The rules group of the Finnish Volleyball Association considered the official of the women’s league club to have committed sexually inappropriate behavior.
Emma Hyuppa,
STT Sports
14:39•Updated 14:45
The Finnish Volleyball Federation has imposed a three-year ineligibility for representation in the bodies of the Finnish Volleyball Federation as a representative or trustee of the women’s championship league team as a punishment for inappropriate behavior.
The volleyball association ordered the official to personally pay a fine of one thousand euros. The club was fined 3,000 euros to be paid to the Volleyball Association.
CEO of the Finnish Volleyball Association Karri Virtanen does not comment on which major league club the disciplinary case relates to. The association’s rules group has decided that the name of the club and the official will not be made public.
Suek’s head of investigation Jouko Ikonen confirmed to STT on Friday that only one investigation of an ethical violation related to volleyball has been conducted during the fall. The investigation concerned the Hämeenlinna Volleyball Club, and according to Ikonen, less than ten people were heard in the investigation.
reported in September that the Finnish Sports Ethics Center (Suek) is investigating an ethical violation that occurred inside the Hämeenlinna Volleyball Club.
According to the Finnish Volleyball Association’s CEO Virtanen, the punishment does not prevent the official from continuing with his club.
– The question is not about the trustee ban, but only about working in positions of trust in the union’s institutions. There is a clear difference between them. This does not prevent working on volleyball, says Virtanen.
Urheilu caught up with the Manager of the Hämeenlinna Volleyball Club on Friday Ville Kalliomäkiwho did not want to comment on the matter.
The rules group of the Finnish Volleyball Association made a decision on the official’s ineligibility to represent based on the investigation report prepared by the Finnish Sports Ethics Center (Suek).
The volleyball association’s rules group considered that the official has used inappropriate and sexually tinged insinuations when speaking to the player and writing on an electronic device between spring and autumn 2021.
According to the Finnish Volleyball Association’s press release, the reprehensibility of the inappropriate behavior was not mitigated by the fact that the official had stopped the inappropriate behavior after realizing that the player disapproved of the behavior. On the other hand, the fact that the player’s position in the club is subordinate to an official increased the reprehensibility.
The parties involved have the right to appeal and the right to appeal the decision to the Sports Legal Protection Board.