The U16 quarterfinal match between TPS and Jokeri played on Saturday in Turku caused a stir when a group of underage spectators of the home team insulted the visiting team and its players in a low-style manner. The only one who intervened in the shouting was the announcer of the match, who asked the supporters to calm down their behavior.
The ice hockey association’s instructions include clear instructions for action if discriminatory or offensive comments are heard from the audience. Junior and club activities director Turkka Tervomaa says that the matter only became known to the union through the media, and TPS, which was responsible for the organization of the home match, has taken responsibility for the events in its response.
Although announcements have been made about the topic in the hall, the judges have not heard any shouts from the stands based on their response, nor have any such been reported to them.
Consequently, no one has intervened, the spectators have not been removed from the hall and the gross slander has continued throughout the match.
– The judges haven’t heard, and it’s quite possible when you know the structure of the (Impivaara) hall. A shout from the Kaukalo stand can be such a general noise, and the referees’ job is to take care of the game and its progress, says Tervomaa.
– The association (TPS) has admitted in its reply that they should have acted according to the instructions. This has not been done, and they have raised their hand as a sign of error. We have given clear instructions in January.
Disciplinary action in the offing?
Executive Director of TPS Kalle Lahti on Sunday partly also appealed to the match’s exceptionally large number of spectators.
– Typically, there have been 40-50 people watching these young people’s games, that is, in practice, parents. Now there were a couple of rains in the match, which was a surprising amount, Lahti said.
– It can be difficult for a spectator to go up to a young person and tell them to clean their mouths or can you be a little smarter.
Coaching manager of the junior organization of the Jokers Olli-Pekka Yrjänheikki said that he saw game events via Leijona TV, where the game was broadcast.
– There are these screams. I don’t take a position on whether they belong all the way to the rink, but I wonder if they haven’t.
According to Tervomaa, the Jääkiekkoliitto has received responses from the clubs and judges. The case will now be processed by the Ice Hockey Association’s disciplinary body.
– I cannot judge what the independent disciplinary action will decide, but I would suspect and strongly judge that there will definitely be some disciplinary action against the club.
“Some operators have a strange perception”
Tervomaa reminds that every person involved in the game, including coaches and officials, has an obligation to report what they hear to the judges, who act according to the instructions they receive.
The clubs were reminded of the instructions on Monday.
– The instructions are binding on the clubs, and we reminded them that they really need to be brought to the attention of every team so that they are followed in the future.
Security guards had been hired for the Jokers’ Sunday match in Pirkkola. TPS also said that there will be security guards for the next games.
Tervomaa states that clubs have the right to hire orderlies, but they are not required.
– The home team has an indivisible responsibility for maintaining safety and order in the match event. Some of the operators have a strange idea that if admission tickets are not collected, there would be no need to monitor behavior and safety issues.
– It is defined in the rules that you do need to. Order control is one solution, but I would hope that every hall in every game does not have to act like that in the future.
“There are starting to be a little too many extreme cases”
Clubs and referees have their own responsibility for a safe match event, but Tervomaa also turns its eyes to the parents and teams of minors. Inferior behavior must be able to be weeded out.
– We really don’t want something like this, we didn’t want this either and we especially don’t want it in the future. Every yeller has parents, too, and if you were to go over how you can and can’t behave at the table at home.
– The shouters are not members of the club, but their friends. The next point could be that the team goes through very carefully what is accepted and what is not.
The ice hockey association was also in the headlines earlier in the winter, when the disciplinary committee fined the Junior-Pelicans ry a thousand euros and the coach who interrupted the match due to racist chanting. For Juha Soka a three-match suspension.
Sokka appealed the decision to the sports legal protection board, which decided that the fine should be removed, because according to the board, it was unreasonable. The three-match ban imposed on Soka was changed to one match.
It saddens Tervomaa that incidents outside of hockey are increasing.
– It’s a shame that we have to focus more on events outside the sport instead of developing the sport itself. It’s a pity, because a large part of the games go well. There are starting to be a little too many extreme cases.