– We are a club that is rigged for sports. The situation we have found ourselves in has been tough for us as well, says chairman of Vipers Rune Nomeland. There has been a storm around the world’s best handball club in recent weeks. The marketing manager at the club, Christer Paulsen, wrote a snide comment about a Byåsen player and lied that he had been hacked. news has spoken to several sponsors who believe the club has handled the matter badly. news also knows that many are still unsure whether they want to continue as sponsors. Bli Vakker has already announced that they will not extend the agreement with the club. – Chose to look at Christer as a human being In the wake of the harassing messages, both the chairman and the day-to-day manager of Vipers have several times refused to be interviewed by news. But on Tuesday both stood up and acknowledged that the club could have handled the matter better. Although it took three days before sales and marketing manager Christer Paulsen admitted that he had lied about being hacked, the club’s board chose to give him new trust. – We chose to look at Christer as a human being and that we had room for him in the club, says chairman Nomeland. – What signal does the board send to women in particular? – We strongly distance ourselves from what has been communicated in these messages. It is neither something we as a club nor the people in and around the club stand for. – What impression did the board leave after this case? – It is clear that we as a board may have handled the case incorrectly. We have to evaluate that along the way, he says. – Reputation comes first When it comes to the criticism several sponsors have directed at the club due to the handling of the case, Nomeland says that they keep in contact with the sponsors on an ongoing basis and that they work continuously to restore trust. – Is a sales and marketing manager more important than the reputation of the club? – The reputation of the club naturally comes first. – Why doesn’t the board take stronger action? – The board has been taking action the whole time and the last word may not have been said in this case. – Could this mean that the sales and marketing manager will be released from his duties? – We currently have no comment on that, says Nomeland. Not afraid of sponsor flight Daily manager of Vipers Kristiansand Per Geir Løvstad tells news that they may have been a little too naive at the start of this case. He says they are now working on measures so that they will be better served when such cases arise. – So that we can answer better for ourselves and not hide, as we may have done in part, he says. – Have they hidden dives? – The reason that we do not want to go out is that we have had nothing new to add to the case. Then we have seen no purpose in standing up. Then we got hints that it might not have been the smartest trick on our part, he says. – Do they understand that it can create further speculation? – We have seen that. The case does not stop there, he says. Day-to-day manager of Vipers Kristiansand, Per Geir Løvstad, says the club must evaluate how they have handled the matter surrounding the marketing manager. Photo: Sander Heggheim / news Paulsen does not respond news has also tried for several days to get an interview with marketing manager Christer Paulsen, who wrote the chicanery comments. But he has not answered either the phone or SMS. – We have chosen that it is the management that will speak in this case, says Løvstad. On Thursday, Vipers will have another meeting with main sponsor DNB. The club must then submit measures that the sponsor has demanded. – There are measures to avoid bullying and better promote the club’s values and that type of thing, he says. DNB says the following about Thursday’s meeting. – We have made our demands. Now the club will have the chance to work with the action plan and its own routine. Beyond that, we have no further comments. Katrine Lunde: – A tough case On Sunday, Vipers meet Byåsen in the elite series. In this match, the Vipers players will be awarded gold medals and will be able to lift the elite series trophy for the sixth time. Then the Byåsen player, who was called “ho fat”, by the marketing manager, also arrives. The club is now considering whether Paulsen will be at the game, as he usually is. – It has not been decided yet, says Løvstad. Paulsen normally leads sponsor meetings before home games. Løvstad says there will be no sponsor meeting before this match. Vipers goalkeeper Katrine Lunde, who also sits on the board of the club, says the whole thing is a sad matter. – It is difficult to evaluate this, but it is a tough case. There are many people involved. It is not always easy to know how to do it right from the start. The board has tried to evaluate each step and see how it can be the best possible. So you have to learn from it when you have not succeeded in all areas, she says. Vipers Kristiansand have won both series and cup this season. On Sunday, they will be awarded medals for the series gold. Then they meet Byåsen. Photo: Christoffer Andersen / NTB
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– Reputation comes first – news Sørlandet – Local news, TV and radio
