Hearts insist they do not owe any compensation to Barnsley
Tuesday 10 December 2019 09:28, UK
Barnsley have accused former head coach Daniel Stendel of speaking to another Championship club while at Oakwell before he was subsequently sacked in October.
The German was confirmed as the new Hearts boss last week and Barnsley are also seeking a settlement from the Scottish Premiership club, claiming he broke their contract with them prior to his dismissal.
Stendel and Hearts owner Ann Budge will address the issues raised in the statement at Tuesday's press conference to unveil Stendel as their new manager, while the Edinburgh club has released a statement of their own in which they counter Barnsley's claim that a settlement needs to be reached between them.
But it is the allegation he "entered into negotiations with a rival Sky Bet Championship club" to become their manager and take with him some of his backroom staff that will perhaps be of most interest to Tykes fans, whose side remain bottom of the table after they lost 3-2 at Cardiff on Saturday.
Stendel has denied Barnsley's account, insisting he always gave his "full commitment" to the club and said the Barnsley hierarchy has refused to speak to him for a fortnight.
"In light of the team's current standing we would like to address the Barnsley football community," read an official statement from the club. "The board is fully behind the team and staff in place. Our performances have improved under Gerhard's [Struber's] leadership and we are confident that results will follow.
"Barnsley Football Club would also like to finally address the separation with our former head coach Daniel Stendel. This may come as little consolation but it is only right that our supporters have a picture of what has taken place at their club.
"Early in the season Daniel Stendel entered into negotiations with a rival Sky Bet Championship club, to take over their managerial post and recruited other members of contracted Barnsley Football Club staff to follow him. Never once did Mr. Stendel seek approval or alert members of the club's board to these discussions. Only when approached, by the board, was there any sign of acknowledgement.
"This was a clear violation of Mr. Stendel's contract and created additional unnecessary distractions for our club which was recently promoted to the Sky Bet Championship. This event, coupled with numerous other issues, led to removal of Mr. Stendel as Head Coach. Out of respect for his contributions to the tremendous 2018/2019 season, we wanted to settle this matter privately and amicably out of the eye of the public.
"After two months of unproductive discussions (and the subsequent public announcement by Heart of Midlothian that he has joined them as their new manager), the club cannot wait any longer in speaking to its fans. More recently we have attempted negotiations of a settlement with Heart of Midlothian Football Club for the services of Mr. Stendel, Chris Stern, and Dale Tonge to no avail.
"The club will continue to vigorously defend its rights against all parties involved in tampering of club staff so the club recovers all damages incurred. All recovered damages will be reinvested in our squad."
Hearts subsequently responded to Barnsley's statement, insisting they had done nothing wrong in their approach to and recruitment of Stendel.
"We are aware of the statement released by Barnsley Football Club earlier today in relation to our appointment of Daniel Stendel to the post of First Team Manager," they said in a statement of their own.
"On behalf of the Board of Directors of Heart of Midlothian Football Club, we would like to reassure our supporters that we have followed all proper procedures in appointing Daniel Stendel.
"He was not an employee of Barnsley Football Club when we first consulted him and there is no basis on which Heart of Midlothian Football Club is liable to Barnsley Football Club.
"Misleading reports and statements to the contrary elsewhere are entirely false. Should any claim be commenced against Heart of Midlothian Football Club, it will be defended in the strongest possible terms.
"We are looking forward to supporting Daniel in what we hope will be a long and successful tenure at Heart of Midlothian. Given that we consider any threatened claim to be entirely without merit, we do not propose to comment further on this matter."
Stendel also released a statement on Tuesday hitting back at what he called "factual inaccuracies" in Barnsley's account.
"Herewith I want to respond to the statement of FC Barnsley. I experienced the people in Barnsley as honest and straight forward and therefore would like to present my point of view," he said in a statement.
"I am disappointed to see that the owners of Barnsley Football Club has chosen to release a statement about my departure from the club, which contains a number of factual inaccuracies.
"During my entire time at Barnsley I gave my full commitment, energy and passion for the club and their supporters. I always put the sporting results of Barnsley first and always tried to achieve the very best results that were possible. We had a fantastic last season in League One, securing promotion to the Championship, playing some very entertaining football.
"The start to this season was very difficult though, with the club being unable to retain several key players from the promotion team and couldn't replace these experienced players. I always remained committed and accepted all the decisions of the board during my entire time - including the decision to terminate my contract with immediate effect. On the day of my dismissal I wasn't informed about any detailed reasons."
He added: "The week before my dismissal I asked for an open discussion about the sporting situation with a board member, during which none of the reasons that apparently led to my dismissal were raised as complaints. I was always honest and documented strongly that I wanted to continue to work with the team in order to achieve the goals of the club. I was then dismissed after the disappointing defeat to Preston.
"After the termination of my contract, I have made it clear that even then I was open to finding an amicable resolution in order to keep noise away from the team. But the club has refused to speak with me or my agent/my lawyer for nearly two weeks.
"I am very disappointed about the way I have been treated by the owners of the club. I am an honest person and always wanted the best for the club. The people from Barnsley and the fans know that. I always was a fighter on and also next to the pitch and will also now fight for my rights. I do, however, wish all the players, the supporters, employees and the new manager the very best for the future."
Barnsley play Reading at Oakwell on Wednesday - live on Sky Sports Football Red Button.
