Viljanen replaces Eremenko for Finland
Friday, May 29, 2009
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Finland coach Markku Kanerva has named FC Haka centre-back Petri Viljanen as the 23rd and final member of his squad, in place of Roman Eremenko, for the Under-21 tournament in Sweden.
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Finland coach Markku Kanerva has named FC Haka centre-back Petri Viljanen as the 23rd and final member of his squad for the 2009 UEFA European Under-21 Championship in Sweden next month.
Haka regular
The 22-year-old Viljanen, a Haka first-teamer since 2006, comes in after senior Finnish international Roman Eremenko opted against joining the party. Kanerva had left one place open after announcing his squad on Monday, but following talks with the FC Dynamo Kyiv central midfielder, Eremenko said: "I have given it a lot of thought. I don't feel I could give 100 per cent and therefore it would be wrong of me to join the team, even if it is a historic event for Finland.
Finland first
"I have played more than 40 games this season, which has been my first real season at senior level." Eremenko, also 22, has been part of the full Finland squad since 2007, winning 17 caps, and did not feature for the U21s in qualifying. Kanerva said he fully understood Eremenko's decision. Finland, appearing in the finals for the first time, kick off their Group B campaign against England on 15 June before also facing Germany and Spain.
