The Vaasa Ball Club says that it acted in accordance with the instructions of the Finnish Ball Association.
Hannele Amonoo,
Iina Kluukeri
Vaasan Palloseura (VPS) announced on Tuesday that the sports director Janne Lindberg has received a written warning for inappropriate behavior.
Lindberg has sent sexually tinged messages and comments to the club’s female employees.
Chairman of VPS Timo Harrin according to which the issue would not have been publicly announced if there had not been a newspaper story about it.
The regional newspaper Ilkka-Pohjalainen had received a tip about harassment cases, and had been in contact with the club.
Harri tells that the club acted according to the instructions of the Finnish Football Association.
– It would certainly not have been announced separately, because the matter had already been dealt with and the Balloliitto had been told what had happened. From there came the acknowledgment that the club has acted correctly in the matter.
Read: A written warning to the sports director of the Vaasa Palloseura – sent sexual messages to the club’s employees
A written notice is sufficient
Palloliitto considers that VPS’s measures were sufficient based on the reports received in connection with the compensation procedure of the notification channel carried out in June.
However, the Football Association comments that the association has not instructed the club in the middle of the harassment to keep the incident out of the public eye.
– We have told the club management options on how to act. At the same time, we have encouraged openness and coming out yourself. According to our own experiences, we have found such a procedure to be the best, club service director Timo Huttunen says.
– Just for image reasons and also in terms of aftercare. After all, the club has made its own decisions as a stakeholder, Huttunen continues.
The matter remained internal to the club for months
Even though the harassment was reported to the club already in April, and the matter came up for consideration by the Football Association in the summer, the matter was kept silent in public.
VPS’s Timo Harri says the reason is that the employer can’t share employee-related issues publicly.
The VPS season was over in the summer. Did it affect the timing of the announcement?
– No. This timing is due to the fact that the matter is about to be discussed in the press.
Why did the club have to get permission from the sports director to inform about the matter?
– As I said earlier, the employer cannot publicly disclose matters related to individual employment relationships.
According to ‘s information, the warning received by the sports director had been known to the club’s supporters for a long time. According to Harri, only VPS board members knew about it.
reported on Wednesday that VPS Main Sponsor LähiTapiola Pohjanmaa demands an explanation of what happened. Timo Harri says that the club is making a press release for sponsors.
Another of the club’s main sponsors, Vaasa-based software house Lemonsoft, is also dissatisfied with the club’s information, but the company continues to support the club.
– The matter was discussed with Palloseura on Thursday. We have demanded corrective measures, and if they are implemented, we will stick to the agreement, says the CEO Jan-Erik Lindfors.
The required measures are related to the sharing of information, information and compliance with ethical guidelines.
VPS and Lemonsoft have a five-year cooperation agreement that lasts until 2027.
The sports director is responsible for the development of the club’s operations, such as player acquisitions. He also acts as a front person for the coaches.