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There has been massive pressure around Viking in the past week. On Tuesday, the club called a press conference, where it became clear that Viking AS chairman of the board of directors, Thor Steinar Sandvik, is resigning.
There has been a hectic meeting activity at Viking in recent days after it became clear that Bjarne Berntsen (63) had ended up at the club after this year’s season.
Fans have spoken out in favor of overthrowing the board, and several shareholders have reacted to the decision as well.
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“The best thing for Viking is that I resign as chairman of the board today,” Sandvik says at the press conference.
– The club must have peace. Now those who work here must have peace. Now we have to start working on what we are going to work on, he continues.
Initially, he was aware that the last few days had been hard.
– As probably everyone has read, it has been very hard the last few days. It has gone beyond my loved ones and every morning that I wake up there has always been something new. There are many who have supported me and said it would happen, but I have not felt it. It has only escalated, he says.
During the live broadcast from Stavanger Aftenblad, Sandvik responds that he made the decision to retire today.
– I am lying if I do not say that it has affected, he tells Aftenbladet about the incitement he has received in the process.
– I will continue to be a sponsor, I will continue to be an owner and I will continue to go to the stadium. I will not give in to any of that, because I love the club, he tells the newspaper.
RETIREED: Viking AS Board Chairman Thor Steinar Sandvik resigns as Chairman of the Board. Photo: Carina Johansen
Bjarne Berntsen declined to comment on Sandvik’s departure to VG, or whether it will have anything to do with the possibility of him continuing at Viking.
Berntsen was adamant about VG on Tuesday morning:
– Can you imagine that you can still continue in Viking if it becomes relevant?
– In.
– Rune Bertelsen (Chairman of the Viking FK Board of Directors) says “only Berntsen can answer how we can give him the compensation he deserves.” What reparation do you think you deserve?
– I don’t demand repair. I’m done with the case. Enough is enough.
COACH: Bjarne Berntsen will take Viking out of the season, but then it’s the end for the man who has been heavily involved in bringing the Stavanger team to the top of Norwegian football again after relegation in 2017. Photo: Carina Johansen
Actually, Sandvik was supposed to meet fans at 7. Vikinghordene chairman of the board of directors, Roar Åkerlund, is “very satisfied” with the decision that has been made.
– Sandvik let his dark blue heart make sense and put the club first, he says, and believes that most people who love Viking have not had confidence in the chairman of the board after the last few days.
Åkerlund believes it is shameful for the club that they have reached a situation where the NFF has now said they will investigate what happened
– Now I hope that things calm down a bit and that the club can make the correct assessments, including a new assessment on what has been decided with Bjarne Berntsen, says the leader of the fans.
Surprising news came Thursday of last week that Berntsen had ended as Viking coach after this year’s season.
– It is a pure termination one year before the contract expires. I am very disappointed and sad. I think it’s very difficult after three fantastic years I’ve had at Viking. He really wanted to finish the contract period in style, but the board didn’t want that, Berntsen told VG after the news broke.
Berntsen had a contract until the 2021 season, but was open to a position as sports director in 2021. The club and the two new head coaches, Bjarte Lunde Aarsheim and Morten Jensen, were also open, but Berntsen later wanted an extension of him. contract beyond the 2021 season.
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– We wanted to have Bjarne on the team with us for another year, but he thought it was too short. That’s why it ended like this, Viking AS chairman Thor Steinar Sandvik said last week.
The decision generated strong reactions in Stavanger. Sandvik himself has reported that he has received much ire from angry spectators, and Viking fans have hung banners inside the stadium and presented themselves with moving boxes marked “Sandvik” during Saturday’s game against Start.
BRING MOVING BOXES: Viking fans brought moving boxes marked with the board chairman by the name Viking AS in this weekend’s showdown against Start. Photo: Carina Johansen
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On Monday, the case took a new turn when Stavanger Aftenblad and Eurosport wrote that Viking could have violated the rules of the sport by the AS board by making the decision on B, when the dual model clearly states that sporting decisions will be made by the club’s board, Viking FK.
Rune Bertelsen, chairman of the Viking FK board, admitted in an interview with Stavanger Aftenblad on Tuesday morning that he had made “a big mistake” by letting AS’s board handle final negotiations with Berntsen.
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It was Bertelsen, who runs Viking FK and therefore Berntsen’s boss, who should take over the negotiations, as it is the football club and not the limited company that is the employer of the Viking players and coaches.
– Negotiations with Berntsen have been out of our control. We recognize that the moment we felt there was a conflict, we must take action. And when it emerged that Berntsen wanted to extend with Viking beyond 2021, it was Viking FK who should have spoken to him about it. When it came up, he wasn’t awake enough, Bertelsen tells VG.
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