Stefan Steen was supposed to move from Austria to pursue a new adventure in the British hockey league, until his agent got a strange phone call.
A 31-year-old Swedish hockey goaltender who also played for Vaasa Sport Stefan Steen was moving to Dundee Stars in Scotland, until he received a rude notice from his new club.
Steen, who celebrated the Swedish championship twice in his career, had his contract canceled because his wife Emma expecting the couple’s first child.
According to Steen, the new club knew about the pregnancy when the contract was signed. Two days before Steen was supposed to travel to his new club, the owner of the club Steve Ward even announced that he doesn’t want a goalkeeper whose wife is pregnant because it can cause extra stress.
According to the owner, there was a clause in the contract that allowed the contract to be terminated within 14 days.
– I have never been involved in such a story that I am telling you now. And everything I say I can prove with screenshots and emails. We could have settled all this peacefully – but they’re clearly not very smart. The way they treat people is not acceptable, goalkeeper agent Michael Latschenberger opened up.
According to the agent, the club had initially announced that an apartment and a car would be arranged for the new signing and his growing family. The club had said that last season two players were in the same situation and everything had gone well.
The agent emphasizes that a valid reason is needed to use the demolition clause. According to Latschenberger, the owner did not listen to his arguments.
– Do what you want, Steve said, and slammed the receiver into my ear. I couldn’t believe what I heard. Everyone knows that it is against the law to fire someone because his wife is pregnant.
The agent said he will continue to recommend his players to the British EIHL. He noted that other teams have been exemplary, but Dundee, owned by the Ward family, are an exception.
Steen and Latschenberger are now fighting to get Dundee the costs that the goalkeeper had to pay. Among other things, he acquired new equipment with the approval of the club, which cost 4,000 euros.
The agent in the law room is not going to take the case. He said that in England you have to pay your own court costs in any case, so financially it is not a reasonable way to go.
– I need to check what rights I have. How is the league handling this? I want to show that this is not okay and make sure that no one else ends up in the same situation, comments Steen.
Sources: Värmlands Folkblad, SVT