Next week, FC Honka will travel to Kazakhstan for the Conference League qualifiers. The team flies through Russian airspace. According to the General Secretary of the Football Association, the clubs are responsible for their own travel plans.
Mika Halonen,
Samu Saatsi
Espoo’s Honka will meet Kazakhstan’s FC Tobol in the opening round of the men’s Conference League qualifiers. The first leg will be played on Tobol’s home ground, in Kostanai, located in northern Kazakhstan, on Thursday 13 July.
Defender of Honga Matias Rale said in what can be found in Supla In the Veikkausliiga podcast at the end of June, that Honka will fly to Kazakhstan through Russia. In the podcast, Rale was asked about the team’s travel plans.
– I think we go there a day earlier, if I remember correctly. When we looked at those flights, we thought, oh my god, we have to go around Ukraine completely. That it would be a really long flight. But it turned out a couple of days ago that we are flying from there through Russia, Rale explained in the podcast.
The European Union closed its airspace to Russian aircraft at the end of February 2022 in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Russia responded by closing its own airspace to European planes.
Because of this, a lot has been written in the public about, among other things, the extension of the flight times of Finnair’s Asian flights.
Manager of FC Honga Hexi Arteva briefly commented on the team’s trip to Kazakhstan to Urheilu.
– We fly with a Kazakh airline. I don’t want to say more about our flight plan. Kazakh, very high-quality (airline), which flies Western teams there quite regularly.
Arteva did not want to answer other detailed questions. However, Arteva also commented on the matter on Twitter.
– This is an overall assessment. The company is registered in Kazakhstan and pays its taxes there. Co. there are not many possible options for the field. On a general level, it can be stated that sometimes the choice should be made by choosing the least bad option, Arteva tweeted.
General Secretary of the Football Association Marco Casagrande responded with a message to Urheilu that the Football Association will not affect Honga’s travel plans.
– Clubs are responsible for their own travel plans.
Huuhkajat will face Kazakhstan in an away game in the EC qualifiers on September 7. After that, Huuhkajat hosts Denmark on September 10.
– We go on various scheduled flights and the return is by charter. We are circling Russian airspace, Casagrande said.
Updated at 18:28. Added Marco Casagrande’s comments.