Willem Haapiainen

Attacking Midfielder (L) - HIFK
22 Nov 2027
Monday
Process
66 Edition

The HIFK Courier

1 Nov 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

Market

Willem Haapiainen hands in a written request

“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what HIFK can pretend not to have heard.

Squad

Voices raised on the HIFK training ground

Two players, one bad tackle and a session that had to be stopped. It was over in a minute; it was outside the gates in an hour.

Squad

Félix Uculmana loses the armband

The captaincy has been taken off Félix Uculmana. HIFK will call it a decision about the team; a dressing room reads it as a verdict on a man.

In brief

Back issues
65 Edition

The HIFK Courier

25 Oct 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

Aleksi Wahlman: that is not what I was promised

“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” HIFK have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.

Squad

Stanimir Prazov 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.

Market

Willem Haapiainen placed on the list

HIFK have made Willem Haapiainen available for transfer. A career at this club is over in all but paperwork.

In brief

61 Edition

The HIFK Courier

27 Sep 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

Market

Willem Haapiainen asks to leave HIFK

“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.

Squad

Stanimir Prazov stays put

“The easiest signature of my career.” Stanimir Prazov and HIFK agree another 3 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.

Squad

Davit Petrosyan 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.

In brief

57 Edition

The HIFK Courier

30 Aug 2027
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Market

Willem Haapiainen asks to leave HIFK

“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.

Match

HIFK find a way past Inter Turku

Inter Turku made HIFK work for it, but the scoreboard read 2-0 at the end and the table does not ask how.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Giorgos Agapakis

“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.

Squad

Mahmoud El Shenawy left out for the big one

A player who expected to start watched it instead. The manager will call it a decision for the team; Mahmoud El Shenawy will call it something else in private.

Squad

Aleksi Wahlman knocks on the manager's door

“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at HIFK, and both men came out saying it was fine.

Squad

Carlo Urquiaga wants a proper job in this side

Shifted about, taken off before the hour, asked to do somebody else's running — Carlo Urquiaga has had enough of being useful and would like to be picked. HIFK know, and have known for weeks.

In brief

  • Market Window shut, Hedi Khayat still here
  • The terraces The press cannot get enough of Anteo Fetahu
  • Boardroom The HIFK board put their names to it
53 Edition

The HIFK Courier

2 Aug 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

Market

Willem Haapiainen asks to leave HIFK

“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.

Market

HIFK turn down FF Jaro for Anwar Abdi

The offer was not close and it was refused without much discussion. Whether the second one is refused as quickly is another matter.

Squad

HIFK lose Anteo Fetahu

14 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.

Market

Sam Jammeh moves on

FF Jaro pay $4.0K, and the deal is done. The number reads well on a balance sheet; whether it reads well on the pitch is next season's question.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Giorgos Agapakis

“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.

Squad

The month belongs to Jens Hjertø-Dahl

The award is a small thing with a heavy meaning: for four weeks nobody in this division did his job better. HIFK have the trophy on a shelf and the player in the side.

Boardroom

HIFK release $2.1M for the manager

The board have put money on the table rather than an encouraging word. What happens to it now is somebody else's problem, and somebody else's job.

Match

HIFK and Ilves take a point apiece

It finished 2-2, and it somehow always looked like it would. One of those afternoons where the table moves less than the tempers.

Squad

No place for Aleksi Wahlman on the big day

He found out with everybody else, an hour before kick-off, from a sheet of paper on a wall. Nobody at HIFK pretended it was anything other than a decision about him.

In brief

  • Market Hedi Khayat placed on the list
  • Boardroom The HIFK board put their names to it
49 Edition

The HIFK Courier

5 Jul 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

Market

Willem Haapiainen asks to leave HIFK

“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.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Anteo Fetahu

“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.

Market

HIFK and Anteo Fetahu are talking past each other

“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.

Squad

The month belongs to Jens Hjertø-Dahl

The award is a small thing with a heavy meaning: for four weeks nobody in this division did his job better. HIFK have the trophy on a shelf and the player in the side.

Boardroom

HIFK release $2.1M for the manager

The board have put money on the table rather than an encouraging word. What happens to it now is somebody else's problem, and somebody else's job.

Match

HIFK and RoPS cancel each other out

Nil-nil, and few chances worth the name. RoPS came to defend and left with exactly what they came for.

In brief

47 Edition

The HIFK Courier

21 Jun 2027
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Match

Still nobody has beaten HIFK

The unbeaten run reaches 13. Some of them were wins and some were escapes, but a side that refuses to lose is a side other dressing rooms talk about.

Match

HIFK are in among the leaders

Position 2 and 19 points on the board. Nobody at the ground will say the word out loud yet, and everybody at the ground is thinking it.

Squad

Tomi Kurvinen: that is not what I was promised

“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” HIFK have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.

Squad

At 21, Jens Hjertø-Dahl is already the best thing here

An average of 7.35 in a first team he is several years too young for. HIFK have something, and by now the whole division has noticed.

Match

HIFK see off KTP

Three points for HIFK, 1-0 the final word against KTP in a contest settled by the finer margins.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Arttu Auranen

“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.

In brief

43 Edition

The HIFK Courier

24 May 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

Match

HIFK are in among the leaders

Position 2 and 11 points on the board. Nobody at the ground will say the word out loud yet, and everybody at the ground is thinking it.

Squad

Mahmoud El Shenawy keeps HIFK in it on his own

Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 6 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.

Match

Still nobody has beaten HIFK

The unbeaten run reaches 9. Some of them were wins and some were escapes, but a side that refuses to lose is a side other dressing rooms talk about.

Squad

At 21, Jens Hjertø-Dahl is already the best thing here

An average of 7.11 in a first team he is several years too young for. HIFK have something, and by now the whole division has noticed.

Match

HIFK get the job done against FC Lahti

A 1-0 win over FC Lahti, earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.

Squad

Tudor Butucel 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.

In brief

39 Edition

The HIFK Courier

26 Apr 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

Jens Hjertø-Dahl: that is not what I was promised

“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” HIFK have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.

Market

Willem Haapiainen asks to leave HIFK

“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.

Squad

Elias Säyniö 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.

In brief

29 Edition

The HIFK Courier

15 Feb 2027
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Market

Peik Westerlund asks to leave HIFK

“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.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Willem Haapiainen

“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.

Squad

The manager comes out for Arttu Auranen

Public backing, and the sort that costs a manager something if it turns out to be wrong. Arttu Auranen has been told in front of everybody that the shirt is his.

In brief

28 Edition

The HIFK Courier

8 Feb 2027
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Market

Anwar Abdi asks to leave HIFK

“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.

Market

HIFK sell Joonas Pyhälä for $39.0K

Joonas Pyhälä has left for VPS in a $39.0K deal. The accountants are pleased; the supporters are less certain.

Squad

Willem Haapiainen 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.

In brief

22 Edition

The HIFK Courier

28 Dec 2026
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Squad

Willem Haapiainen 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.

Squad

The manager comes out for Joonas Pyhälä

Public backing, and the sort that costs a manager something if it turns out to be wrong. Joonas Pyhälä has been told in front of everybody that the shirt is his.

Squad

Carlo Urquiaga is out on the grass again

He came through the session, took part in everything and finished it smiling. HIFK will not rush him, and he will spend the next fortnight trying to rush them.

21 Edition

The HIFK Courier

21 Dec 2026
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Squad

Hedi Khayat out for 69 days

The medical room confirms 69 days on the sidelines for Hedi Khayat, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.

Squad

Willem Haapiainen knocks on the manager's door

“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at HIFK, and both men came out saying it was fine.

Squad

Elias Säyniö keeps his manager's vote

The message was aimed at the stands as much as the dressing room: Elias Säyniö plays, and the argument is closed until the manager decides otherwise.

In brief

15 Edition

The HIFK Courier

9 Nov 2026
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Market

Yassin Adam hands in a written request

“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what HIFK can pretend not to have heard.

Market

Yassin Adam has one foot out of the door

Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around HIFK they have already started talking about him in the past tense.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Willem Haapiainen

“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.

In brief

14 Edition

The HIFK Courier

2 Nov 2026
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Market

Aatu Kujanpää asks to leave HIFK

“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.

Squad

Willem Haapiainen says HIFK went back on their word

“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.

Market

Niilo Pirttinen is on his way

The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at HIFK is pretending he will be back in the shirt.

Market

HIFK and Anteo Fetahu are talking past each other

“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.

Boardroom

97% of the income goes out in wages at HIFK

Every club in football pays most of what it earns to its players. Paying nearly all of it is a different arrangement, and it has ended the same way every time somebody has tried it.

Squad

Elias Säyniö 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.

In brief

7 Edition

The HIFK Courier

14 Sep 2026
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Market

Yassin Adam hands in a written request

“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what HIFK can pretend not to have heard.

Market

Yassin Adam has one foot out of the door

Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around HIFK they have already started talking about him in the past tense.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Willem Haapiainen

“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.

In brief

6 Edition

The HIFK Courier

7 Sep 2026
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Market

Aatu Kujanpää asks to leave HIFK

“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.

Market

Niilo Pirttinen is on his way

The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at HIFK is pretending he will be back in the shirt.

Boardroom

Wages eat 319% of everything HIFK earn

There is a figure at which a wage bill stops being ambitious and becomes the reason nothing else is possible, and this club has reached it. Nothing is left over for a transfer, a stand or a rainy afternoon.

Match

HIFK find a way past KTP

KTP made HIFK work for it, but the scoreboard read 1-0 at the end and the table does not ask how.

Squad

Otto Ollikainen 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.

Market

HIFK and Anteo Fetahu are talking past each other

“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.

In brief

2 Edition

The HIFK Courier

10 Aug 2026
From our football correspondent Crisis

Market

Aatu Kujanpää hands in a written request

“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what HIFK can pretend not to have heard.

Market

Elias Kaukamo is on his way

The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at HIFK is pretending he will be back in the shirt.

Match

FC Lahti take the points off HIFK

Beaten 1-2, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Zsombor Senkó

“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.

Market

Nobody at HIFK has picked up the phone to Willem Haapiainen

48 months to run and not a word offered. A club that lets the calendar negotiate for it usually ends up losing to the calendar.

Market

Elias Kaukamo told to find a new club

“They were honest with me, and I would rather know.” Elias Kaukamo has been informed he is not in the manager's thinking at HIFK.

In brief