NK Triglav Kranj responds to Safet Hadžić: He is accused of defamation, spreading false information and causing business damage

Published on 28. October 2023 28. October 2023

Source of the photo: Facebook (NK Triglav) - screenshot

Triglav Football Club has responded to a statement made by Safet Hadžić in the Kranj online media Trma. We made a statement also reported on our website, where we are now also publishing the response of the club from the Gorenjska capital. The full transcript of the 2nd SNL is published here without any corrections.

NK Triglav’s reply to the article “Triglav has a problem with Safet Hadžić: Kranj’s players are doing fine on the pitch, but the management is struggling with a minus account”

We do not know what leads Mr. Safet Hadžić, currently a member coach of NK Koper, for tarnishing the reputation of NK Triglav Kranj in the media, launching false information and causing further business damage to the club.

Mr Safet Hadžić was a coach at Triglav Kranj football club until 6. 1. 2023, when he submitted his resignation. The coaching contract was signed on 28. 6. 2022, for a period of two years, starting on 1. 7. 2022. He deliberately misled the club at the time of signing, as at the time of signing he did not even have a licence to manage teams in the 2nd SNL in the 2022/23 season, because he did not fulfil the conditions for eligibility, as required by the Article 3 on the professional contract of coaches. At the time of signing the contract, he did not have a self-employed status and was not registered in the Ministry’s register of sports workers, although he claimed to have all this in place.

After a series of disastrously bad results in the first six rounds, he and the team that had been on the 2. place in the league and fought for promotion to the 1. SNL, scoring only 1 point out of a possible 18. At that time, perhaps just to divert attention away from the poor results, he launched a false story in the media that there was a crime going on in the Triglav changing room, that his watch was stolen and that it was worth more than EUR 5 000? By suggesting that there was crime at the club, he caused us enormous media and business damage, as some sponsors withdrew their participation. If any of this were true, we do not understand how he did not inform the police of the alleged theft of such a valuable watch. We assume that he probably did not want to make a false report, as the watch, if it existed at all, was most likely stored somewhere in his home. The club management called Safa Hadzic to a meeting and warned him to stop defaming the club in public, and his excuse for his actions was unbelievable. He was supposedly called by an unknown person, from an unknown number, and because he thought it was the police calling him, not a journalist, they just had a little chat?!

However, the club still entrusted him with the leadership of the main team. When the series of poor results continued and individuals in the playing staff had already lost more than 30% of the value of the statistical index compared to May 2022 (and the team was in the relegation zone of the 3rd league), the club’s management, on 21. 11. 2022, interviewed him and offered him a proposal to terminate his cooperation by mutual agreement. The proposals by Mr. Safet Hadžić did not accept, left the meeting without a word and did not appear in the club again. He only communicated by email and asked if he had to come to training. He has been informed by the club that he does not have to train in November. We have been waiting for a proposal, an answer, anything, but nothing ….

Without agreeing or breaking off the cooperation, Mr. Safet Hadžić also returned all his club equipment at the end of November, all by himself. In December, he didn’t come to any of the training sessions, just sent an e-mail saying he wanted to be paid. After the New Year, he sent an email through his lawyer to terminate his cooperation.

NK Triglav Kranj is Mr. Safet Hadžić until 15. 4. 2023, he has paid 100% of all the obligations arising from his coaching contract with the national team. And even more. Although he has not been seen at the club since 21. 11. 2022, we were very fair and also paid him for the “no-work” period in December and January, up to the day he sent the termination notice. In our view, the club could have claimed unfair dismissal in many respects, but we wanted to resolve the dispute amicably. We therefore take issue with the subsequent allegations made by Mr. We are unpleasantly surprised to see Hadžić. After his termination, we were forced to find a new member coach in January 2023.

When Mr. Safet Hadžić returned all the club equipment on his own in November 2022 and then he was no longer at any training in December 2022 or January 2023, nor was he seen at the stadium in Kranj, nor did he report his whereabouts and what was happening to him,… Safet Hadžić sent a message through his lawyer in January 2023 that he was being prevented by the club from working and that he believed he was due payment for further “non-work” under the contract as well. A contract that he himself broke and knowingly violated in several articles from the very beginning. In NK Triglav Kranj we did not agree to the blackmail of Mr. Safet Hadžić and we have referred the case with the evidence to the Football Association of Slovenia for further consideration.

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NK Triglav Kranj has settled all outstanding obligations to Safet Hadžić. We wish Mr Hadžić and all the clubs he will manage the best of luck for the rest of his career. We will, however, take action against Mr. Safet Hadžić will use all legal means to recover the damage to the club’s business and reputation.

We regret that we have not been contacted for clarification on this article.

This text was automatically translated using AI.