Litmanen, Hyypiä & Co. likely to get a cameo reappearance for Finland after all

Room in the calendar for testimonial match next autumn

Jari Litmanen

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By Tommi Hannula
     
      The old stalwarts of the Finnish national football team in past years could still be in line for a cameo reappearance in a blue-and-white shirt next year, despite scheduling difficulties brought on by the use of the Olympic Stadium for ice hockey.
      The Finnish FA announced on Monday that it is planning to arrange a charity event in the Olympic Stadium in the autumn of 2012, and that more details will be forthcoming later.
      According to information gathered by Helsingin Sanomat, what is in prospect is a kind of gala match, in which the FA would honour at least the past captains Jari Litmanen and Sami Hyypiä, and possibly a clutch of other players from the so-called "golden generation" who have recently bowed out from international duties.
     
Litmanen, 40, who played this past season in the ranks of Veikkausliiga champions HJK Helsinki, has kept his cards typically close to his chest on whether or not he intends to continue his playing career, but thus far his 137th and last appearance in a Finland shirt was in the November 2010 drubbing of San Marino in the recently-completed Euro 2012 qualifiers.
      Hyypiä, 38, retired from club football in the spring after having played for a couple of years with Bayer Leverkusen in the Bundesliga, where he went following a long and illustrious stint at Liverpool.
      His last international match was in October 2010 in the home defeat to Hungary.
     
In the course of the last year or two, a good many other fine careers wearing the Finnish colours have come to an end, and thus far none of the major figures in the national squad over the first decade of the 21st century have been recognised with a farewell match.
      It was thought likely that the FA would arrange such a fixture in the summer of 2012, but the news that the Olympic Stadium was again to be used for large open-air ice hockey games in February has meant that the venue - or more particularly the grass - will not be in the sort of shape that would be required.
     
The FA has thus apparently signed off on the idea of arranging some home fixtures next summer against opposition going to the Euro 2012 finals, which could simultaneously have been used as a "farewell and thanks" gesture for some former stars.
      Now the schedule has been adjusted to the autumn, and one plausible solution might be a match between a side composed of the so-called "golden generation" and a team of the young stars coming through in the national team to replace them.
      It would not be difficult to tempt in the public to get a final look at just Hyypiä and Litmanen in a Finnish shirt, but sending out an entire "Nostalgia XI" built around these two national sporting icons could be a means for the Finnish FA to put on a proper testimonial extravaganza for football fans.
     
On Monday, the FA announced that all the home matches in the upcoming FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign would be played in the Olympic Stadium.
      Finland have a hard time ahead of them in UEFA Group I, and start with a home game against France on September 7th. Georgia will be visiting Helsinki on October 12th.
      The remaining two home fixtures will not be played until 2013, when Belarus arrive on June 7th, and the home programme ends on September 6th with what promises to be the toughest game of all (and probably the hottest ticket as well), against reigning World Cup holders and 2008 European Champions Spain.
      Thereafter, the Finns will have to travel to Georgia and France for their final two matches.
      The away fixture to play Spain, which may well encourage a good many travelling Finnish fans to pack their bags, will be in March 2013.
      For armchair fans and the non-partisan, the good news is that the two choice matches in the group, between France and Spain, will both be played on days when the Finns themselves are not scheduled to be in action.
     
     
FACTFILE: The golden generation
     
Among the players who have recently ended their international careers, there are several who have gained close to or more than 100 caps for Finland.
     
Jari Litmanen, 137 appearances, 32 goals
     
Sami Hyypiä, 105 appearances, 5 goals
     
Jonatan Johansson, 105 appearances, 22 goals
     
Joonas Kolkka, 98 appearances, 11 goals
     
Hannu Tihinen, 76 appearances, 5 goals
     
Shefki Kuqi, 62 appearances, 7 goals
     
Jussi Jääskeläinen, 56 appearances (goalkeeper)
     
     
Helsingin Sanomat / First published in print 13.12.2011


Previously in HS International Edition:
  February´s Winter Classic outdoor ice hockey event at Helsinki Olympic Stadium will be bigger than last year (29.11.2011)

See also:
  COMMENTARY: The quiet protest of the Finnish FA (29.11.2011)

Links:
  Finland National Football Team (Wikipedia)
  Jari Litmanen (Wikipedia)
  Sami Hyypiä (Wikipedia)

TOMMI HANNULA / Helsingin Sanomat
tommi.hannula@hs.fi