Antti Muurinen

Who is Antti Muurinen?

Antti Muurinen is a Finnish football coach, who currently manages Finnish Veikkausliiga club MYPA.

Muurinen is probably best known as the head coach of the Finnish national team. He led Finland in qualifying campaigns for the 2002 World Cup, Euro 2004 and the 2006 World Cup, failing to reach the finals each time.

In June 2005 Finnish football fans held a protest against Muurinen, and after a 4–0 defeat against Netherlands, the Finnish FA sacked him.

In 2006, Muurinen was hired as the manager of FC Lahti in Finland's Veikkausliiga. Before the end of the 2007 season he returned to HJK Helsinki, where he managed them from the 1997 to 1999 season.

Muurinen is also known for leading HJK Helsinki into the UEFA Champions League group stage in the 1998–99 season, the only time a Finnish club has managed this feat. He has also won the Finnish championship with HJK Helsinki in 1997, 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012 as well as with FC Kuusysi in 1989 and 1991, the Finnish Cup with HJK Helsinki in 1998 and 2008, and the Finnish League Cup with FC Lahti in 2007.