UEFA licencing system

[Ball Comrade]

I've got a lot of very dull Finnish to plough through before I can post anything vaguely informative about this, but apparently FC Haka have been kicked out of the 08-09 UEFA Cup. This is because they lost money and did not get a licence from UEFA. I was under the impression that veikkausliiga licences and UEFA licences were handed out on similar criteria, but apparently not.

In addition to this, Haka's replacement in the UEFA Cup, promoted from the Intertoto, will be TPS, who lost 900k last year compared to Haka's 250k. TPS do play in a nice stadium and have a very rich and influential owner, whereas Haka come from a small, smelly town and rely on the wood pulp factory at one end of their home ground.

The list of Finnish entrants now reads:

CL: TamU
UEFA: Honka, TPS, Jaro (through the fair play award)
Intertoto: MyPa

[Jorge Porbillas]

UEFA licencing system

Is that definite, because no Welsh club was awarded an Uefa licence in the first round but they all know what needs to be done before the appeals process.

This happens every year in Wales.

[Guest]

UEFA licencing system

There are different criteria alright. Not sure exactly what though. In the LoI you can get a first division, premier division and UEFA licence.

Your ground, for example, might pass the premier division licencing criteria, but not the UEFA one, so you could opt to play your european games at a different ground.

For the first couple of years every club got their required licence, usually after appeal, so it looked like it was turning into a bit of a joke. They've tightened up now, and last year Shels were dumped back to the first division as they never got the premier league licence. Waterford United, having been relegated still received a premier licence, and took their place.

[Ball Comrade]

UEFA licencing system

The way it's being reported, it sounds like a new thing for Finnish clubs. The Veikkausliiga website published the new entrant list, 'if FC Haka does not represent Finland in the UEFA Cup'. Sounds like they're worried.

[Ball Comrade]

UEFA licencing system

It looks like the vilain of the peace here is Peter Enckelman's dad. He has TPS connections, but was on the committee that made this decision, for which there appear to be no grounds whatsoever. veikkausliiga's criteria were harmonised with UEFA's for just this reason, and pretty much every club in veikkausliiga could play european football at their home ground (with the possible exception of Jaro and RoPS). This decision is based on their budget, which is better than last season, has already been passed by Veikkausliiga's licensing committee, and can only be harmed by exclusion from Europe. the deficit is only 200k, so one unexpected extra game against a big European side would tip them into profit.

It stinks worse than that fucking paper mill.

[Anton Gramscescu]

UEFA licencing system

Helsingin Sanomat's English version. It does sound like there will be an appeal.

[Ball Comrade]

UEFA licencing system

There will, and it looks like they'll get the licence. but Haka in particular are not pleased with how it has come about, nor how it was reported - the updated entrant list on the league website being especially off-pissing.

Haka and HJK have traditionally ran the FA, so TPS's new found wealth and influence is ruffling a few feathers.

[Ball Comrade]

UEFA licencing system

Haka may have been given a 'temporary' licence, according to this morning's Aamulehti. So while the league were acting all Jack bauer towards Honka, RoPS and TamU, they just asked Haka 'it'll be alright, ya?', probably over a round of golf. Football administrators really are all cunts, aren't they?

There's more on mi blog:

http://footballinfinland.wordpress.com/

[pawlu]

UEFA licencing system

Maltese side Floriana have been told that they can't compete in Europe next year should they qualify because they do not have a licence.

[Ball Comrade]

UEFA licencing system

DG: why is the Irish league forum on OWC 'patrons only'? I was going to post a topic about this in case any Lisburn fans were booking travel, but I can't.

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

UEFA licencing system

I can just about understand UEFA being worried about the financial state of club, and their ability to complete their fixtures through to May 2009. If a club were under immediate threat of closure, I could appreciate UEFA saying "no, we're not going to risk entering you into a draw, and have thousands of potential away fans buying tickets in advance for a fixture that won't take place".

But in this case, it seems the very fact of participation in the competition would have shored up Haka's finances, so for UEFA to take that away from them seems very hypocritical.

[Ball Comrade]

UEFA licencing system

Haka's CEO made exactly that point. Just one tie in the UEFA Cup (last year they got two) would have brought in around 100k, 25% of the deficit. They are also expecting to sell Cheyne Fowler to Avellino, so long as they stay in Serie B, and if those two things happen then they will probably show a profit on the year, quite something for Finnish clubs.

The thing is that this isn't run by UEFA, it's run by the Finnish FA. And the Finnish FA has, traditionally, been run by Haka and HJK. Jan Walden, the chairman of the league, is the grandson of Haka's founder. So is Timo Walden, press officer with the national team (and UEFA, in between matches). Haka are used to getting their own way, and when they have had financial problems before they just asked UPM to stump up some cash.

That won't happen anymore. UPM are making people redundant in Finland, so the press conference where they announce a half million euro bailout for haka is pretty much a resignation party for whoever is mad enough to call it. They are moving production to China and accountants to Finland, and their accounting hub is in Tampere. They are even - horror of horrors! - considering sponsoring TamU as well.

The fact that the beneficiaries in this are TPS is another thing that pisses off the old guard (and leads them to question the motives of those on the committee). TPS have money to burn and are the most professionally run club in Finland. Seppo Sairanen has made sure of that. they are even talking about building their own stadium, despite already playing in the best ground in Finland, if they can't get more of the money from the hot dog stalls and restaurants there. They are publically comparing themselves to Hammarby and Rosenborg, rather than HJK and Haka, and for that reason they (and to a lesser extent TamU) have made enemies in the bitchy and incestuous world of Finnish football.

Haka really need to scale down their ambitions and start to run themselves in a more professional manner, but at present they are riding by the seat of their pants. I tried to buy a season ticket last Monday before the KuPS game, but after 20 minutes of faffing and talking to stewards and walking to the other side of the ground they could not find anyone who was willing to take my 120 euro.