Handball Players Union asks IHF to rule out fans' attendance at World Cup

The European Handball Players Union (EHPU) has written to Hassan Mostafa, the president of the International Handball Federation (IHF), asking him to call off the plan for fans to attend the World Cup to be held in Egypt, describing such a step as "too risky" due to the ongoing covid-19 pandemic and the rise in new infections.

According to TV 2 Norway, the letter signed by many prominent European handball players noted that if the international federation is determined to have spectators at the games' courts, there should be a clear protocol on how this step can be accomplished.

The federation had earlier said fans would be allowed to attend the tournament's games at 30% of the capacity of the halls hosting the competition's games, a percentage that was later decreased to 20% due to the current pandemic situation in Egypt, as announced in an official statement by the competition's general manager, Hassan Labib.

The IHF has been subject to much criticism later for endorsing spectators' attendance at games at the event to be held between 13 and 31 January, despite Egypt's current struggle with the surging number of new covid-19 infections amidst the second wave of the virus.

Many European players made no secret of their intention to reconsider their participation in the tournament, noting it would be a very risky move to have fans watching the games from the stands.