Tampere United

Tampere United
Full name Tampere United
Founded 1998
Dissolved 2011
Ground Ratina Stadion, Tampere
Capacity 17,000
Chairman Jyrki Laiho
Manager Jarkko Wiss
Ratina Stadion

Tampere United is a Finnish football club from the city of Tampere. The club had a team in Veikkausliiga, the premier football league in Finland, until the end of the 2010 season. It was excluded from participating in Finnish football during the 2011 season amidst suspicions of money laundering, and is currently not playing in any league. The Pirkanmaa District Court first exonerated the club from money laundering charges, but the Turku Court of Appeal found the former CEO Deniz Bavautdin and the former Chairman of the Board Harri Pyhältö guilty of money laundering. The current Chairman of the Board Harri Laiho has previously stated that the club plans to return to playing football after the legal processes have been finished, but with the guilty verdicts the club's future is unclear.

History

The club was formed in July 1998. The initial plan was to join two local football clubs FC Ilves and TPV but TPV decided to continue as its own team. FC Ilves continued to play in lower divisions and Tampere United inherited its place in the second highest division.

In their first season, 1999 they won promotion to the top division, 15 months after the formation of the club. During season 2000 they reached sixth place in the league. In their third season 2001 they won the Finnish championship. In 2002, they finished in fifth place, and in 2003, third place. In 2006, Tampere United won their 2nd Finnish Championship and one year later, in 2007, they were the champions yet again taking home their 3rd title.

During the 2007 season, Tampere United also reached the third qualifying round of the Champions League. Tampere defeated Bulgarian champions Levski Sofia 2–0 on aggregate in the second qualifying round. Tampere United failed to reach the Champions League group stage when Rosenborg BK defeated them 5–0 on aggregate. In the UEFA Cup first round, United lost to Bordeaux 4–3 on aggregate.

On 14 April 2011 the club were suspended indefinitely by the Football Association of Finland because they had received money from a dubious company based in Singapore, known for involvement in fixed games and money laundering. The club was excluded from the 2011 season of Veikkausliiga.[1] Players under contract were released due to lack of funds.

The club did not participate in any league in 2012 or 2013. In April 2013 the Turku Court of Appeal found the former CEO Deniz Bavautdin and the former Chairman of the Board Harri Pyhältö guilty of money laundering. At the moment the future of the club is unclear.

Supporters of Tampere United founded a supporters' trust in 2009 after the club had hit financial difficulties. The aim was to help fans gain a voice within the club and to buy shares of the club. In 2012 the supporters' trust founded a new team named after the supporters' trust, TamU-K, In 2012 the team played in Kutonen, the bottom division in Finnish football, and gained promotion to Vitonen. The promotion playoff match that decided promotion had the attendance of 441.[2] After another promotion in 2013, TamU-K will play in Nelonen in the 2014 season.

Honours

Tampere United in Europe

Season Competition Round Opponent Score (home-away)
2002-03 UEFA Champions League Q1 Armenia Pyunik F.C. 0–4, 0–2
2003 UEFA Intertoto Cup 1 Romania Ceahlăul Piatra Neamț 1–0, 1–2
2 Serbia and Montenegro FK Sutjeska Nikšić 0–0, 1–0
3 Croatia HNK Cibalia 0–2, 1–0
2004 UEFA Intertoto Cup 1 Luxembourg CS Grevenmacher 0–0, 1–1
2 Azerbaijan Inter Baku 3–0, 0–1
3 Serbia OFK Beograd 0–0, 0–1
2005 UEFA Intertoto Cup 1 Faroe Islands Skála ÍF 2–0, 1–0
2 Belgium R. Charleroi S.C. 1–0, 0–0
3 Italy SS Lazio 1–1, 0–3
2006 UEFA Intertoto Cup 1 Wales Carmarthen Town 5–0, 3–1
2 Sweden Kalmar FF 1–2, 2–3
2007-08 UEFA Champions League Q1 San Marino SS Murata 2–0, 2–1
Q2 Bulgaria PFC Levski Sofia 1–0, 1–0
Q3 Norway Rosenborg BK 0–3, 0–2
2007-08 UEFA Cup 1 France Girondins de Bordeaux 2–3, 1–1
2008-09 UEFA Champions League Q1 Montenegro FK Budućnost Podgorica 2–1, 1–1
Q2 Slovakia FC Artmedia Petržalka 1–3, 2–4

Season to season

Season Level Division Section Administration Position Movements
1999 Tier 2 Ykkönen (second tier) North Group Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 1st Promotion Group - 1st
2000 Tier 1 Veikkausliiga (first tier) Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 6th
2001 Tier 1 Veikkausliiga (first tier) Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 1st Champions
2002 Tier 1 Veikkausliiga (first tier) Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 6th Upper Group - 5th
2003 Tier 1 Veikkausliiga (first tier) Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 3rd
2004 Tier 1 Veikkausliiga (first tier) Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 3rd
2005 Tier 1 Veikkausliiga (first tier) Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 3rd
2006 Tier 1 Veikkausliiga (first tier) Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 1st Champions
2007 Tier 1 Veikkausliiga (first tier) Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 1st Champions
2008 Tier 1 Veikkausliiga (first tier) Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 7th
2009 Tier 1 Veikkausliiga (first tier) Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 7th
2010 Tier 1 Veikkausliiga (first tier) Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 7th

UEFA ranking

Current Club Ranking

Current National League ranking

References

  1. ↑ http://www.hs.fi/english/article/Start+of+Veikkausliiga+season+may+have+to+be+postponed+amidst+wrangles+over+clubs+eligibility+/1135265365302
  2. ↑ "New beginnings". When Saturday Comes. December 2012. p. 35.

External links