Markku Kanerva
Encyclopedia
Markku Kanerva is a Finnish
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...

 football manager and former player. He is currently managing the Finnish national team
Finland national football team
The Finland national football team represents Finland in international football competitions and is controlled by the Football Association of Finland....

.

Playing career

Kanerva, who is known by the nickname "Rive", was born in Helsinki
Helsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...

. In Finland he played as a central defender and full back in his hometown clubs HJK (1983–1990 and 1994–1998) and the season 1994 in the then local rivals FinnPa
FinnPa
Finnairin Palloilijat, or FinnPa as the club is more commonly known as, was a Finnish association football club established in 1965. The club was based in Helsinki and it operated from 1965 to 1998....

. The seasons 1991 and 1992 he played in the Swedish team IF Elfsborg
IF Elfsborg
IF Elfsborg is a Swedish football club located in Borås. The club has won five national championship titles, the latest in 2006, and two national cup titles. Currently playing in the highest Swedish league, Allsvenskan. Elfsborg is based at Borås Arena...

. At international level Kanerva went on to win 59 caps, and scored one goals for the Finnish national team
Finland national football team
The Finland national football team represents Finland in international football competitions and is controlled by the Football Association of Finland....

. His last years as a player were shadowed by injuries but he was still an important part of the HJK defence. His playing career ended in 1998 which included the historical Champions League
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...

 participation. At the Finnish top league he played total of 291 matches and scored 29 goals.

Coaching career

Kanerva worked as a school teacher already during his playing career, but since then he has been concentrating on football coaching. In 2001 and 2002 he was an assistant coach of Jyrki Heliskoski
Jyrki Heliskoski
Jyrki Heliskoski is a Finnish football coach. He's currently coaching the Finnish national under-19 team.Heliskoski worked briefly as the head coach of the Finnish national team from July 2005 to January 2006. He then continued as an assistant coach under Roy Hodgson until November 2007...

 and Keith Armstrong
Keith Armstrong
Keith Thomas Armstrong is a former footballer who played in the Football League for Sunderland, Newport County and Scunthorpe United, and in Finland for a number of clubs...

 in his former club HJK, and in 2003 he was the head coach of the East Helsinki club FC Viikingit
FC Viikingit
FC Viikingit is a Finnish football club, based in Vuosaari, East Helsinki. The club was founded as Vuosaaren Viikingit in 1965, but in 1998 the football section was separated from the rest of the club and continued under the name FC Viikingit. Usually, the team is referred to as just Viikingit...

. As the head coach of under-21 side he led the team to the 2009 European Championships final tournament. In the same year he was awarded the Coach of the Year in Finland.

On 29 November 2010 it was announced that Kanerva would coach the Finnish national team for the Spring period in 2011 while the Finnish FA will be seaking a new head coach. Mika Laurikainen will take his place as the U21 coach
Finland national under-21 football team
The Finnish national under-21 football team is the national under-21 football team of Finland. The team qualified for the UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship final tournament in 2009.-UEFA U-21 Championship Record:...

.

Sources

Veikkausliigan verkkonäyttely: MARKKU KANERVA
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