Hockey goalkeeper Frans Tuohimaa would like to leave Russia, but Neftehimik Nizhnekamski’s club leadership has not allowed him to leave in the middle of the KHL playoffs. In addition to the long distances, unauthorized departure would result in large fines, according to Tuohimaa.
Finnish goalkeeper of the Russian KHL club Neftehimik Nizhnekamski Frans Tuohimaa to find out how he would get out of Russia.
That country, 30, has wanted to leave the country since Russia invaded Ukraine last Thursday and began hostilities in its neighborhood.
– I don’t feel insecure here, but because of my values and ethical reasons, I want to leave. It feels wrong to be here, Tuohimaa tells Sport by phone about the hotel in Chelyabinsk.
Neftehimik, represented by Tuohimaa, started the KHL playoffs on Tuesday as a guest of Traktor Chelyabinsk.
– I’m still stuck (in Russia). It’s pretty disarmed. We should get out and everyone would probably want to get away, but at the moment, the means that are there are quite limited. The options are few, Tuohimaa says.
In the Eastern Urals, close to the Kazakh border, Chelyabinsk is about 2,800 kilometers by road. As the European Union has closed its airspace to Russian planes, it will not be possible to return home by air.
In addition to long distances and poor transport links, the problem is the termination of the contract.
– Of course we are trying to get out by peaceful means to get permission to leave, but it is not really coming from this direction. If it was just about paying off one month’s salary, if it were that easy, I would leave right away. It is also about non-financial risks, Tuohimaa states.
Does the club management understand why you want to leave?
– No. The local perception of the situation is completely different from ours. Getting an understanding is not quite easy, Tuohimaa sighs.
According to Tuohimaa, Finnish players have been in contact with the Finnish authorities, but it has taken time to find out and not all questions have been answered.
– There is also uncertainty about what kind of regulations we are under and what kind of fines are threatened if you leave here on your own. We are in the machinery of a foreign country, under the rules of a foreign country and under great threat of fines.
Tuohimaa has been in close contact with other Finns who are hockey in Russia. 16 Finnish players will take part in the KHL playoffs. The debate has been worrying. There are other foreign players in the same boat.
Helsinki-based KHL club Jokerit announced that it would leave the season on Friday. Latvian Dinamo from Riga, on the other hand, withdrew completely from the league. In addition to Russia, KHL plays teams from Belarus, China and Kazakhstan.
About Finnish KHL players Markus Granlund confirmed to Sports on Wednesday that he has left his club Salavat Yulev Ufa. He did not want to comment further.
The playoffs that started on Tuesday may be over for a week or so for some players and teams if the team relegates in the first round. If the team progresses to the finals, the season will end no later than April 30th.
– Some players get away in less than a week, but that’s no solution to this problem. A certain kind of collective should be found. If someone’s team just wins and wins, they’ll be stuck here for a couple of months. Such a player is in a completely different situation, Tuohimaa says.
From the Beijing Golden Festival to the miserable atmosphere
The situation of hockey players playing in Russia has been on the agenda, among other things, because many of them, including Tuohimaa, were part of the Finnish team that won gold at the Beijing Olympics just ten days ago.
Tuohimaa reminds that thousands of other Finns working in Russia are struggling with similar problems.
– We hockey players are just the tip of the iceberg. It feels like we athletes are that public outfit, but we are only a small part of the big problem when Finns should get out of here, Tuohimaa says.
The past week has been the most remarkable of Tuohimaa’s sports career and his entire life.
– When the final game in Beijing ended, I wouldn’t have thought it would be such a shitty feeling so fast. You will probably never forget this. You should probably write down in a diary what has happened here. Crazy week in every way.
It has been difficult to focus on hockey in Tuohimaa in recent days.
– Hockey doesn’t seem to be the most important thing at the moment, Tuohimaa says.