In the SM league match between KalPa and Luko, a special situation was seen in the opening set, when Luko’s defender Tarmo Reunanen got a 5+20 minute penalty for saying something to KalPa For Juuso Mäenpää.
The hall’s announcer said the reason for the punishment was racist behavior, as Rauma Lukko also said in the message service X. After the match, Lukko published a press release in which it said that the reason for the punishment was initially reported to be racist behavior, but the reason was corrected to unsportsmanlike behavior.
CEO of the SM League Mikko Pulkkinen told Urheilu that he has never heard of a similar case.
– We do not accept racism or discriminatory behavior in any form. There is zero tolerance for that. I don’t know more about it yet, I’ll get a report today and I’ll hear the judges myself. Then we will start dealing with the matter, Pulkkinen said.
Will you tell the public what Reunanen shouted?
– This is the first case that came up. We will look into this carefully. The league has ethical operating principles that take a stand on these issues.
Is it possible that there will be additional sanctions?
– The disciplinary delegation will deal with the matter first, but I intend to be involved in finding out the matter myself.
Does the disciplinary decision possibly limit what can be shouted in the rink?
– We do not accept discrimination or discriminatory behavior in any form. There is absolutely zero tolerance for that. And it already starts from the League’s ethical operating principles. We have rules about inappropriate behavior in the rink that the umpires operate under today. Then we have a disciplinary process and delegation that deals with the things that go there.
Will this be a case in point?
– Yes, this gives me an idea of how seriously we take such things.
This is how the parties commented
After the match, Lukko published about it bulletinin which Tarmo Reunanen apologized for his inappropriate behavior.
– I am very sorry for my behavior. The words I used do not belong in the hockey rink or anywhere else. I apologize to Luko’s supporters, the KalPa team, the entire Liiga community and my own team, Reunanen says in the press release.
Urheilu asked Juuso Mäenpää if he was the target of shouting.
– I’m not sure who he was yelling at. The audience also roared, they didn’t really hear it, Mäenpää stated.
In social media, the height of the 169-centimeter Mäenpää, one of the shortest players in the league, was highlighted, and that it would have been the reason for the shouting. Was the yelling involved?
– I guess it wasn’t about that. I didn’t really hear what he said, but the judges did and made a decision.
Mäenpää also commented on the matter For MTV Sports and in C More’s match broadcast. Mäenpää stated that he did not think that the situation would result in such a big punishment for Reunanen.
– Well, I didn’t know, but now you know that you should think about what you say, play just a little more hockey, and not think about what you say to others.
Luko’s head coach Tomi Lämsa said in the post-match press conference that he would leave the commentary on the event to the referees.
– If I comment here, I’ll probably get a “penalty”. The judges went by the playbooks and this is how they saw the situation. I don’t think there’s more to it than that, Lämsä said.