Did motherhood affect the departure of the national team coach?

Anna Signeul from Sweden has been coaching Helmarei since summer 2017. PDO

In Yle’s Tuesday’s European Championship football pre-broadcast, a really big theme was addressed: motherhood in Finnish top sports. Presenter Riku Salminen basically, that the head coach Anna Signeul is a “contradictory personality” whose “management style has been criticized” and from whose team “a lot of coaches have left”.

From Pasila’s studio, Salminen clearly threw the ball a little unexpectedly, an expert Mayju for Sweden on the spot in Milton Keynes and inquired directly why he once left Signeul’s national team coaching group.

The Swede did not start to criticize Signeul, but threw a slur at the head department of the Football Association.

– This is more about the management of the organization and what kind of values ​​management is accepted by. They differ so much from how I think about things myself, the Swede began.

– Perhaps the most personal reason was when I became a mother a couple of years ago, how my predecessor reacted to it and how disappointed they were with my decision. These things are known to the management, and they are not reacted to, so it is better to continue elsewhere with the values ​​that I myself represent.

The Swede also recalled how, during his national team days, it was said that he would not become the coach who could have become without children.

– I became much better.

Chairman Lahti answers

Iltalehti reached the chairman of the Balloliitti Ari Lahten to answer the Swede’s call.

– I don’t understand these arguments at all. I find such accusations quite strong, Lahti commented.

– I have four children, and I value motherhood above all else. I have been running companies since 1992 and always realized that the future is in children.

Lahti stresses that the line of the Palloliitto or the Palloliitto’s management is not the one described by Ruotsailen Yle.

– These comments are probably related to conflicts between people, the relationship between Anna and Maiju.

Lahti admits that the Signeul-Suotsalainen confrontation was “quite seriously” at the time in Pallloliito.

– I myself have been involved in discussions related to team spirit. In more detailed discussions related to Maiju, Casa (Palloliitto’s general secretary Marco Casagrande) and personnel manager.

The value of the result

The Swede hinted to Yle that the result comes before everything else in Pallloliito.

– When talking about elite sports, the result is of great importance – but not at any cost, Lahti emphasizes.

– Of course, something like motherhood comes before the result, as well as, for example, honesty, humanity and respect for human rights.

The Swede was part of the national team coaching group in 2017–19. Most recently, he coached Stockholm’s AIK.

Iltalehti could not reach Ruotsalais to comment on his experiences in Signeuli’s coaching group.