Mikko Pulkkinen, CEO of the SM League, among other things, our hockey expert Topi Nättinen criticizes that Tarmo Reunanen’s one-match ban has not drawn limits. On the one hand, you emphasize zero tolerance, but then you can use discriminatory language and only get banned for one match. How do you answer this?
– The SM league wants to make it clear that we have zero tolerance for unsportsmanlike behavior, language and discrimination in all its forms. As I’ve said before, we don’t accept that in any way. As for this case, the debate continues. We are talking to different parties.
What are you going to discuss next?
– Of course, there is a lot of talk and people are interested in what is allowed and what is not allowed. Surely it requires more discussion. I believe that in this society it is clear to everyone how to treat others.
– If we think about ethical guidelines, it says that we respect each other on and off the rink. And we treat each other equally and do not discriminate. I would think that this point is very clear to everyone.
Where is the line, what is permissible speech in the rink and what is not?
– We are subject to the same rules in this sport as in society. Sports associations also talk about respecting others on and off the rink. That’s what it says in our ethical guidelines. That should be clear.
Let’s go back to the word zero tolerance. What does it mean in practice in the SM league?
– The fact that we have zero tolerance for discrimination in all its forms. We do not accept such behavior. That’s probably why this issue has come up.
– Unsportsmanlike behavior is also addressed in our rules, which were inherited from the rules of the International Ice Hockey Federation IIHF. They have entered the SM league. Within the framework of the rulebook, the judges have acted and given this (Reunanen’s) verdict.
Do SM league players know what can and cannot be said?
– There is certainly no need to make a list of which words are allowed and which are prohibited. I would think that with common sense everyone can make decisions about the words they use. If we go to the point, “we respect each other on and off the rink”, I would consider this a clear thing.
Ilta-Sanomat has reported citing its source that Reunanen has said a “fucking hint” to a KalPa player. Why could the SM league not tell what Tarmo Reunanen said?
– Even in previous cases, we have not published what has been said word for word. We must remember that we have an independently functioning disciplinary delegation.
– The disciplinary delegation deals with disciplinary issues. The disciplinary delegation becomes a final document, which the SM League publishes as such without adding or removing anything from it.
Now the information about the reasons for Reunanen’s punishment seemed a bit vague. Why couldn’t it be announced, for example, that a derogatory term for a sexual minority was used?
– Sampo Liusjärvi is the chairman of the disciplinary delegation. He writes the published decisions. The disciplinary decision is a document that goes to the parties concerned and is later published in the SM league bulletin. The SM league does not intervene in the content of the disciplinary decision. Otherwise, the disciplinary delegation would not function independently.
You spoke recently in our interview on Friday, that Reunanen’s case will show how seriously you take such matters. Reunanen was banned for one match. Do you still feel that a one-game suspension shows how seriously you take discriminatory language in the hockey rink?
– The process goes so that the judges give a verdict on the ice. Now it was also about a case that went to the disciplinary delegation for consideration. They will review the case and publish their decision on it.
– It is a very high threshold for you to intervene in the decisions of the independent disciplinary delegation. As I already stated at the beginning, the discussion will continue. Disciplinary policies are made by the SM league board in the final games.
How are judges trained to react to cases like Tarmo Reunanen’s?
– The ethical guidelines apply to everyone in the SM league community. Be it a referee, player, staff or management. That’s one thing.
– Another thing is the rule book. In the section of the rule book, unsportsmanlike behavior is a subsection that takes a stand on words, sign language or something similar. Based on their instructions, the judges act and judge on the ice, as in this case.
Is it clear to the judges what can and cannot be said in the rink?
– Yes it is. We have referee trainers. Our judges meet regularly for training sessions. When cases come up in the games, they are dealt with, learned from and continued. I consider it clear that the judges have clear instructions on how to act.
You mentioned several times the future debates about what is allowed in the rink and what is not. How do you instruct clubs and players in the future, what is allowed to be said and what is not?
– Two things. The second is the basis of ethical guidelines, but we will also have a discussion with the players’ association and other different parties. We will see if it is necessary to change the guidelines.
– Policy changes can be presented to the SM league board, if such are necessary. But, as said, we have had a good discussion about these issues. This will also be the case in the coming days. I would believe that we will be able to get sufficient clarity, if there is not already one.
The term used by Reunanen has been talked about in public in such a way that this kind of talk is still a part of hockey locker rooms. What is the SM league, which talks about zero tolerance, going to do so that such speech is no longer allowed?
– Now there are certainly different perceptions of what has been allowed. Society has changed over the years. We live by the rules of today’s society.
– I would see a similar development in this to what is going on in society anyway, what is permissible speech and what is not. Perhaps this is precisely why this kind of discussion needs to be continued.
How do you make sure that this kind of discriminatory speech, which you also think does not belong in the SM league, does not happen again in the future?
– Ethical operating principles will certainly be discussed in the SM league community. Clubs, players association. The question is how our ethical operating principles have taken root in the entire community. Surely more of that discussion is needed.
How do you feel that the ethical operating principles have taken root? When this happens, are the principles well established?
– The decision to implement the guidelines is already old, from last winter. We have prepared for this in the summer. We have jointly agreed that the guidelines will be implemented in the clubs. There are players and other staff. I believe and trust that there will be a foothold in the clubs. It is the best way to reach all people so that everyone has the same level of knowledge.