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| Full name | Assyriska Fotbollsföreningen | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname | AFF | ||
| Founded | 1974; 51 years ago (1974) | ||
| Ground | Södertälje Fotbollsarena,Södertälje, Sweden | ||
| Capacity | 8,500 | ||
| Chairman | Moussa Esa | ||
| Manager | Abbod Kocadag | ||
| League | Ettan Fotboll | ||
| 2025 | Ettan Norra, 6th of 16 | ||
Assyriska Fotbollsföreningen, also known simply asAssyriska FF, is a Swedishfootball club based inSödertälje,Stockholm County. The club, formed in 1974 byAssyrian immigrants, has advanced through the league system and is currently playing in the fourth highest Swedish league,Division 2. They played in the highest Swedish football leagueAllsvenskan in 2005 where their games were broadcast in over 80 countries.[1] The club has also played a final inSvenska Cupen, which was lost againstIF Elfsborg in 2003.
Assyriska is often viewed as a substitute national team by theAssyrian people.[1][2]
The club has a fan base from all over the world[2][3] and has also their own pop song which is called "My Assyrian team – the team of my dream". A documentary film about Assyriska called "Assyriska: A National Team Without A Nation" was also made in 2006 byNuri Kino and Erik Sandberg. The success of the documentary film made it possible to win the Golden Palm Award at theBeverly Hills Film Festival.
Assyriska Föreningen inSödertälje was founded in 1971 by ethnicAssyrian refugees fromTurkey who belonged to theSyriac Orthodox Church. Three years later, a football team was started and played its first season in the lowest league in 1975. They advanced through the divisions and reached the second highest league,Division 1 (today replaced bySuperettan), in 1992, as the first immigrant team ever. The team was however relegated in 1993, and the next few years, the club played every second year in Division 1 before managing to stay there for more than one season in 1997.
In 2003 Assyriska made it to the final inSvenska Cupen, where they lost with 0–2 againstIF Elfsborg. On the way to the final, they won againstIFK Göteborg with 4–1 andDjurgårdens IF with 0–4.[4]
They lost a promotion play-off againstÖrebro SK in 1999, but five years later, in 2004, Assyriska was promoted toAllsvenskan, the highest league, for the first time as Örebro SK was relegated due to economical problems.[5] Assyriska's debut inAllsvenskan went well in the beginning and they had a couple of notable wins against big clubs asIFK Göteborg with 0–3 and againstIF Elfsborg with 1–3. However Assyriska were relegated after only one season in the Allsvenskan, where they finished last. Since then Assyriska had fallen into Division 1 North, but enjoyed a strong season in 2007 to finish champions and were promoted back into the Superettan.
At the close of the 2009 season Assyriska, having held off the challenge of rivalsSyrianska FC to finish third in theSuperettan table,[6] facedDjurgårdens IF in a play-off for a place in theAllsvenskan in 2010. Assyriska won the first match at home 2–0 but were overcome 3–0 after extra time in the repeat.[7][8] In season 2010, Assyriska finished 4th in the Superettan.[9] But 2010 was a season in which football became irrelevant for Assyriska after the murder of playerEddie Moussa.[10]
Since then, the team has made a series of mid-table finishes and remains in the Superettan for the 2013 season.[11][12]
Assyriska Föreningen's primary stadium since 2006 isSödertälje Fotbollsarena. Until 2006, the team played at the old stadiumBårsta IP.
Assyriska Föreningen's official fan club is called Zelge Fans. They were first started 1993 by a group of Assyriska supporters inSödertälje. They were known as Neshre, which means eagle (or eagles) inSyriac. Three months after they launched, the club changed its name toZelge Fans, Zelge meaning "sun rays" inSyriac. The sun rays are a symbol of theAssyrian flag, which is where the idea to name the fan club Zelge Fans came from. Most of the members areAssyrians, but the Zelge fan club also has manySwedish members.
Assyriska's fans are also growing in numbers as a result of the internet. During its early years, Assyriska did not have the mass means of communication to be able to spread their team information consistently to other massAssyrian areas (Chicago, New Jersey, California, Toronto, Sydney, etc.). With the tech age, Assyriska has been able to spread its fan base outside ofSödertälje and become known in over 80 countries. Acting as their national team, Assyriska represents the entire population ofAssyrians throughout the world.[2][3]
Assyriska has become a true symbol forAssyrians traveling to Sweden. Many make it their goal to watch an Assyriska match at least once when they travel to Sweden.
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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18 –Eddie Moussa,forward (2001–2010)
Peter Antoine (1999)
Bo Petersson (2002)Conny Karlsson (2003–2004, 2009)
José Morais (2005)Rikard Norling (2010–2011)Kachir Eskander (1997-2011)
* League restructuring in 2006 resulted in a new division being created at Tier 3 and subsequent divisions dropping a level.[14] |
