Joker’s league project for the 2023–24 season is already in a hurry, as the application to the League’s license committee must be submitted by the end of October.
The Jokerit brand is owned by the junior organization Helsingin Jokerit ry, which in turn has leased its rights to Jokerit Hockey club oy, owned by Jari Kurr.
When the League stated last month that it does not accept any link to Russia similar to the Jokers’ previous KHL project, it practically shut Kurr out of the new league project.
Naurava Narri oy negotiated for a long time and in good spirit with Jokerit ry, which, however, unexpectedly ended the cooperation negotiations last weekend.
The Naurava Narri oy project includes, among others, Joker player legends Teemu Selänne and Keijo Säilynoja.
According to Iltalehti’s information, the association’s contract with the Joker’s future league club should basically include the same legal provisions that were also valid with the association and the Joker’s previous SM league organization until 2014.
In addition to the rights to use the brand, there are also practical issues, such as the salary of some people working in junior coaching, the expenses of the U20 team, the distribution of players’ NHL transfer compensation, and so on.
There was no problem between the association and the project led by the joker legends. The contract containing the clauses on financial compensation was no longer signed.
The financing of the project was in good shape, and the negotiations about the venue for the home matches had also progressed well.
In their first season – or seasons – of their return, the Jokerit would have played in the Helsinki ice hall, i.e. with HIFK in the Nordis, until the Helsinki hall, i.e. the former Hartwall arena, would have been freed from the Russian sanctions to host the Jokerit again.
After all this, the association’s announcement about the end of the negotiations came as a crushing surprise to Naurava Narri oy.
That’s how it seemed to come to Liiga as well, in the tone of the press release sent out on Sunday, one could feel the disappointment of the failure of the Laughing Jester project – after all, the Joker’s return to the series would be a big deal.
Regarding the other entity or investor group that contacted the Liiga, the Liiga only stated that its composition and background are not known to the Liiga.
Ilta-Sanom according to the background of this second party, the former owner of Jokerie Hjallis Harkimo, who admittedly denied his involvement in the same story and also to Iltalehde.
The league’s reluctance towards the project could easily be explained by Harkimo, who eight years ago took the Jokerit to the KHL – the connection to Russia is too obvious for him too.
Jokerit ry has not commented on the reason why it changed the party with which it is negotiating the club’s return to the League.
However, the conclusion is clear: money.
It is probably about Jari Kurr’s company’s money and not Jokerit ry’s money, because hardly any entity will pay the ry for signing a contract with Kurr.
The story continues after the picture.
The return of the Jokers to the League would also bring back Helsinki’s local matches. The picture is from Jokeri’s last league season, 2013–14. Petteri Paalasmaa / AOP
According to Iltalehti’s information, Naurava Narri oy interpreted that Kurri’s rights to the name and brand of the Jokers are related to the fact that his JHC oy has a functioning main league level representative team.
Since this is not the case, Naurava Narri was not ready to pay Kurri’s company the amount he demanded for these rights and business, which According to IS is at least half a million euros.
The negotiations with Jokerit ry therefore most obviously ended with Naurava Narri oy not reaching an agreement with Kurri.
The new company that joined in the last meters is apparently paying better.
It seems that Jari Kurri decides this point about the future of the Joker’s representative team and juniors.
His company already manages the U20 team financially and operationally.
Ultimately, however, Jääkiekon SM-liiga oy decides at its shareholders’ meeting which entity-led project it will accept as a new member – or whether it will accept anything at all.
The discussion about the return of the Jokers is now heated around which entity is leading the project, but Liiga has a bigger question to solve.
According to information from Iltalehti, the league board will have to take a stand on whether the process is fair from everyone’s point of view – that is, how can you enter the League in the first place.
You can’t drop out of the league and you can’t get there just by playing. The qualifiers are not played, but you can enter the League through the application procedure.
In 1995, the Finnish Competition Authority took a position in a dominant market position when it dealt with the Basketball Association’s decision on a closed series system.
– In that decision, the Competition Authority states that a closed series is fundamentally against the competition law in Finland, sports law expert Olli Rauste stated a few years ago For MTV Sports.
The Finnish Competition Authority did not take any further action because the Basketball Association changed its series system, but the SM league must be careful with the matter.
In a dominant market position, it is subject to a special obligation of reasonableness and equity.
If the Jokerit gets a place from the League directly, it will set a precedent, where all operators must have the same opportunity.
It would mean that by fulfilling the same conditions, any party, regardless of the city and background conditions, should get a league place.
– In the case, all the legal aspects related to the possible league license application and its possible approval are still being clarified. There is no shortcut to the League and there won’t be, League chairman Heikki Hiltunen emphasized in the League’s press release on July 13.
I wouldn’t be surprised if the League would still state that there is only one route to the League: you can’t get there other than by first beating Mestis.
For Joker’s still pending project, it would know a twist of at least a year and probably more years.