FC Haka to appeal against Finnish FA's negative decision on UEFA Cup entry

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The Football Association of Finland has decided to prevent FC Haka from entering the UEFA Cup.
      According to a decision by the association’s UEFA Licence Committee, “FC Haka has failed to provide the UEFA Licence Committee by the set deadline with binding documents that would have unquestionably attested to the club’s capability to complete the international season 2008-2009”.
     
For all that, Haka is allowed to continue in Finland’s top division Veikkausliiga, even though the league licence conditions are not that dissimilar from those for the UEFA Cup.
      According to the issued statement, the members of the Licence Committee led by the Veikkausliiga chairman Hannu Rautiainen cannot comment on the decision because of the possible appeal process.
     
And an appeal is on its way, for FC Haka does not accept the ruling, which it feels was reached based on inadequate criteria.
      The appeal has to be filed within a week, and it will be looked into by the UEFA Team Licence Appeal Committee led by Professor of Sports Law Heikki Halila. The appeal committee has two weeks to process the appeal.
      FC Haka deputy chairman Seppo Lahtinen admitted in a telephone interview with Helsingin Sanomat that the team’s finances have been really tight, “but not in such a condition that the team would not be able to carry out its activities as planned”.
      “Furthermore, it is a weird decision, because this way the Football Association only adds to the team’s financial distress”, Lahti continued, in a reference to the fact that the start-up money alone for participation in the UEFA Cup is nearly EUR 100,000 and any possible success in the Cup could earn the team considerably more.
     
In a Haka statement issued late last night, deputy chairman Lahtinen questions the UEFA Licence Committee’s decision from many angles. Lahtinen believes the committee has failed to understand properly the economic situation between FC Haka and the recently-established FC Haka Oy limited liability company.
      “The UEFA team licence decision that we have received is clearly based on claims and statements that FC Haka can easily rectify”, Lahtinen points out.
     
If Haka’s participation in the UEFA Cup is refused, FC TPS Turku will take its place. TPS, in turn, would then be replaced in the UEFA Intertoto Cup by MyPa of Myllykoski. Haka were last season's runners-up in the league, ahead of TPS.
      League Champions Tampere United will enter the qualifying rounds of the European Champions League, and FC Honka of Espoo, who were defeated by Tampere United in the final of the Finnish Cup, will enter the UEFA Cup. FF Jaro, in turn, is entering the early summer draw for a UEFA Cup Fair Play position.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  TamU celebrate despite home defeat; Jarkko Wiss ends career with fourth league title (29.10.2007)

Links:
  Football Association of Finland (site is almost entirely in Finnish)
  FC Haka homepage
  FC Haka (Wikipedia)
  Veikkausliiga (Wikipedia)

Helsingin Sanomat