Mikko Viitanen is leaving his position as JYP’s director of sports.
Mikko Viitanen resigned from his position. Vesa Pöppönen / AOP
JYP’s director of sports Mikko Viitanen has resigned from his position.
The Jyväskylä club announced Viitanen’s departure on their website.
The news does not come as a big surprise. Keskisuomalainen already reported a week ago that Viitanen would be fired after the end of the regular season.
Despite high expectations, JYP was left out of the playoffs for the fourth time in a row. The ranking in the regular season was 13th.
The season of JYP, which celebrated its centenary, did not exactly offer happy moments. The club sailed from one ups and downs to another in the season that ended.
The season included, among other things Jukka Rautakorvin head coach fired, star player Sami Nikun departure as well as Severi Lahtinen received a two-year prison sentence for rape.
There have also been reports of cross bets within the club.
Viitanen started as JYP’s director of sports during the 2019–20 season. In the era of Viitanen, who won two Finnish championships as a player, the club from Jyväskylä never made it to the playoffs.