Barnsley say they sacked former manager Daniel Stendel for negotiating to take over at a rival Championship club.
The 45-year-old German, who has just become the manager of Scottish Premiership side Hearts, was sacked on 8 October, with Austrian Gerhard Struber succeeding him on 20 November.
Barnsley had not won in 10 games when Stendel was sacked, a move which came as a surprise to the club’s players.
The club claims Stendel also tried to persuade colleagues to join him.
“Early in the season Daniel Stendel entered into negotiations with a rival Championship club, to take over their managerial post,” a club statement read.
“Never once did Mr Stendel seek approval or alert members of the club’s board to these discussions.
“Only when approached, by the board, was there any sign of acknowledgement. This was a clear violation of Mr Stendel’s contract and created additional unnecessary distractions for our club which was recently promoted to the Championship.
“This event, coupled with numerous other issues, led to removal of Mr Stendel as head coach.”
Barnsley only issued a brief statement at the time of Stendel’s departure, stating that they had “separated” from him with immediate effect.
The club say they have now gone public after being unable to reach a settlement with Hearts following his appointment, along with coaches Chris Stern and Dale Tonge.
“After two months of unproductive discussions (and the subsequent public announcement by Heart of Midlothian that he has joined them as their new manager), the club cannot wait any longer in speaking to its fans,” the statement continued.
“More recently we have attempted negotiations of a settlement with Heart of Midlothian Football Club for the services of Mr Stendel, Chris Stern, and Dale Tonge to no avail.
“The club will continue to vigorously defend its rights against all parties involved in tampering of club staff so the club recovers all damages incurred. All recovered damages will be reinvested in our squad.”
Barnsley are currently bottom of the Championship with just 12 points from 20 games and have conceded 41 goals, two more than in the entire League One campaign under Stendel.
BBC Sport has approached Hearts for a comment.
