Decisionofthe Players’StatusChamber passedon21November2023 regardinganemployment-relateddisputeconcerningthecoachDeanKlafuric BY: JulieJORGENSEN(Denmark) CLAIMANT: CoachDeanKlafuric,Croatia RepresentedbyHrvojeRaic RESPONDENT: HonvedFC,Hungary RepresentedbyTamásBajáky I.Factsofthecase 1.On23October2022,theCroatiancoachDeanKlafuric(hereinafter:theClaimantorthecoach)andtheHungarianclubHonvedFC(hereinafter:theRespondentortheclub)concludedanemploymentcontract(hereinafter:theContract)validfrom24October2022until30June2024. 2.Art.2oftheContractsstatesinteraliaasfollows: FortheservicestobeperformedbytheHeadCoachunderthisEmploymentContract,from24October2022until30June2023theHFCwillpayafixedmonthlycoachingfeeinHungarianforintsequivalenttonet10.000EUR,whichatthetimeofsigningisatotalgrossamountofHUF4.904.000/month,i.e.monthlyfourmillionninehundredandfourthousandHungarianForints,from1July2023until30June2024theHFCwillpayafixedmonthlycoachingfeeinHungarianforintsequivalenttonet10.000EUR,whichatthetimeofsigningisatotalgrossamountofHUF5.390.100/month,i.e.monthlyfivemillionthreehundredandninetythousandandonehundredHungarianForints("BaseSalary"). Dateofsalarypaymentisbythe10thofeachmonthfollowingthemonthofperformance,tothebankaccountchosenbytheHeadCoachbybanktransferinHungarianForints. INCENTIVECOMPENSATION.TheHFCagreestopaytheHeadCoachadditionalindividualcompensationinaccordancewiththefollowingconditions: i.anetamountinHungarianforintequivalenttonet350EUR/pointforeachpointgainedbytheTeam,which,takingintoaccounttheexchangeratesetbytheHungarianNationalBankvalidandapplicableatthetimeofsigningthisEmploymentContract,isatotalgrossamountofHUF170.120, i.e.onehundredandseventythousandandonehundredandtwentyHungarianForintsforeachpointachievedbytheTeamintheHungarianChampionship. HFCshallpaytheamountsofthisIncentivecompensation-afterfulfillmentallrelevantconditions -untilthe20thdayofthemonthfollowingtherelevantmonth(atthelatestatthesametimeasthepaymentoftheteampremium)totheHeadCoach,bybanktransfer,inHungarianForints.Foravoidanceofdoubt,allincentivecompensationfoundbelowareavailablefortheHeadCoachtoachieveatanytimethroughoutthetermofthisemploymentcontract. 3.Art.3oftheContractsstatesinteraliaasfollows: 1.TERMINATIONBYTHECLUB. 1.1.RightoftheClubtoTerminateWithoutCause.InitssolediscretionandatanytimeduringtheTermofthisEmploymentContract,theClubhastherighttoterminatethisEmploymentContractwithoutcause,withimmediateeffectuponwrittennoticetotheHeadCoach. 1.2.ClubSeparationPayment.IftheClubterminatesthisEmploymentContractwithoutcause,withimmediateeffect,thentheClubshallpaytheHeadCoachaseparationpayment(“ClubSeparationPayment")equalto5(five)months'BaseSalary,setoutinpointII.I.ofthepresentEmploymentContract. 1.3.SeparationPaymentSchedule.PaymentoftheClubSeparationPaymentshallbemadeinfiveequalinstallments,subjecttoallapplicabletaxreportingandwithholdingrequirements,within5(five)monthsafterthedateofterminationofthisEmploymentContract,bybanktransfer,inHungarianForints. 2.TERMINATIONBYHEADCOACH. 2.1.RightofHeadCoachtoTerminateWithoutCause.InhissolediscretionandatanytimeduringtheTerm,theHeadCoachshallhavetherighttoterminatethisEmploymentContractwithoutcause,withimmediateeffectuponwrittennoticetotheClub. 2.2.HeadCoachSeparationPayment.IfHeadCoachterminatesthisEmploymentContractwithoutcause,withimmediateeffectatanytimeduringtheTerm,thentheHeadCoach(orathirdpartyonbehalfoftheHeadCoach)shallpaytheClubaseparationpayment("HeadCoachSeparationPayment")equalto5(five)monthsBaseSalary,setoutinpointII.l.ofthisEmploymentContract. 2.3.SeparationPaymentSchedule.PaymentoftheHeadCoachSeparationPaymentshallbemadeinalumpsum,subjecttoallapplicabletaxreporting,within15daysofthedateofterminationofthisEmploymentContract,bybanktransfer,inHungarianForints. 4.On28May2023,theRespondentsenttotheClaimantadocumenttitledas“Recordofreceiptofdocuments”(hereinafter:theFirstNotice). 5.On30June2023,theRespondentsenttotheClaimantanotherdocument(hereinafter:theSecondNotice),and,interalia,statedthattheCoachhadfailedtoinformtheClubaboutanincidentofoneofitsplayers. 6.On26July2023,theClaimantsentalettertotheRespondent. 7.On9August2023,theRespondentsentaresponsetotheaforementionedletter. 8.On1September2023,theClaimantconcludedanemploymentcontractwiththeBosnianclubVelezMostarvaliduntil30June2025. II.ProceedingsbeforeFIFA 9.On11September2023,theClaimantfiledtheclaimathandbeforeFIFA.Abriefsummaryofthepositionofthepartiesisdetailedincontinuation. a.PositionoftheClaimant 10.TheClaimantsustainsthattheContractwasterminatedbytheRespondentwhenitsenttheFirstNoticeon28May2023andthatthisterminationwaswithoutjustcause. 11.TheClaimantstatesthatinadditiontotheaforementioned,theClubappointedon1June2023anewheadcoach. 12.IntheviewoftheClaimant,theSecondNoticehasnolegaleffectwhatsoevergiventhattheClubhadalreadyunilaterallyterminatedtheContract. 13.TheClaimantunderlinedthattheRespondenthadnotraisedanypreviousobjectionswithregardstoCoachand/orhisperformanceofhisdutiesanddeems“quiteastonishingthattheClu