Riihimäen Cocks will play handball in the men’s Finnish Champions League playoffs, but the team’s head coach Kaj Kekki has decided to leave the team just before the semi-finals.
7.4. 14:58 • Updated 7.4. 15:06
Kaj Kekki unexpectedly leaves his position as head coach of Riihimäki Cocks in the playoffs.
Kek became the head coach of the reigning Finnish champion in January last year, when Boris Dvorsek was relieved of his duties.
The coach’s run ended prematurely. Kekki was still at the helm of Cocks in the semifinals of the SM League when Cocks finished the HIFK season. Four days later, he left the club.
According to Sporten, Kekki thanked the team on his Facebook page and said that he left for personal reasons. He also wrote that he did not want to comment on this further.
Chairman of the Cocks Jari Viita comments on Keke’s announcement quite crypically:
– To quote a good friend word for word: as speed increases, shit falls from the cart, Viita wrote.
When Sporten asked Viida what he meant by the comment, he replied:
– You’re a journalist, it’s your job to think about it.
Viita also did not answer the question of who will coach the team when Cocks’ semi-final games against Karelian BK-46 begin.
– See you on April 23rd.
In the second semi-final pair, Dicken and GrIFK will face off. Three wins are required for the handball finals. Riihimäki Cocks has won Finnish Championship gold in 2007–10, 2013–19 and 2021. Kaj Kek, on the other hand, has 12 Finnish championships and eight Finnish Cup wins under his belt. He has also coached the youth and men’s national team.