Kari Ukkonen is a Finnish

Finland

Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...

 former football

Football (soccer)

Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...

 player and current football manager. As player, Ukkonen was fielded as defender

Defender (football)

Within the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to prevent the opposition from attacking....

 as well as midfielder.

Ukkonen represented Finland at the 1980 Summer Olympics

1980 Summer Olympics

The 1980 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event celebrated in Moscow in the Soviet Union. In addition, the yachting events were held in Tallinn, and some of the preliminary matches and the quarter-finals of the football tournament...

 in Moscow

Moscow

Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...

. Three years later, he earned his first cap for Finland

Finland national football team

The Finland national football team represents Finland in international football competitions and is controlled by the Football Association of Finland....

 in a 1-1 draw against Poland. The same year, Ukkonen was voted Finnish Footballer of the Year

Finnish Footballer of the Year

There are two different Finnish Player of the Year Awards in Finland. The sports journalists have elected their "Player of the Year" since 1947, the Football Association of Finland theirs since 1953.-Finnish Footballer of the Year:-References:*...

 by sports journalists and the Football Association of Finland

Football Association of Finland

The Football Association of Finland is the governing body of football in Finland. It was founded in 1907, and was also the governing body of bandy in Finland until the bandy association, Suomen Jääpalloliitto, was founded in 1972....

.

In between, in 1982, Ukkonen had moved from Finland to Belgium

Belgium

Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...

, when he was bought by Cercle Brugge. Ukkonen made his Belgian début on November 13, when Cercle defeated SV Waregem

K.S.V. Waregem

Koninklijke Sportvereniging Waregem was a Belgian football club that existed between 1925 and 2001. It played three spells at the highest level in the Belgian football league system each separated by a single season at the second level: from 1966 to 1972, from 1973 to 1994 and in 1995–96...

 with 2-1. Ukkonen would go on to win the Belgian Cup

Belgian Cup

The Belgian Cup is the main knockout football competition in Belgium, run by the Belgian Football Association. The first cup was held in 1911-12. The most successful cup club is Club Brugge KV with 10 titles followed by RSC Anderlecht and R Standard de Liège...

 with Cercle in 1985. Ukkonen would spend most of his career in Belgium, also playing for other First division teams as SC Lokeren, Anderlecht

R.S.C. Anderlecht

Royal Sporting Club Anderlecht, usually known as Anderlecht or RSCA , is a Belgian professional football club based in Anderlecht in the Brussels Capital Region. Anderlecht plays in the Belgian Pro League and is the most successful Belgian football team in European competitions as well as in the...

 and Antwerp. Ukkonen ended his playing career with French

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

 side LB Châteauroux

LB Châteauroux

La Berrichonne de Châteauroux is a French association football club based in Châteauroux. The football team is a part of a sports club that consists of several other sports and was founded in 1883. The team currently plays in Ligue 2, the second division of French football, having finished 16th in...

. He stayed in football as coach

Coach (sport)

In sports, a coach is an individual involved in the direction, instruction and training of the operations of a sports team or of individual sportspeople.-Staff:...

. First he was coach of Finland's national youth team. He was head coach

Head coach

A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches...

 of Finland at the 2001 World Youth Championship

2001 FIFA World Youth Championship

The 2001 FIFA World Youth Championship took place in Argentina between June 17 and July 8, 2001. The 2001 championship was the 13th contested. The tournament took part in six cities, Buenos Aires, Córdoba, Mendoza, Rosario, Salta, and Mar del Plata...

 in Argentina

Argentina

Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...

. His next job was manager of Turun Palloseura

Turun Palloseura

Turun Palloseura, TPS for short and nicknamed Tepsi, is a Finnish football club based in Turku. The club was founded in 1922. TPS currently play in the Veikkausliiga, the highest level of Finnish football. They play their home matches at the 9,372 seater Veritas Stadion, Turku.-History:FC TPS Turku...

.

Honours

• Belgian Cup
  Belgian Cup
  The Belgian Cup is the main knockout football competition in Belgium, run by the Belgian Football Association. The first cup was held in 1911-12. The most successful cup club is Club Brugge KV with 10 titles followed by RSC Anderlecht and R Standard de Liège...
  
  :
  • Winner (4): 1985, 1988, 1989, 1992
  • Runner-up (1): 1986

• Belgian First Division:
  • Winner (1): 1990-91
  • Runner-up (2): 1988–89, 1989–90