Handball lawyer in Belgium
Handball is semi-professional, and that makes it legally sharp
Handball in Belgium sits between amateur sport and professional sport. A player trains almost every day, receives an allowance and often holds an ordinary job as well. Three regimes therefore run through each other: the employment contract for paid sportspersons, the volunteer status and the ordinary employment contract. A club that picks the wrong status risks a requalification and an assessment. We assist players, clubs, coaches and federations, in Flanders and in Wallonia.
The Vlaamse Handbalvereniging organises the competition in Flanders and the LFH does the same in the French speaking community. Together they form the Royal Belgian Handball Federation, which is the Belgian voice within the EHF and the IHF. A move to a foreign club runs through the national federation and the international federation. Everest Sports Law handles the Belgian file and the international procedure, up to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Lausanne.
What we do in handball
These are the files that reach our desk most often.
Player contracts and status
The Act of 24 February 1978 on the employment contract for paid sportspersons sets the term, the minimum pay and the notice period. We test your contract against that Act, we negotiate the pay and the bonuses, and we check whether the chosen status survives an inspection.
Transfers and international moves
A move within Belgium follows the transfer rules of the federation, with fixed windows and a written request. A move abroad needs an international transfer certificate through the national federation and the IHF. We watch the deadlines and the conditions, and we act when a club refuses to cooperate.
Allowances and social security
Expense allowances, bonuses and benefits in kind carry tax and social consequences. We look at the border between a volunteer allowance and salary, at the declaration to the social security office and at the risk of a requalification after an inspection.
Club governance and director liability
We draft statutes and internal rules, guide the general meeting and advise directors on their personal liability. We also settle the arrangements with the municipality about the use of the sports hall.
Discipline, incidents and appeal
A red card with a report, a complaint about conduct or a forfeit leads to a disciplinary procedure before the federation. We defend players, coaches and clubs, and we protect the right of defence, the access to the file and the reasoning of the decision.
Injury, insurance and damage
Handball is a contact sport with many shoulder and knee injuries. We look at the cover of the sports policy, the declaration within the term set by that policy, the liability of the club or the opponent and the compensation for the loss of income.
How a handball lawyer in Belgium runs your file
Who decides
A disciplinary file starts before the competent body of the Vlaamse Handbalvereniging, of the LFH or of the Royal Belgian Handball Federation. The appeal often goes to the Belgian Court of Arbitration for Sport. A dispute about pay or about a contract goes to the labour court. An international matter runs through the EHF, the IHF or the CAS.
The deadlines
The rules of the federation work with short deadlines, sometimes a few days after the notification. The sports insurance policy also sets a short term to declare an accident. A claim before the labour court has a longer term, but evidence disappears quickly. Do not wait until the season is over.
What you do first
Collect the contract, the pay slips, the match sheet, the report of the referee and the correspondence with the club. Have an injury recorded by a doctor at once. Contact us before you sign a settlement or a notice of termination.
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