As the chill of winter sets in, Finland’s main sporting attraction shifts predominantly towards ice hockey. On Tuesday night, Florida Panthers’ victory over the Boston Bruins saw leading performances from Aleksander Barkov and Eetu Luostarinen, the latter managing to score against Bruins’ goalie, Joonas Korpisalo. All three are household names in the NHL, closely tracked by the Finnish public and media alike. Currently, there are 48 Finns playing in the NHL, closely monitored by the Helsinki press, leaving precious little coverage for football (referred to as jalkapallo).
Finland and Ireland’s football cultures have changed considerably, gone are the days where an internationally renowned player, such as Jari Litmanen or Roy Keane, would make up the core of the national team. This has led to both nations suffering the same setbacks, becoming less influential on the international football stage compared to equivalent-sized countries in Europe.
Football-wise, Finland, currently ranked 64th, is closely eyeing 62nd ranked Ireland as a potential target, with only five places separating them in the UEFA rankings. Ireland and Finland respectively rank 32nd and 37th. Both Finnish manager, Markku Kanerva, and his Irish counterpart, Heimir Hallgrímsson, are under pressure; their veteran squads failed to make a notable impact in Euro 2021.
Despite beating Denmark in a match overshadowed by Christian Eriksen’s on-pitch cardiac arrest, Finland’s Euro 2021 lacked significance due to defeats against Russia and Belgium. Subsequently, France and Ukraine defeated them, ending their World Cup 2022 dream. Despite beating Northern Ireland twice, their Euro 2024 campaign faltered against Wales, losing 4-1 in the playoffs.
Kanerva, who has been with the Finnish Federation since 2004, has been the senior coach since 2016. He recently faced a critical board meeting where his coaching team was entirely restructured. However, Finland’s lacklusture run continued into last month’s Nations League matches, where they faced defeat against Greece and England, leading up to the critical upcoming relegation showdown on Thursday.
Kanerva commented that the Irish, recognised in their DNA, are determined labourers. He also described the Irish team as physically solid and one that keeps their competitors on the edge. They pose a potential threat from set pieces, according to Kanerva. However, recent findings contradict this statement.
Hallgrímsson, aiming to stop Ireland’s declining performance in Helsinki, said, “As we’re playing on our home turf, our supporters are anticipating our victory. But, it surely won’t be a cakewalk. With similar ambitions – to sustain in League B or possibly qualify for League A – Ireland too needs points in this match.”
Despite being the venue for the Summer Olympics of 1952 and Eamonn Coghlan’s 5,000-metre World Championship gold victory in 1983, only 15,000 tickets got sold out of the total 36,000 for the stadium.
Kanerva stated, “Reasons could be the late commencement of the match, expected weather conditions, or the upcoming match against England. Naturally, our supporters and the public want to witness those world stars.” He later added, “When you observe the Irish team, there are several talented players from Premier League, Scotland and Championship.”
Despite the emotional setback of not hitting a footfall of 30,000 or a packed stadium – probably due to our campaign’s initial days being not so fruitful – he expressed, the Finland manager’s approach towards identifying one effective Irish player was more holistic.
He exclaimed, “They’re a formidable team, especially the centre backs who are part of the English Premier League. They have strong offensive abilities as well.”