Pia Koivunen, a docent at the University of Turku, estimates that Roman Rotenberg’s comments reflect his frustration with the criminal suspicions concerning him in Finland.
The researcher estimates that Roman Rotenberg is frustrated. PDO
Head coach of KHL club SKA St. Petersburg, Russian businessman Roman Rotenberg at the turn of January and February, made fiery comments about Finland and Finnish ice hockey.
– The Finns have turned against the Russians as much as possible. It’s in their blood. We see what has happened to the Finnish national hockey teams. They are doing worse and worse, and it’s because they don’t get to challenge Russia, Rotenberg said to the Russian Match TV, referring to Finland’s junior national teams.
Russia and Belarus are closed for the time being from the activities of the International Ice Hockey Federation IIHF due to the war. Finnish member of the IIHF Council Heikki Hietanen told Iltalehti in February that the return of the countries cannot be considered possible in the near future, because the situation in Ukraine has not changed.
“He vents his disappointment”
Historian familiar with Russia, docent of general history Pia Koivunen The University of Turku analyzed Rotenberg’s rhetoric for Iltaleh.
– I would estimate that Rotenberg’s comment is related to the criminal suspicion regarding sanctions evasion, says Koivunen.
Helsingin Sanomat reported at the end of January that Roman Rotenberg is suspected of having committed a gross regulatory crime. According to HS, he has helped his father Boris Rotenberg to circumvent sanctions legislation.
Vladimir Putin close friends Arkadi and Boris Rotenberg used to own the Helsinki Hall (formerly the Hartwall Arena). The Rotenberg brothers’ Långvik Capital Oy and subsidiary Tanskarlan Centrum Oy were transferred to Roman Rotenberg’s name after the annexation of Crimea.
Roman Rotenberg is the vice-president of the Russian Ice Hockey Federation. His interests include the return of Russia to international arenas, but in Finland, for example, the discussion about the return of Russian athletes to the competition fields is strongly opposed.
– As someone who knows Finland, he knows how important hockey is in Finland, and in this way he will probably vent his disappointment when financial sanctions make it difficult to manage assets in Finland, researcher Koivunen says.
Peculiar claims
Roman Rotenberg criticizes other countries, including Finland, for copying.
– It is clear that our colleagues, the Canadians, Americans, Finns and Swedes took everything from us. And how are they playing now? Soviet passing, combination play and puck control, Rotenberg told Match TV.
Why does Rotenberg use such rhetoric?
– The comment about sports influences is complete nonsense. Sports is a transnational activity, where influences are taken from different sides, coaches coach outside their home countries and so on, Koivunen answers and continues.
– I think this is about frustration.
No reason to return
Roman Rotenberg is the head coach of SKA St. Petersburg. Emil Hansson / AOP
A year has passed since Russia launched a major attack on Ukraine. A low-intensity war has been going on in Crimea since 2014.
When Russia invaded Ukraine by force on February 24, 2022 with goals even greater than the annexation of Crimea, other countries reacted. Russia remained an outsider in sports. Now, however, even the International Olympic Committee has hinted at the possibility of the Russians returning.
– If we start from the fact that Russia as a country has been shelved from many sports competitions because of the war of aggression it started, I currently see no reason for ending the shelving. It would be important for Finland to continuously participate in discussions about Russia’s return and to present its own position, Koivunen states.
Koivunen adds that it is good for Finland to use its voice in hockey, for example. Finland, so to speak, as a big hockey country, has a lot of influence within the sport compared to, for example, football and Fifa, where Finland is a smaller player in a more widely competed sport internationally.
Tardif noise
It was in hockey that the Russia issue was prominently displayed recently.
President of the International Ice Hockey Federation Luc Tardif caused a stir when he visited Helsinki at the end of January by saying that it is not the IIHF’s job to exercise “moral reflection” in its decision-making, but decisions must be made before safety.
A historian who has also studied major sporting events analyzes this choice of perspective.
– Emphasizing the safety of athletes is a rhetorical means of avoiding taking a stand and trying to stay on a non-political line. I am a bit disturbed by the fact that politics is limited to a certain area, says Koivunen.
As a hockey country, Finland also has political influence in hockey. Finland can influence things as a member of the IIHF.
– It is contradictory that big sports organizations use political power within sports, but avoid taking a position in international politics, even though sports are not separated from it. Nations are represented in many sports and nationalism is somehow present then, Koivunen reminds.