Ferran Sibila, 35, will start as HJK’s head coach at the beginning of next year. Urheilu’s expert Antti Pohja sees that Sibila can succeed, at least on paper.
HJK announced on Friday that a Spaniard will start as the team’s new head coach at the beginning of next year Ferran Sibila. The 35-year-old Spaniard has absolutely no experience at the adult level as a head coach.
He moves to HJK from the coaching team of Malmö FF’s main league team. Sibila has worked as a player development coach in a major Swedish club. Malmö FF is currently fighting for the Swedish championship with two matches left in the season.
Sports expert Antti Pohja sees that HJK takes a measured and conscious risk when choosing Sibila as head coach.
– I welcome such a solution, where something is sought that is not completely certain. But if successful, such a choice can bring greater fruit than another, says Pohja.
Has been coaching HJK since mid-July Toni Korkeakunnas. He replaced as head coach Toni Koskelan.
HJK announced last week, that Korkeakunnas will no longer continue with the club after this year, even though he achieved both goals set by the club management: the Finnish championship and the group stage of the European games. This fall, HJK has played in the conference league’s group stage.
CEO of HJK Aki Riihilahti stated on Friday in the club’s press release that HJK had interviewed half a dozen good candidates for head coach. According to Riihilahti, Korkeakunnas would have been the number one choice among domestic coaches to continue as head coach.
– However, the club’s will is that we want to take one more step up: We want to get even more out of our resources at home, do a little better on the Euro courts and, in accordance with our strategy, produce even better quality players, Riihilahti stated in HJK’s press release.
According to Pohja, the selection of Sibilla as head coach is perfect at that point, if the state of will set by Riihilahti actually happens.
– At least on paper, many of these things happen in this head coach selection, Pohja sums up.
born 13.7.1988, Gironella, Spain
Experience:
2015–2016, JFA Academy U18, Japan, head coach
2017–2018, GIF Sundsvall, Sweden, assistant coach
2019–2021, IFK Göteborg, Sweden, assistant coach and U21 head coach
2021-2022, Barnsley FC, England, assistant coach
2022–2023, Malmö FF, Sweden, development coach
2024–, HJK, Finland, head coach
Source: Transfermarkt
“Does Sibila understand what she is getting into?”
However, Pohja sees a big question mark in the fact that Sibila has not worked as a head coach anywhere else at the adult level before HJK.
HJK’s director of sports Vesa Mäki justified Sibila’s selection in the press release by saying that even as an assistant coach, the Spaniard has been responsible for the team’s way of playing and its training in Sweden in Sundsvall, Gothenburg and in England’s second highest league level in Barnsley.
Pohja believes that Finnish football culture may come as a surprise to Sibila. Pohja reminds us that Finnish football culture is unique and different from many others. According to the expert, the arrival of a Spaniard as head coach in Finland does not necessarily happen in the blink of an eye.
– Does Sibila understand what she is getting into? The head coach is responsible for the teams. You can always plan ways of playing and be responsible for training. However, the head coach is primarily responsible. Of course, this is a question mark. HJK certainly also understands that they can’t know what Sibila is like as a head coach, because they don’t have experience, says Pohja.
The choice appears to be the decision of Vesa Mäki, who started as HJK’s new sports director in September. Sanoman by HJK management accepted Sibila as head coach thanks to Mäki’s recommendations. Mäki said in HJK’s press release that he had known Sibila for more than a decade.
First from Sibila according to news agency Sanoma Mäki has apparently gotten to know Sibila’s Ekkono coaching method in trainings, which Mäki has also participated in.
– Sibila seems strongly like Mäki’s choice. Now Mäki puts himself on the line. We’ll see how he does. Of course, he also has power and responsibility. It must be used. In that sense, the situation is correct. He needs to take a strong stand on who the head coach is, Pohja estimates.
HJK will not comment on Sibila’s salary beyond the press release before the press conference in mid-November. The club justifies the matter by saying that it wants to offer peace of mind for next week’s important Conference League match against Frankfurt.