The CHL final tickets sold to Tappara fans were expropriated back. The Swedes did not replace the flags with new ones.
Some of Tappara’s fans experienced a huge disappointment before the CHL final. Mika Kylmäniemi / AOP
- Tappara fans were accidentally sold tickets to the Luulaja fan stand.
- Henri Ilomäki is one of the fans who experienced disappointment. He uploads a harsh criticism of the flag farce.
- The problem would hardly have arisen if the final match had been played in Tampere.
Many Tappara fans experienced huge disappointment when the already purchased ticket for the CHL final match was unexpectedly cancelled.
It’s about the fault of the CHL and the Swedish club Luulaja, which organizes the final match. Some of the Tappara fans were mistakenly sold tickets to the home team’s stand. When the truth about cramming both teams’ supporters into the same place came out, Luulaja decided to cancel the tickets of Tappara fans who had already bought tickets.
The match was already sold out at this point, so many fans of the Tampere club were left empty-handed in the end. One of them was Henri Ilomäki.
– Tappara season ticket holders received a link via e-mail, where they can buy tickets to the grandstand for the away team in the final. I didn’t get tickets from this sale myself, but a little later a new email came in which tickets were available for other places. I was able to buy myself four tickets, Ilomäki says.
Ilomäki quickly booked travel and accommodation and took time off work for the final on February 18. The feeling rose moment by moment, until a message from Lulea hit the e-mail.
Henri Ilomäki is Miss Tappara. Peukku goes to the club, not to the CHL. Henri Ilomäki’s home album
The disappointment was huge when the Swedish club told Ilomäki that they were expropriating the tickets back. Instead, a replacement ticket from another part of the stand was not offered. Iltalehti has seen the document in question.
– When I bought the tickets, it didn’t say anywhere that they were being sold from the Luulaja fan stand. I understand that it is a security risk, but this was completely the fault of the Swedish club. Tickets should never have been put on public sale, Ilomäki laments.
Ilomäki estimates that there are around 150–200 Tappara fans who have experienced a harsh fate.
– This is a terrible farce. This causes quite a bit of annoyance, Ilomäki At first, frame your words diplomatically.
Then he formulates the opinion in pure vernacular.
– Feeling pretty pissed off.
Tappara: “We are disappointed”
The unfairness of ticket sales experienced by some fans has also been brought to the attention of Tappara’s office.
– We are particularly disappointed here at the end that something like this has come to pass, Tappara’s development and events director Aki Hautamäki upsets Iltalehti.
Hautamäki reminds that the CHL and the organizer of the final, Luulaja, are responsible for ticket sales for the final match.
– When we heard about this problem, we immediately contacted them. We are of the opinion that you can’t just take tickets away from the fans, but you have to arrange other seats for them. The situation is really challenging, Hautamäki laments.
Hautamäki is not aware if CHL or Luulaja still intend to come up with an alternative solution. The email Ilomäki received only talks about ticket replacement, so it will probably be the only consolation for disappointed fans.
– We are really disappointed with how the ticket sales for the final have been handled, says Hautamäki.
Why not at Nokia Arena?
Tappara will face Luulaja in the final match of the CHL. Mika Kylmäniemi / AOP
The final match will be played in Luleå at an arena that can hold around 6,150 spectators. The CHL decided to move the final match to Sweden, even though the capacity of the Nokia Arena in Tampere would be more than double.
Hautamäki does not speculate on the reasons for the choice.
– If the final had been played in Tampere, the spectator capacity would have been at a completely different level. Then such a problem would not have arisen, Hautamäki believes.
Ilomäki agrees.
– We have Europe’s largest hockey rink in Tampere. Now the final will be taken to a wooden barn in the middle of the Swedish backwoods. This doesn’t make any sense.
Ilomäki plans to watch the CHL final on television. Naturally, it’s nowhere near the same experience as cheering on axe-breasts on the spot.
– The last CHL match has now been watched from the spot. I don’t want to support an organization that operates like this at all, Ilomäki threatens.