Former IHF Competition Commission chairman Per Bertelsen delivers a rare and uncompromising account of his years inside the International Handball Federation. In an explosive interview with Ekstrabladet, the long-serving official paints a picture of fear, power concentration, and political control under IHF president Hassan Moustafa, while reflecting on the moment his own international career came to an abrupt end.
“When you deal with Hassan, nothing surprises you. No one challenges him – everyone knows the gun is loaded.”
For decades, Per Bertelsen was one of the most influential figures in international handball. A senior official in both the EHF and IHF, and chairman of the IHF Competition Commission, he operated at the very top of the sport’s global governance.
That came to an end at the IHF Congress in December 2025, when Bertelsen was simply voted out of his position. No scandal. No formal explanation. Just replacement.
Looking back, Bertelsen has no doubt that his downfall began with a single act: questioning IHF president Hassan Moustafa.
The email that changed everything
The turning point, according to Bertelsen, came during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. As the official responsible for referees, he was drawn into a conflict involving a female referee whose decision angered Moustafa.
The IHF president demanded that the referee be sent home from the Olympic tournament.
Bertelsen refused.
“It was completely unreasonable,” he says in the interview with Ekstrabladet.
“She followed the rules exactly. But Hassan was furious and demanded she be removed.”
Bertelsen chose to intervene – and sent an email asking Moustafa to reconsider.
“That made him explode,” Bertelsen says. “We never spoke again after that.”
He was fully aware that challenging the president could have consequences.
“Yes, I knew it could cost me. But the decision was so obviously wrong that I couldn’t accept it.”
Fourteen months later, Bertelsen was out.
A Climate of Fear
Bertelsen describes an IHF culture dominated by fear and unpredictability, where power is centralized and opposition is virtually nonexistent.
“When you deal with Hassan, nothing surprises you,” he says. “No one dares to confront him.”
He paints a stark picture of Moustafa’s leadership style:
“He always had a gun with 80 bullets. You never knew when he would fire.”
According to Bertelsen, tensions intensified whenever an IHF Congress approached – particularly when Moustafa was up for re-election.
“The closer we got to a congress, the worse it became,” he says. “I once had to send three officials home because he suddenly turned on them. A week before a congress.”
When asked why those officials were removed, Bertelsen is blunt:
“I have no idea. That’s the point. You never knew.”
Power, control, and political engineering
Hassan Moustafa has led the IHF since the year 2000 and was once again re-elected at the 2025 Congress with 73.3 percent of the votes.
Bertelsen believes the outcome was carefully orchestrated.
“All of it was ordered work,” he says.
He points to the election of key European figures into senior IHF positions as a deliberate strategy to consolidate power and divide opposition.
“That way he secures more votes and weakens Europe even further,” Bertelsen says. “He’s a master of that game.”
His conclusion is uncompromising:
“Everyone is in his pocket. He decides what they do – and no one crosses him. They carry his bag and fetch his food.”
“I don’t believe anything he says”
Over the years, Moustafa has repeatedly stated that he intends to step down – claims Bertelsen dismisses outright.
“I’ve heard him say for years that he’ll quit soon. It never happens.”
Asked whether he believes the current promises, Bertelsen responds with the interview’s most striking line:
“I don’t believe anything until he’s lying in the coffin – with extra screws in the lid so he can’t get back up.”
The end of an era
For Bertelsen, the Congress marked the definitive end of his international career – and of a lifetime spent at the highest levels of the sport.
Despite everything, he stands by his actions.
“Should I have kept my mouth shut? No,” he says. “I couldn’t.”
And while his own chapter in international handball is now closed, Bertelsen leaves no doubt about what he believes lies ahead:
“When Hassan Moustafa finally steps down,” he says, “it will be the best thing that has ever happened to international handball.”
All of the articles on GoHandball ahead of and after the IHF Congress:
READ MORE: Sources to GoHandball: IHF presidential challengers were blocked from presenting their campaigns
READ MORE: Last hurrah for Moustafa – new IHF age limit ushers in a leadership shift in 2029
READ MORE: Selbys column: ”Four more years of failure: How handball chose fear over reform”
READ MORE: Visa concerns ahead of IHF Congress could impact presidential election
READ MORE: Sources: Kuwait handball federation pressures Moustafa ahead of IHF election – IHF responds with threat of legal action
READ MORE: Sources: IHF President Hassan Moustafa not expected to attend Women’s WC final weekend
READ MORE: Selbys column: “A closed door, three candidacies, and an election shrouded in silence”
READ MORE: Declan Hill on Moustafa’s 25-year tenure as president: “You need change in any government structure”
READ MORE: Expert regarding the IHF: “You’re not looking at democratic governance – you’re looking at political engineering”
READ MORE: How big is the IHF really? A global comparison of membership across major sports federations
READ MORE: Potential conflicts of interest? How 22 nations with candidates for key IHF positions could influence the presidential election
READ MORE: The official non-active nations – and the growing mystery of how many others the IHF might be missing
READ MORE: New members, silent federations: The challenge of tracking IHF’s latest recruits
READ MORE: The Norwegian president Gustad on the ‘silent’ federations: “The numbers are alarming”
READ MORE: A ranking void: Why 154 IHF member nations are missing from the world rankings – and 126 lack any digital presence
READ MORE: Bana: “France will vote for Hassan Moustafa because he is the best candidate”
READ MORE: Sweden speaks out: “Some candidates want Russia back – that’s far from our position”
READ MORE: “It Must Be Independent” – Holmqvist on IHF’s New Court of Arbitration
READ MORE: Exclusive: Tjark de Lange: “Handball deserves leaders who put the sport first, not themselves”
READ MORE: Exclusive: Franjo Bobinac: “It’s time to take handball to the next level”
READ MORE: Exclusive: ”Handball Deserves More”: Gerd Butzeck on challenging Moustafa and modernising the IHF