The dark autumn of the Huhkajis got an even darker decision. Ari Lahti, the president of the Finnish Football Association, heard a full response from the spectators, writes Urheilu’s Jussi Vainikka.
Jussi Vainikka sports reporter
The Finnish and Greek Nations League match was followed in this article.
“For the last time, Markku Kanerva.”
Accompanied by such a song, the Finnish men’s national football team left the locker room for the last time in the autumn Nations League.
The end result was the same as five times before. Came to the jacket, for the sixth time.
There was only one win in the whole year. It came in a training match against Estonia. There were eight losses and one draw.
The chants and gestures from the stands aimed at Kanerva’s position remained within the bounds of good taste, but the chairman of the Finnish Football Association Ari Lahti got to know harsher language. Already in the first episode, the words “fly to Ari Qatar, fly, never come back” rang out once to the rhythm of the Miljoonasatee Lapsuuten sankarille song.
This was a reference to Lahti’s decision to travel to the World Cup in Qatar, known for its human rights violations, two years ago, which drew criticism.
When Greece scored its second goal in the second period, the same chant started quickly from the North Pole. As a visual effect, several supporters waved their shoes in the air. As a new spice to the song, an understyled additional shout directed at Lahti was formed.
After the final whistle, the song only got stronger. The message was clear – Lahti’s millions of rain and decisions are no longer needed for national team football.
It is easy to understand the frustration of supporters. Head coach Kanerva emphasized its importance several times during the match, but the face wash was not done. The Greece match did not offer any joys.
Kanerva also said at the press conference that he understood the supporters’ frustration and had clearly paid attention to it during the match.
He criticized the supporters for the low-style songs and asked for consideration, as the Football Association had launched the match as a family match. The 4,000 juniors were a big reason why the audience increased to over 17,000.
No new childhood hero stories were born for the juniors.
Huuhkajie’s next match in March will probably already be the opening match of the World Cup qualifier. The final program will be revealed later, the group draws will be held in mid-December.
There is nothing to suggest that Kanerva will not be seen at the end of the bench in March as well. The original contract would have ended there, but it was extended in the summer to cover the World Cup qualifiers. At the press conference, Kanerva answered questions about his position by saying that he was not a giver in his playing career and is not a coach either.
After all, he said that his position is not the strongest.
Kanerva and the coaching team have some kind of faith in a place in the World Cup. In addition to faith, we should find playful ways to overthrow countries tougher than Finland. There were no indications of them in the fall.
The people’s faith has been put to the test in the stands of the Olympic Stadium, and on Sunday night it completely disappeared.