Justus Niemeläinen, 20, Joensuu Maila’s second-placed scorer, survived as if by a miracle with just a start from the volley he made in the second period of the match at Vimpel’s Saarikenta.
On Tuesday, modification work was done on the river embankment of Vimpeli Saarikentä. The new bench is steep and also slippery, which brings its own challenges. Tom Olli
- Justus Niemeläinen, Joensuu Maila’s second-ranked player, made a violent turn in Monday’s semi-final opening while chasing the ball.
- Fortunately, the man is fine.
- The river embankment on the second side of the island underwent changes at the same time.
– Everything is fine, I survived with a start. I’m fit for Wednesday’s game, Justus Niemeläinen tells.
Niemeläinen’s episode happened when he was chasing the ball with speed.
– Seizures take place alternately. I started chasing the ball as usual. I caught the ball, then my foot hit the river embankment, then I staggered and flew a volte forward. However, I didn’t trip over the ball wound next to me, even though it otherwise hit my path.
– At the same time, I instinctively try to spin as much as I can so that I don’t fly down headfirst. Luckily it worked, I got down feet first.
The story continues after the picture.
Justus Niemeläinen says that the conditions at Saarikentä are special. Saimi Airaksinen / AOP
Niemeläinen does not directly criticize the conditions at Saarikentä, although he says they are special.
– You don’t have to be careful like this on any other field. It is also difficult to change your game to a certain one on a certain field.
– Even though the conditions were reviewed again before the game, it is difficult to get used to it for a while and at the same time change your own way of playing. The situation is different for Vet people, because they are used to the conditions.
He says he thought about what could have happened.
– After all, it has been thought about. Fortunately, I escaped with such a small amount. Still, in a game situation, you don’t have time to think about what could happen, because it’s not part of my principles to give up the situation in the middle of the match.
Stones away
Vimpel’s municipal manager Sam Leijonanmieli and Veto’s chairman Jari Lakaniemi consider the changes to be good, but also emphasize the players’ responsibility. Tom Olli
On Saarikent, the renovation works of Savonjoki and the river embankment began on Tuesday morning. In addition to the Niemeläinen episode, the Hyvinkää Tahko that happened earlier in the summer also gave additional momentum to the work Teemu Nurmion a violent crash on the river embankment. The mayor of Vimpel municipality, which owns the field Sam the Lionheart says the phone ringing loudly after Monday’s game.
– The event made a big splash. Right after the game, I received a lot of calls demanding action. We ended up with stones being removed from the bottom of the river and those on the bank being pushed down. In addition, the river bed is leveled.
– At the same time, it is a fact that the river and the river banks have been features belonging to Saarikenttä for decades. The conditions just have to be taken into account, although they must of course be sufficiently safe.
Leijonanmieli says that river embankments are demolished every other year.
– The river still brings new stones and stumps. Erosion also affects. There is constant change going on.
When asked what the mayor thought when he saw Niemeläinen’s vault, he says that concern came to mind.
– It looked wild. I just hoped nothing worse had happened. If there had been a rock underneath, it could have hurt badly. Still, sport is sport, it hurts and happens.
New situation
Chairman of Vimpelin Veto Jari Lakaniemi says that safety is important, although he also emphasizes the players’ responsibility.
– We always go over the conditions with the opponents before the game, so they don’t come as a surprise. Even though every player must have a responsibility, it is clear that the changes made now are necessary, because injuries can happen to players as well.
He says that the incident also raised general criticism towards Veto.
– This has been an assault weapon for some parties to criticize Veto. We accept everything and move forward on our own path.
Vimpelin Veto’s guardian of the super nest team Mikko Liikala says the new riverbed brings different challenges.
– The situation is new for everyone. This also means training for us. The ball is now fetched from the river with a learning mindset, because the bank is slippery and steep. However, I see the removal of large and lumpy stones as a good thing for safety.