The local police have not yet ascertained who tried to burn the statue. The statue’s legs suffered the worst damage, with a crack in the left leg and a black patch next to the statue caused by the fire.
The statue had been the subject of threats from fans of local club FC Lahti. They are annoyed that Litmanen decided to leave Lahti, his home town, to play for HJK Helsinki in the 2011 season.
Litmanen had previously played for HJK in 1991, before moving to MyPa. From there he went to Ajax Amsterdam, where he won the Champions League in 1995.
He was featured on a Finnish postal stamp in Ajax kit that year. FC Lahti were not founded until a year later.
Fans had long campaigned to have a statue of Litmanen erected in Kisapuisto, and it was finally unveiled last autumn.
