Veikkausliiga: Lee Erwin moved from Finland to join Hezbollah in Lebanon – “I didn’t even know what it was”

Striker Lee Erwin has been one of the most talked about acquisitions this season in the Veikkausliiga.

Scotsman Erwin, 30, joined HJK in July and since then has hit a total of ten goals in the league and on the Euro courts.

HJK’s season has still been difficult. The club misses out on the Finnish championship for the first time in years.

In the conference league, the club made it to the league stage, but only through real difficulties.

Erwin regrets that he couldn’t be there to help earlier. His transfer to Helsinki had already been agreed in the winter, and Erwin had to join the training team well before the start of the season.

However, the opposite happened – partly due to Erwin’s own fault. With his goals, he helped his club Al-Ahed advance in the Asian Cup (equivalent to the Europa League in Asia). Al-Ahed hit the brakes on the move.

Erwin and the Club had to wait. At the same time, HJK slipped without a reliable goal scorer in the early season to numerous weak results.

“I wanted to come to Finland, but it was not possible. We had been talking for many months and I was really looking forward to the move. During my year in Haka, I learned how huge a club HJK is,” says Erwin.

Erwin charmed in Finland in 2022. 20 goals in 28 matches piqued the interest of Lebanese Al-Ahed. Always looking for new experiences, Erwin decided to take the lucrative offer.

However, Al-Ahed is not just any club. It is a Beirut club with close ties to the extremist organization Hezbollah.

For example, in 2018, the president of Israel Benjamin Netanjahu in 2018 accused Hezbollah of hiding controls under the club’s home stadium.

Hezbollah and Al-Ahed do not have any official links or ownership links. However, over the years, several high-profile Hizbollah executives have held leadership positions in the club founded in 1964.

According to Erwin, the “Hezbollah club” is something that was not reflected in the club’s activities in any way.

“To be honest, before the transfer I didn’t even know what Hezbollah was,” Erwin reveals.

The conflict in the Middle East has escalated in October above all in Lebanon, of course only months after Erwin already left the country.

“The club operated very professionally, and no political activity or ideology was visible in the club’s everyday life. I enjoyed my time at the club and I don’t regret the move at all. I made lifelong friends there. The club had tough goals and they played in the best competitions.”

Circularity has marked Erwin’s career. The Motherwell native played in a total of four different Scottish Premiership teams. In between, he went to England for Leeds, Oldham and Bury.

“I felt in Scotland that I was labeled as a player. I felt like they thought I wasn’t working hard enough. When reputation gets stuck in your neck, you can’t really get rid of it,” Erwin describes seriously.

It didn’t really go anywhere. At times, Erwin even went to the Iranian league in the ranks of Tractor FC in 2018-19. That gig ended quickly and contentiously from the club’s side.

According to Erwin’s own words, he “can’t say” practically anything about it. Things have been cut to the bone.

In the end, Erwin ended up in Haka after talking with the coach Teemu Tainion with. It was preceded by discussions with the coach of his current club, St. Mirren.

Again, a new club in Scotland would be interested. Erwin thought about his situation for a moment and concluded that touring in his home country should be enough.

“Moving to Haka was like an opportunity for a new career for me. I was able to play in the main position as an attacker, no more recycling in other playing positions or constantly moving from the playing lineup to the bench or the stands.”

At the same time, Erwin emphasizes that it is his own responsibility that his career did not take off in Scotland. In his own words, he wasn’t good enough. The lack of continuity weighed.

“Abroad, I have only been able to be a soccer player. All that pacing between playing, sitting on the bench or commanding the stands took the joy out of playing. I don’t blame anyone. I wasn’t good enough. But here in Finland I have a completely different job. I know what is wanted from me and what needs to be done.”

Oftenwhen foreign players talk trash about Finnish clubs, the talk shines through for the fans and the media.

Erwin repeats again and again his experience in Haka, which created a special bond with the Club. It feels like a different connection.

As a Haka player, he had to watch Tehtaa on the field when HJK secured the Finnish championship. I remembered that day forever.

“I watched their parties from the sidelines and the overall way they functioned as a club. It made a big impression. I thought that I also want to play in such a club. I want to be a part of that. The expectations are the highest there, but in every match we play for big things and we also fight in Europe.”

Now he got a chance, but the season ended in disappointment, at least in the league. Erwin wants better results from Europe. In Erwin’s opinion, a further place in the Conference League would be more than enough to turn the season into a positive one.

If HJK is so much in mind, so does the Scot intend to stay with the club? His contract only covers the current season.

“Continuing at HJK is definitely a strong option. I enjoy Helsinki and Finland. The club plays for big things. We just have to come to an agreement, of course, on the details related to my personal life,” Erwin hints.

It’s obviously not about the family or the desire to return to the homeland. Erwin is considering his professional future.

“There might be something that would benefit me in the long run. It would also mean that I wouldn’t be able to fully focus on playing anymore. However, I don’t want to stop playing too soon.”

However, one thing is certain. Having seen the Iranian and Lebanese leagues, Erwin has seen enough of the world. Hot and humid places have been tapped enough times.