2018 Veikkausliiga
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Football league season
| Season | 2018 |
|---|---|
| Champions | HJK 29th title |
| Relegated | TPS PS Kemi |
| Champions League | HJK |
| Europa League | RoPS KuPS Inter Turku |
| Matches | 198 |
| Goals | 490 (2.47 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Klauss (21) |
← 2017 2019 → | |
The 2018 Veikkausliiga was the 88th season of top-tier football in Finland. HJK were the defending champions.
Fixtures for the 2018 season were announced on 17 January 2017. The season started on 7 April 2018 and ended on 27 October 2018.[1]
Stadia and locations
JJK were relegated to Ykkönen after finishing at the bottom of the 2017 season. Their place was taken by Ykkönen champions TPS.
HIFK as 11th-placed team lost their Veikkausliiga spot after losing to second-placed Ykkönen team FC Honka in a relegation/promotion playoff.
| Club | Location | Stadium | Turf | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FC Honka | Espoo | Tapiolan Urheilupuisto | Natural | 6,000 |
| FC Inter | Turku | Veritas Stadion | Natural | 10,000 |
| FC Lahti | Lahti | Lahden Stadion | Natural | 15,000 |
| HJK | Helsinki | Telia 5G -areena | Artificial | 10,770 |
| IFK Mariehamn | Mariehamn | Wiklöf Holding Arena | Natural | 4,000 |
| Ilves | Tampere | Tammelan Stadion | Natural | 5,040 |
| KuPS | Kuopio | Savon Sanomat Areena | Artificial | 5,000 |
| PS Kemi | Kemi | Sauvosaaren Urheilupuisto | Natural | 4,500 |
| RoPS | Rovaniemi | Rovaniemen keskuskenttä | Artificial | 4,000 |
| SJK | Seinäjoki | OmaSP Stadion | Artificial | 6,000 |
| TPS | Turku | Veritas Stadion | Natural | 10,000 |
| VPS | Vaasa | Elisa Stadion | Artificial | 6,000 |
Personnel and kits
| Club | Manager | Captain | Kit manufacturer | Sponsors |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FC Honka |  Erik Jansson |
Tommi Saarinen |
Puma | |
| FC Inter |  John Allen |
Timo Furuholm |
Nike | Alfons Håkans |
| FC Lahti | Toni Korkeakunnas |
Mikko Hauhia |
Umbro | Halton Lahti Energia Prima Power |
| HJK | Mika Lehkosuo |
 Rafinha |
Adidas | Apu |
| IFK Mariehamn | Peter Lundberg |
Kristian Kojola |
Puma | Hotell Arkipelag |
| Ilves | Pontus Augustinsson |
Mika Hilander |
Adidas | LähiTapiola Pihlajalinna Kiilto |
| KuPS | Jani Honkavaara |
Petteri Pennanen |
Puma | LähiTapiola |
| PS Kemi |  Julián Guevara |
Craft | Various | |
| RoPS | Toni Koskela |
Antti Okkonen |
Puma | |
| SJK |  Alexei Eremenko Sr. |
 Mihkel Aksalu |
Adidas | LähiTapiola Prima Power Elisa |
| TPS | Tuomas Pekkarinen |
Sami Rähmönen |
Puma | OP Turun Seutu Silja Line LähiTapiola |
| VPS | Petri Vuorinen |
Sebastian Strandvall |
Puma | Various |
Managerial changes
| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Incoming manager | Date of appointment | Table |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RoPS | Juha Malinen |
Signed by Finland U19 | 31 October 2017 | Toni Koskela |
1 November 2017 [2] | Pre-season |
| SJK |  Brian Page Toni Lehtinen |
End of caretaker spell | 31 October 2017 | Tommi Kautonen |
1 November 2017 [3] | |
| SJK | Tommi Kautonen |
Sacked | 21 May 2018 | Alexei Eremenko Sr. |
22 May 2018 [4] | 9th |
| FC Inter |  Fabrizio Piccareta |
Resigned | 9 June 2018 | John Allen |
10 June 2018 [5] | 8th |
| PS Kemi | Jari Åhman |
Sacked | 30 June 2018 | David Hannah |
1 July 2018 [6] | 12th |
League table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | HJK (C) | 33 | 24 | 6 | 3 | 61 | 19 | +42 | 78 | Qualification for the Champions League first qualifying round[a] |
| 2 | RoPS | 33 | 18 | 8 | 7 | 42 | 25 | +17 | 62 | Qualification for the Europa League first qualifying round |
| 3 | KuPS | 33 | 17 | 7 | 9 | 56 | 37 | +19 | 58 | |
| 4 | Honka | 33 | 15 | 13 | 5 | 51 | 33 | +18 | 58 | |
| 5 | Ilves | 33 | 14 | 7 | 12 | 45 | 41 | +4 | 49 | |
| 6 | VPS | 33 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 37 | 43 | −6 | 41 | |
| 7 | Inter Turku | 33 | 10 | 10 | 13 | 37 | 44 | −7 | 40 | Qualification for the Europa League first qualifying round[b] |
| 8 | Lahti | 33 | 9 | 13 | 11 | 30 | 38 | −8 | 40 | |
| 9 | SJK | 33 | 8 | 8 | 17 | 28 | 37 | −9 | 32 | |
| 10 | IFK Mariehamn | 33 | 8 | 7 | 18 | 37 | 59 | −22 | 31 | |
| 11 | TPS (R) | 33 | 7 | 8 | 18 | 37 | 55 | −18 | 29 | Qualification for the relegation play-offs |
| 12 | PS Kemi Kings (R) | 33 | 6 | 6 | 21 | 29 | 59 | −30 | 24 | 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; (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; (R) Relegated
Notes:
- ↑ HJK qualified for the Champions League first qualifying round
- ↑ Inter Turku qualified for the Europa League first qualifying round by winning the 2017-18 Finnish Cup
Results
Each team plays three times against every other team, either twice at home and once away or once at home and twice away, for a total of 33 matches played each.
Matches 1–22
|
Matches 23–33
|
Season statistics
Top scorers
- As of match played 27 October 2018
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Klauss |
HJK | 21 |
| 2 | Rasmus Karjalainen |
KuPS | 17 |
| 3 |  Macoumba Kandji |
Honka | 16 |
| 4 |  Borjas Martín |
Honka | 12 |
| Petteri Pennanen |
KuPS | ||
| 6 | Aleksei Kangaskolkka |
IFK Mariehamn | 10 |
| Sebastian Strandvall |
VPS | ||
| 8 | Timo Furuholm |
Inter Turku | 9 |
 Marius Noubissi |
Ilves | ||
| 10 | Mika Ääritalo |
TPS | 8 |
| Benjamin Källman |
Inter Turku | ||
| Lassi Lappalainen |
RoPS |
Awards
Annual awards
| Award[7] | Winner | Club |
|---|---|---|
| Player of the Year | Klauss |
HJK |
| Goalkeeper of the Year | Antonio Reguero |
RoPS |
| Defender of the Year |  Faith Obilor |
HJK |
| Midfielder of the Year | Petteri Pennanen |
KuPS |
| Striker of the Year | Klauss |
HJK |
| Breakthrough of the Year | Klauss |
HJK |
| Coach of the Year | Toni Koskela |
RoPS |
Team of the Year
Reguero
Obilor
Aalto
Väisänen
Taiwo
Dahlström
Martín
Pennanen
Klauss
Kandji
Strandvall
|
| Team of the Year[8] | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goalkeeper | Antonio Reguero (RoPs) | |||||||||||
| Defence |
Henri Aalto (Honka) |
Faith Obilor (HJK) |
Leo Väisänen (RoPs) |
Taye Taiwo (RoPs) | ||||||||
| Midfield |
Sebastian Strandvall (VPS) |
|
Borjas Martin (Honka) |
Petteri Pennanen (KuPs) | ||||||||
| Attack | Klauss (HJK) |
 Macoumba Kandji (Honka) | ||||||||||
Attendances
| No. | Club | Average | Highest |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | HJK | 3,779 | 5,723 |
| 2 | TPS | 3,004 | 5,560 |
| 3 | Ilves | 2,860 | 4,762 |
| 4 | RoPS | 2,625 | 4,013 |
| 5 | KuPS | 2,618 | 3,695 |
| 6 | SJK | 2,534 | 4,010 |
| 7 | VPS | 2,070 | 3,928 |
| 8 | Inter Turku | 1,954 | 5,525 |
| 9 | Honka | 1,928 | 3,302 |
| 10 | Lahti | 1,820 | 2,830 |
| 11 | Mariehamn | 1,236 | 1,795 |
| 12 | Kemi | 1,209 | 3,650 |
Source:[9]
References
- ↑ "Veikkausliigan otteluohjelma 2018 julkaistu". www.veikkausliiga.com. 17 January 2018. Retrieved 18 January 2018.
- ↑ "Juha Malinen siirtyy Suomen U21 poikamaajoukkueen päävalmentajaksi". Rovaniemen Palloseura (in Finnish). Rovaniemen Palloseura. 16 October 2017. Retrieved 8 August 2018.
- ↑ "Tommi Kautonen SJK:n päävalmentaja kaudesta 2018". SJK (in Finnish). SJK. 16 October 2017. Archived from the original on 8 August 2018. Retrieved 8 August 2018.
- ↑ "Alexei Eremenko sr. korvaa Tommi Kautosen". SJK (in Finnish). SJK. 22 May 2018. Retrieved 8 August 2018.
- ↑ "Tiedote: Fabrizio Piccareta jättää FC Interin". FC Inter (in Finnish). FC Inter. 10 June 2018. Archived from the original on 8 August 2018. Retrieved 8 August 2018.
- ↑ "PS Kemi vapautti Jari Åhmanin tehtävistään – David Hannah uusi päävalmentaja". PS Kemi (in Finnish). PS Kemi. 30 June 2018. Archived from the original on 3 August 2018. Retrieved 8 August 2018.
- ↑ Happonen, Jesse (2018-11-03). "Tässä Veikkausliiga-kauden 2018 kaikki palkitut – HJK-tähti putsasi palkintopöydän". Arvokisat (in Finnish). Retrieved 2023-01-02.
- ↑ "Jalkapallotoimittajat nimesivät oman tähdistöjoukkueen". www.veikkausliiga.com (in Finnish). Retrieved 2023-01-02.
- ↑ https://www.european-football-statistics.co.uk/attn/archive/fin/avefin18.htm
| Domestic leagues | |
|---|---|
| Domestic cups | |
| European competitions | |
| Related to national team | |
Club seasons | |
| Veikkausliiga | |
Top-division football seasons in Finland | |
|---|---|
| Mestaruussarja | |
| Veikkausliiga | |