On the 29th and 30th October, the Italian handball community will go back to vote to choose the new president of the local federation (http://www.figh.it/).
Pier Luigi Montauti (http://www.famigliahandball.altervista.org/) will be the challenger to the current president, Francesco Purromuto who has been in charge of the federation for the last 15 years.
On one side Pier Luigi Montauti will bring around many years of experience in managing a local club, being a past member of the federation board and the creator of the second most popular handball youth tournament in the world, the Interamnia Cup.
On the other side instead, the current president, Francesco Purromuto will try again to run the federation for four extra years.
Indeed in weeks before elections’ time, Italian handball fans have been venting their frustration and unhappiness on popular Facebook groups and websites about the deep crisis, which has been hitting hard the sport for many years. They put that down to a lack of accountability and proper planning on the federation.
A public protest will be taking place on Thursday outside the Rome federation offices.
Meanwhile, the federation through press releases and a TV interview by Franco Chionchio, the men’s national team coach, claims that good results have been met in the last couple of years.
Without any doubt the Futura Esercito Rome project, which created from scratch a group of young women players who this year had joined the Top Slovenian League, has been growing gradually, showing hopes for the future of Italian handball.
So without any doubt, the sport in Italy has reached a crossroad: on the 30th October we will know what direction handball will be heading to in the next four years.
Italian handball website and FB group following elections daily:
http://www.oscarmarcon.altervista.org/
https://www.facebook.com/#!/groups/465151823529132/
LUCA DEL BIANCO
Editor
30. October 2012. at 13:47
Dear Roberto,
some comments are lost during process of putting Handball-Planet.com on new version, which you can see from today. Sorry for that, we know that this topic about Italian elections is important for you. Hopefully, you will stay our visitor.
HP
roberto
30. October 2012. at 13:03
To editor/leader/director or similar.
I very new to this type of post and exchanges of informations.
I have a question: which are criteria to reduce comments on a topic, starting from the most recent ones?
Please be sure it is not a remark: it’s only wish to know of does the system work. (personal culture about rules).
Many thanks
roberto
25. October 2012. at 17:24
Cippalippa encouraged me to this coming out.
I hope you’ll follow my story until the last line.
President Purromuto is serving Italian Federation since 1983, when he was called by President Lo Bello to act as “Sport Judge” of first grade, i.e the one who reads referees reports and states how many matches you’ll stay out etc.
On September 9th 1991 President Lo Bello died.
On November 17th 1991 Ralf Dejaco was elected President and Francesco Purromuto asked to enter the political board of the Italian Federation, of course quitting his position as judge.
In 1994 Dejaco resigned and on October 10th Piero Jaci was elected President.
Purromuto remained in the board and received a “raise” becoming Vice-President of Piero Jaci.
At the end of 1996 it was held the last board meeting of the Olimpic period of 4 years.
Vice-President Purromuto took the floor and started to complain about President Jaci leadership.
All decisions taken by the board during Jaci’s Presidency were by consensus, maximun one vote opposing (not of Purromuto).
Needless to say, former Vice president Purromuto was elected President on January 19th 1997.
In these 15 years number of clubs dropped from 631 to 178.
It is a fact that Montauti was not re-elected in 1997.
I attended the “infamous” board meeting of end 1996; unfortunately I can say: “I was there”.
I am glad Gotheborg overcame Interamnia: we can affirm that Europe is the land of the top youth events in handball.
May other places join them!
Handboy
25. October 2012. at 14:35
To Roberto,
From what I read in the article,elections will be taken place next Monday and Tuesday.Firstly, it sounds very odd to organise elections during the week and not at weekend.Secondly, what you guys in the Italian handball community can do to to make sure these elections will be fair to all parties involved?
Handboy
25. October 2012. at 14:28
To Roberto: thank you for the reply.
I have fully understood what you mean.
My new question for you would be at this very moment: why did not the Italian Olympic Committee or an Italian court, intervene to stop or to investigate the matter?
roberto
25. October 2012. at 07:49
To Handboy. I thank you for your question. I understand that you believe, as I do, in “the rule of law”.
Technically speaking, “refused” candidated had the chance to appeal, with a term of 24 hours. No other bodies were entitled to intervene.
Technically speaking they made a procedural mistake considered by the Italian Federation impossible to repair.
In my opinion, the ratio of the rule is simple: the law (rightly or wrongly, this is not under this discussion), asks you to state the office you are running for.
Logic suggest this statement to be for the present; for the Italian Federation is for the past.
This is the “lack of requirements” Spectator was talking about.
And I don’t agree, in the specific, with the axiom “some candidates supporting Montauti made a procedural mistake, so it is clear that Montauti will make mistakes all over”.
By the way, some candidates supporting Purromuto, had the same problem, but they were “adviced” to avoid the procedural mistake. But this is only “vox populi”; it is up to you to consider it also “vox dei”.
It happened like this: the police decided to place a speed check on the highway; the wife of the policeman was informed by her husband about the trap; the wife was not fined because she didn’t exceed the speed. The mother of the wife, always complaining about her daughter’s husband, was not informed by him; she got fined.
In other fields of civil life what above is called “inside trading”. And is strongly forbidden by law: however somebody keeps on trying to do it.
Cippalippa
25. October 2012. at 06:48
Unfortunately Interamnia since a long time is not so important any more, the decadence of Interamnia is opposed to the shining Partille cup in Gotheborg the most important youth event in the world since a while. Montauti had made his time, , the idiotic point is that the “renaissance” of ITA Federation comes form the the ones that was sent out because they did not get any result, Montauti himself was 16 years in the FIGH even as Vice President, and even before Purromuto. Now he should be the flag carrier of the “incoming new”, please…….leave jokes to children.
Handboy
24. October 2012. at 17:29
For Roberto: Why then,nobody has done nothing to stop the Italian federation by turning down those candidates?
Serg
24. October 2012. at 14:41
The most popular is the Partille Cup in Sweden!
roberto
24. October 2012. at 12:55
To Spectator. The Italian Federation Board is composed by 7 representatives of the teams, 3 of players and trainers.
It might happen that a team president is serving also as trainer (less usual: as a player).
Some sections of Italian Federation law allow this, some other do not: when it comes to elections, whoever wants to run as a candidate must state if she/he is running as team representative, as player or as trainer.
The 8 “refused” were running as team representative;they had declared, before running,to “freeze” procedure allowed by the Italian Federation), their status as trainers; the Italian Federation refused them because the relevant position is the one of season 2011-2012 (ended june 30) and not 2012-2013 when elections will take place. These are facts.
Once again “Law is enforced against enemies, while it is interpreted when friends are involved”. If you prefere “We are all equal in front of the law, but someone is more equal than others.”.
I’ll be happy to share my experiences with everybody on this site. I had the privilege to serve Italian Handball with 3 Presidents: Concetto Lo Bello, Ralf Dejaco and Piero Jaci.
Now I am retired.
Spectator
24. October 2012. at 12:52
Partille Cup, but once a time Interamnia was the first one: good for mr. Montauti!!!
Prob
24. October 2012. at 08:03
If Interamnia cup is second most popular handball youth tournament in the world, wich first?
Spectator
23. October 2012. at 21:21
ALSO Montauti is responsible of italian hanball crisis: he was in the italian federation board more than 20 years ago for ten years. He didn’t publish his election program and EIGHT candidates in his list has been refused because they didn’t have the requirements prescribed by the italian Federation rules!
Anonymous
23. October 2012. at 15:36
A new dawn of Accountability,excellent planning and organisation,open door policy,ambassador of handball in the world,tangible results both local and in international tournament….. has come to Italian handball federation when you will vote for P. Montauti.Interamnia cup speak alot where club and schools from all continens attend like Kenya.