KKV has concluded its investigation into the SM league

The release states that the investigation will not be continued because the League has decided on measures that will improve the conditions for a functioning competition.

With the changes made by the league during the investigation, it limits its own authority. Among other things, the license conditions will be accepted and applied in the future by a party outside the League.

The big change is that in the future you can play in the League on the basis of a license fee. So the clubs are no longer obliged to redeem the league share.

Clubs aspiring to the SM League therefore no longer have to commit to a requirement that may limit competition.

“Furthermore, the League has also decided to make other significant changes to the organization of the SM League. Starting from the 2027-2028 season, the League will switch to a two-level series format, where movement between series levels takes place by direct promotion and relegation without separate qualifiers,” the announcement says.

In the year 2024 KKV started an investigation into whether the SM league has been organized in a way that restricts economic competition. It also received a request for action from the Players’ Association (Suomen Jääkiekkiolijat ry) to clarify the matter.

According to KKV, it is no longer necessary to continue the investigation, and the agency will remove the case from consideration.