The Finns were eliminated early from the European Football Championship, the quarter-finals are out of reach for them despite the game against Germany still to come. That is probably quite convenient for some, but it means an earlier farewell to the trainer. Her former assistant describes her as a despot.
Maiju Ruotsalainen chose the largest possible stage for her bitter accusation against the Finnish national coach. Her ex-boss, Anna Signeul's former assistant complained live on the public TV channel Yle, was a true tyrant. "When I became a mother, I was told that I could no longer be the coach I was without a child," she said - and sparked a heated debate that the football nation in holding breath.
be a mother? Incompatible with the job! speak finnish? Not in her presence! To work? Until late at night! The image that Ruotsalainen, other anonymous whistleblowers and the media paint of the Swede Signeul is that of a despot. There is a rough tone among the "rough-footed owls", as the national team is affectionately known - and the association, Ruotsalainen complained when broadcasting the 0-1 defeat against Denmark, is doing nothing.
It "definitely took a while to get used to Anna's level of demands and style," General Secretary Marco Casagrande admitted in the Ilta-Sanomat newspaper. The allegations were taken very seriously. President Ari Lahti reported that captain Tinja-Riikka Korpela, who once guarded the Bayern goal, had given Signeul "complete confidence" in two telephone calls.
But the head of the association acknowledged that Ruotsalainen was not the only complainant. The fact that Finland was already eliminated before the duel with the DFB-Elf on Saturday (9 p.m. / ZDF, DAZN and in the ntv.de live ticker) seems almost logical, although Signeul defended himself vehemently.
The allegations made her "sad because I have dedicated my life to supporting women and girls in football," said the 61-year-old, who also tries to be "a role model" as a boss. And English, not Finnish, is the working language in football.
Actually, said prosecutor Ruotsalainen, Signeul is right - she really isn't the coach she used to be: "I'm much better now!"
