Veikkausliiga 2008
Encyclopedia
The 2008 season of Veikkausliiga
was the seventy-eighth season of top-tier football in Finland
. It started on 27 April 2008 and ended on 26 October 2008. The defending champions were Tampere United
.
finished at the bottom of the 2007 season
and therefore were relegated to Ykkönen
. Their place was taken by Ykkönen champions KuPS
. 13th placed Veikkausliiga team FC Viikingit
and Ykkönen runners-up RoPS
competed in a two-legged relegation play-offs for one spot in 2008 Veikkausliiga. RoPS won 2–1 on aggregate and therefore were promoted to Veikkausliiga.
and Ykkönen
runners-up FC Viikingit
competed in a two-legged play-offs for one spot in Veikkausliiga 2009
. KuPS won 2–1 on aggregate and thereby retained their league spot for 2009.
----
13 goals Aleksandr Kokko
(Honka
) Henri Myntti
(Tampere United
)
11 goals Mikko Hyyrynen
(Jaro
) Toni Lehtinen
(Haka
) Mikko Paatelainen
(TPS
) Rafael
(Lahti
)
9 goals Jarno Parikka
(HJK
) Hermanni Vuorinen
(Honka
)
8 goals Tarmo Neemelo
(MYPA
) Mika Ojala
(Inter Turku) Paulus Roiha
(HJK
)
Veikkausliiga
Veikkausliiga is the premier division of Finnish football, comprising the top 12 clubs of the country. Veikkausliiga is currently ranked as the 28th best league in Europe. Its main sponsor is the Finnish national betting agency Veikkaus, hence the league's name...
was the seventy-eighth season of top-tier football in Finland
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...
. It started on 27 April 2008 and ended on 26 October 2008. The defending champions were Tampere United
Tampere United
Tampere United is a Finnish football club, which played in the Veikkausliiga, the premier football league in Finland, until the 2010 season, but is currently excluded from participating in Finnish football. The club comes from the city of Tampere. The current head coach of the club is Jarkko Wiss,...
.
Promotion and relegation
AC OuluAC Oulu
AC Oulu is a Finnish football club, based in Oulu. The club's coach is Juha Malinen, and it plays its home matches at Raatin Stadion.-History :...
finished at the bottom of the 2007 season
Veikkausliiga 2007
The 2007 season of the Veikkausliiga , the 18th season in the league's history, began on April 21.-Final league table:...
and therefore were relegated to Ykkönen
Ykkönen
Ykkönen is the second highest level of the Finnish football league system , although it is the highest league managed by the Football Association of Finland.-Competition:...
. Their place was taken by Ykkönen champions KuPS
KuPS
Kuopion Palloseura is a Finnish football club, based in the 8th most populated city of Finland, Kuopio. KuPS plays in Finland's Premier League, Veikkausliiga. The team plays its home matches at Kuopion keskuskenttä...
. 13th placed Veikkausliiga team 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...
and Ykkönen runners-up RoPS
RoPS
Rovaniemen Palloseura is a Finnish football club, founded in 1950 and based in the town of Rovaniemi. In 2009 RoPS played in the Finnish Premier Division but got relegated to Ykkönen after being the lowest-placed team in the end of the season...
competed in a two-legged relegation play-offs for one spot in 2008 Veikkausliiga. RoPS won 2–1 on aggregate and therefore were promoted to Veikkausliiga.
Overview
| Club | Location | Stadium | Capacity | Manager |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FC Haka FC Haka Haka is a Finnish football club, based in the industry town of Valkeakoski. It is one of the most successful clubs in Finland, with nine Finnish championships and 12 Finnish Cup wins.- History :... |
Valkeakoski Valkeakoski Valkeakoski is a town and municipality in Finland.Valkeakoski is located south of Tampere and north of Helsinki in the province of Western Finland and is part of the Pirkanmaa region. The municipality has a population of... |
Tehtaan kenttä Tehtaan kenttä Tehtaan kenttä is a football stadium in Valkeakoski, Finland. It is currently used mostly for football matches and is the home stadium of FC Haka. The stadium holds 3 516 and was built in 1935.... |
3,516 |  Olli HuttunenOlli Huttunen Olavi "Olli" Huttunen is a Finnish football coach and former goalkeeper. He is the former head coach of the Finnish national team.... |
| HJK HJK Helsinki Helsingin Jalkapalloklubi , internationally known as HJK Helsinki, is a Finnish football club, based in the capital Helsinki... |
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... |
Finnair Stadium Finnair Stadium Sonera Stadium is a football stadium in Helsinki, Finland.The stadium was inaugurated in 2000. It has a capacity of 10,770 spectators... |
10,770 | Antti Muurinen Antti Muurinen Antti Muurinen is a Finnish football coach. He is currently the head coach of HJK Helsinki in Finland's Veikkausliiga.Muurinen is probably best known as the head coach of the Finnish national team... |
| FC Honka FC Honka FC Honka is a Finnish football club, based in Tapiola, Espoo. It was promoted into the Finnish premier division , for the first time in its history, at the end of the 2005 season. The club's manager is Mika Lehkosuo, and it plays its home matches at Tapiolan urheilupuisto... |
Espoo Espoo Espoo is the second largest city and municipality in Finland. The population of the city of Espoo is . It is part of the Helsinki Metropolitan Area along with the cities of Helsinki, Vantaa, and Kauniainen. Espoo shares its eastern border with Helsinki and Vantaa, while enclosing Kauniainen.... |
Tapiolan Urheilupuisto Tapiolan Urheilupuisto Tapiolan urheilupuisto is a multi-use stadium in Tapiola, Espoo, Finland. It is currently used mostly for football matches and is the home stadium of FC Honka. The stadium holds 5,000 and it was built in 1970.... |
6,000 | Mika Lehkosuo Mika Lehkosuo Mika "Bana" Lehkosuo is a Finnish football manager and former midfielder, currently managing FC Honka in Finnish Veikkausliiga.-Playing career:... |
| FC Inter | Turku Turku Turku is a city situated on the southwest coast of Finland at the mouth of the Aura River. It is located in the region of Finland Proper. It is believed that Turku came into existence during the end of the 13th century which makes it the oldest city in Finland... |
Veritas Stadion Veritas Stadion Veritas Stadion is a football stadium in Turku, Finland. It is situated in the district of Kupittaa, in an area dedicated to sporting venues... |
10,000 |  Job DragtsmaJob Dragtsma Job Dragtsma is a Dutch football manager, who was the coach of FC Volendam for around a year . He is the current manager of FC Inter Turku in Finland, with whom he won the national title in 2008, Finnish League Cup in 2008 and the Finnish Cup in 2009... |
| FF Jaro FF Jaro FF Jaro is a Finnish football club, based in the bilingual town of Jakobstad. It currently plays in the Finnish Premier League Veikkausliiga... |
Jakobstad Jakobstad Jakobstad is a town and municipality in Ostrobothnia, Finland. The town has a population of and covers a land area of . The population density is .- History :... |
Jakobstads Centralplan Jakobstads Centralplan Jakobstads Centralplan is a multi-use stadium in Jakobstad, Finland. It is currently used mostly for football matches and is the home stadium of FF Jaro. The stadium holds 5,000.... |
5,000 | Mika Laurikainen |
| FC KooTeePee FC KooTeePee FC KooTeePee is a Finnish football club, based in the town of Kotka. It currently plays in the Finnish First Division . The club's manager is Janne Hyppönen, and it plays its home matches at the Arto Tolsa Areena.- History :... |
Kotka Kotka Kotka is a town and municipality of Finland. Its former name is Rochensalm.Kotka is located on the coast of the Gulf of Finland at the mouth of Kymi River and it is part of the Kymenlaakso region in southern Finland. The municipality has a population of and covers an area of of which is water.... |
Arto Tolsa Areena Arto Tolsa Areena Arto Tolsa Areena is a football stadium in Kotka, Finland. It is the home stadium of KTP and FC KooTeePee. The stadium holds 4,780 and was inaugurated in 1952 for the Helsinki Olympics. The stadium's record attendance was made during the Olympic Games in the football match between the Soviet... |
4,780 | Tommi Kautonen Tommi Kautonen Tommi "Auge" Kautonen is a Finnish football manager and former player . He is currently the head coach of FC Lahti.... |
| KuPS KuPS Kuopion Palloseura is a Finnish football club, based in the 8th most populated city of Finland, Kuopio. KuPS plays in Finland's Premier League, Veikkausliiga. The team plays its home matches at Kuopion keskuskenttä... |
Kuopio Kuopio Kuopio is a city and a municipality located in the region of Northern Savonia, Finland. A population of makes it the ninth biggest city in the country. The city has a total area of , of which is water and half forest... |
Magnum Areena Magnum Areena Kuopion keskuskenttä is a multi-use stadium in Kuopio, Finland. It is currently used mostly for football matches and is the home stadium of KuPS. The stadium holds 5,000 and was built in 2005.... |
3,500 | Kai Nyyssönen Kai Nyyssönen Kai Nyyssönen is a Finnish former footballer who played at both professional and international levels as a striker. After retiring as a player, Nyyssönen became a football manager.His elder brother is fellow player Harri Nyyssönen.... |
| FC Lahti FC Lahti FC Lahti is a Finnish football club, based in the town of Lahti. It currently plays in the Finnish First Division after placing last in Finnish Premier League during season 2010... |
Lahti Lahti Lahti is a city and municipality in Finland.Lahti is the capital of the Päijänne Tavastia region. It is situated on a bay at the southern end of lake Vesijärvi about north-east of the capital Helsinki... |
Lahden Stadion Lahden Stadion Lahden stadion is a multi-use stadium in Lahti, Finland. In Winter the stadium is used in cross-country skiing and biathlon. In summer it is currently used mostly for football matches and is the home stadium of FC Lahti. The stadium holds 14,500 and was built in 1981.Stadium is also a well-known... |
15,000 | Ilkka Mäkelä Ilkka Mäkelä Ilkka Mäkelä is a Finnish football manager and former player, who is the current headcoach of Finland's youth teams.... |
| IFK Mariehamn IFK Mariehamn IFK Mariehamn is a Finnish football club, based in Mariehamn, capital of the Åland Islands. It currently plays in the Finnish Premier Division . The club's manager is Pekka Lyyski, and it plays its home matches at Wiklöf Holding Arena.... |
Mariehamn Mariehamn Mariehamn is the capital of Åland, an autonomous territory under Finnish sovereignty. Mariehamn is the seat of the Government and Parliament of Åland, and 40% of the population of Åland live in the city... |
Wiklöf Holding Arena Wiklöf Holding Arena Wiklöf Holding Arena is a multi-purpose stadium in Mariehamn, Finland. It is currently used mostly for football matches and is the home ground of IFK Mariehamn. The stadium has a capacity 4,000 people and was built in 1932.... |
1,600 | Pekka Lyyski Pekka Lyyski Pekka Lyyski is a Finnish football coach. He is currently the head coach of IFK Mariehamn in Finland's Veikkausliiga.In 2003 Lyyski took charge of the IFK Mariehamn and brought the team in two years from Kakkonen to Veikkausliiga for the 2005 season for the first time in club history.His son Jani... |
| MYPA MyPa Myllykosken Pallo –47 is a Finnish football club, based in the industrial town of Myllykoski, part of the city of Kouvola since January 2009. They currently play in the Finnish Premier Division... |
Anjalankoski Anjalankoski Anjalankoski is a former town and municipality of Finland. It had 17,301 inhabitants . About 4/5 of the people live in the vicinity of the Kymi River. The most densely populated communities are Myllykoski and Inkeroinen. In addition, there is plenty of countryside.The town's major industry is... |
Saviniemi Saviniemi Saviniemi is a multi-use stadium in Anjalankoski, Finland. It is currently used mostly for football matches and is the home stadium of MyPa. The stadium holds 4,167 and was built in 1995.... |
4,067 | Janne Lindberg Janne Lindberg Janne Lindberg is a Finnish former professional footballer.Lindberg joined his local club Kumu as a six year old boy where he stayed for 18 years. In 1990, at the age of 24, he moved onto FC Haka and after two years at Haka he transferred to MyPa.At MyPa Lindberg established himself as a Finnish... |
| RoPS RoPS Rovaniemen Palloseura is a Finnish football club, founded in 1950 and based in the town of Rovaniemi. In 2009 RoPS played in the Finnish Premier Division but got relegated to Ykkönen after being the lowest-placed team in the end of the season... |
Rovaniemi Rovaniemi Rovaniemi is a city and municipality of Finland. It is the administrative capital and commercial centre of Finland's northernmost province, Lapland. It is situated close to the Arctic Circle and is between the hills of Ounasvaara and Korkalovaara, at the confluence of the Kemijoki River and its... |
Keskuskenttä | 4,000 |  Valeri BondarenkoValeri Bondarenko Valeri Bondarenko is an Estonian football coach and a former player.-Coaching career:1993–1994 he was the assistant coach of the Estonia national football team... |
| Tampere United Tampere United Tampere United is a Finnish football club, which played in the Veikkausliiga, the premier football league in Finland, until the 2010 season, but is currently excluded from participating in Finnish football. The club comes from the city of Tampere. The current head coach of the club is Jarkko Wiss,... |
Tampere Tampere Tampere is a city in southern Finland. It is the most populous inland city in any of the Nordic countries. The city has a population of , growing to approximately 300,000 people in the conurbation and over 340,000 in the metropolitan area. Tampere is the third most-populous municipality in... |
Ratina Stadion Ratina Stadion Ratina Stadion, built in 1965, is a multi-purpose stadium in Tampere, Finland, with a seating capacity of 17,000 people, and up to 32,000 people for concerts.... |
17,000 | Ari Hjelm Ari Hjelm Ari-Juhani Hjelm is a Finnish football coach and former player. He was the head coach of home-town club Tampere United in Finland's Veikkausliiga.... |
| TPS Turun Palloseura Turun Palloseura, TPS for short and nicknamed Tepsi, is a Finnish football club based in Turku. The club was founded in 1922. TPS currently play in the Veikkausliiga, the highest level of Finnish football. They play their home matches at the 9,372 seater Veritas Stadion, Turku.-History:FC TPS Turku... |
Turku | Veritas Stadion | 10,000 |  John AllenJohn Allen (Welsh Football Coach) John Allen is a Welsh football coach. He is currently the head coach of RoPS in Finland's Veikkausliiga.Allen started footballing at his local Chester City F.C. and after a brief visit at Mansfield Town F.C., he travelled to Finland. At MP he made his top flight debut on 1987... |
| VPS Vaasan Palloseura Vaasan Palloseura is a Finnish football club, based in Vaasa. It currently plays in the Finnish Premier Division . The club's manager is Tommi Pikkarainen and assistant manager is Petri Vuorinen. The club plays its home matches at Hietalahti... |
Vaasa Vaasa Vaasa is a city on the west coast of Finland. It received its charter in 1606, during the reign of Charles IX of Sweden and is named after the Royal House of Vasa... |
Hietalahti Stadium | 4,600 | Tomi Kärkkäinen |
League table
| Finnish football 2008 |
|---|
Veikkausliiga (Tier 1) Ykkönen 2008 Ykkönen League Tables for teams participating in Ykkönen, the second tier of the Finnish Soccer League system, in 2008.-Ykkönen:-Promotion Play-Offs:KuPS as 13th placed team in the 2008 Veikkausliiga and FC Viikingit as runners-up of the 2008 Ykkönen competed in a two-legged play-off for a place in the... (Tier 2) Kakkonen (Tier 3) Kolmonen (Tier 4) Suomen Cup 2008 |
Relegation play-offs
KuPSKuPS
Kuopion Palloseura is a Finnish football club, based in the 8th most populated city of Finland, Kuopio. KuPS plays in Finland's Premier League, Veikkausliiga. The team plays its home matches at Kuopion keskuskenttä...
and Ykkönen
Ykkönen
Ykkönen is the second highest level of the Finnish football league system , although it is the highest league managed by the Football Association of Finland.-Competition:...
runners-up 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...
competed in a two-legged play-offs for one spot in Veikkausliiga 2009
Veikkausliiga 2009
The 2009 Veikkausliiga was the seventy-ninth season of top-tier football in Finland. It began on 18 April 2009 and ended on 17 October 2009. Inter Turku were the defending champions....
. KuPS won 2–1 on aggregate and thereby retained their league spot for 2009.
----
Results
Top goalscorers
Source: veikkausliiga.com13 goals Aleksandr Kokko
Aleksandr Kokko
Aleksandr Kokko is a Soviet Union-born Finnish footballer who plays as a striker. He represents VPS in Veikkausliiga, the premier division of Finnish football....
(Honka
FC Honka
FC Honka is a Finnish football club, based in Tapiola, Espoo. It was promoted into the Finnish premier division , for the first time in its history, at the end of the 2005 season. The club's manager is Mika Lehkosuo, and it plays its home matches at Tapiolan urheilupuisto...
) Henri Myntti
Henri Myntti
Henri Myntti is a Finnish footballer and coach who is currently the head coach of KPV Kokkola.-Club career:Myntti began his career at his hometown Kokkola's top club KPV. In March 2001 he was signed as a promising youth player by the Norwegian Tippeligaen side Tromsø IL...
(Tampere United
Tampere United
Tampere United is a Finnish football club, which played in the Veikkausliiga, the premier football league in Finland, until the 2010 season, but is currently excluded from participating in Finnish football. The club comes from the city of Tampere. The current head coach of the club is Jarkko Wiss,...
)
11 goals Mikko Hyyrynen
Mikko Hyyrynen
Mikko Hyyrynen is a Finnish footballer who is currently playing for JJK in the Finnish Veikkausliiga. His position is striker....
(Jaro
FF Jaro
FF Jaro is a Finnish football club, based in the bilingual town of Jakobstad. It currently plays in the Finnish Premier League Veikkausliiga...
) Toni Lehtinen
Toni Lehtinen
Toni Pekka Lehtinen is a Finnish professional football player who plays for Seinäjoen Jalkapallokerho in Finland. Lehtinen plays as a striker.-Early career:...
(Haka
FC Haka
Haka is a Finnish football club, based in the industry town of Valkeakoski. It is one of the most successful clubs in Finland, with nine Finnish championships and 12 Finnish Cup wins.- History :...
) Mikko Paatelainen
Mikko Paatelainen
Mikko Paatelainen is a Finnish professional footballer, currently playing as a striker for Veikkausliiga side IFK Mariehamn.His father is Matti Paatelainen.-Career:...
(TPS
Turun Palloseura
Turun Palloseura, TPS for short and nicknamed Tepsi, is a Finnish football club based in Turku. The club was founded in 1922. TPS currently play in the Veikkausliiga, the highest level of Finnish football. They play their home matches at the 9,372 seater Veritas Stadion, Turku.-History:FC TPS Turku...
) Rafael
Rafael Pires Vieira
Rafael Pires Vieira , better known simply as Rafael, is a Brazilian football center forward. He has been one of the most prolific strikers in the Finnish Veikkausliiga....
(Lahti
FC Lahti
FC Lahti is a Finnish football club, based in the town of Lahti. It currently plays in the Finnish First Division after placing last in Finnish Premier League during season 2010...
)
9 goals Jarno Parikka
Jarno Parikka
Jarno Parikka is a Finnish footballer who plays for Finnish Veikkausliiga club VPS. His position is a striker. He is known to be a striker who possesses a good footballing brain also bringing his fellow teammates in the game while having an undeniable eye for the goal...
(HJK
HJK Helsinki
Helsingin Jalkapalloklubi , internationally known as HJK Helsinki, is a Finnish football club, based in the capital Helsinki...
) Hermanni Vuorinen
Hermanni Vuorinen
Hermanni Vuorinen is a Finnish footballer playing as a striker. He currently plays for Sporting Charleroi in the Belgian premier division.Even though 1.93 m tall, and he is very strong on aerial challenges....
(Honka
FC Honka
FC Honka is a Finnish football club, based in Tapiola, Espoo. It was promoted into the Finnish premier division , for the first time in its history, at the end of the 2005 season. The club's manager is Mika Lehkosuo, and it plays its home matches at Tapiolan urheilupuisto...
)
8 goals Tarmo Neemelo
Tarmo Neemelo
Tarmo Neemelo is an Estonian professional footballer, who plays in Estonian Meistriliiga, for JK Nõmme Kalju. He plays the position of striker and is also a member of the Estonia national football team.-Club career:...
(MYPA
MyPa
Myllykosken Pallo –47 is a Finnish football club, based in the industrial town of Myllykoski, part of the city of Kouvola since January 2009. They currently play in the Finnish Premier Division...
) Mika Ojala
Mika Ojala
Mika Ojala is a professional footballer who currently plays as a midfielder for Veikkausliiga side FC Inter Turku.-International career:...
(Inter Turku) Paulus Roiha
Paulus Roiha
Paulus Roiha is a Finnish retired footballer.Roiha is a quick striker who started his Veikkausliiga career in Finland with HJK Helsinki...
(HJK
HJK Helsinki
Helsingin Jalkapalloklubi , internationally known as HJK Helsinki, is a Finnish football club, based in the capital Helsinki...
)
Annual awards
Source: Veikkausliigan parhaat kaudella 2008 nimettyPlayers' Association's awards
- Player of the Year: Dominic ChattoDominic ChattoDominic Chatto Bashir Jamilu is a football midfielder from Nigeria who currently plays for BK Häcken in the Swedish Allsvenskan. He has played three times in Nigerian youth teams.-Career:...
(Inter Turku) - Young player of the Year: Aleksandr KokkoAleksandr KokkoAleksandr Kokko is a Soviet Union-born Finnish footballer who plays as a striker. He represents VPS in Veikkausliiga, the premier division of Finnish football....
(HonkaFC HonkaFC Honka is a Finnish football club, based in Tapiola, Espoo. It was promoted into the Finnish premier division , for the first time in its history, at the end of the 2005 season. The club's manager is Mika Lehkosuo, and it plays its home matches at Tapiolan urheilupuisto...
) - Referee of the Year: Tero Nieminen
Veikkausliiga's awards
- Goalkeeper of the Year: Patrick BantamoiPatrick BantamoiPatrick Bantamoi is a Sierra Leonean footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Telstar in the Dutch second division and the Sierra Leonean national team....
(Inter Turku) - Defender of the Year: Jos HooiveldJos HooiveldJos Hooiveld is a Dutch footballer who plays for Championship side Southampton.He started his career with Dutch Eredivisie club Heerenveen in 2003, before moving to Eerste Divisie side Zwolle, on loan, between 2004 and 2006. In 2006 he moved to Austrian Erste Liga side Kapfenberger SV and one year...
(Inter Turku) - Midfielder of the Year: Mika OjalaMika OjalaMika Ojala is a professional footballer who currently plays as a midfielder for Veikkausliiga side FC Inter Turku.-International career:...
(Inter Turku) - Attacker of the Year: Aleksandr KokkoAleksandr KokkoAleksandr Kokko is a Soviet Union-born Finnish footballer who plays as a striker. He represents VPS in Veikkausliiga, the premier division of Finnish football....
(HonkaFC HonkaFC Honka is a Finnish football club, based in Tapiola, Espoo. It was promoted into the Finnish premier division , for the first time in its history, at the end of the 2005 season. The club's manager is Mika Lehkosuo, and it plays its home matches at Tapiolan urheilupuisto...
)