Kuopio Palloseura defeated FC Honga at the sunny Tapiola stadium in Espoo in Saturday’s Veikkausliiga match Urho Nissilän with a goal of 1-0.
The victory was already the fifth in a row for the Kuopio team and brought the team to the top of the league.
KuPS changed its head coach at the end of April, when Jani Honkavaara replaced the yellow and black at the helm Pasi Tuut. Under Honkavaara’s command, the people of Kuopio have not lost a single match and have conceded only one goal in these league games.
A surprising incident was seen alongside the tight meeting between the top teams of the series. During the opening period of the match, the Ukrainian flag was confiscated from KuPS supporters who traveled to Espoo to watch the match.
– After the Russian attack, we have had the Ukrainian flag in both home and away matches as a show of solidarity for the Ukrainians. Today in Espoo, the organizers had a different opinion and came to us in front of the stand to inform us that displaying the flag is not allowed, the KuPS SLO, or supporter’s contact person, who was on the spot at the match Nemo Nissinen tells Urheilu by phone.
– Everywhere else in Finland, where I have been to an away game, tickets are allowed in the stands. There were problems in Espoo today for some reason, and I don’t know exactly why.
– I myself was on the sidelines when the seizure happened. I don’t have any facts about it, but other supporters told me that taking the flag would be justified because it would “provoke a certain part of the audience”.
The order control of the match had confiscated the ticket from the supporters in the opening period of the game. However, the flag was later brought back to the stand and it was put in a new place on the fence of the stand. Nissinen also refers to the ban on political expressions presented in the stands of the Football Association, which had been used as the basis for taking away the Ukrainian flag.
Honga’s manager: “Organizational control made certain checks”
Urheilu also interviewed Honga’s general manager after the match Hexi Arteva. Arteva had also discussed the matter during the match on Twitter by responding to tweets published by KuPS supporters.
KuPS supporters have reported on social media that the Ukrainian flag was confiscated from them in the Honka match. They first had it on display in the match and it was returned to them after what happened. Can you tell me what happened?
– In accordance with the rules of the Finnish Football Association, a certain risk assessment was used and they were made through the contact person of their supporters. As a result, after certain investigations and motive investigations, the ticket has been returned.
There is a ban on “political statements” in the Finnish Football Association’s stand rules. Was it initially thought that the ticket would be related to it and because of that it was removed, after which it was concluded that the ticket in question is ok?
– Organizational control has made certain verifications, exactly in accordance with the process, and consulted the parties involved and experts.
The police had also arrived at the scene after the incident. Was this related to this incident mentioned earlier?
– As far as I know, there was no connection.
Is there something about the match or the event that Honga should clarify or that you would like to comment on?
– As far as I understand, the matter has now been fully processed.
Supporters were left in the dark
SLO people work in soccer clubs as liaisons between supporter groups and league clubs. However, Nissinen, who acts as the supporter’s contact person, had not found out in the match what the final reason for taking the ticket was.
– I didn’t get an answer to that. It’s good that Hexi Arteva communicated publicly what was behind it, but I didn’t get information about why the ticket was taken away. All I got was information that it would be removed, but no reason.
According to Nissinen, Kuopio supporters and law enforcement officers had absolutely no choice in the situation. There was also talk on social media that the police would have been called to Tapiola because of the incident, but this is not true according to both sides of the incident.
– I don’t blame the security guards, they just did what they were told. It saddens me that the rules of the Football Association cause such a contradiction that what is allowed elsewhere may be prohibited elsewhere. This is not Espoo’s fault, but in my opinion it is a conflict caused by the rules of the Football Association.
Honkavaara’s recipe for success
On the field, the team from Kuopio, which changed its coach in the middle of the season, managed to roll to its fifth victory in a row.
The problems of the early season seem to be over, as the first three matches produced two losses and one draw. Just after the match lost 0-1 to Honga at home, KuPS replaced coach Tuut with Honkavaara.
– This was not our best game, we were just looking for a result. Compared to the past, we have streamlined the game, KuPS’s Honkavaara explained.
– Every guy knows how to help the defense. We haven’t scored a single goal against us yet, Honkavaara continued about the recipe for success.
In addition to Nissilä, who scored the winning goal, the KuPS goalkeeper became the hero of the match Johannes Kreidlwho glued in the game by Florian Krebs Honga’s penalty kick.
Honkavaara has something to compare the current crew with its previous coaches.
– This is a hardworking, big team and Nissilä. Everyone is blowing on the same coal, we are really united, Honkavaara described.
AC Oulu’s home curse ended, HJK showed a rapid rise
In Saturday’s first match, FC Lahti and KTP played 0–0 in Lahti.
The visiting team KTP was perhaps more satisfied with the scoreless score. The goalkeeper who moved from Ilves to the Eagles’ line-up Rasmus Leislahti22, denied the hosts in the opening period Altin Zeqirin shot penalty kick.
AC Oulu has impressed with its fresh moves in the men’s football league, but the team had not pampered its home crowd for a long time. When last season is included, Oulu played no less than 531 goalless minutes on their home turf before the fire broke out on Saturday.
Ashley Coffey scored AC Oulu’s 1–1 equalizer in the VPS goal in the 66th minute of the game. The impact of the goal on the home team’s play was immediate. 13 minutes later Luquinhas hit the final scores of the game 2–1.
VPS already had time to dream of another consecutive victory before AC Oulu’s final game. Only 18 years old Roni Hudd gave the visitors the lead in the opening period with his second goal of the season.
After the opening period, HJK lost 0–1 against Inter, when Noah Nurmi scored already in the 6th minute of the game. HJK’s Try Soiri was injured and had to be replaced in the 27th minute.
In the second period, HJK marched to a 4–1 home victory. The goals were scored by men who are rarely seen in the goal column. Aleksi Paananen equalized in the 54th minute, topper Miro Tenho scored the winning goal in the 63rd minute. In the last decade, a wing pack Tuomas Ollila painted twice.
For the big favorite HJK, the performance of the second episode was certainly hugely meaningful. HJK, who lost to KuPS in their previous games and tied with KTP, returned to the top of the league with a point difference to Kuopio.
SJK continues as the only undefeated team in the series. Series three won Jaime Moreno hitting Ilves in Seinäjoki. SJK is three points away from HJK in the series, but has played two matches less.
Moreno was already on fire in the winter games, and the momentum has continued on the league turf as well. The Nicaraguan striker has scored in the last three matches and scored a total of four goals in the six games of the season.
IFK Mariehamn took their opening win of the season when they beat Haka 2–1.
You can see the league table at this link.
Veikkausliiga on Saturday 13 May:
AC Oulu–VPS 2–1 (0–1)
37. Roni Hudd 0–1
66. Ashley Coffey 1-1 79. Luquinhas
FC Lahti–KTP 0–0
SJK–Ilves 1–0 (1–0)
20. Jaime Moreno 1–0
Honka–KuPS 0–1 (0–0)
52. Urho Nissilä 0–1
IFK Mariehamn–Haka 2–1 (1–1)
25. Fallou Ndiaye 0–1
27 De 1–1
64. Timi Lahti 2–1
HJK–Inter 4–1 (0–1)
6. Noah Nurmi 0–1
54. Aleksi Paananen 1–1
63. Miro Tenho 2–1
83. Tuomas Ollila 3–1
90. Tuomas Ollila 4–1
Updated at 21:06. Added results for all games.