The heated handball autumn has begun. However, not in the way that the campaigners in the International Handball Federation (IHF) had imagined. Predrag Bošković (53), one of the most influential officials in the sport, who has already held several ministerial posts in his home country, was arrested in Podgorica and faces allegations of being a member of a criminal organisation. However, such events – including charges and mutual accusations of serious offences – seem to have become a kind of national sport at the highest political level in Montenegro. This includes the arrests and the arrival of the accused at police stations being accompanied by photographers and TV crews. That's part of the game.
In ten weeks, a president will be elected at the IHF congress in Cairo, where Bošković is holding office as a member of the council: the eternal Pharaoh Hassan Moustafa will face challengers Gerd Butzeck, Franjo Bobinac and Tjark de Lange. Whether Bošković will be able to participate in the behind-the-scenes battles remains to be seen.
