Susanna Tapani, star forward of the Finnish women’s national ice hockey team, missed the World Cup match because of her friend’s wedding. Urheilu’s expert Topi Nättinen estimates that Tapani created a difficult situation for himself.
Henri Pitkänen,
Only Paloniemi
Sports expert Top Nättinen thoughts have gone from side to side regarding the case. There are more important things in the world than ice hockey and the World Cup, and it is important for Nättinen that there is more going on in the civilian life of the players. However, playing sports at the top level requires its own efforts.
– Top sport is about one’s own history and one’s own point of view, mirroring such that one commits to it. Especially in team sports, certain frameworks come from outside, and if you are not ready to commit to them, the situation can become difficult. I haven’t formed a definitive opinion, but Susanna Tapani did develop a difficult situation for herself, Nättinen said.
The team never agrees on everything
Nättinen has a professional hockey career behind him and in his pocket, among other things, the World Youth Championship gold from 2014. Nättinen does not see it possible that any of the players would have been announced by the head coach at the time, for example Karri Kivelle being absent for a similar reason.
– Surely not. Based on my own experience, funerals and, for example, things related to illnesses, accidents and deaths of loved ones, as well as, of course, the birth of children, are situations where permission has been obtained to leave in the middle of games or game trips.
– In my opinion, a wedding is a time of your choice. Some things, both challenges and joys, don’t look at the clock, but many could have made different choices.
Nättinen also doesn’t think that the rest of the gold team would have taken a similar absence easily. Head coach of the Women’s Lions Juuso Toivola said after the match that the whole team is behind the decision. Nättinen does not believe that a single team will ever agree on all issues.
– It’s a melting impossibility. You have to commit to certain things in team sports, and it is somewhat paradoxical that the rest of the team is committed to one person’s decision, when usually it goes the other way.
Nättinen emphasizes that all teams make agreements with each other. Outsiders may never know what anyone has thought or what the team has decided. It may not belong to others either.
– I’m not saying that the team and the matters of the booth are sacred, but everything doesn’t have to come out. If the team has decided that this is ok, then it is ok, even if it is not for someone.
Finland’s World Cup tournament continues tomorrow against Japan. Toivola said after the match against the United States that Tapani will be in the next match against Japan. In terms of the tournament, the situation is not easy for Finland. Nättinen thinks that the incident has divided the team into several different camps.
– There you have to answer all sorts of questions to the media, everyone is interested in the wrong things. It takes energy away from the right values within the team.
– With a good performance, the case can be calmed down, but if the result is poor, I bet the storm in the glass of water will only intensify, Nättinen reflects.
“Appreciation should be earned on the field”
In addition, Susanna Tapani is one of the Women’s Lions who received a 10,000-euro athlete grant from the Ministry of Education and Culture. The sum was last awarded to the Finnish striker in June.
Nättinen does not judge Tapani because of the auxiliary funding and knows that he has worked a lot for Finnish ice hockey. However, the expert ponders where the situation will possibly lead.
– It is difficult to turn this into something useful for him. The relationship with state money and taxation is quite strict, and if someone gets money from the common pot to represent our country, and then they don’t do it.
Nättinen feels that no scholarship athlete owes Finnish taxpayers anything. However, it would be interesting for him to hear the opinions of athletes who have trained hard, but were left without a scholarship or a place on the national team. According to Nättinen, the incident also does not increase the appreciation of women’s hockey.
– Gaining respect in outdoor sports or losing it are two different things, respect should be earned on the field, this kind of thing at least does not make it easier to gain respect on the field.
– If you can afford to leave the best player out of one of the most important games, what does that say about the cultural result?