Kaisa Mäkäräinen and Petra Olli learned about the secrets of football under the teachings of ex-national team striker Perparim Hetemaj. Hetemaj took Jatkoerä’s duo to taste Kosovar food at his mother’s place.
Kaisa Mäkäräinen and Petra Ollin The sport trials in Urheilustudio’s Jatkoerä program continued this time Perparim Hetemaj’n in soccer theory.
Hetemaj, 35, who played 49 international matches for Huuhkaj, takes Mäkäräinen and Olli to the HJK training ground in Helsinki. The basics are going well, and Mäkäräinen and Olli’s self-confidence is growing.
– Kaisa, you look like a gazelle, says Petra Olli.
– Thank you, I’ll take that as a compliment. Is it the Helmareite talent scout in the stands, Mäkäräinen jokes.
Hetemaj also teaches the duo his bravura move slide tackle. During the exercises, Olli and Mäkäräinen ask the football player some tough questions.
– Why is there not as much lying on the ground in women’s futs than in men’s futs? Olli throws.
– I bet men are a bit more dramatic, Hetemaj says and makes his students burst out laughing.
The journey continues with Hetemaj’s mother Emine Hetemaj’n with. Mother’s bravura, Kosovar meat and spinach pies, are revealed in the kitchen.
– Yes, we come here three or four times a week. If you only ate what you wanted to eat here, you wouldn’t be able to keep up. It’s really good and also full of energy, says Perparim Hetemaj, who won his first Finnish championship in HJK this year.
Kaisa Mäkäräinen and Petra Olli have noted that they are not cooking any light delicacies now.
– A little fat has been put in between, Mäkäräinen laughs.
The guests sit down to eat and discuss, among other things, how it feels to represent Finland in the national team. Olli has won the world championship in wrestling and Mäkäräinen in biathlon. Hetemaj played in the national football team in 2008–18.
– Although I was not born in Finland, I grew up here and this is my home country. When I represented Finland, that feeling of togetherness and patriotism were strongly present. Note that we play for bigger things than in club teams. In team sports, of course, it’s different from yours, Perparim Hetemaj says.
The Hetemajs moved to Finland from Kosovo as refugees in 1992. The intention was to be in Finland only for a short time, but the family never returned to their homeland, despite missing them very much.
– We wanted to return, but the situation in Kosovo kept getting worse. When the situation started to be good, we were already of legal age. At first, the message from the parents was that we have to adapt here. Sports helped with that. It was not easy, but we are very lucky that we made it to Finland, says Perparim Hetemaj.
The day culminated in a soccer match at Emine Hetemaj’s home yard. The pink team, Kaisa and Petra, faced Perparim’s nephews.
– Kaisa and Petra were really good at playing, assessed Emine Hetemaj, who encouraged her grandchildren and the pink team equally.