Jokerit chairman urges fans not to provoke or be provoked after abusive chants

Jokerit’s long-awaited return to Finland’s SM-liiga brought a large traveling following to Vaasa, but the game also exposed tensions surrounding the Helsinki club’s past in Russia’s KHL.

Jokerit last played in the Finnish top division during the 2013-14 season before moving to the KHL. Tuesday’s game against Vaasan Sport ended without fights or physical confrontations. Sport security chief Janne Suorauha said the event went better than expected, while police said they had deployed sufficient resources and observed no unusual disorder during the match.

The atmosphere was not entirely trouble-free. Tensions appeared between the home and visiting supporters before the game, and the harshest chants reached MTV Katsomo’s live broadcast. Sport’s fan section used offensive language while Jokerit supporters jumped and sang at the opposite end of the arena, with references to Jokerit’s former KHL history.

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We hope, of course, that neither our own nor the opposing supporters will let inappropriate behavior get out of hand, even though there is a lot of emotion involved. Games are family events, and we want small children and families to be able to attend them with peace of mind.

Jokerit chairman Mikko Saarni said chants can create a powerful atmosphere, but insisted that abusive behavior should be kept to a minimum. “We hope, of course, that neither our own nor the opposing supporters will let inappropriate behavior get out of hand, even though there is a lot of emotion involved. Games are family events, and we want small children and families to be able to attend them with peace of mind,” Saarni said.

He added that the club has discussed the issue regularly with supporter groups. “We hope, of course, that we will not be provoked, that we will not provoke others, and that we will not touch other people physically,” Saarni said. Suorauha said it is difficult to intervene in spontaneous shouting from the stands.

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We hope, of course, that we will not be provoked, that we will not provoke others, and that we will not touch other people physically.