Luleå captain Erik Gustafsson will say no to the World Cup

Of: Jonathan Nilsson

Published: January 15, 2021 at 6:20 p.m.
Updated: January 15, 2021 at 6:55 p.m.

Photo: SIMON ELIASSON / BILDBYRÅN

Luleå captain Erik Gustafsson.

Critical voices have been raised against the 2021 Ice Hockey World Cup in Belarus.

One player who would say no if he becomes relevant is Luleå team captain Erik Gustafsson.

– I would definitely not go to Belarus to play a hockey World Cup. I don’t think it’s okay, what’s going on there, he says.

Luleå team captain Erik Gustafsson, 32, is one of the SHL’s best defenders and has three World Cup tournaments and one Olympiad on his list of merits.

She has turned down the national team several times in recent years for family reasons as her son has been through difficult times after birth. But this season he has opened for a comeback.

– I have said that I would very much like to play for the national team if all goes well at home. It’s not like it just slides in and is very easy at home. It is still very tiring. But if he fits in well, I’d really like to play for the national team. It would be an honor to wear the Tre Kronor jersey again, he tells Sportbladet.

“Then I’ll say no”

In spring, the hockey World Cup is scheduled to be held in Belarus (formerly Belarus), where dictator Alexander Lukashenko was re-elected in August. The testimony speaks of widespread electoral fraud, human rights violations and abuses against protesters.

Both ice hockey leaders and politicians have raised many critical voices, but a decision has yet to be made on whether the championship will be held in Belarus.

A player who, on the other hand, is clear that he will boycott the tournament if it is played in the country is Gustafsson.

– I would definitely not go to Belarus to play a hockey World Cup. I don’t think what’s happening there is okay. If it is played there and I am selected, I will say no, he says.

“Don’t use it for the wrong purpose”

The 32-year-old thinks and develops his reasoning:

– I’ve been thinking about that. When I was younger in my career, I mainly focused on sports and took care of myself. But as you get older, you get a bigger picture of what is important. You learn things and gain more experience over the years. I read the term “sports wash” a few years ago. “You see what an incredible driving force sports are in the world and I don’t think it’s something that should be used for the wrong purpose,” says Erik Gustafsson.

The 2021 Hockey World Cup will be played between May 21 and June 6. Currently, Minsk (Belarus) and Riga (Latvia) are listed as host cities.

Published: January 15, 2021 at 6:20 p.m.

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