Hamburg has publicly accused former sporting director Stefan Kuntz of failing to comply with an internal investigation into “credible” allegations of sexual harassment made by several female employees.
While the club initially attributed Kuntz’s January 2 departure to “family reasons,” a follow-up statement on Monday clarified that the supervisory board moved for the “quickest possible separation” after external lawyers deemed the misconduct reports serious.
Kuntz, the former Germany Under-21 coach, has vehemently denied the claims via social media, stating, “I categorically reject these accusations!” and characterizing the situation as a smear campaign.
However, Hamburg maintains that Kuntz was fully aware of the probe and “explicitly declined the opportunity to comment to the supervisory board” before his contract was terminated.
The club insists that protecting the affected individuals remains their highest priority, while Kuntz has confirmed he has “asked my lawyers to take action against these FALSE accusations and prejudgments.”