Lauri Kerminen continues his career in Russia.
Lauri Kerminen has been an important piece for the Finnish national volleyball team for years. JAAKKO STENROOS / AOP
Star volleyball player Lauri Kerminen has signed an extension contract with Dinamo Moscow, which plays in the Russian volleyball league, the club informs on its website.
Kerminen, who plays as a libero, also represented the club last season and celebrated the Russian championship at the end of the season.
– Kerminen has secured his place as one of the best libero players in Europe. He has played a significant part in Dynamo’s success for the past two seasons, Dinamo’s head coach Konstantin Brijansky said in the club’s press release.
Kerminen joined the club in 2020.
– We are happy that, despite all the difficulties, he has decided to continue his career at Dinamo Moscow. As a club, we do everything we can to protect the player from negative influences so that he can fully focus on volleyball, Dynamo’s sports director Sergei Zaitshenko said.
Kerminen told for STT last spring, that Russia’s expanded war of aggression in Ukraine was on his mind throughout the spring. According to him, it was the most difficult period of his life mentally.
– That’s what it’s been like, especially on the mental side, things have been thought about day and night. When starting a new day, you couldn’t know what kind of feedback would come from which side, he told STT.
Kerminen also tried to terminate his contract, but the termination would have cost money, and in the end it was not successful.
The Finnish Volleyball Federation stated at the end of July that Kerminen cannot participate in national team activities. The Finnish national volleyball team played European Championship qualifying matches in August, and Kerminen was not part of the team.
– Lauri Kerminen is currently not participating in the activities of the national team by decision of the Volleyball Federation’s board, because he has announced that he is negotiating an extension of his playing career, and Russia is not an excluded option, the federation’s press release said.
In the spring, Kerminen also published a picture with the championship trophy on his Instagram account.
Kermi is considered one of the best volleyball players in Finland. He has been playing in Russia since the 2015 season. Before Dinamo Moscow, he represented Kemorov.