René Fasel has refused to distance himself from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and when the ice hockey World Cup is decided in Helsinki and Tampere, the Swiss is not welcome, writes Inside the games.
– Officially, he is the honorary chairman of the IIHF and has therefore received an invitation. I know that behind the scenes he has been kindly told that he should perhaps think carefully about whether he should attend, Matti Nurminen, CEO of the Finnish Ice Hockey Association, told Yle.
Fasel was chairman for IIHF 1994–2021, and has since got a top job in the continental ice hockey league KHL.
“War can not diminish my love for Russia,” Fasel is said to have said.
He also criticized the decision to stop Russia and Belarus from upcoming competitions due to the war in Ukraine.
In an interview with Russian state media, Fasel said it was a “sad moment in the history of the IIHF” and noted that the then Soviet Union played against Canada and the United States during the Cold War.
“Even in such a tense situation as today, sport must convey the message of peace and the unification of people,” Fasel said.
Former Prime Minister of Finland Alexander Stubb wrote on Twitter after the news of Fasel’s KHL job leaked that the 72-year-old should be put on the EU sanctions list.
“He is a disgrace to the global ice hockey family,” Stubb wrote.
Fasel denies that he was employed by the KHL, but admits that he gives advice to the league.
The IIHF’s ethics committee has started an investigation of Fasel and whether his close ties to Putin meant that the union’s ethical rules were broken during his time as IIHF chairman.
If the ethics committee considers that a violation has taken place, the matter will be sent to the IIHF’s disciplinary committee for a decision on possible punishment.
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