The players’ association demands immediate action to open the ice hockey championship league.
The Finnish Ice Hockey Players’ Association (SJRY) has sent a letter of demand to the SM league, the Ice Hockey Federation and the league clubs. Urheilu has seen the letter sent on Monday of this week.
According to SJRY’s view, the SM league is †against competition law on several grounds†.
The letter demands that the Ice Hockey Association, the League and the league clubs must take action to open the SM League.
The players’ association makes four demands.
The first of the demands is that “The Ice Hockey Federation, the League and the League clubs immediately stop the cartel they have formed and the distortion of the dominant market position By setting transparent, non-discriminatory, objective, relative, clear, and written license conditions and criteria, which are fulfilled It is possible to achieve a sporting league place and the provision of ice hockey and related services in the SM league.â€
There has been a heated debate in Finland over the last few months about ice hockey’s series system. One of the biggest questions has been precisely whether the current format of the SM league is against the law.
SJRY also demands the inclusion of the Players’ Association in the advisory board of Huippukieko as an equal decision-maker. The players’ association was offered a place in the working groups established to assist the advisory board, but SJRY withdrew together with the Mestis clubs, as it did not consider itself able to influence the decision-making of the working groups.
As its third demand, the Players’ Association wants to see the collaboration agreements between the Ice Hockey Association and the League, so that, among other things, the license conditions of the SM League can be brought to SJRY’s attention.
The ten-page demand letter was prepared by a law firm. The demands of the players’ association also include that the Ice Hockey Association, the League and the league clubs compensate SJRY for the legal costs incurred in investigating the matter.
SJRY sees the SM league as misusing its defining market position. The letter says that “this may be the longest-lasting cartel in the history of Finnish and European competition law or the abuse of a dominant market position†.
If the demands of the Players’ Association are not agreed to by 16:00 on March 8, SJRY intends to take – without separate notice – all the legal actions it deems necessary†. According to the Players’ Association, they include, among other things, a request for action to the Finnish Competition and Consumer Authority.