Kari Ukkonen

Football player infobox
playername= Kari Ukkonen
fullname = Kari Ukkonen
nickname =


dateofbirth = birth date and age|1961|02|19
cityofbirth = Kuopio
countryofbirth = Finland
height = 182 cm
currentclub =
clubnumber =
position = defender-midfielder
youthyears =
youthclubs =
years = 1979-1982
1982-1986
1986-1987
1987-1991
1991-1993
1993-1996
clubs = KuPS
Cercle Brugge
SC Lokeren
Anderlecht
Antwerp
LB Châteauroux
caps(goals) =
107 (16)
32 (8)
38 (3)
39 (1)
nationalyears =
nationalteam = Finland
nationalcaps(goals) = 59 (4)
manageryears =
managerclubs = Finland "(youth coach)"
Turun Palloseura
pcupdate = 30 January 2008
ntupdate = 30 January 2008

Kari Ukkonen (born February 19, 1961 in Kuopio) is a Finnish former football player and current football manager. As player, Ukkonen was fielded as defender as well as midfielder.

Ukkonen represented Finland at the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow. Three years later, he earned his first cap for Finland in a 1-1 draw against Poland. The same year, Ukkonen was voted Finnish Footballer of the Year by sports journalists and the Football Association of Finland.

In between, in 1982, Ukkonen had moved from Finland to Belgium, when he was bought by Cercle Brugge. Ukkonen made his Belgian début on November 13, when Cercle defeated SV Waregem with 2-1. Ukkonen would go on to win the Belgian Cup with Cercle in 1985. Ukkonen would spend most of his career in Belgium, also playing for other First division teams as SC Lokeren, Anderlecht and Antwerp. Ukkonen ended his playing career with French side LB Châteauroux. He stayed in football as coach. First he was coach of Finland's national youth team. He was head coach of Finland at the 2001 World Youth Championship in Argentina. His next job was manager of Turun Palloseura.

References

* [http://www.cerclemuseum.be Cerclemuseum.be] nl icon
* [http://www.antwerpsupporter.be/spelersarchief/spelersfiche.php?id=226 Kari Ukkonen player profile] nl icon