From our football correspondent
Uneasy
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 The request is on a desk at FC Lahti, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad1 Feb 2027
Aatu Hakala 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.
Squad1 Feb 2027
The manager plants his flag on Erik Andersson
“Judge me on him.” Managers do not say that kind of thing by accident — it moves the pressure from Erik Andersson’s shoulders onto his own, and both of them know it.
Back issues
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad25 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 FC Lahti this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad25 Jan 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Joel Lehtonen, and the manager let it.
Squad25 Jan 2027
Erik Andersson 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 FC Lahti, and both men came out saying it was fine.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad18 Jan 2027
Aatu Hakala 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.
Squad18 Jan 2027
Erik Andersson knocks on the manager’s door
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Erik Andersson trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
Market18 Jan 2027
The name of Justus Ojanen keeps appearing in other people's back pages. FC Lahti say nothing, which says plenty.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad11 Jan 2027
Aatu Hakala in a row with a teammate
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at FC Lahti this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Market11 Jan 2027
Every press conference now starts and ends the same way: with Matias Vainionpää’s future. The manager has run out of new ways to say nothing.
Squad11 Jan 2027
The message was aimed at the stands as much as the dressing room: Joel Lehtonen plays, and the argument is closed until the manager decides otherwise.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad4 Jan 2027
Aatu Hakala 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.
Squad4 Jan 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Juan Cámara, and the manager let it.
Squad4 Jan 2027
He looks like a man who lives here now rather than one who is working here. It took most of a season, and at FC Lahti the difference is visible from the back of the stand.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad28 Dec 2026
Aatu Hakala in a row with a teammate
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at FC Lahti this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Boardroom28 Dec 2026
Wages eat 124% of everything FC Lahti 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.
Squad28 Dec 2026
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at FC Lahti, and both men came out saying it was fine.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad21 Dec 2026
Aatu Hakala 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.
Squad21 Dec 2026
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Matias Vainionpää trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
Market21 Dec 2026
The name of Justus Ojanen keeps appearing in other people's back pages. FC Lahti say nothing, which says plenty.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad14 Dec 2026
Juan Cámara in a row with a teammate
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at FC Lahti this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad14 Dec 2026
Jere Koponen 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.
Market14 Dec 2026
Every press conference now starts and ends the same way: with Matias Vainionpää’s future. The manager has run out of new ways to say nothing.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad7 Dec 2026
Tòfol Montiel 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.
Squad7 Dec 2026
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” José Müller commits to FC Lahti for another 4 years.
Squad7 Dec 2026
The manager makes an example of Joel Lehtonen
“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.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad30 Nov 2026
Aatu Hakala in a row with a teammate
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at FC Lahti this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Boardroom30 Nov 2026
Wages eat 166% of everything FC Lahti 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.
Squad30 Nov 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.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad23 Nov 2026
Aatu Hakala 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.
Squad23 Nov 2026
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Justus Ojanen commits to FC Lahti for another 4 years.
Market23 Nov 2026
The name of Justus Ojanen keeps appearing in other people's back pages. FC Lahti say nothing, which says plenty.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad16 Nov 2026
Aatu Hakala in a row with a teammate
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at FC Lahti this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Market16 Nov 2026
He is 19, and nobody at FC Lahti signed him for this season. Deals like this are judged in four years, by people who may not still be in the building.
Squad16 Nov 2026
International call for Aatu Hakala
Aatu Hakala joins up with his country. FC Lahti lose him for the window and would like him back in one piece.
Squad16 Nov 2026
Somebody is after Romain Sans’s shirt
A new face in his position, and Romain Sans suddenly has to win back what he thought he owned. FC Lahti have promised nothing — clubs rarely do at this stage.
Market16 Nov 2026
Every press conference now starts and ends the same way: with Matias Vainionpää’s future. The manager has run out of new ways to say nothing.
Market16 Nov 2026
Contract settled, hands shaken, no fee changing hands. Väinö Vehkonen leaves FC Lahti the quiet way, and the wage bill breathes a little easier.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market9 Nov 2026
“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.
Squad9 Nov 2026
Aatu Hakala 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.
Squad9 Nov 2026
The manager makes an example of Juan Cámara
“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.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad2 Nov 2026
Aatu Hakala in a row with a teammate
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at FC Lahti this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Boardroom2 Nov 2026
Wages eat 166% of everything FC Lahti 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.
Market2 Nov 2026
The name of Daniel Heikkinen keeps appearing in other people's back pages. FC Lahti say nothing, which says plenty.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market26 Oct 2026
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what FC Lahti can pretend not to have heard.
Market26 Oct 2026
Romaric Yapi has one foot out of the door
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around FC Lahti they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Squad26 Oct 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 FC Lahti this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad26 Oct 2026
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Joel Lehtonen, and the manager let it.
Squad26 Oct 2026
Väinö Vehkonen knocks on the manager’s door
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Väinö Vehkonen trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
Market26 Oct 2026
The clock does Romaric Yapi’s negotiating for him
1 months left, and both sides know what that means: every week without a signature, the fee FC Lahti could ask drops and the wages Romaric Yapi can ask rise.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad19 Oct 2026
“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” FC Lahti may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.
Market19 Oct 2026
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at FC Lahti is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Squad19 Oct 2026
Yohan Cassubie 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.
Squad19 Oct 2026
Jere Koponen 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.
Loan watch19 Oct 2026
“I watch every FC Lahti game from here. That says everything about where my head is.” The loan at FF Jaro runs its course, but his heart never made the trip.
Squad19 Oct 2026
Yohan Cassubie 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 FC Lahti, and both men came out saying it was fine.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad12 Oct 2026
“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” FC Lahti may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.
Market12 Oct 2026
Romaric Yapi 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 FC Lahti can pretend not to have heard.
Squad12 Oct 2026
Aatu Hakala 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.
Squad12 Oct 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.
Squad12 Oct 2026
Yohan Cassubie knocks on the manager’s door
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Yohan Cassubie trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
Market12 Oct 2026
1 months remain and no agreement is close. Every week without a signature costs FC Lahti money.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market5 Oct 2026
“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 FC Lahti, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad5 Oct 2026
Yohan Cassubie 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.
Boardroom5 Oct 2026
292% of the income goes out in wages at FC Lahti
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.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market28 Sep 2026
“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.
Market28 Sep 2026
Only the photograph left for Romaric Yapi
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Romaric Yapi will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around FC Lahti the goodbyes have quietly begun.
Squad28 Sep 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 FC Lahti this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market21 Sep 2026
Only the photograph left for Väinö Vehkonen
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Väinö Vehkonen will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around FC Lahti the goodbyes have quietly begun.
Squad21 Sep 2026
Aatu Hakala in a row with a teammate
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at FC Lahti this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Loan watch21 Sep 2026
“I watch every FC Lahti game from here. That says everything about where my head is.” The loan at FF Jaro runs its course, but his heart never made the trip.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market14 Sep 2026
Romaric Yapi 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 FC Lahti can pretend not to have heard.
Squad14 Sep 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 FC Lahti this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad14 Sep 2026
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Jorge Pedrozo, and the manager let it.
Market14 Sep 2026
The clock does Yohan Cassubie’s negotiating for him
2 months left, and both sides know what that means: every week without a signature, the fee FC Lahti could ask drops and the wages Yohan Cassubie can ask rise.
Market14 Sep 2026
Every press conference now starts and ends the same way: with Yohan Cassubie’s future. The manager has run out of new ways to say nothing.
Squad14 Sep 2026
A season on the outside for Juan Cámara
He trains hard, says the right things and goes home to an empty flat. Nobody at FC Lahti has done anything wrong, which is exactly what makes it so difficult to fix.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match5 Sep 2026
Nowhere to hide for FC Lahti
0‑3 against FF Jaro, and no complaints that would survive the replay. The manager spoke about character afterwards; the terraces used shorter words.
Market7 Sep 2026
“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 FC Lahti, and it is not being withdrawn.
The terraces7 Sep 2026
The ground has had enough
“We travel everywhere and we get this.” 7 of the 23 senior players heard it walking off, and the ones who did not hear it were not playing.
Match5 Sep 2026
5 matches without a win for FC Lahti
The run now stands at 5, and the questions being asked around FC Lahti are no longer polite ones.
Squad7 Sep 2026
Yohan Cassubie 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.
Player ratings7 Sep 2026
Successful dribbles: 20. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Boardroom7 Sep 2026
386% of the income goes out in wages at FC Lahti
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.
Squad7 Sep 2026
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Jere Koponen, and the manager let it.
Boardroom7 Sep 2026
The music was off and the showers ran late. What was said in that dressing room stays there, but Saturday will publish the minutes.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market31 Aug 2026
“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.
Market31 Aug 2026
Only the photograph left for Romaric Yapi
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Romaric Yapi will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around FC Lahti the goodbyes have quietly begun.
Match29 Aug 2026
4 matches without a win for FC Lahti
The run now stands at 4, and the questions being asked around FC Lahti are no longer polite ones.
Match29 Aug 2026
Still nobody has beaten FC Lahti
The unbeaten run reaches 7. Some of them were wins and some were escapes, but a side that refuses to lose is a side other dressing rooms talk about.
Squad31 Aug 2026
Aatu Hakala 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.
Squad31 Aug 2026
The manager makes an example of Aatu Hakala
“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.
Player ratings31 Aug 2026
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.66, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Player ratings31 Aug 2026
A masterclass from Neemias
Marked 8.13 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.
Player ratings31 Aug 2026
Successful dribbles: 17. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Match22 Aug 2026
The cup run ends for FC Lahti
0‑0 against KuPS, and the road stops here. Cup exits are quick deaths — no second leg, no next week, just the league from now until May.
Squad24 Aug 2026
Aatu Hakala is the hero from the spot
A shoot-out is remembered by its ending, and this one ends with Aatu Hakala: 1 kept out, and a set of supporters who will describe every one of them for the next twenty years.
Market24 Aug 2026
Only the photograph left for Väinö Vehkonen
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Väinö Vehkonen will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around FC Lahti the goodbyes have quietly begun.
Player ratings24 Aug 2026
Successful dribbles: 23. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Squad24 Aug 2026
Yohan Cassubie 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.
Match22 Aug 2026
Still nobody has beaten FC Lahti
The unbeaten run reaches 6. Some of them were wins and some were escapes, but a side that refuses to lose is a side other dressing rooms talk about.
Squad24 Aug 2026
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Romain Sans, and the manager let it.
Player ratings24 Aug 2026
A masterclass from Neemias
Marked 8.14 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.
Player ratings24 Aug 2026
The kick that got away from Tòfol Montiel
Twelve yards, a goalkeeper guessing, and it still did not go in. He will take the next one, and every soul in the ground will hold their breath.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Match12 Aug 2026
FC Lahti through in the cup
A 1‑0 win over VPS, and the draw for the next round can be watched with some interest for once.
Market17 Aug 2026
Romaric Yapi 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 FC Lahti can pretend not to have heard.
Player ratings17 Aug 2026
Successful dribbles: 29. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Player ratings17 Aug 2026
Headers, blocks, tackles, interceptions — 28 of them, and not one goal behind him. The sort of performance that never makes a highlight reel and wins football matches.
Squad17 Aug 2026
Aatu Hakala 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.
Squad17 Aug 2026
The manager makes an example of Tòfol Montiel
“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.
Player ratings17 Aug 2026
A performance of 8.40 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Player ratings17 Aug 2026
Marked 7.53 on an afternoon he ran from the first whistle to the last. Whatever else went wrong, FC Lahti had the best player on the pitch.
Squad17 Aug 2026
Jere Koponen 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
Upbeat
Market10 Aug 2026
“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.
Squad10 Aug 2026
Aatu Hakala 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.
Player ratings10 Aug 2026
Successful dribbles: 20. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Match8 Aug 2026
Ask anyone on the way out what separated the sides and you will get one name: Tòfol Montiel. 2‑1 against HIFK, and the applause at the whistle was mostly his.
Player ratings10 Aug 2026
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.86, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Player ratings10 Aug 2026
One of those days for Neemias
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.09, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Squad10 Aug 2026
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Joel Lehtonen, and the manager let it.
Market10 Aug 2026
48 months and counting on Romain Sans
Still no offer on the table, and Romain Sans’s deal keeps shrinking. In boardroom language, silence this long stops being an oversight and starts being an answer.
Market10 Aug 2026
Everyone has stopped pretending: KTP will make the call about Topias Inkinen this week. FC Lahti have a number in mind, and the number is not shy.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market3 Aug 2026
“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.
Player ratings3 Aug 2026
Successful dribbles: 26. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Squad3 Aug 2026
“The easiest signature of my career.” Aatu Hakala and FC Lahti agree another 4 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Squad3 Aug 2026
Aatu Hakala in a row with a teammate
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at FC Lahti this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings3 Aug 2026
Defensive actions: 20, and a clean sheet at the end of it. A centre-half's best afternoons look like nothing happening, which is precisely the point.
Market3 Aug 2026
Add another name to the list: KTP have asked the question everybody in the game has been asking about Topias Inkinen. The answer from FC Lahti has not changed — yet.
Market3 Aug 2026
The clock runs on Tòfol Montiel's contract
49 months left and silence from upstairs — no offer, no talks, nothing for his people to answer. Clubs that let a calendar do their negotiating usually end up negotiating with the calendar.
Player ratings3 Aug 2026
Marked 7.81 on an afternoon he ran from the first whistle to the last. Whatever else went wrong, FC Lahti had the best player on the pitch.
Squad3 Aug 2026
Yohan Cassubie 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.