Tuomas Määttä will play ice ball in the Russian Super League next season.
Tuomas Määttä has won four World Championship medals in Finland’s shirt. PDO
Top hockey player Tuomas Määtä returned to the ranks of the club team SKA-Neftjanik.
The club announced the matter on its website on Wednesday and said that Määtä participated in team training.
Määttä, 26, answered the questions by text message and shed some light on the background of his return.
Why did you return to Russia to play?
– I returned to Russia because I had a valid contract.
Russia is waging a war of aggression in Ukraine. Did you consider leaving Russia because of the war?
– During the summer, we had to think about different solutions and as a result, I followed the agreement.
What is your contract situation? Did you sign a completely new contract with your team after last season?
– We already wrote about the extension with the club on February 1 last season.
Did you get contract offers from other countries?
– A couple of teams showed interest.
Iltalehti asked Määtä what thoughts Russia’s war of aggression evokes in him, whether he tried to cancel his contract or whether canceling the contract occurred to him, and whether he feels that he is supporting Russia’s war of aggression by playing in the country.
– There is no more to comment on, Määttä answered.
The Finnish player got into the middle of the commotion in March, because he stood with the rest of the team on the ice before the game in the formation of the letter z. At the same time, the Russian national anthem is playing.
The letter Z is a symbol used to express support for the president Vladimir Putin and to Russia’s military actions in Ukraine.
Määtt didn’t want to comment on whether he wants to join his club in supporting Russia’s war efforts.
National team career in danger
Määtta are the best ice ball players in the world. PDO
Chairman of the Finnish Ice Ball Association Antti Parviainen commented on Wednesday to Iltalehti that Määtä’s national team career is in danger because of playing in Russia.
Parviainen had talked to the player several times.
– When he made this decision, he was aware that the probable solution on behalf of the association is that he cannot represent Finland in the national team, Parviainen said.
– According to his own words, he accepts that solution.
The board of the Ice Hockey Association has not yet made an official decision on the matter. The board meets on August 19.
As of Wednesday, it was unclear what Määtä’s contract situation is.
According to Parviainen, the Ice Hockey Federation could have blocked the contract to Russia if it had been a new transfer. In this case, Määtä’s game permit papers would have gone through the association and the association could have decided not to accept the transfer.
However, this did not happen now. Määttä said that he signed an extension contract with SKA-Neftjanik in February. There was no new transfer, and the papers did not go through the union. The association approved Määtä’s transfer just over two years ago.
Määttä signed a contract with Russia in 2020 and has been playing in the country’s Super League since then.
Määttä has been chosen four times as Finland’s hockey player of the year. He has won four World Championship medals in his career in the Finnish shirt.