Ice hockey coach punished for extremist stickers

Ice hockey coach Tomáš Turňa has been suspended until the end of the year for his teenage players wearing stickers of the far-right People's PartOur Slovakia (ĽSNS) on their helmets, according to a decision taken by the management of the ice hockey club Brezno (HKB). All players will take a trip to the Auschwitz concentration camp museum. "This was done without my knowledge. One of the players brought the stickers and placed them on the helmets in the changing rooms. They were asked to remove them. Some players have done so, but some have not. At that moment I did not pay enough attention. I certainly did not want to damage the name of the club. We had a discussion with the players in which I explained to them the seriousness of the situation and possible consequences. Personally, I distanced myself from the promotion of political or movement through youth sports clubs", said coach Tomáš Turňa.