Litmanen to play on with Lahti
Friday, August 8, 2008
Article summary
Finland captain Jari Litmanen has returned to home-town club FC Lahti at the age of 37, signing a contract covering the last eleven league games of the season.
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Short-term deal
Litmanen's playing future has been a question mark because of the fitness problems which have restricted him to just ten league appearances since he left FC Hansa Rostock for Swedish club Malmö FF in 2005. But having ended a short and unproductive spell in England with Fulham FC, the 37-year-old has rejoined Lahti for the remaining eleven games of the Veikkausliiga campaign.
World Cup question
"I know the club and have been training with them so am familiar with the players," he said. The move suggests that Litmanen may try to prolong his international career into Finland's 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying programme, which begins with the 10 September visit of Germany. The former AFC Ajax, FC Barcelona and Liverpool FC forward won the latest of his 114 caps, gained over a period of nearly 19 years, on 2 June.
Return home
He last played in the Finnish top flight during a brief stay at Lahti in 2004. Early in his career he turned out for FC Reipas, HJK Helsinki and Myllykosken Pallo-47. Litmanen's new team are third in the Veikkausliiga, three points behind leaders FC International Turku.
