OneFootball
·7 Juni 2025
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·7 Juni 2025
The blunder.
Being a coach is not an easy job, but Outi Saarinen, coach of the Finnish women's team, really outdid herself.
For the draw against Serbia, the Finn made the completely crazy mistake of listing a 51-year-old player on the match sheet. How is that possible? We'll explain everything.
While she wanted to enter the name of Nanne Ruuskanen, a 23-year-old defender, Outi Saarinen got the first name wrong and wrote down the former player Stina Ruuskanen instead.
In a statement, the Finnish women's national team explained that "coach Outi Saarinen mistakenly entered a former player with the same last name, who was still available in the UEFA system, instead of Nanne Ruuskanen. As a result, Ruuskanen will not be able to play in tonight's (Tuesday) match against Serbia. The line-up confirmed by the UEFA system can no longer be changed. The player was informed of the incident on match day, when it was noticed."
Stina Ruuskanen, who earned her last cap 29 years ago, reacted to the situation with a lot of humor by telling the media outlet Ilta-Sanomat, "I am absolutely ready if they call me! Just yesterday, I played an amateur league match… so I have good game sensations."
For her part, the coach apologized to Nanne Ruuskanen, who therefore could not play in the match.
This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇫🇷 here.
📸 PIERO CRUCIATTI - AFP or licensors