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New Straits Times
7 days ago
- Sport
- New Straits Times
Finland mistakenly call up 51-year-old for international duty
HELSINKI: Finland women's national team manager has apologised for mistakenly calling up a long-retired 51-year-old for this week's game against Serbia. When submitting the lineup, manager Outi Saarinen mistakenly entered former player Stina Ruuskanen instead of 23-year-old Djurgarden defender Nanne Ruuskanen. The error was not discovered until past deadline. Ruuskanen, who received her call-up 29 years after playing two senior internationals for Finland, took the mix-up in good humour. "I'm definitely ready if the call comes! Just yesterday I was playing in a hobby league match ... so my game feel is good," she told the Finnish newspaper Ilta-Sanomat. The younger Ruuskanen, who is no relation, was unable to take part in the Nations League match, a 1-1 draw in Helsinki on Tuesday. "Nanne was, of course, disappointed but took the news very well considering the circumstances," Saarinen said in a statement from the Finnish Football Association. "I am very sorry for the mistake." - REUTERS
CNN
7 days ago
- General
- CNN
Finland women's soccer manager apologizes for mistakenly calling up retired 51-year-old instead of 23-year-old
The manager of Finland's women's national soccer team has apologized after mistakenly calling up a 51-year-old with the same surname as a 23-year-old who she meant to select. Outi Saarinen called up former player Stina Ruuskanen for the team's game against Serbia this week, instead of Djurgården defender Nanne Ruuskanen. The mistake was made too late for it to be corrected in time for the game, meaning Stina Ruuskanen was formally named in Finland's squad and Nanne Ruuskanen missed out. 'Nanne was, of course, disappointed but took the news very well considering the circumstances,' Saarinen said in a statement on the Finnish Football Association website. 'I am very sorry for the mistake.' Stina Ruuskanen – who last played for the Finnish national team 29 years ago when she made two appearances for the Helmarit and has been retired for years – took the call-up in good spirits. 'I'm definitely ready if the call comes! Just yesterday I was playing in a hobby league match … so my game feel is good,' she told the Finnish newspaper Ilta-Sanomat, per Reuters. Finland went onto draw against Serbia, missing out on the opportunity to win its UEFA Nations League group.
Metro
7 days ago
- Sport
- Metro
Finland manager 'very sorry' for calling up 51-year-old football player
Outi Saarinen, manager of Finland Women, says she is 'very sorry' for accidentally naming a 51-year-old retired football player in her squad. Saarinen made the blunder ahead of Finland's 1-1 Women's Nations League draw against Serbia on Tuesday – mistakenly selecting Stina Ruuskanen – who won the last of her two Finland caps 29 years ago. The Finland Women boss made a mix-up and was trying to select Nanne Ruuskanen, a 23-year-old current Finland defender with the same surname. Saarinen's error was not spotted before the teamsheet deadline passed, meaning that the younger Ruuskanen become ineligible to face Serbia. Saarinen, via a statement from the Finnish Football Association, said: 'Nanne was, of course, disappointed. 'But [she] took the news very well considering the circumstances. I am very sorry for the mistake.' There is no relation between the two players but the older Ruuskanen laughed off the incident, joking she'd be ready to play 'if the call comes'. 'I'm definitely ready if the call comes!' the 51-year-old told Finnish newspaper Ilta-Sanomat. 'Just yesterday I was playing in a hobby league match… so my game feel is good.' Football fans have poked fun at the incident on social media, comparing it to a scene from British satirical mockumentary comedy film Mike Bassett: England Manager. At one point, Bassett's secretary accidentally calls up to the squad two players called 'Benson and Hedges', aging players in the Third Division. When trying to work out who they are, Bassett realises she has mistaken the brand of cigarettes Benson and Hedges as the names of players. 'Reminds me of @mike__bassett giving caps to Benson & Hedges,' @BingIsBackBaby posted on X. 'Did she call up Benson and Hedges?' @awfulpigeon added on Reddit. Another user, @Zlint, asked: 'Is their coach Mike Bassett?' It's not the first time a football manager has selected the wrong player, with former England boss Fabio Capello previously making the same mistake. More Trending While working as the head coach of Russia's men's team between 2012 and 2015, the Italian called up Lokomotiv Moscow's reserve centre-back Andrey Semenov into a 23-man squad to face Armenia. Capello was actually attempting to pick a 24-year-old defender with the same name who played for Terek Grozny. The wrongly selected player had never even represented the Lokomotiv first team when he received the call up and said: 'I was surprised, to say the least.' Lokomotiv even published an article on their website celebrating the news, but they were forced to change it when the Russian Football Federation corrected the squad list and apologised for the mistake. MORE: Two helicopters collide in devastating mid-air crash in Finland MORE: Satellite images reveal scale of Russian troop build-up along Finland's border
Straits Times
04-06-2025
- General
- Straits Times
Finland mistakenly call up 51-year-old for international duty
Finland women's national team manager has apologised for mistakenly calling up a long-retired 51-year-old for this week's game against Serbia. When submitting the lineup, manager Outi Saarinen mistakenly entered former player Stina Ruuskanen instead of 23-year-old Djurgarden defender Nanne Ruuskanen. The error was not discovered until past deadline. Ruuskanen, who received her call-up 29 years after playing two senior internationals for Finland, took the mix-up in good humour. "I'm definitely ready if the call comes! Just yesterday I was playing in a hobby league match ... so my game feel is good," she told the Finnish newspaper Ilta-Sanomat. The younger Ruuskanen, who is no relation, was unable to take part in the Nations League match, a 1-1 draw in Helsinki on Tuesday. "Nanne was, of course, disappointed but took the news very well considering the circumstances," Saarinen said in a statement from the Finnish Football Association. "I am very sorry for the mistake." REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
