Markku Kanerva does not give much to the reporting that Finnish leaders drank beer on a day off during the national team camp in Portugal. “They have drawn incredible conclusions,” says the confederation captain.
Finland’s national team captain Markku Kanerva is often a low-key and calm man in interviews, but ahead of Thursday’s international match against Estonia, he was on the offensive.
The reason? Headlines on the Football channel.
In a daily podcast from the January camp wondered the Football Channel’s journalists with the profile Olof Lundh at the head how the Finnish national team management drinks beer in the national team’s clothes.
The headlines about a “Finnish beer scandal” had reached Kanerva and it made him see red.
– I don’t usually comment on laughable things, but I have to comment when our players have also been dragged into this. It’s idiotic that this kind of unfounded stuff appears in social media, says Kanerva.
Similar headlines six years ago
No players are mentioned in the podcast, but on Twitter Arttu Hoskonen’s name has appeared without any reason to accuse him of drinking beer.
– Now it must be a drought when there are headlines like this. Unfounded and unfair headlines, says Kanerva.
Olof Lundh is one of the journalists in the Football Channel’s team.
Image: Sebastian Backman / Yle
Qatar, Olof Lundh
According to Kanerva, the national team had the afternoon and evening off on Tuesday. Parts of the national team’s leadership staff had played padel.
– When we got back to the hotel, we each had a small beer. Apparently a Swedish journalist had seen it and then drawn incredible conclusions, says Kanerva.
It is not the first time that Fotbollkanalen’s reporter team has talked about how the Finnish national team drinks beer during a January camp. Six years ago, there were a lot of headlines after the reporting from Abu Dhabi.
Want to see sharper Finland
Tonight, Finland ends the camp in the Algarve by facing Estonia.
The national team year started with a loss against Sweden. Then seven players debuted in the Finnish jersey and Kanerva promises more debutants against Estonia.
The national team captain calls for better play with the ball in the second game of the year.
– Our passes were not good enough. In one-on-one situations, we didn’t get past on the edges. And even in the defensive game there is reason to become sharper.
Finland-Estonia is broadcast at the Arena and the broadcast starts at 17.50.
