Marked for Emmanuel Mendy
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market21 Jun 2027
Only the photograph left for Joas Vikström
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Joas Vikström will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around FF Jaro the goodbyes have quietly begun.
Squad21 Jun 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at FF Jaro this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad21 Jun 2027
Hakim Sulemana falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
Match19 Jun 2027
Beaten 0‑1, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
The dugout21 Jun 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Luca Weckström, and the manager let it.
Match21 Jun 2027
The half-term report on FF Jaro
Position 7, 15 points, and every result so far reduced to one line. The second half of the season starts with the same squad and a different set of expectations.
The dugout21 Jun 2027
“We were not good enough today and I am not going to dress it up.” Tim Arajuuri after 0‑1, in the tone of a man who knows the next question and does not intend to answer it.
Player ratings21 Jun 2027
Successful dribbles: 14. He went past people as if he had been told there was a prize for it, and by the end the full-back had stopped pretending to try.
The dugout21 Jun 2027
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Michael Ogungbaro trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
Back issues
From our football correspondent
Steady
Boardroom5 Apr 2027
FF Jaro close the window on a squad of their own making
4 in and 0 out, and no more changes for months. The manager has what he has, the supporters have their opinion of it, and the table will have the last word.
Squad5 Apr 2027
A falling-out at FF Jaro
Zinedin Smajlović and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Squad5 Apr 2027
Words at FF Jaro training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Valde Löfs is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
The dugout5 Apr 2027
The manager makes an example of Leo Boström
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Squad5 Apr 2027
Somebody has moved past him. It is not a dropping and it is worse than one, because a dropping is about a Saturday and this is about where he stands.
Market5 Apr 2027
VPS are about to pick up the phone
A conversation is coming this week. FF Jaro will put a number on him, and from there it stops being football and becomes arithmetic.
From our football correspondent
Steady
The dugout15 Mar 2027
“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” FF Jaro may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.
Transfer targets15 Mar 2027
A medical, a signature, a shirt held up in front of a sponsor’s board. FF Jaro have done the hard part with Valerenga, and the part that remains is the part supporters actually see.
Market15 Mar 2027
Only the photograph left for Anton Finell
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Anton Finell will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around FF Jaro the goodbyes have quietly begun.
Squad15 Mar 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at FF Jaro this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Transfer targets15 Mar 2027
Not now, not at any price the club was prepared to say out loud. Bodo/Glimt have kept their man, and FF Jaro go back to a list with one name crossed off it.
Squad15 Mar 2027
A row about effort at FF Jaro
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Luca Weckström was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Transfer targets15 Mar 2027
Krasnodar have been asked whether they would lend him. Loans are agreed quickly or not at all, and this one will be one or the other by the weekend.
Transfer targets15 Mar 2027
A loan enquiry to Partizan: cover, or a look at somebody the club cannot afford to buy yet. Either way the answer will come back inside the week.
The dugout15 Mar 2027
“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad22 Feb 2027
16 days on the announcement, and a year of quiet, unwatched rehabilitation behind it. FF Jaro lose a player for a season; he loses something harder to name.
Market22 Feb 2027
The offer was not close and it was refused without much discussion. Whether the second one is refused as quickly is another matter.
Squad22 Feb 2027
A fracture rules Leo Hradecky out for 14 days
Bones knit. That is the one merciful thing about this injury and the reason FF Jaro will talk about it more openly than they would about a knee. He will be back, and roughly when they say.
Squad22 Feb 2027
The medical room confirms 50 days on the sidelines for Mats Pedersen, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
Market22 Feb 2027
Add another name to the list: HJK have asked the question everybody in the game has been asking about Erik Gunnarsson. The answer from FF Jaro has not changed — yet.
Squad22 Feb 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at FF Jaro this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Transfer targets22 Feb 2027
Not now, not at any price the club was prepared to say out loud. HJK have kept their man, and FF Jaro go back to a list with one name crossed off it.
The dugout22 Feb 2027
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Transfer targets22 Feb 2027
Bodo/Glimt have been asked whether they would lend him. Loans are agreed quickly or not at all, and this one will be one or the other by the weekend.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad15 Feb 2027
Emmanuel Mendy damages knee ligaments — 23 days out
The words a physio says slowly. 23 days is what the club will announce and everybody who has heard this diagnosis before knows the number is the least of it: the knee comes back before the player does.
Squad15 Feb 2027
22 days out for Leo Hradecky after a fracture
A bone, which is the one injury with a calendar attached. FF Jaro will name a return date and, unusually for this business, will probably be right about it.
Squad15 Feb 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at FF Jaro this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad15 Feb 2027
A row about effort at FF Jaro
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Hakim Sulemana was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Transfer targets15 Feb 2027
The approach was made and the answer came back in a sentence. There is no number on the table because there was no number that would have been enough.
Market15 Feb 2027
There is no fee, no unveiling and no agent on the steps. Juhani Hakola has been at this club since he was a boy and is now, formally, one of the first-team squad — which for a local readership beats any signing of any size.
The dugout15 Feb 2027
Leo Boström gets it from the manager
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Transfer targets15 Feb 2027
A loan enquiry to AIK: cover, or a look at somebody the club cannot afford to buy yet. Either way the answer will come back inside the week.
The dugout15 Feb 2027
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at FF Jaro, and both men came out saying it was fine.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad8 Feb 2027
A knee injury of the worst kind for Emmanuel Mendy
30 days on the estimate, and a long, private, unglamorous year of a rehabilitation nobody watches. FF Jaro lose a footballer; he loses considerably more than a season.
Squad8 Feb 2027
A fracture rules Leo Hradecky out for 29 days
Bones knit. That is the one merciful thing about this injury and the reason FF Jaro will talk about it more openly than they would about a knee. He will be back, and roughly when they say.
Market8 Feb 2027
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Transfer targets8 Feb 2027
A medical, a signature, a shirt held up in front of a sponsor’s board. FF Jaro have done the hard part with VPS, and the part that remains is the part supporters actually see.
Squad8 Feb 2027
A falling-out at FF Jaro
Zinedin Smajlović and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Squad8 Feb 2027
A move Simone Albè would have made for nothing
There is a version of every career where the player ends up somewhere he chose rather than somewhere that chose him. Simone Albè is living that version at FF Jaro, and it tends to show in the first month.
Transfer targets8 Feb 2027
FF Jaro asked and VPS said no without discussing a figure. It is the least ambiguous answer in football and the one clubs most often come back to test.
The dugout8 Feb 2027
The manager makes an example of Adam Vidjeskog
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Transfer targets8 Feb 2027
A loan move for Arvid Lundberg is in the works
FF Jaro have made the call to IFK Mariehamn. No fee, a share of the wages, and a spare shirt in the position where the squad has been thinnest all season.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad1 Feb 2027
37 days on the announcement, and a year of quiet, unwatched rehabilitation behind it. FF Jaro lose a player for a season; he loses something harder to name.
Market1 Feb 2027
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at FF Jaro, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad1 Feb 2027
Words exchanged at FF Jaro
Zinedin Smajlović and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
The dugout1 Feb 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Michael Ogungbaro, and the manager let it.
The dugout1 Feb 2027
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at FF Jaro, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Squad1 Feb 2027
A year in and the language has not come, the city has not opened up, and he eats alone more often than anybody at FF Jaro would like to admit. It is showing on Saturdays.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad25 Jan 2027
Emmanuel Mendy damages knee ligaments — 44 days out
The words a physio says slowly. 44 days is what the club will announce and everybody who has heard this diagnosis before knows the number is the least of it: the knee comes back before the player does.
The dugout25 Jan 2027
“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.
Squad25 Jan 2027
Zinedin Smajlović was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Squad25 Jan 2027
A row about effort at FF Jaro
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Hakim Sulemana was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
The dugout25 Jan 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Hakim Sulemana, and the manager let it.
The dugout25 Jan 2027
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at FF Jaro, and both men came out saying it was fine.
From our football correspondent
Steady
The dugout18 Jan 2027
“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.
Squad18 Jan 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at FF Jaro this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad18 Jan 2027
Words at FF Jaro training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Emmanuel Mendy is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad11 Jan 2027
A falling-out at FF Jaro
Zinedin Smajlović and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Market11 Jan 2027
Clubs spend fortunes looking for players and occasionally find one down the corridor. Erik Valakari is that, and the reception he gets on his first appearance will be different in kind from the one any signing receives.
Market11 Jan 2027
There is no fee, no unveiling and no agent on the steps. Lukas Hamalainen has been at this club since he was a boy and is now, formally, one of the first-team squad — which for a local readership beats any signing of any size.
Squad11 Jan 2027
A row about effort at FF Jaro
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Emmanuel Mendy was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
The dugout11 Jan 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Emmanuel Mendy, and the manager let it.
Market11 Jan 2027
Every press conference now starts and ends the same way: with Linus Zetterström’s future. The manager has run out of new ways to say nothing.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad21 Dec 2026
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at FF Jaro this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
The dugout21 Dec 2026
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Squad21 Dec 2026
A row about effort at FF Jaro
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Emmanuel Mendy was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad7 Dec 2026
Words exchanged at FF Jaro
Zinedin Smajlović and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
Squad7 Dec 2026
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Luca Weckström commits to FF Jaro for another 4 years.
The dugout7 Dec 2026
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
The dugout7 Dec 2026
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Zinedin Smajlović trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
Squad7 Dec 2026
Words at FF Jaro training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Emmanuel Mendy is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
Squad7 Dec 2026
FF Jaro will explain it as a decision about the team, and it may well be one. A dressing room has never once read it that way.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad9 Nov 2026
Words exchanged at FF Jaro
Zinedin Smajlović and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
Squad9 Nov 2026
“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Adam Vidjeskog and FF Jaro agree another 4 years.
The dugout9 Nov 2026
Leo Boström gets it from the manager
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Market9 Nov 2026
“There is a gap, and pretending there is not helps nobody.” Neither side has moved, and the calendar is working for exactly one of them.
Squad9 Nov 2026
A row about effort at FF Jaro
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Emmanuel Mendy was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
The dugout9 Nov 2026
Adam Vidjeskog asks for a word with the manager
“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad28 Sep 2026
A knee injury of the worst kind for Oliver Kass Kawo
36 days on the estimate, and a long, private, unglamorous year of a rehabilitation nobody watches. FF Jaro lose a footballer; he loses considerably more than a season.
Market28 Sep 2026
Johan Brunell has one foot out of the door
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around FF Jaro they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Squad28 Sep 2026
The medical room confirms 68 days on the sidelines for Adam Vidjeskog, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
Squad28 Sep 2026
Hakim Sulemana was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
The dugout28 Sep 2026
The manager makes an example of Adam Vidjeskog
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Squad28 Sep 2026
A row about effort at FF Jaro
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Emmanuel Mendy was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market7 Sep 2026
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at FF Jaro is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Squad7 Sep 2026
Zinedin Smajlović was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Match5 Sep 2026
2‑3 to FC Lahti, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
The terraces7 Sep 2026
He is 23 and the ground already sings his name, which is a thing that happens to local boys and almost never to signings. Everything from here is measured against an affection he did nothing to earn except be from here.
Player ratings7 Sep 2026
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.16, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
The dugout7 Sep 2026
“I could talk about decisions and I could talk about luck. I will not. We lost.” The manager, 2‑3, and a press conference that lasted four minutes.
Squad7 Sep 2026
The demotion a club never announces and a dressing room always notices. Oliver Kass Kawo is further from the side than he was, and the reason will not be given until he asks.
Squad7 Sep 2026
Abdi Sabriye makes the team of the month
Four or five weekends of consistency, measured against everybody else in the division. A quieter compliment than an award and a more reliable one.
The dugout7 Sep 2026
The manager makes an example of Johan Brunell
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.