In the Superpesis finals, the rules were blatantly and completely openly violated – the game director is ashamed of his actions: “Treasury”

The third final match of the Women’s Superpesis Manse PP–Kirittäret will be played on Saturday from 1 p.m. Live broadcast in Puhe.

Manse PP’s leading duo Jari Cavernelis and Antti Vihtkari has become the talk of baseball’s fall playoff season with his behavior.

The latest incident was seen on Sunday in the second final between Jyväskylä Kirittäri and Manse PP, when Vihtkari was in the field area despite his official ban.

Vihtkari seemed to have been outside of the assembly Anna Hemmilän with. Hemmilä was registered as a team official.

The disciplinarian gave Vihtkari a new one-match referee ban, as he considered the game manager to have violated his original referee ban. According to the rules, direct or indirect contact with the playing area or team members is prohibited during the game.

– I went there at the end of the game to ask that my drinking bottle wouldn’t happen to be there. Anna went to look and couldn’t find it. I didn’t give advice, but I just told about the game and praised it (Whirl) I’m losing the hook in that situation, Vihtkari says.

Didn’t know it was forbidden?

– To be honest, I didn’t know. I would never have gone there. If you wanted to interfere with the game, there are great ear button systems in the world today, which no one would notice if you tried to make the game go somewhere.

– I stayed in the stands and on its edge. I was just checking for the upcoming weekend.

Kirittäret won both finals of the women’s Superpesis last weekend. The team leads the series 2-0 when the finals resume this weekend. The championship comes off with three wins.

According to Vihtkari, the other team members did not know that he was on the sidelines on Sunday. Vihtkari thinks that most of them didn’t even notice him.

Manse PP’s game manager Jari Cavernelis, who was involved in the match, says he heard about Vihtkari’s location only after the game.

– I heard about it when we were on our way to Tampere, that he has visited the paddock in the field area or next to the paddock. I can’t say why he was in it.

– I deny that he gave instructions to the team. I don’t have any need to take any instructions from a person who is banned from acting as trustee. I myself know what I’m doing on the field.

What do you think about the fact that he even showed up and talked to a player outside the lineup?

– Of course it was forbidden. He committed a foul and suffered a penalty.

“Looked tasteless”

The situation is not the first time that Mansen’s game leaders are in the headlines in the autumn playoffs. Vihtkari was kicked out in the first final due to his behavior and Cavernelis received a penalty point in the semi-finals for his provocative venting.

Vihtkari protested that in the first final, a beating worthy of a municipal councilor, which was judged legal, was illegal. Vihtkari threw his fan on the field, went the referee Jan Karjalainen to and got a yellow card.

– When the judge picked up the card, I pulled with both hands and sharply shouted “YES” that we are getting power from this and now (the team) has been woken up. It was a spontaneous reaction, and it was not aimed at anyone, Vihtkari says and admits that he received the first yellow card on the subject.

Karjalainen then called Vihtkari back and gave a match penalty for the situation.

Cavernelis previously blew Lapua Virkiä’s locker in the semifinals Anni Heikkilän in front of the municipality of Mansen and received one penalty point for provocation.

– In that situation, when the joy was at its highest and I was really happy, it felt spontaneous and good to show a thumbs up to the opponent’s locker. Of course, it looked tacky in retrospect when I watched the clip separately.

The two have been in the headlines before

When Manse PP hired Cavernelis a year ago, the sports circles were surprised. Cavernelis, who won the Finnish championship as game director in 1998, had been away from management duties for almost 20 years.

Cavernelis (formerly Alasmäki) was involved in a match-fixing scandal, for which he received a suspended sentence of three months and 15 days for fraud and two counts of aiding and abetting.

Vihtkari, on the other hand, is known for his fiery nature and has a previous disciplinary history.

The most drastic turn was seen in 2020, when Vihtkari’s contract dispute with Kempeleen Kiri was dealt with all the way to the district court.

According to Vihtkari, he had a verbal extension until 2021. KeKi denied the contract, even though it had informed about it in March 2019. KeKi claimed that Vihtkari used drugs, but according to the district court, the club did not present evidence to support its claims. Vihtkari won the dispute and KeKi accrued more than 37,000 euros in compensation.

Vihtkari has been in the middle of an uproar before, but it doesn’t really make his feelings any easier at the moment. Quite the opposite actually.

– To be honest, I’m really broken. There have been episodes along the way and there are flashbacks from a few years ago, when you have had to be in the eye of the storm. They somehow activate, and are not completely forgotten.

“Toward an irredeemable species”

In Urheilu’s background interviews, sports people said that the behavior of Manse PP’s game managers has caused outrage in baseball circles.

Sports expert Aino-Kaisa Mantere says that before the start of the season, the baseball association outlined themes for the anniversary year, and one of the biggest ones was respecting colleagues. It should be visible on all levels.

– In my opinion, this rehabilitating partners very strongly involves following the common rules of the game. I think Antti knew that he should have stayed away from the game and the changing room on Sunday. The hanging out at the exchange booth was disrespectful to the sport and its rules, says Mantere.

Mantere thinks it’s unfortunate that in baseball’s centenary season, instead of the games, the behavior of adults is talking.

– The absolute queen of Saturday’s game was Eeva Mäki-Maukola and on Sunday Venla Karttunen played an extremely fine game. Instead of talking after the games about these tough deciders of the final series, even Lapuan Virkiä, who won the bronze on Sunday, now the topic is the behavior of adults, Mantere regrets.

Manse PP, the first in the regular season, is facing a must-win in the series on Saturday. Vihtkari, who plays an important role in both the indoor and outdoor games, is on the sidelines for the third final as well.

How do you feel that your own actions affected the team’s performance?

– At least not in a positive way. It’s more a feeling of shame. Feeling betrayed, Vihtkari says.

Cavernelis is not as sharp in his statement, although he admits that the situation affected the performance of the team in the first final. However, he does not see that the events have affected the players’ performances.

– In sports, there are always different penalties and some overtimes for different teams. It only hurts to get ahead of them.

According to Cavernelis, the situations have been handled among the team.

– I haven’t felt that we were on the brink of trouble any more than that. These are unpleasant things and events, but we have had a very good meeting on the bus this week and when we came from Jyväskylä. The team has had a good situation and we are full of will to fight, says Cavernelis.

Read also:

Kirittärie’s crushing readings in the opening period and the strong rush of the second period destroyed Manse PP’s plans

A rare overshoot in the Superpesis finals – the game manager got himself a time out: “I don’t know what he was thinking”