Comment: Fast turnaround in Veikkausliiga – still don’t fall into this radical mistake | Sport

will follow the final round of the Veikkausliiga on Saturday 19.10. The match between KuPS and HJK can be seen live on TV2, Areena and the app from 17:40.

When the Veikkausliiga’s series system for the 2019 season was changed, there was fierce resistance to change.

– Something had to be done, because there were too many matches, especially for the European teams. The best system was not chosen. It would have been a ten-team three-way series. There are two too many teams in the league, so that we could strengthen the clubs better and intensify the competition, stated the pilot of HJK Mika Lehkosuo.

– I’m not a fan of upper and lower end series, but I’ll give this a chance. Now we coaches have at least got what we wanted: fewer games, KuPS Jani Honkavaara tightly.

Many football Followers considered the reform to be artificial and inappropriate, when the Main Series is played first and then the series is divided into an upper and a lower final series.

In reality, similar formats were already in use in football countries that are tougher than Finland, such as Denmark and Austria.

In any case, the clubs were united that a change was needed.

The biggest drawback was the drop in the number of games. According to the clubs, 33 matches, a triple series, were too many, and the quality and tempo of the games suffered.

The system that came into force in 2019 dropped the number of matches to 27 per team.

The system immediately proved its power

The aforementioned resistance to change and the related arguments are now a distant memory.

Since the transition season in 2019, the championship has been decided in the last round every season, with the exception of 2020, which was plagued by the corona pandemic. Violent drama has been offered at the tail end as well.

And we shouldn’t forget how high stakes are played financially as well. It increases the value of the drama.

The championship brings one million euros due to Champions League qualification. In addition, the championship gives a clearly easier route in the Euro qualifiers, and each round won increases the amount.

This season too, entry into the Conference League guaranteed HJK a pot of more than three million euros.

With Uefa’s solidarity money and the renewed TV contract for last season, the Veikkausliiga seat is already worth 800,000 euros, wrote Ilta-Sanomat. All fingers are crossed in Lahti and Mariehamn that the season ends today.

Audience numbers have increased. The number of no-stakes games has decreased.

The final Euro tournament played at the end of the season has also defended its place.

For example, Gnistan, which suffered from a sad fire in its stadium, took joy when it secured its place in the matches in question with a victory over Oulu in the lower final series.

The next change is wanted

Now we want another change.

Since the number of spectators is increasing, the clubs want more matches this time. It was a quick full turn.

There was a strong desire to break the series system According to Ilta-Sanom already last season.

Now CEO of Veikkausliiga Timo Marjamaa admitted In Aamulehtithat ways to increase the number of matches are really being searched feverishly.

According to the newspaper, there are practically two options: a return to the triple series (33 matches per team) or playing the follow-up series as doubles (32 matches).

In addition, we want the season to be longer, but as long as there is natural grass in the series, it will lead to special reserve pitches and long away and home streaks, which even now annoys clubs every season.

Finnish football is known to still have a shortage of every penny, so the wishes are understandable. A shorter winter season and more public events.

Due to the financial situations of the clubs, it is necessary to look for the best solution, and in Finland it is not possible to lock into a certain format.

Still, it’s worth asking: is more better here too?

A return to triple series would again increase the number of uninteresting, gray matches and bring back the familiar chatter about who gets two home games against someone.

And this would happen at the expense of all the beauty that the serial renewal has brought.

Are the extra matches played to empty stands better than the drugs, stands and audience records that are available now?

Nowadays, the arc of Veikkausliiga drama is proven to bear. First, we play about the settings for the season and about getting to the upper end series or being in the lower end series.

After that, the teams fighting for the same things – championships, medals, European places and league places – will fight each other towards the climax of the season.

You can always throw ideas around. How would a ten-team quadruple series sound? Higher quality games and more games in one go. Those teams that do not have stadium readiness to start in March will be removed from the series.

But as long as the conditions are like this and the number of teams is 12, at least don’t make such a radical mistake that you give up on the circus fun of the final series.