F.C. International Turku

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article is about the football club from Turku, Finland. For the Milan football club, see Internazionale.
FC Inter
Full name Football Club International Turku
Nickname(s) Sinimustat ('Black and Blues')
Founded 1990
Ground Veritas Stadion, Kupittaa, Turku
Capacity 10,000
Chairman Stefan Håkans
Manager René van Eck
League Veikkausliiga
2006 Veikkausliiga, 10th
Team colours Team colours Team colours
Team colours
Team colours
 
Home colours
Team colours Team colours Team colours
Team colours
Team colours
 
Away colours

Football Club International Turku (commonly known as FC Inter or Inter Turku) is a football club based in Turku, Finland. It was founded in 1990, and has played in the Veikkausliiga, the highest level of Finnish football since 1996. Together with TPS, it is one of the two teams from Turku playing in the Veikkausliiga. The two teams also share their home venue at Veritas Stadion.

FC Inter's 'B team' is VG-62, which currently plays in the Ykkönen, or the second level of football in Finland. FC Inter also operates 14 youth teams and a youth academy in association with the city of Turku.

Contents

[edit] History

FC Inter was founded in 1990 by Stefan Håkans, the managing director of the towage and salvage company Alfons Håkans, allegedly after his 11-year-old son couldn't fit into any of the other youth teams in Turku. The club started out as a youth team, but in 1992 a senior squad was founded and it entered the Finnish league system at the fourth level (Third Division). The following year, the club assumed the place of the financially troubled local club Turun Toverit in the Second Division. Manager Timo Sinkkonen invested in new players, and eventually the club finished first and was promoted to the First Division (Veikkausliiga).

In 1995, Inter finished first in the Ykkönen and was promoted, as well as reaching the semi-final stage in the Finnish Cup. The squad was strengthened with new players, and in 1996, as both of Turku's better teams were now playing in the Veikkausliiga, the club's attendance records were broken with 8,200 spectators in the local derby between TPS and Inter.

In 1997, the club were relegated after finishing last in the Veikkausliiga, but achieved promotion again the following season. New foreign players were bought to strengthen the squad, such as Richard Teberio and Fernando della Sala. Since then the club has consistently finished between 7th and 4th in the league, and maintained a steady inflow of foreign players as well as young starlets from its own youth academy.

In 2006 Inter sacked their manager Kari Virtanen and hired new coach, dutch Rene van Eck.

[edit] Records

  • Best league position: 4th (2004)
  • Most goals scored: Tero Forss, 74 goals (1993 - 2001)
  • Most matches played: Petri Lehtonen, 227 matches (1993 - 2002)

[edit] Past managers

[edit] Notable former players

[edit] Current first team squad

  • 1, Magnus Bahne
  • 2, Timo Furuholm
  • 5, Diego Corpache
  • 7, Ryan Botha
  • 8, Touko Tumanto
  • 9, Miikka Ilo
  • 10, Martin Mutumba
  • 11, Tomi Petrescu
  • 12, Oskari Forsman
  • 13, Antti-Jussi Karnio
  • 14, Jukka Sinisalo
 
  • 16, Jussi Henriksson
  • 17, Mika Ojala
  • 19, Sauli Tuomi
  • 20, Ari Nyman
  • 21, Jermu Gustafsson
  • 22, Joni Aho
  • 23, Ville Nikkari
  • 24, Prince Otoo
  • 27, Valtter Laaksonen
  • 28, Mika Mäkitalo
  • 29, Henri Lehtonen

[edit] External links

The Finnish Veikkausliiga clubs in 2007
v  d  e
Flag of Finland
Veikkausliiga 2006 Champion: Tampere United

FC Haka | FC Honka | HJK | IFK Mariehamn | FC Inter | FF Jaro | FC KooTeePee | FC Lahti |
MyPa | AC Oulu | Tampere United | Turun Palloseura | VPS | FC Viikingit