Nordic Football News

Tampere city council’s finest sport facilities maintenance minds were hard at work today, trying to decide how to ensure Tampere’s most successful club could fulfil it’s fixtures that Bruce Springsteen’s concert at Ratina Stadium on 2 June can go ahead without fans risking the horror of muddy shoes. Present at the meeting were Esa Auvinen and Markku Wacklin from the city council, Peter Lundström from Veikkausliiga, Tero Auvinen from the Finnish FA and Sami Salonen, Jari Runsas and Jarkko Wiss from Tampere United.

TamU wanted to play, and Veikkausliiga wanted the game to be played, but the council had other ideas. The weather has been cold in Finland recently, and this was the heart of the problem. The temperature is below zero at night, therefore the pitch cannot be uncovered and watered, and therefore playing two games in a week would be very damaging to the pitch at this stage of the season. Undersoil heating would solve the problem, but the system at Ratina has never been used, and the maintenance guys are too scared to turn it on in case it leaks. Seriously, I’m not making this up.

Bruce isn’t the only event planned for Ratina this summer. There is also a junior olympiad, the Worker’s Sport Association gala celebration, and the women’s European Championships. It was with the latter in mind that I called Esa Auvinen yesterday.

Egan: Hi there, I’m going to be covering the women’s championships this summer for ESPNSoccernet, and I heard the pitch in Tampere was in a very bad state – is that correct?

Esa: Uhm, uhm, you should call the stadium manager, he will be here on Monday, his name is Kaario, and his number is xxx xxx xxxx.

Egan: I heard the local clubs were unable to play, so how can you plan all these big events at their expense?

Esa: Well, the weather is very cold right now, and we need warm weather otherwise the pitch will be ruined for the whole summer…..

Egan: But isn’t Tampere a little bit embarrassed, about the inability to provide facilities for local, top level football clubs?

Esa: Our local clubs are Tampere United, in the top division, Tampereen Pallo Veikot, in the second, and PP 70, in the third level…..

Egan: It’s embarrassing for Finland, though, isn’t it?

Esa: In Finland we have Haka in Valkeakoski, HJK in Helsinki……

Egan: Okay, thanks.

It should be tremendously embarassing for Tampere, but the city is unlikely to change its ways or its facilities significantly. Veikkausliiga’s criteria for licensing are such that all clubs should be able to play now at their home ground, but neither TamU nor Jaro are likely to be punished for the postponements. Still, at least Bruce’s gig will be mud-free, and there will be no European games to mess up the Ratina programme this season. Next season could be different, as TamU looked impressive in last night’s League Cup final, which they won 2-0 against HJK. For now you will have to make do with Tomi Petrescu’s goal in the 1-0 home win over Levski Sofia, the best European result for any Finnish club in recent times: