The relegation of a beloved football club is usually accompanied by great frustration. For a group of fans of the Finnish traditional club FC Haka, however, the anger over relegation to the second division led to a serious incident.
After the club’s sporting fate was already sealed in mid-October, a fire broke out at the Tehtaan Kenttä Stadium in Valkeakoski on the night leading into last Sunday.
As the lead investigator, Maijastiina Tammisto, confirmed in a statement, Finnish police caught three teenagers, all under the age of 15, at the scene. One of them admitted to setting fire to an object that is believed to have started the blaze.
The fire completely destroyed the wooden stands, which held around 400 spectators. The stadium itself has a capacity of over 3,000 fans. The flames also spread to parts of the artificial turf, which was partially rendered unusable as a result.
Immediately after the incident, club representatives and the municipality of Valkeakoski announced that they were already reviewing steps for restoration and reconstruction of the facility, in order to make the venue usable again as quickly as possible. The first measures include assessing the possible demolition of the damaged structure as well as cleaning and repairing the artificial turf.
FC Haka, founded in 1934, is one of Finland’s most traditional clubs and has won nine national championships and twelve cup titles in its history. The Tehtaan Kenttä has been the club’s historic home ground since the 1930s and is closely connected to the local community.
