After being relegated, three teenagers intentionally set fire to FC Haka's field and destroyed one of its stands
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Finnish football was shaken by an episode as unusual as it was devastating: three teenagers, including a minor under 15 years old, intentionally set fire to FC Haka's stadium just days after the historic club's relegation was confirmed. The flames spread at an uncontrollable speed and completely destroyed one of Factory Field's stands, in addition to ravaging part of the artificial turf, which became unusable.
The impact in Valkeakoski, a city located in the south of the country and deeply connected to Haka, was immediate. The president of the institution, Marko Larsson, expressed his frustration amid widespread dismay. "We certainly didn't need this. We've already received a lot of support from people and we'll continue to need it. We haven't yet assessed the cost of the damages, but it will be significant," he lamented.
The anger was also shared by Olli Huttunen, the club's CEO, who described the attack as a direct blow to one of Finnish football's symbols. "This is shocking when you consider how important Factory Field is. This kind of behavior is outrageous. Unfortunately, the world is like this," he stated.
His reaction is not surprising, since Haka is one of the country's most decorated teams, with 9 league titles and 12 national cups in its trophy case, although it has gone nearly two decades without titles. Its recent history also includes another relegation, in 2012, which kept it seven years in the second division.
Although the stadium's main structure didn't collapse, it was so damaged that it will have to be demolished. Added to this is the loss of stored materials and sections of the synthetic field, in a reconstruction process that will surely take months and require strong financial support.
Asi quedó la tribuna y parte de la cancha luego del incendio
Far from being paralyzed by the tragedy, the club has already launched a community movement to face the crisis: it created the Paatykatsomo initiative with the goal of gathering support from the entire city and the country. Memberships, which range from 25 to 500 euros, offer benefits such as the raffle of jerseys from Finnish figures like Joel Pohjanpalo and Jesse Joronen. The goal is clear: to raise funds to rebuild a home that, for Haka and for Valkeakoski, is much more than a stadium.
