2016 Veikkausliiga
Football league season
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The 2016 Veikkausliiga is the 86th season of top-tier football in Finland. The season started on 2 April 2016; the regular season ended on 23 October 2016, with a promotion/relegation playoff continuing until 29 October.[1] SJK were the defending champions.
| Season | 2016 |
|---|---|
| Champions | IFK Mariehamn 1st Veikkausliiga title |
| Relegated | PK-35 Vantaa |
| Champions League | IFK Mariehamn |
| Europa League | HJK SJK VPS |
| Matches | 198 |
| Goals | 459 (2.32 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Roope Riski (17 goals) |
| Biggest home win | RoPS 5–0 PS Kemi (10 August) SJK 5–0 PK-35 Vantaa (17 October) |
| Biggest away win | IFK Mariehamn 2–5 HIFK (7 August) HJK 1–4 FC Lahti (12 September) |
| Highest scoring | PK-35 Vantaa 3–4 RoPS (2 April) IFK Mariehamn 2–5 HIFK (7 August) |
← 2015 2017 → | |
Teams
FF Jaro were relegated to Ykkönen after finishing at the bottom of the 2015 season. Their place was taken by Ykkönen champions PS Kemi.
KTP as 11th-placed team lost their Veikkausliiga spot after losing to second-placed Ykkönen team PK-35 Vantaa 3–2 on aggregate in a relegation/promotion playoff.
Stadia and locations
| Club | Location | Stadium | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| FC Inter | Turku | Veritas Stadion | 10,000 |
| FC Lahti | Lahti | Lahden kisapuisto | 4,000 |
| HIFK | Helsinki | Sonera Stadium | 10,770 |
| HJK | Helsinki | Sonera Stadium | 10,770 |
| IFK Mariehamn | Mariehamn | Wiklöf Holding Arena | 4,000 |
| Ilves | Tampere | Tammela Stadion | 5,040 |
| KuPS | Kuopio | Savon Sanomat Areena | 5,000 |
| PK-35 Vantaa | Vantaa | Myyrmäen jalkapallostadion | 4,500 |
| PS Kemi | Kemi | Sauvosaaren Urheilupuisto | 4,500 |
| RoPS | Rovaniemi | Rovaniemen keskuskenttä | 4,000 |
| SJK | Seinäjoki | OmaSP Stadion | 6,000 |
| VPS | Vaasa | Hietalahti Stadium | 4,600 |
- SJK will move to their new stadium OmaSp Stadion in June 2016 (capacity 6,000).[2][3]
Personnel and kits
| Club | Manager | Captain | Kit manufacturer | Sponsors |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FC Inter |  Shefki Kuqi |
Henri Lehtonen |
Nike | Alfons Håkans |
| FC Lahti | Toni Korkeakunnas |
Mikko Hauhia |
Umbro | BE Group Lahti Energia Halton |
| HIFK | Antti Muurinen |
Esa Terävä |
Kappa/Puma [nb 1] | Aktia Bank |
| HJK | Mika Lehkosuo |
Sebastian Sorsa |
Adidas | Apu |
| IFK Mariehamn | Kari Virtanen Peter Lundberg |
Jani Lyyski |
Puma | Hotell Arkipelag |
| Ilves | Jarkko Wiss |
Antti Hynynen |
Adidas | Various |
| KuPS | Marko Rajamäki |
Petteri Pennanen |
Puma | Laitilan Wirvoitusjuomatehdas |
| PK-35 Vantaa | Pasi Pihamaa |
Kim Raimi |
Nike | Vantaan Energia |
| PS Kemi | Jari Åhman |
 Billy Ions |
Stanno | Various |
| RoPS | Juha Malinen |
Antti Okkonen |
Puma | Saraware |
| SJK | Simo Valakari |
 Mihkel Aksalu |
Adidas | LähiTapiola EPKK Prima Power |
| VPS | Petri Vuorinen |
Ville Koskimaa |
Puma | Various |
Managerial changes
| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Incoming manager | Date of appointment | Table |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ilves |  Marco Baruffato |
End of contract | n/a | Jarkko Wiss |
6 November 2015[5] | Pre-season |
| IFK Mariehamn | Pekka Lyyski |
End of contract | n/a | Kari Virtanen Peter Lundberg |
19 November 2015[6] | Pre-season |
| FC Inter |  Job Dragtsma |
Mutual termination | 26 May 2016 | Jami Wallenius (as caretaker) |
26 May 2016[7] | 7th |
| PK-35 Vantaa | Shefki Kuqi |
Mutual termination | 27 July 2016 | Pasi Pihamaa |
27 July 2016[8] | 12th |
| HIFK | Jani Honkavaara |
Sacked | 27 July 2016[9] | Antti Muurinen |
28 July 2016[10] | 11th |
| FC Inter | Jami Wallenius (as caretaker) |
Mutual termination | 3 August 2016 | Shefki Kuqi |
3 August 2016[11] | 10th |
League table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | IFK Mariehamn (C) | 33 | 17 | 10 | 6 | 40 | 25 | +15 | 61 | Qualification for the Champions League second qualifying round |
| 2 | HJK | 33 | 16 | 10 | 7 | 52 | 36 | +16 | 58 | Qualification for the Europa League first qualifying round[a] |
| 3 | SJK | 33 | 17 | 6 | 10 | 49 | 36 | +13 | 57 | |
| 4 | VPS | 33 | 15 | 8 | 10 | 36 | 27 | +9 | 53 | |
| 5 | Ilves | 33 | 15 | 7 | 11 | 36 | 35 | +1 | 52 | |
| 6 | RoPS | 33 | 13 | 11 | 9 | 43 | 33 | +10 | 50 | |
| 7 | KuPS | 33 | 14 | 7 | 12 | 37 | 31 | +6 | 49 | |
| 8 | Lahti | 33 | 10 | 12 | 11 | 42 | 43 | −1 | 42 | |
| 9 | PS Kemi Kings | 33 | 10 | 5 | 18 | 29 | 48 | −19 | 35 | |
| 10 | HIFK | 33 | 8 | 10 | 15 | 35 | 39 | −4 | 34 | |
| 11 | Inter Turku (O) | 33 | 7 | 11 | 15 | 28 | 41 | −13 | 32 | Qualification for the relegation play-offs |
| 12 | PK-35 Vantaa[b] (R) | 33 | 4 | 7 | 22 | 32 | 65 | −33 | 13 | Relegation to the Ykkönen |
Source: Veikkausliiga (in Finnish), Soccerway
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored; 4) Head-to-head points; 5) Head-to-head goal difference; 6) Head-to-head away goals scored; 7) Play-off
(Note: Play-off is only played if need to decide champion, teams for relegation or UEFA competition and will be played on a neutral ground).
(C) Champions; (O) Play-off winners; (R) Relegated
Notes:
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored; 4) Head-to-head points; 5) Head-to-head goal difference; 6) Head-to-head away goals scored; 7) Play-off
(Note: Play-off is only played if need to decide champion, teams for relegation or UEFA competition and will be played on a neutral ground).
(C) Champions; (O) Play-off winners; (R) Relegated
Notes:
- SJK qualified for the Europa League first qualifying round by winning the 2016 Finnish Cup.
Results
Matches 1–22 |
Matches 23–33
|
Relegation play-offs
Attendance: 4,216
| Inter Turku | 2–0 | TPS |
|---|---|---|
Manev  49'Nebihi 89' |
Report |
Attendance: 6,855
Statistics
Top scorers
Source: veikkausliiga.com (in Finnish)
- As of 23 October 2016.
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Roope Riski |
SJK | 17 |
| 2 | Njazi Kuqi |
PK-35 Vantaa / FC Inter | 16 |
 Alfredo Morelos |
HJK | 16 | |
| 4 |  Gbolahan Salami |
KuPS | 14 |
| 5 | Billy Ions |
PS Kemi / SJK | 13 |
| 6 |  Dever Orgill |
IFK Mariehamn | 12 |
| 7 | Robert Taylor |
RoPS | 11 |
| 8 | Pyry Soiri |
VPS | 10 |
| Jasse Tuominen |
FC Lahti | 10 | |
| 10 | Lauri Ala-Myllymäki |
Ilves | 9 |
| Aleksandr Kokko |
RoPS | 9 | |
| Jussi Vasara |
SJK | 9 | |
| 13 | 3 players | 8 | |
| 16 | 5 players | 7 | |
| 21 | 4 players | 6 | |
| 25 | 5 players | 5 | |
| 30 | 10 players | 4 | |
| 40 | 9 players | 3 | |
| 49 | 30 players | 2 | |
| 79 | 72 players | 1 | |
Awards
| Month | Coach of the Month | Player of the Month |
|---|---|---|
| April[14] | Peter Lundberg (IFK Mariehamn) Kari Virtanen (IFK Mariehamn) |
Walter Viitala (IFK Mariehamn) |
| May[15] | Mika Lehkosuo (HJK) |
Taye Taiwo (HJK) |
| June[16] | Juha Malinen (RoPS) |
Roope Riski (SJK) |
| July[17] | Petri Vuorinen (VPS) |
Pyry Soiri (VPS) |
| August[18] | Jari Åhman (PS Kemi) |
 Erik Törnros (PS Kemi) |
| September[19] | Jarkko Wiss (Ilves) |
Alfredo Morelos (HJK) |
| October[20] | Peter Lundberg (IFK Mariehamn) Kari Virtanen (IFK Mariehamn) |
Jani Lyyski (IFK Mariehamn) |
Annual awards
| Award[21] | Winner | Club |
|---|---|---|
| Player of the Year |  Emile Paul Tendeng |
Ilves |
| Goalkeeper of the Year | Walter Viitala |
Mariehamn |
| Defender of the Year | Jani Lyyski |
Mariehamn |
| Midfielder of the Year | Emile Paul Tendeng |
Ilves |
| Striker of the Year | Alfredo Morelos |
HJK |
| Breakthrough of the Year | Mikael Soisalo |
Ilves |
| Coach of the Year | Peter Lundberg |
Mariehamn |
Team of the Year
Viitala
Lyyski
Granlund
Kojola
Taiwo
Väyrynen
Tanaka
Tendeng
Morelos
Riski
Soisalo
|
| Team of the Year[22] | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goalkeeper | Walter Viitala (Mariehamn) | |||||||||||
| Defence |
Albin Granlund (Mariehamn) |
Jani Lyyski (Mariehamn) |
Kristian Kojola (Mariehamn) |
Taye Taiwo (HJK) | ||||||||
| Midfield |
Mikael Soisalo (Ilves) |
|
 Atomu Tanaka
(HJK) |
Emile Tendeng (Ilves) | ||||||||
| Attack | Roope Riski (SJK) |
Alfredo Morelos (HJK) | ||||||||||
Attendances
| No. | Club | Average | Change | Highest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | HJK | 5,101 | −3.4% | 10,500 |
| 2 | HIFK | 3,632 | +17.9% | 10,500 |
| 3 | Ilves | 3,351 | +2.6% | 5,050 |
| 4 | SJK | 3,103 | +15.4% | 5,817 |
| 5 | VPS | 2,935 | +40.0% | 5,987 |
| 6 | Inter Turku | 2,255 | −7.6% | 4,760 |
| 7 | KuPS | 2,098 | −10.0% | 4,457 |
| 8 | Lahti | 2,052 | −3.9% | 3,647 |
| 9 | RoPS | 1,763 | −22.6% | 3,024 |
| 10 | Kemi | 1,551 | +59.3% | 3,976 |
| 11 | Mariehamn | 1,503 | +15.3% | 4,335 |
| 12 | PK-35 | 1,229 | +103.1% | 2,832 |
Source:[23]