matter). If anything, it reinforces the perception of an increasingly closed federation, one uncomfortable with open dialogue.

A political landscape where almost nobody dares speak

Perhaps the most striking part of covering this election has been the silence. Out of 211 member federations, almost none are willing to say publicly how they plan to vote. And I have asked them all.

That is not transparency – it is fear.
And fear is never a healthy sign inside any international sports body.

Some might call it diplomacy. I call it what it is: cowardly and spineless. If a federation cannot publicly justify its choice for leadership, then the system is political in a way that suffocates honest discussion.

The myth of a European “alliance”

For years, there have been whispers about Europe’s big federations uniting to remove Moustafa. It did not happen before, and it is unlikely to happen now.

Even if all 52 European federations voted together – a theoretical bloc that has never existed – it would still represent only about a quarter of the total votes. Meanwhile, Moustafa’s strongest support traditionally lies in Africa, Asia, and much of South America. Those three regions alone account for 118 federations.

And several of Europe’s historically influential nations appear far from rebellious. Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Romania, Croatia, and France – all with candidates running for prominent IHF positions – are by some believed to be aligned with the current president. No one says it aloud, of course (except for France who supports Moustafa). But in handball politics, silence often speaks loudly.

Two late European candidates – tactical or desperate?

The entry of two late European candidates (Franjo Bobinac and Tjark de Lange) has raised eyebrows. Is the strategy to survive the first voting round, hope Moustafa fails to reach an absolute majority, and then unite behind a single alternative?

Maybe.
But Europe has rarely been capable of unity.

When Staffan Holmqvist ran in 2004, or Jean Kaiser in 2011, they gained little traction. Speak to one European insider today, and you get one prediction. Speak to another, and you hear the opposite. What seems certain is that Europe is divided – again.

To his credit, Gerd Butzeck, backed by the German federation, is trying to break that old pattern by reaching beyond Europe, targeting Africa, Asia, and the Americas. Whether he succeeds remains to be seen. Many have tried to penetrate those regions before – and failed.

My best guess on the voting geography

No prediction is safe in a system this opaque, but based on conversations, signals, and history, here is the most realistic map:

Oceania: Likely majority against Moustafa.
North America: Likely majority against Moustafa.
South America: Probably majority for Moustafa.
Africa: Historically majority for Moustafa.
Asia: Traditionally for Moustafa.
Europe: Split, fragmented, inconsistent.

If Moustafa holds his usual strength in Africa, Asia, and parts of South America, the challengers must perform exceptionally well in every remaining region – and even then, the path is narrow.

A federation that must open its doors

The IHF deserves a presidential election worthy of a global sport. What we are getting instead is an election where most federations whisper, few dare to stand publicly for anything, and the president himself avoids direct scrutiny.

The three challengers have shown they are willing to speak.
The incumbent has not.

In the end, this election is about more than candidates. It is about whether handball continues down a path of opacity – or whether it finally takes a step toward openness.

Right now, the doors remain closed.
And the world of handball deserves better.

Selbys column: “A closed door, three candidacies, and an election shrouded in silence”

A political landscape where almost nobody dares speak

The myth of a European “alliance”

Two late European candidates – tactical or desperate?

My best guess on the voting geography

A federation that must open its doors

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