Veikkausliiga is the premier division of association football in Finland, the highest tier of the Finnish football league structure, comprising the top 12 clubs of the country. Its main sponsor is the Finnish national betting agency Veikkaus, hence the league's name. Veikkausliiga was founded in 1990; before that the top division was called Mestaruussarja since 1930 which was an amateur or semi-professional league. Between 1908 and 1930 the championship was decided as a knock-out cup competition.
Football Club International Turku, commonly referred to as Inter Turku and colloquially known as Inter, is a Finnish professional football club based in Turku that competes in the Veikkausliiga, the top flight of Finnish Football. Founded in 1990 by Stefan Håkans, the club has a rivalry with Turun Palloseura.
IFK Mariehamn is a Finnish football club based in Mariehamn, the capital of the Åland Islands. It plays in the Finnish Premier Division (Veikkausliiga), winning their first title in 2016. The club is managed by Bruno Romão, and it plays its home matches at Wiklöf Holding Arena.
The Finnish League Cup, is a knock-out football competition contested annually during the pre-season in winter by teams from Veikkausliiga. The competition is notably the only football competition in Europe which is mostly played indoors. It is also administrated by Veikkausliiga
Tampereen Ilves, commonly referred to as Ilves, is a Finnish professional football club based in Tampere. They currently play in the Veikkausliiga, the highest level of professional football in Finland.
Valeri Aleksandrovich Popovitch is a Russian former football forward. Popovitch is the all-time scoring leader of FC Haka. After his contract ended with HJK in 2010, he joined Ilves Tampere playing in Kakkonen, as a player-coach, signing a two-year contract. Currently he is a youth coach at FC Haka. Popovitch also holds the Finnish citizenship.
Jyväskylän Jalkapalloklubi, commonly referred to as JJK Jyväskylä or simply JJK, is a Finnish football club, based in Jyväskylä. JJK plays its home matches at Harjun Stadion.
The 2008 season of Veikkausliiga was the 78th season of top-tier football in Finland. It started on 27 April 2008 and ended on 26 October 2008. The defending champions were Tampere United.
Zeddy Saileti is a former Zambian football striker and football coach, currently the manager of Nkana Football Club in Kitwe. As a good goalscorer, he formed part of the Zambia squad that reached the final of the 1994 African Nations Cup, eventually losing 2–1 to Nigeria. Saileti was born and raised in a family of eleven children. His father was a mine worker and his mother a home school teacher. His little brother Derek Saileti is also a football player. Saileti used to play several sports when he was young - mostly football and tennis. The Luanshya mining company paid for the gear. Saileti has four daughters, two of which live in Zambia.
Aleksandr Kokko is a Russian-born Finnish former footballer who plays as a striker.
Sebastian Strandvall is a Finnish former professional footballer, who played as a midfielder. A former senior international for Finland, he was best known for representing VPS, but also played in Iranian Persian Gulf Pro League and Austria.
Timo Furuholm is a Finnish politician and a former professional football forward. He is currently a member of the Parliament of Finland, for the Left Alliance. Furuholm was born in Pori, Finland where he started his senior career in local FC Jazz. He made his Veikkausliiga debut at age 15 in 2003.
Roope Vilhelmi Riski is a Finnish professional footballer who plays as a forward for Veikkausliiga club Ilves.
Tim Väyrynen is a Finnish professional footballer who plays as a striker for Veikkausliiga club Gnistan.
Filip Valenčič is a Slovenian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Honka.
Robin Lod is a Finnish professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Major League Soccer club Minnesota United and the Finland national team. Lod was born in Helsinki, Finland. He began his senior club career playing for Klubi 04, before making his league debut for HJK at age 18 in 2011. After winning his first trophy, the Veikkausliiga, during his second season on league level, he helped HJK win three successive Veikkausliiga titles, Cup and League Cup.
Benjamin Källman is a Finnish professional footballer who plays as a forward for Ekstraklasa club Cracovia and the Finland national team.
Urho Nissilä is a Finnish professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Hungarian club Puskás Akadémia.
Anton Popovitch is a Finnish professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Veikkausliiga club Ilves.
Oiva Jukkola is a Finnish professional football player who plays as a winger for Veikkausliiga side Ilves and for the Finland under-21 national team.
