The question remains whether the handball players of Drenth Groep Hurry-Up from Zwartemeer can play against Lions in the cup tournament on Tuesday evening. The Limburg national champion has filed for bankruptcy.
Whether play will take place depends on the decision of the curator at the bankrupt Lions, which says it wants to complete both the cup tournament and the competition. That is why consultations are also taking place with the Dutch Handball Association and the organization of the BeNe-League. The cup quarter-final match between Lions and Hurry-Up is currently scheduled for Tuesday evening in Sittard.
The Top Handbal Zuid-Limburg Foundation, which includes Lions, states “after careful consideration and thorough legal advice, it has been decided to file for bankruptcy.” According to the foundation, there was no other option due to the major financial problems the club was experiencing. wrong. A curator will now take charge at Lions.
Judge agrees with former player João Jacob Ramos
Lions, a partnership of Vlug en Lenig from Geleen and Sittardia from Sittard, can no longer pay the bills and salaries of players and staff. This is due to the lost lawsuit against former player João Jacob Ramos. After a serious injury, the 32-year-old Portuguese was fobbed off with another job within the organization with a lower salary after nine seasons. He did not agree to this, after which the judge agreed with the player.
Ramos, who also played for Hurry-Up for a number of seasons before his period in Limburg, is entitled to a compensation of 50,000 euros. He has had Lions accounts seized to ensure payment. The foundation board calls the bankruptcy application inevitable and says it is aware of “the serious (emotional) impact that this decision entails.”
‘We can only do our sporting duty’
Although their salaries can no longer be paid, the Lions players are keen to continue playing their matches. “We can only do our sporting duty and play our matches as well as possible,” said Jur Eussen on Saturday after the 31-28 defeat against Hurry-Up in Zwartemeer. “Even though we don’t get any money, we want to finish the season as best as possible. We agreed on that among ourselves.”
Lions is one of the top teams in the Netherlands. The Limburgers became champions of the BeNe-League twice and won the Dutch title four times. The Limburgers won the national cup three times and the Super Cup three times.
The Top Handbal Zuid-Limburg Foundation has considered appealing against the judge’s ruling in the Ramos case, but has decided not to do so. The route is not considered feasible because it would cause a lot of uncertainty and would take too long.
‘Everyone is in the dark’
According to board member Evert Hoiting, an extremely uncertain situation has arrived. “Everyone is in the dark,” he said earlier. “In the event of bankruptcy, all players are outlaws and can go wherever they want. Then the question arises of how committed the players are to the club and that also applies to sponsors.”
Ramos was proven right by the judge with his statement that because of his many temporary contracts he in fact had an indefinite employment contract with Lions. The ruling that player agreements are considered employment contracts has far-reaching consequences for amateur sport in general.