FC Lahti

Summary

FC Lahti is a Finnish football club based in the city of Lahti. It currently plays in the Finnish Premier League (Veikkausliiga) after placing first in the Finnish First Division (Ykkönen) during season 2011. The homeground of Lahti is Lahden Stadion. Lahti is famous of being the local team of the most successful Finnish player, Jari Litmanen, who played for the club in two stints in 2004 and 2009–10. In his youth years and the start of his career, he played in Reipas Lahti.

Lahti
Club crest
Full nameFootball Club Lahti[1][2]
Nickname(s)Mustat kuhnurit (The Black Drones)
Founded1996; 28 years ago (1996)
GroundLahden Stadion,
Lahti
Capacity14,500 (7,465 seated)
ChairmanMika Halttunen
ManagerToni Lindberg
LeagueVeikkausliiga
2023Veikkausliiga, 10th of 12
WebsiteClub website
Lahden Stadion
Lahden Stadion – Aerial view

History edit

Lahti was founded in 1996 when two rival clubs from Lahti – Kuusysi and Reipas Lahti (founded in Viipuri and moved to Lahti after Viipuri was ceded to USSR in 1947) – decided to merge. Also, the reserve club Pallo-Lahti was formed, but it was closed down after a couple of seasons due to economic difficulties. Both Reipas and Kuusysi controlled the junior section of the club.

Lahti played its first season in 1997, in the southern group of Ykkönen, the second tier of Finnish football. It finished second in the first half of the split league format Ykkönen, but was placed third in the final half, behind Haka and PK-35, both of which were promoted to Veikkausliiga. The next season, in 1998, saw success and Lahti finally gained promotion to the highest tier. They were relegated at the end of the 2010 season, but bounced back after just one season in Ykkönen.

In the premier division, Lahti has not yet achieved the success of Kuusysi and Reipas. In 2007, Lahti won the Finnish League Cup. In 2008 Lahti was third in the Veikkausliiga final table and was placed in the UEFA Europa League qualification rounds for season 2009. Lahti repeated the success in 2014 by finishing third for the second time in their history. The club qualified to the Europa League qualifiers for the third time in 2018 when the club finished fourth in the table the season before.

Honours edit

Crest and colours edit

Kit manufacturers and shirt sponsors edit

Period Kit manufacturer Shirt sponsor Ref
2004 Umbro Lahti Energia [fi] [3]
2005–07 ? ?
2008 Umbro Lahti Energia [fi]
2009–17 ? ?
2018–21 Umbro Halton [fi]
2022 Adidas

FC Lahti in Europe edit

Updated 20 July 2018

Season Competition Round Club Home Away Aggregate
2009–10 UEFA Europa League 1Q   Dinamo Tirana 4–1 0–2 4–3  
2Q   Gorica 2–0 0–1 2–1  
3Q   Club Brugge 1–1 2–3 3–4  
2015–16 UEFA Europa League 1Q   Elfsborg 2–2 0–5 2–7  
2018–19 UEFA Europa League 1Q   FH 0–3 0–0 0–3  
Notes
  • 1Q: First qualifying round
  • 2Q: Second qualifying round
  • 3Q: Third qualifying round

Season to season edit

Season Level Division Section Administration Position Movements
1997 Tier 2 Ykkönen (First Division) South Group Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 2nd Promotion Group – 3rd
1998 Tier 2 Ykkönen (First Division) South Group Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 1st Promotion Group – 1st – Promoted
1999 Tier 1 Veikkausliiga (Premier League) Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 10th Relegation Group – Play-offs
2000 Tier 1 Veikkausliiga (Premier League) Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 8th
2001 Tier 1 Veikkausliiga (Premier League) Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 9th
2002 Tier 1 Veikkausliiga (Premier League) Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 7th Upper Group – 8th
2003 Tier 1 Veikkausliiga (Premier League) Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 5th
2004 Tier 1 Veikkausliiga (Premier League) Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 7th
2005 Tier 1 Veikkausliiga (Premier League) Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 6th
2006 Tier 1 Veikkausliiga (Premier League) Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 8th
2007 Tier 1 Veikkausliiga (Premier League) Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 8th
2008 Tier 1 Veikkausliiga (Premier League) Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 3rd
2009 Tier 1 Veikkausliiga (Premier League) Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 11th
2010 Tier 1 Veikkausliiga (Premier League) Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 14th Relegated
2011 Tier 2 Ykkönen (First Division) Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 1st Promoted
2012 Tier 1 Veikkausliiga (Premier League) Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 5th
2013 Tier 1 Veikkausliiga (Premier League) Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 5th
2014 Tier 1 Veikkausliiga (Premier League) Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 3rd
2015 Tier 1 Veikkausliiga (Premier League) Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 5th
2016 Tier 1 Veikkausliiga (Premier League) Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 8th
2017 Tier 1 Veikkausliiga (Premier League) Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 4th
2018 Tier 1 Veikkausliiga (Premier League) Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 8th
2019 Tier 1 Veikkausliiga (Premier League) Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 8th
2020 Tier 1 Veikkausliiga (Premier League) Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 6th
2021 Tier 1 Veikkausliiga (Premier League) Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 7th
2022 Tier 1 Veikkausliiga (Premier League) Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 11th Relegation Group – Play-offs

Players edit

Current squad edit

As of 28 February 2024[4]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK   NGA Josh Oluwayemi
3 DF   FIN Daniel Koskipalo
4 DF   FIN Mikko Viitikko (on loan from Trelleborg)
5 MF   POR Bubacar Djaló
6 MF   FIN Samuel Pasanen
7 MF   NED Colin Odutayo
8 DF   FIN Riku Selander
9 FW   ARG Michael López
10 MF   FIN Eemeli Virta (vice-captain)
11 MF   FIN Otso Koskinen
12 DF   AUS Dylan Fox
15 FW   AUS Luke Ivanovic
No. Pos. Nation Player
16 DF   FIN Julius Tauriainen
17 MF   FIN Tommi Jäntti
18 MF   FIN Viljami Jokiranta
20 MF   FIN Marius Könkkölä
21 DF   FIN Matias Vainionpää
23 MF   FIN Vilho Huovila
24 FW   FIN Asaad Babiker
25 DF   FIN Topias Inkinen
26 DF   BRA Pablo Andrade
29 DF   FIN Akseli Puukko
30 GK   FIN Anton Munukka
31 GK   FIN Osku Maukonen

Out on loan edit

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
DF   FIN Eemil Laamanen (at JäPS until July 2024)

Management edit

Updated 27 November 2023.

Name Role
  Toni Lindberg Head Coach
  Ivan Piñol Assistant Coach
  Mika Heino Fitness Coach
  Joni Kallioinen Talent Coach
  Mikko Poutiainen Physiotherapist
  Erno Jokinen Physiotherapist
  Pekka Penttinen Kit Manager
  Janne Kaartti Masseur
  Jussi Juurikka Team Manager

FC Lahti Akatemia edit

Lahti's reserve team played its last season in Kakkonen in 2017. After they were relegated to Kolmonen for the 2018 season, the team's activity was taken over by its administrational parent club Kuusysi.

Managers edit

References edit

  1. ^ "FC Lahti Profile". Worldfootball.net. HEIM:SPIEL Medien GmbH & Co. KG. Archived from the original on 10 February 2018. Retrieved 24 January 2016.
  2. ^ "Football Club Lahti". Fussball.com. Active Agent AG. Archived from the original on 1 September 2009. Retrieved 24 January 2016.
  3. ^ "FC Lahti Kit History". Football Kit Archive. Retrieved 13 March 2023.
  4. ^ "Pelaajat" [Players] (in Finnish). FC Lahti. Archived from the original on 17 July 2019. Retrieved 21 July 2023.

External links edit

  • Official website (in Finnish)