There have been many twists and turns in the excruciating quarrel between Hockeyettan and Boden Hockey.
Boden was unhappy with the TV deal and it led to submitting an application to leave the league organization as they felt the compensation from it was too poor.
So bad that they simply make better money broadcasting the matches themselves.
But Hockeyetta did not want to agree to that.
The issue, which ultimately applies to the Swedish league model, went all the way to arbitration, to the Svea Court of Appeal and the Court of Appeal for Övre Norrland, where Hockeyettan won in both instances.
Thus, the ice hockey association considered that the matter had been acted out, but the National Sports Committee wanted otherwise.
Unlike the courts, they gave Boden Hockey the right while accusing Swedish ice hockey of having a competition provision that is in conflict with the European convention.
An upsetting decision.
"There is only one way forward"
In a column on the Swedish Ice Hockey Association's website, chairman Anders Larsson attacks RIN:
"Ultimately, RIN's reasoning could challenge the entire so valuable Swedish sports model with the non-profit association as a basis," he writes, among other things.
RF also receives a lot of criticism:
"What will be the next issue where RF runs over our members and the decisions they made?".
Larsson's conclusion is as follows:
“There is only one way forward.
It is that Swedish sports once and for all state that it is the members of each special association who ultimately decide on the competition rules for their sport and how these are to be applied.
A line we in Swedish ice hockey will push ahead of the RF general meeting in 2023."
"Entangled themselves"
However, the Swedish Sports Confederation's chairman Björn Eriksson takes it all in stride.
- The National Sports Board's decision is what applies, you can dislike it but it's much like when you are convicted of murder in the Supreme Court, you can feel innocent but it is the verdict that applies until something else is decided, says Eriksson to SVT Sports.
If the hockey association wants to bring about a change, they are welcome to try, says Eriksson.
- They have every right to do that.
In every democracy, you can try to bring about a change, and as a board member, I have no views whatsoever on that.
The only important thing is that it is what the National Sports Board has decided that applies until they succeed in changing the system, says Eriksson and continues.
- A lot of this is about them entangling themselves, other confederations shouldn't be overly involved in this issue because no one else has these regulations.