Several Finnish hockey players have signed a player contract with Russia for the coming seasons before Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, writes Urheilun Joska Saarinen.
1.5. 19:27 • Updated 1.5. 19:35
Many Finnish hockey lovers wondered on May Day when they were reading the news whether the party drink had been consumed perhaps a little too much.
The announcement by the Russian KHL club Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg was so irrational that it was hard to believe it to be true.
After processing the bulletin for a while, the real thing started to dawn. Juha Metsola’s agent Jarmo Kork confirmed to Sport what many already guessed. Metsola’s agreement was signed in January, before Russia invaded Ukraine.
The situation is probably the same for Jokipakka and Aaltonen. None of them are leaving for Russia.
More special releases are coming
At Jupaka, the contracts of hockey players are often locked in good time before the end of the season. Often, contracts for subsequent seasons are made as early as December-January.
Contracts are usually published in early May, as old contracts usually expire on April 30th.
For some reason, Avtomobilist decided to inform about the agreements, although the club certainly knows that the Finns do not want to play there.
Of course, this line of information is suitable for Russian theater, which is practiced in the country down to the state leadership.
It is argued that the KHL everyday life continues as normal, even though several foreign players have abandoned the series since the Russian invasion.
Metsola, Jokipakka and Aaltonen are not the only players in an embarrassing situation. Similar contract news is likely to increase in the coming days.
The IIHF must act
There has been a lot of public information about the termination of KHL agreements. Played in the SKA of St. Petersburg Mikko Lehtonen player agent Mika Rautakallio said To Iltalehti (go to another service)that the cost of terminating Lehtonen’s contract would have been two million euros.
The International Hockey Federation IIHF must react quickly.
The model can be taken from FIFA, the International Football Association, which outlined that foreign players and coaches can terminate their contracts without fear of accusations of breach of contract. However, it was only through this that Fifa’s lineage affected.
The IIHF should make clear how players should react to agreements with Russian teams signed before February 24th.
The only correct solution would be to follow Fifa’s path and announce that players can terminate their contracts without fear of sanctions.