Finland accidentally call up 51-year-old retired player for Serbia match
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Photo: Instagram/nanneruuskanen |
The surprising blunder occurred when coach Outi Saarinen inadvertently submitted the name of former international Stina Ruuskanen instead of 23-year-old Nanne Ruuskanen, a rising star at Swedish club Djurgården.
Line-up Error Goes Unnoticed Until Deadline
The error, which officials only realised after the submission deadline had passed, meant Nanne Ruuskanen was ineligible to play in the 1-1 draw in Helsinki on Tuesday.
The two players are not related, but share a surname and similar playing positions, which may have contributed to the confusion.
Saarinen later issued a public apology in a statement from the Finnish Football Association.
Nanne was, of course, disappointed but took the news very well considering the circumstances. I am very sorry for the mistake.
Stina Ruuskanen Takes it in Good Humour
Stina Ruuskanen, who last played for Finland nearly three decades ago, laughed off the administrative mix-up when speaking to Finnish outlet Ilta-Sanomat.
I'm definitely ready if the call comes! Just yesterday I was playing in a hobby league match... so my game feel is good.
The 51-year-old won two senior caps for Finland in the 1990s, but hasn't played competitive football in years - making the error all the more surprising.
Despite the confusion, Finland managed to secure a hard-fought draw against Serbia, but the incident has prompted calls for more thorough review procedures ahead of future international fixtures.
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