1.1. The present regulations shall govern the legal activities concerned with the Premier Handball League. Proceedings shall be conducted to penalize infringements of Regulations, including those of an administrative nature and in particular infringements committed prior to, during or after a game or while travelling to or from a venue or staying at a venue, and to settle disputes between League related entities and/ or individuals. Proceedings may be conducted to decide upon issues relating to players’ transfers between Franchisees or to Bluesport Entertainment Private Limited activities.
1.2. The present regulations apply supplementary to the provisions of the Statutes and other PHL regulations. In case of inconsistency, the present regulations shall apply, except for the application of special legal procedures provided by the League’s regulations.
2.1. The present regulations apply to:
All persons charged by a franchise or team to exercise a function within the franchisee, team, club and/ or during the organization of a match and/or on the occasion of a match.
2.2. In addition to their personal responsibility, franchisees and teams are accountable for the conduct of their players, members, officials, supporters and any other persons exercising a function within the franchisee, team, club and/ or during the organization of a match and/ or on the occasion of a match on behalf of the franchisee or club and may be sanctioned accordingly.
Chairperson (of the Governing Council): President, Vice President or Member of the Governing Council who chairs the panel in a specific case.
PHL Executive Committee: appointed persons having specific functions within Bluesport Entertainment Private Limited and persons being appointed by Bluesport Entertainment Private Limited for a specific task.
PHL Officials: Persons on assignments for Premier Handball League at official events including referees.
Official Areas: the players’ entrance, the dressing rooms, the players routing, the playing court, the playing court surrounding area(s) (including the substitution area), the media area(s) and the VIP area(s) of a playing hall.
President (of the Governing Council): The person chairing the Governing Council and designated as such by the Governing Council.
Regulations: any applicable PHL and/ or HFI regulations, IHF regulations, manuals and directives, including in particular:
In these regulations the words “penalty” and “sanction” are considered to have the same meaning.
The PHL Anti-Corruption and Fair Competition Act (Annex 1), the List of Penalties and the Catalog of Administrative Sanctions shall form an integral part of these Regulations.
5.1. The present legal regulations were adopted by the PHL Governing Council convening on December 29, 2020. They entered into force on January 19, 2021.
5.2. Claims, submissions, protests, petitions and any other request for PHL disciplinary/ legal proceedings submitted to the PHL Governing Council as from January 19, 2021 shall be handled and decided upon according to the present regulations.
6.1. Infringements of Regulations including those of an administrative nature, unsportsmanlike conduct, facts that may bring the sport of Handball and the Premier Handball League into disrepute as well as violent behavior in and around playing halls are subject to sanction.
6.2. Disputes between Bluesport Entertainment Private Limited related entities and/ or individuals, issues relating to Handball competitions in India and/ or Premier Handball
League activities as well as issues relating to players’ transfers between PHL Franchisees and clubs shall be decided upon according to the present regulations, any other applicable Regulations and the general principles of law.
6.3. Decisions and actions taken by referees on the playing court, including those based on HFI delegates’ recommendations, are factual decisions and shall be final.
6.4. The right to make adjustments that may prove necessary as a result of corrections of the referees’ report or, in the case of obvious error revealed by means of pertinent evidence such as reports by HFI Officials, television footage or video recordings, shall be reserved.
7.1. Franchisees, teams and all related persons are responsible for, directly or indirectly, making or offering bribes, kickbacks, or other payments of money or any other undue advantages, valuable presents to anyone, including Officials, employees, or representatives of Bluesport Entertainment Private Limited, any team, company, or public or international organization, or to any other third party, for the purpose of wrongfully obtaining or retaining in any way undue advantages in connection with a match or a match result. They shall be sanctioned accordingly.
7.2. PHL Officials, contact persons or intermediaries are responsible in case of accepting and/or non-reporting such acting or attempts. They shall be sanctioned accordingly.
8.1. Damage sustained as a result of infringements of Regulations including the withdrawal of teams or replays may be recovered from the offending party by claiming damages.
8.2. Such claims shall be decided upon in the ordinary procedure.
9.1. The prosecution and enforcement of all matters within the scope of material and personal application of the present regulations shall be subject to a limitation period of two years.
9.2. Matters relating to compensation for the cost of education (education compensation) shall be exempt from this rule, with the limitation period being reduced to six months.
9.3. As a further exception to the rule in article 9.1., prosecution and enforcement of matters relating to corruption, of issues in connection with undue influence on a match or a match result or issues falling under the frame of the Anti-Corruption and Fair Competition Act shall be subject to period of limitations of ten years.
9.4. The prosecution and enforcement of any infringement related to anti-doping matters shall be subject to the limitation period expressly defined in the PHL Anti-Doping Regulations/ WADA Anti-Doping Code.
9.5. The point of time determining the beginning of the period of limitation for the legal prosecution shall be the time when the action was committed.
9.6. The period of limitation shall be interrupted by the initiation of proceedings.
10.1. The deadlines specified in the Regulations, in PHL directives and any other official manuals or communications cannot be extended as a matter of principle unless reasons for an extension of such deadlines are specifically given therein.
10.2. A deadline is deemed to have been met if evidence is produced demonstrating that dispatch (postmark, fax receipt, email confirmation) was made by 24:00 hours on the last day of the period allowed.
10.3. If a party is prevented from meeting a deadline by an event that is beyond its control and/ or non-deferrable, the period allowed in case the impediment can be satisfactorily explained shall begin at the time the impediment named has been removed. Satisfaction of these conditions shall be verified by the competent body.
Sanctions may be imposed by the administrative/ legal bodies in case of violation of an obligation expressly defined in the applicable Regulations and/ or in the official PHL directives and communications (letters, emails, faxes…).
12.1. Except in the case of administrative sanctions (cases listed in the Catalog of Administrative Sanctions) for which the administrative/ legal bodies are bound by the penalties defined in the Catalog of Administrative Sanctions, the administrative/ legal bodies shall determine the type and extent of the penalties and measures to be imposed considering all the objective and subjective elements of the case as well as all mitigating and aggravating circumstances, within the frame provided in articles 13, 14, 15 and, when relevant, in the List of Penalties. If a party is not found guilty, the proceedings shall be dismissed.
12.2. Suspension/ exclusion can be defined in number of matches instead of time period (days/ months/ years) when deemed appropriate by the Executive Committee/ Governing Council.
12.3. Besides the penalties listed in the List of Penalties, other kind(s) of penalties defined under articles 14 and 15 hereunder may be imposed by the Executive Committee/ Governing Council according to the circumstances of the cases.
12.4. The PHL Governing Council may decide to impose on an individual, team and/ or a franchisee sanctioned with any kind of penalties (including administrative sanctions) or measures to compensate, the additional costs and expenses and financial damages (including damages and/ or fines paid to third parties) suffered by Bluesport Entertainment Private Limited, by an individual and/ or by a participating team/ franchisee as a result of the offences committed by the individual, team and/or franchise.
13.1. The Executive Committee/ Governing Council may increase (up to double unless expressly otherwise provided in the List of Penalties) the penalties provided in the List of Penalties and the Catalog of Administrative Sanctions in case of a recurrence of the infringement.
13.2. Recurrence occurs if penalties/ measures have to be imposed again within five years of a previous offence of a similar nature. Recurrence counts as an aggravating circumstance.
14.1. The PHL Executive Committee/ Governing Council may impose the following penalties/ measures on franchisees/ teams and clubs:
14.2. A fine shall not be less than INR 1000 and shall not be more than INR 5,000,000.
14.3. The penalties and measures named above may be imposed individually or cumulatively.
15.1. The PHL Executive Committee/ Governing Council may impose the following penalties on individuals:
15.2. A fine shall not be less than INR 1000 and shall not be more than INR 1,000,000.
15.3. The penalties named above may be imposed individually or cumulatively.
16.1. Suspensions/ exclusions (from participation in competition and activities and/ or from carrying out a function) are pronounced to penalize in particular:
16.2. Individuals who have been suspended/ excluded may have the right to enter playing halls as spectators but shall not participate in any match preparation activity, shall not enter any Official Areas nor be in contact with players and/ or officials of their team/ franchisee (neither directly nor via electronic means).
Except in the case of administrative sanctions (cases listed in the Catalog of Administrative Sanctions), penalties may be suspended for reasons to be named by the PHL Executive Committee/ Governing Council for a probation period to be specified, provided that the aim to be achieved by the decision can also be reached in this manner.
18.1. The PHL Executive Committee/ Governing Council decide in the respective decision whether suspensions/ exclusions of players, functionaries, officials, referees, and any other individual shall apply, during the period for which they are pronounced, in respect of participation in competition at team level or in a specific competition only.
18.2. The point of time relevant for application of a penalty shall be the time the penalty was pronounced, unless provided otherwise by the decision.
Temporary injunctions may be issued to preserve and protect parties’ rights to the extent to which this is deemed necessary by the competent legal body.
In the case of serious disciplinary offences, the President of the PHL Governing Council may impose a preliminary temporary suspension not exceeding two months.
Bluesport Entertainment Private Limited Office departments shall form the administrative bodies responsible, as first instance, for deciding upon administrative infringements punishable according to the Catalog of Administrative Sanctions and upon issues relating to players transfers between the PHL Franchisees and clubs.
22.1. Bluesport Entertainment Private Limited legal bodies are independent and impartial bodies.
22.2. Bluesport Entertainment Private Limited legal bodies are the PHL Executive Committee and the PHL Governing Council.
22.3. The Executive Committee is responsible as first instance for disciplinary adjudication within the framework of the legal system of Bluesport Entertainment Private Limited and its franchises/ teams, i.e. for punishing violations of Regulations including those of an administrative nature not under the jurisdiction of the Administrative Bodies according to article 21, for settling disputes between Premier Handball League related entities and/ or individuals, and for deciding upon any other issues relating to League activities, except those under the jurisdiction of the Administrative Bodies according to article 21.
22.4. If the Administrative Bodies do not decide upon an issue under their jurisdiction according to article 21 within six (6) weeks from the start of the proceedings, the Executive Committee shall have jurisdiction and shall decide upon such issue.
22.5. The Governing Council is responsible, as second instance, for disciplinary adjudication within the framework of the legal system of Bluesport Entertainment Private Limited and its franchises/ teams, i.e. for punishing violations of Regulations including those of an administrative nature, for deciding upon issues relating to player transfers between PHL franchises and teams as well as upon any other issues relating to Premier Handball League activities, and for settling disputes between Premier Handball League related entities and/or individuals.
23.1. The Executive Committee shall consist of a President, two Vice-Presidents and six (6) Members appointed by the board of Bluesport Entertainment Private Limited.
23.2. To settle cases and pass decisions, the Executive Committee shall be composed of three (3) persons. It shall be chaired by the President, a Vice-President or, if necessary, a Member. The Chairperson and the Members shall be appointed by the President of the Executive Committee on a case-by-case basis.
24.1.The Governing Council shall consist of a President, one Vice-President and five (5) Members appointed by the board of Bluesport Entertainment Private Limited.
24.2. To settle cases and pass decisions, the Governing Council shall be composed of three (3) persons. It shall be chaired by the President, the Vice-President or, if necessary, a Member. The Chairperson and the Members shall be appointed by the President of the Governing Council on a case-by-case basis.
25.1. Parties may be all physical persons or legal entities able to demonstrate a prima facie legal or factual interest in a matter.
25.2. Bluesport Entertainment Private Limited may be a party according to article 25.1 with all related rights, including the right to initiate proceedings, to appeal decisions and to file claim with the Indian Court of Arbitration for Sports.
26.1.The initiator of proceeding is responsible for ensuring a fair balance in all legal proceedings concerned with the Premier Handball League. She/ he may, on behalf of Bluesport Entertainment Private Limited, initiate legal proceedings, appeal first instance decisions of the PHL administrative/ legal bodies and file claims with the Indian Court of Arbitration for Sports.
27.1. PHL Officials have the duty to report relevant incidents, actions, failures and violations of the Regulations to Bluesport Entertainment Private Limited Office in writing.
27.2. If a match report with remark(s) or a special report is submitted by a PHL Official, proceedings are automatically initiated.
28.1. Proceedings may be initiated by submissions or protests by the HFI and/ or franchisees/ teams concerned as well as the League Commissioner of the Premier Handball League.
28.2. Unless otherwise provided in the Premier Handball League regulations, a registration fee of INR 10000 shall be transferred to Bluesport Entertainment Private Limited bank account within two (2) days after the filing of a submission or a protest by the teams and/ or franchisees concerned. Evidence that payment was made (payment order) shall be submitted. However, this registration fee is not applicable to submissions or protests by HFI.
28.3. If the registration fee is not paid or a respective proof of payment is not submitted within the aforementioned deadline, the protest/ submission shall be deemed withdrawn.
28.4. If the protest/ submission is fully granted, the fee shall be refunded; otherwise the fee shall be forfeited to the credit of Bluesport Entertainment Private Limited.
28.5. Proceedings may also be initiated when Bluesport Entertainment Private Limited is alerted by third parties of circumstances that may constitute a disciplinary offence, a violation of the Regulations including those of an administrative nature, or an issue relating to the League. Such cases shall be reviewed for their relevance by Bluesport Entertainment Private Limited Office, which may, if deemed appropriate, require the opening of legal proceedings.
28.6. Moreover, Bluesport Entertainment Private Limited is entitled to institute legal proceedings before the competent legal bodies concerned with Premier Handball League on the basis of its own and/ or other parties’ observations (including media, digital or electronic recordings) after having conducted a preliminary investigation of the facts of the case.
28.7. Issues in connection with other Handball competitions, including activities relating thereto and persons involved therein, that do not directly lead to the institution of legal proceedings under applicable regulations may be subject to examination and investigation by Bluesport Entertainment Private Limited.
29.1. Upon a petition by those involved/ the parties, PHL legal bodies shall settle disputes between franchisees/ clubs as well as disputes between a franchisee/ HFI and teams/ players if such action appears indicated.
29.2. In cases in which a franchisee/ team/ club/ player induces, through misrepresentations, another franchisee/ team/ club/ player induces to commit actions being of relevance within the framework of PHL Regulations, a franchisee/ team/ club/ player induces shall have the right to submit a petition requesting that PHL legal bodies clarify the situation and pass a decision.
29.3. A registration fee of INR 10000 shall be transferred to the Bluesport Entertainment Private Limited bank account within two (2) days after the filing of the petition. Evidence that the payment was made (payment order) shall be submitted. The registration fee is forfeit to the credit of Bluesport Entertainment Private Limited.
29.4. If the registration fee is not paid within the aforementioned deadline or a respective proof of payment is not submitted, the protest/ submission shall be deemed withdrawn.
Upon receipt of a protest, submission, request for initiation of proceedings or appeals by any entity, individual, Bluesport Entertainment Private Limited or the initiator of proceedings, the President of the relevant legal body shall verify the formal admissibility of the protest, submission, request or appeal according to the relevant Regulations.
The parties shall be notified of the initiation of proceedings in writing.
32.1. As a matter of principle, proceedings shall be conducted in writing. The parties are invited to provide written statements, except in the case of administrative sanctions (cases listed in the Catalog of Administrative Sanctions) where sanctions may be imposed without statements from the parties.
32.2. Except in the case of administrative sanctions (cases listed in the Catalog of Administrative Sanctions), the parties as well as the legal bodies shall have the right to request the proceedings to be conducted orally and/ or a hearing to take place. In that case, the parties shall be invited to be heard.
32.3. The absence of one or all of the parties during oral proceedings and/ or hearings does not prevent the legal body from taking a decision.
33.1. Decisions may be decisions on the merits, on procedural matters or decisions of dismissal.
33.2. When proceedings are conducted orally, deliberations may be held and decisions passed in the absence of the persons involved, after the parties have been heard and witnesses questioned, if applicable.
The legal bodies shall take decisions by a simple majority of votes.
35.1. Every decision shall be notified in writing.
35.2. Subject to the foregoing, the legal panel may decide to provide a verbal outcome of the decision to the parties at the end of oral proceedings and/ or hearings conducted.
35.3. Except in the case of administrative sanctions (cases listed in the Catalog of Administrative Sanctions), decisions shall include the following points:
36.1. Decisions shall be served by Bluesport Entertainment Private Limited Office.
36.2. Decisions concerning teams and individuals shall be served on the respective franchise. Franchisees shall pass on all information, documents and decisions to the relevant team/ individual.
36.3. In cases in which this is deemed necessary or has been requested, decisions may be served directly on the team or the person concerned.
36.4. As a matter of principle, decisions shall be served by email or registered letter. A decision shall be deemed delivered as soon as it has been received in the party’s area of responsibility or authority.
37.1. Bluesport Entertainment Private Limited Office shall enforce the final decisions passed by the administrative/ legal bodies.
37.2. Unless otherwise provided in the decision, pecuniary fines, administrative penalties, procedural costs and/ or damages shall be paid within two (2) months after the decision has been served.
37.3. The amount of the fines, administrative penalty(ies), procedural costs and /or damages decided by the PHL administrative/ legal bodies shall be increased by 20% if they are not paid by the date defined in the decision imposing the payment of such fine, penalty, costs or damages or, if a date is not specified, within two months after the service of the relevant decision. If payment is still not made within another two months, the rights of the defaulting franchise/ team/ player/ official shall be suspended and it/ he/ she shall be excluded from Premier Handball League until payment is made.
37.4. Financial claims/ liabilities between parties resulting from final decisions may be settled and enforced by Bluesport Entertainment Private Limited.
38.1. The Executive Committee may extend sanctions imposed by a franchisee for serious offences to the Premier Handball League at the request of the Franchisee in question.
38.2. The request must be made in writing to Bluesport Entertainment Private Limited and be accompanied by all documentation relating to the case, with a respective translation if necessary.
38.3. An extension shall be granted when the decision on which the request is based complies with the general principle of law and with PHL Regulations.
38.4. In so far as they are confirmed by HFI Anti-Doping Unit, measures/ decisions taken by franchisees in relation to doping shall be automatically recognized by Bluesport Entertainment Private Limited.
39.1. Decisions of the administrative bodies and of the Executive Committee may be appealed to the Governing Council by the parties.
39.2. Unless otherwise provided in other Regulations, any appeal against a decision of the administrative bodies or the Executive Committee shall be received by the Bluesport Entertainment Private Limited Office in writing no later than seven (7) days after the service of the underlying decision. Appeals may be transmitted by email.
39.3. An appeal fee of INR 10000 shall be transferred to the Bluesport Entertainment Private Limited bank account at the same time the appeal is filed with the Bluesport Entertainment Private Limited Office and in any case not later than seven (7) days after the service of the underlying decision. Evidence that payment was made (payment order) shall be submitted.
39.4. If the appeal fee is not paid within the above mentioned time limit, the appeal shall be deemed withdrawn.
39.5. If the appeal is fully granted, the fee shall be refunded; otherwise the appeal fee shall be forfeited to the credit of Bluesport Entertainment Private Limited.
39.6. Decisions that may be passed in appeal proceedings include confirmation, revision or dismissal of the decision of the first instance as well as revocation and remission of the case to the body of first instance. The body in appeal shall not be bound by the parties’ petition.
39.7. However, if the basis on which a decision was made was affected by grave errors including the submission of incorrect or forged documents, a revocation of the decision by which the matter was settled (reopening of the case) may be sought by the parties or initiated by Bluesport Entertainment Private Limited. The request for revocation/ case reopening shall be received by Bluesport Entertainment Private Limited Office within fifteen (15) days after the grave error was known or should have been known to the requesting party. The decision to reopen a case is taken jointly by the Presidents of the Governing Council.
40.1. Provided that these regulations or the decision of the first instance do(es) not provide otherwise, an appeal to the Governing Council shall suspend the effects of the underlying decision.
40.2. As an exception to article 40.1, appeals in matters relating to player transfers shall not have any suspensive effect.
40.3. In the event of disagreement on whether the conditions for an exclusion of suspensive effects are met, the matter shall be decided by the President of the Governing Council.
41.1. The Indian Court of Arbitration for Sports may be used by the parties concerned upon exhaustion of all legal remedies available for disputes and matters within the competence of Bluesport Entertainment Private Limited administrative/ legal bodies.
41.2. A statement of claim shall be lodged in writing and in duplicate with the ICAS Office along with the nomination of one (1) arbitrator from the ICAS List of Arbitrators within twenty-one (21) days following written notification of the final decision of the Governing Council.
41.3. If a period of six months has passed since the matter was brought before the PHL legal body without a decision having been made, parties to legal disputes shall have the right to take recourse to ICAS. In case of material reasons being out of the sphere of influence of PHL legal body, the six-months period may be regarded as interrupted or suspended.
41.4. Disputes and matters outside the competence of PHL administrative/ legal bodies may be brought to the ICAS upon expressed recognition by the parties concerned of the ICAS’s competence to settle the disputes/matters.
41.5. The proceedings shall be conducted according to the Rules of Arbitration for the ICAS.
42.1. An advance payment as directed by ICAS shall be paid by the claimant to the ICAS no later than one (1) week after the filing of the statement of claim. If this amount is not received on the ICAS bank account in due time, the claim shall be deemed withdrawn.
42.2. The advance payment is composed of:
43.1. Filing a claim with the ICAS does not suspend the implementation of the last decision taken by the PHL legal body.
43.2. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the ICAS may, on request of any of the parties, order the filing of the claim to have suspensive effect.
Bluesport Entertainment Private Limited shall be at the disposal of the legal bodies for the performance of administrative and organizational tasks. The participation in proceedings (including attendance at hearings) of administrative staff having no authority to pass decisions is permitted.
45.1. The legal bodies and their members are independent and not bound by any instructions.
45.2. A member of a legal body shall be deemed prejudiced in any case in which that franchisee’s own team or an official or a player is involved.
46.1. The members of the administrative/ legal bodies shall not disclose any information or document obtained in the course of the proceedings.
46.2. The parties to proceedings before the PHL legal bodies shall not disclose to third party any information or document obtained in the course of the proceedings.
47.1. The members of the administrative/ legal bodies shall pass their decisions on the basis of documents in hand, witnesses’ and experts’ testimony. Other pertinent evidence may be used including (without limitation) television footage, video recordings as well as further evidence obtained by the members of the legal body and/ or those involved/ the parties requested to provide a written or oral statement of their positions.
47.2. In cases in which an act of violence was committed but not detected which would have resulted in the exclusion of the offending player, pertinent evidence as named in article 47.1 may be used as a basis for penalization by the members of the legal bodies at a later date.
48.1. The parties shall be responsible for the costs of their own counsel, witnesses, experts, interpreters (if relevant), travel and living expenses.
48.2. The other costs of the proceedings shall be borne fully or in part by the party found guilty or the losing party.
48.3. If a party requests the proceedings to be conducted orally or a hearing to be held, the costs of the proceedings including travel and living expenses of the members of the legal body and the cost of questioning witnesses and experts shall be borne by the requesting party, unless decided otherwise by the legal body.
48.4. The administrative/ legal bodies shall further decide in the ordinary procedure whether costs, other than the proceedings costs specified here above, shall be reimbursed by any of the parties, taking into consideration all circumstances of the case.
49.1. The parties may be represented or assisted.
49.2. If a party wishes to be represented, the relevant power of attorney shall be presented to the PHL administrative/ legal body.
1.1. The Anti-Corruption and Fair Competition Act includes any of the following violations:
1.2. Any act of corruption including bribe and offering, requesting or receiving any undue advantages shall be regarded as substantial violations of core values of Bluesport Entertainment Private Limited, its statutes and regulations. Penalties and sanctions shall be imposed accordingly.
1.3. Violations of the principles of honest effort to follow the rules and the spirit of fairness as well as sportsmanlike conduct by franchisees, teams, PHL officials and/ or related parties may result in a monetary fine of up to INR 75,000.
1.4. Violations of fundamental principles of organization, security and protection endangering the fair and uninfluenced carrying out of competitions by all parties involved shall result in a suspension of the franchisee, team and/ or person concerned for up to two years and/ or a pecuniary fine of between INR 5,000 and INR 750,000.
1.5. Violations of the Anti-Corruption and Fair Competition act including all related regulations as well as comparable actions against fundamental principles of fairness and sportsmanship shall result in a suspension of the team, PHL official and/ or person concerned for up to ten years and a pecuniary fine of between INR 20,000 and INR 5,000,000.
1.6. A sporting result achieved by using undue means may result in the exclusion/ suspension from the respective competition, medals awarded as well as prize money may be recalled and titles gained may be removed.
1.7. Violations of correct reporting on any occurrences and observations in connection with corruption and undue influence shall result in a suspension of the entities and persons concerned for up to ten years and a pecuniary fine of between INR 10,000 and INR 750,000.
It is Bluesport Entertainment Private Limited’s strong commitment to protect handball’s fairness and integrity on and off the playing court. In this context, information provided by third persons (“Informant”) may constitute valuable contributions to identify and rectify potential wrongdoings that may otherwise not surface. These persons must feel trust to come forward, which implies clear reporting, investigative, prosecution and adjudicatory channels ensuring transparency, independence and impartiality at every stage. In the event of unexpected situation, the PHL Executive Committee will implement the required modifications to find a suitable solution.
Disclosure
The Informant may report an alleged wrongdoing through any of Bluesport Entertainment Private Limited’s reporting channel. Nevertheless the possibility to do so via the Initiator of Proceedings through the dedicated and secured reporting platform is encouraged: i.e. https://premierhandball.com/contact-us.
Wrongdoing
A wrongdoing is any violation of PHL’s Statutes, Regulations, Code of Conduct or competitions Integrity which has allegedly been, is being or is likely to be committed.
Cooperation and Confidentiality
The Informant shall cooperate in good faith and provide reasonable and substantiated elements. His/ her anonymity will be protected unless he/ she decides otherwise.
Procedure
The IoP receives the initial alert, acknowledges receipt, ensures the anonymity and protection of the Informant, keeps the latter informed on the investigation status and requests further information/ documents if necessary.
Investigation
The IoP is solely responsible to investigate the allegations made by the Informant, on the basis of which he/ she shall decide, in a grounded decision and in writing, whether or not to request the initiation of further proceedings with the Executive Committee in accordance with PHL Legal Regulations. The decision shall be communicated to the Informant and the Governing Council President and Vice-President.
Within the framework of the investigation, the IoP may use internal and external intelligence platforms to gather all pertinent evidence as defined in Article 47 of the PHL Legal Regulations and has full discretion as to how the investigation is conducted. If the IoP deems fit, he/ she may request the assistance of Bluesport Entertainment Private Limited Legal Department, the latter being bound by confidentiality.
In case of conflict of interest, the IoP shall immediately report to the Governing Council President and Secretary General and the PHL Executive Committee may nominate a substitute.
IoP’s Decision
A decision not to request the initiation of further proceedings may be appealed by the board of Bluesport Entertainment Private Limited to the Executive Committee. The formal conditions defined in Article 39 of the PHL Legal Regulations apply.
Provision of incorrect information about a player by the player himself/ herself or by a team: Fine from INR 37,500 to INR 300,000/ Suspension/ Exclusion of up to 2 years
(by a team, a franchisee, their officials, a player, a Premier Handball League Official, a Bluesport Entertainment Private Limited Functionary or any other person charge by a franchisee or team to exercise a function within the franchisee or team and/ or during the organization of a match and/ or at the occasion of match)
Any withdrawal from the Premier Handball League by a team shall be regarded as a forfeit and shall carry the following sanctions, additionally to the forfeit of the franchisee fee to the credit of Bluesport Entertainment Private Limited. Payment of all damages and costs arising to the participants, the organizer, Bluesport Entertainment Private Limited, and/ or their contractual partners may additionally be ordered.
After the official entry date of the competition: Fine of INR 250,000/ Suspension/ Exclusion from entering Premier Handball League for a minimum of 1 season and up to 2 seasons.
The sanctions defined in the PHL Regulations for Anti-Doping apply to Premier Handball League.
To Bluesport Entertainment Private Limited
To the relevant team(s)/ franchise(s)
Others
Failure by the required team and/ or a franchisee representative(s) to attend/participate in: