Tallinn football club handed several penalties for violent U-15 league game

The Estonian Football Association's disciplinary and ethics committee has handed down multiple penalties to Tallinn JK Legion for acts of violence in the U-15 second-tier league.
The Estonian Football Association's commission ruled that the football match between FC Nõmme United and Tallinn JK Legion in the U-15 boys' age group, which turned violent and was halted after 60 minutes, will be recorded as a 12–0 victory for Nõmme United.
Legion coach Gleb Artjuhhov has been sanctioned with a ban on coaching and representing teams in competitions organized under the Estonian Football Association until October 25. All Tallinn JK Legion coaches are required to complete the association's child safety and welfare training and the club has been fined €1,000.
Legion's U-15 team will be removed from the Estonian championships on a probationary basis until the end of the year, provided that during the probation period neither the team, its coaches, nor the club's spectators commit any violations that could be considered unsportsmanlike conduct and warrant disciplinary action. In the event of a violation, the penalty will be enforced in full and the disciplinary committee reserves the right to impose additional sanctions.
Four players have been handed competition bans: three will be suspended until June 25 and one until August 25.
Uno Tutk, chairman of the disciplinary and ethics committee and the association's disciplinary and ethics inspector, said the aim of the punishment is not to push young people away from sports. "A penalty must still leave room to continue in one's chosen field. We also believe and hope that the club, coaches, parents and the community will draw the right conclusions from what happened and that together we will build a safe society and sporting environment for young people," he said.
The match in question was played between 13-year-old boys at the Männiku Stadium, Nõmme's home ground, and had to be abandoned 20 minutes before full-time after Legion players launched violent attacks on opposing players.
This included kicking and punching, with one player so seriously injured his leg is now in a cast, Postimees reported.
While Legion on Monday issued a statement apologizing for the "unsportsmanlike" behavior of its players, the statement also claimed its predominantly Russian players had been provoked by nationality-based slurs and insults.
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Editor: Kristjan Kallaste, Marcus Turovski









