Assyriska Fotbollsföreningen, also known simply as Assyriska FF, is a
Swedish
Swedish or ' may refer to:
Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically:
* Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland
** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...
football club
A football team is a group of players selected to play together in the various team sports known as football. Such teams could be selected to play in a match against an opposing team, to represent a football club, group, state or nation, an all- ...
based in
Södertälje
Södertälje ( , ) is a Urban areas in Sweden, city in Södermanland and Stockholm County, Sweden and seat of Södertälje Municipality. As of 2017, it has 72,704 inhabitants. Södertälje is located at Mälarens confluence in to the Baltic Sea ...
,
Stockholm County
Stockholm County ( sv, Stockholms län, link=no ) is a county or '' län'' (in Swedish) on the Baltic Sea coast of Sweden. It borders Uppsala County and Södermanland County. It also borders Mälaren and the Baltic Sea. The city of Stockholm ...
. The club, formed in 1974 by
Assyrian 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 league
Allsvenskan
Allsvenskan (; en, the All-Swedish, also known as Fotbollsallsvenskan, en, the Football All-Swedish) is a Swedish professional league for men's association football clubs. It was founded in 1924 and is the top tier of the Swedish football lea ...
in 2005 where their games were broadcast in over 80 countries.
The club has also played a final in
Svenska Cupen
Svenska Cupen (, ''The Swedish Cup'') is a knockout cup competition in Swedish football and the main Swedish football cup. Svenska Cupen usually refers to the men's tournament, although a women's tournament is also held. Each year 96 teams compe ...
, which was lost against
IF Elfsborg
Idrottsföreningen Elfsborg, more commonly known as IF Elfsborg or simply Elfsborg (), is a professional football club based in Borås, Sweden, and is affiliated to the Västergötlands Fotbollförbund. They play in the Allsvenskan and have spent ...
in 2003.
Assyriska is often viewed as a substitute national team by the
Assyrian people.
The club has a fan base from all over the world
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 by
Nuri Kino
Nuri Kino, (born February 25, 1965, in Tur Abdin), is a Swedish-Assyrian award-winning investigative journalist, documentary filmmaker, author and human rights expert. He is the author of several nonfiction books, and hundreds of stories and repor ...
and Erik Sandberg. The success of the documentary film made it possible to win the Golden Palm Award at the
Beverly Hills Film Festival
The Beverly Hills Film Festival (BHFF) is a film festival in the United States founded in 2001 by independent filmmaker Nino Simone. The festival is an international competition dedicated to showcasing the art and talent of emerging filmmakers a ...
.
History
Assyriska Föreningen in
Södertälje
Södertälje ( , ) is a Urban areas in Sweden, city in Södermanland and Stockholm County, Sweden and seat of Södertälje Municipality. As of 2017, it has 72,704 inhabitants. Södertälje is located at Mälarens confluence in to the Baltic Sea ...
was founded in 1971 by ethnic
Assyrian
Assyrian may refer to:
* Assyrian people, the indigenous ethnic group of Mesopotamia.
* Assyria, a major Mesopotamian kingdom and empire.
** Early Assyrian Period
** Old Assyrian Period
** Middle Assyrian Empire
** Neo-Assyrian Empire
* Assyrian ...
refugees from
Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...
who belonged to the
Syriac Orthodox Church
, native_name_lang = syc
, image = St_George_Syriac_orthodox_church_in_Damascus.jpg
, imagewidth = 250
, alt = Cathedral of Saint George
, caption = Cathedral of Saint George, Damascus ...
. 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 by
Superettan
Superettan (; meaning the super first (division)) is an association football league and the second highest league in the league system of Swedish men's football. Contested by 16 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with Al ...
), 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 in
Svenska Cupen
Svenska Cupen (, ''The Swedish Cup'') is a knockout cup competition in Swedish football and the main Swedish football cup. Svenska Cupen usually refers to the men's tournament, although a women's tournament is also held. Each year 96 teams compe ...
, where they lost with 0–2 against
IF Elfsborg
Idrottsföreningen Elfsborg, more commonly known as IF Elfsborg or simply Elfsborg (), is a professional football club based in Borås, Sweden, and is affiliated to the Västergötlands Fotbollförbund. They play in the Allsvenskan and have spent ...
. On the way to the final, they won against
IFK Göteborg
Idrottsföreningen Kamraterna Göteborg (officially IFK Göteborg Fotboll), commonly known as IFK Göteborg, IFK (especially locally) or simply Göteborg, is a Swedish professional football club based in Gothenburg. Founded in 1904, it is the ...
with 4–1 and
Djurgårdens IF
Djurgårdens Idrottsförening, commonly known simply as Djurgårdens IF, Djurgården (), and (especially locally) Djurgår'n (), Dif or DIF – is a Swedish sports association with several sections, located in Stockholm.
Name
The club is named ...
with 0–4.
They lost a promotion play-off against
Örebro SK
Örebro Sportklubb, more commonly known as Örebro SK, Örebro or (especially locally) ÖSK, is a Swedish professional football club based in Örebro. The club are affiliated to Örebro Läns Fotbollförbund and play their home games at Behrn A ...
in 1999, but five years later, in 2004, Assyriska was promoted to
Allsvenskan
Allsvenskan (; en, the All-Swedish, also known as Fotbollsallsvenskan, en, the Football All-Swedish) is a Swedish professional league for men's association football clubs. It was founded in 1924 and is the top tier of the Swedish football lea ...
, the highest league, for the first time as Örebro SK was relegated due to economical problems. Assyriska's debut in
Allsvenskan
Allsvenskan (; en, the All-Swedish, also known as Fotbollsallsvenskan, en, the Football All-Swedish) is a Swedish professional league for men's association football clubs. It was founded in 1924 and is the top tier of the Swedish football lea ...
went well in the beginning and they had a couple of notable wins against big clubs as
IFK Göteborg
Idrottsföreningen Kamraterna Göteborg (officially IFK Göteborg Fotboll), commonly known as IFK Göteborg, IFK (especially locally) or simply Göteborg, is a Swedish professional football club based in Gothenburg. Founded in 1904, it is the ...
with 0–3 and against
IF Elfsborg
Idrottsföreningen Elfsborg, more commonly known as IF Elfsborg or simply Elfsborg (), is a professional football club based in Borås, Sweden, and is affiliated to the Västergötlands Fotbollförbund. They play in the Allsvenskan and have spent ...
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 rivals
Syrianska FC
Syrianska Football Club, also known as Syrianska FC or simply Syrianska, is a Swedish professional football club based in Södertälje in Stockholm County. The club was founded by Syriac-Aramean immigrants in 1977 as Suryoyo Sportklubb, or Sury ...
to finish third in the
Superettan
Superettan (; meaning the super first (division)) is an association football league and the second highest league in the league system of Swedish men's football. Contested by 16 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with Al ...
table, faced
Djurgårdens IF
Djurgårdens Idrottsförening, commonly known simply as Djurgårdens IF, Djurgården (), and (especially locally) Djurgår'n (), Dif or DIF – is a Swedish sports association with several sections, located in Stockholm.
Name
The club is named ...
in a play-off for a place in the
Allsvenskan
Allsvenskan (; en, the All-Swedish, also known as Fotbollsallsvenskan, en, the Football All-Swedish) is a Swedish professional league for men's association football clubs. It was founded in 1924 and is the top tier of the Swedish football lea ...
in 2010. Assyriska won the first match at home 2–0 but were overcome 3–0 after extra time in the repeat. In season 2010, Assyriska finished 4th in the Superettan. But 2010 was a season in which football became irrelevant for Assyriska after the murder of player
Eddie Moussa
Eddie Moussa ( ar, إدي موسى; 20 March 1984 – 1 July 2010) was a professional football player. He carried both Swedish and Lebanese citizenship, and was of Assyrian descent.
Club career
He played in Sweden for Assyriska Föreningen duri ...
.
Since then, the team has made a series of mid-table finishes and remains in the Superettan for the 2013 season.
Stadium
Assyriska Föreningen's primary stadium since 2006 is
Södertälje Fotbollsarena
Södertälje Fotbollsarena is a multi-purpose stadium in Södertälje, Sweden. It is currently used mostly for football matches and is the home stadium of Assyriska FF and Syrianska FC
Syrianska Football Club, also known as Syrianska FC or ...
. Until 2006, the team played at the old stadium
Bårsta IP Bårsta IP is a stadium in Södertälje, Sweden. The stadium is best known for having been the stadium of football club Assyriska until late 2005. It was the club's home stadium during their sole season in Sweden's top football division Allsvens ...
.
Supporters
Assyriska Föreningen's official fan club is called Zelge Fans. They were first started 1993 by a group of Assyriska supporters in
Södertälje
Södertälje ( , ) is a Urban areas in Sweden, city in Södermanland and Stockholm County, Sweden and seat of Södertälje Municipality. As of 2017, it has 72,704 inhabitants. Södertälje is located at Mälarens confluence in to the Baltic Sea ...
. They were known as Neshre, which means eagle (or eagles) in
Syriac Syriac may refer to:
*Syriac language, an ancient dialect of Middle Aramaic
*Sureth, one of the modern dialects of Syriac spoken in the Nineveh Plains region
* Syriac alphabet
** Syriac (Unicode block)
** Syriac Supplement
* Neo-Aramaic languages a ...
. Three months after they launched, the club changed its name to
Zelge Fans
Assyriska Fotbollsföreningen, also known simply as Assyriska FF, is a Swedish football club based in Södertälje, Stockholm County. The club, formed in 1974 by Assyrian immigrants, has advanced through the league system and is currently play ...
, Zelge meaning "sun rays" in
Syriac Syriac may refer to:
*Syriac language, an ancient dialect of Middle Aramaic
*Sureth, one of the modern dialects of Syriac spoken in the Nineveh Plains region
* Syriac alphabet
** Syriac (Unicode block)
** Syriac Supplement
* Neo-Aramaic languages a ...
. The sun rays are a symbol of the
Assyrian flag
The Assyrian flag ( syr, ܐܬܐ ܐܬܘܪܝܬܐ or ) is the flag widely used to represent the Assyrian nation in the homeland and in the diaspora.
Its two components, the star of Utu/Shamash, which was a symbol for the god Shamash, and which ...
, which is where the idea to name the fan club Zelge Fans came from. Most of the members are
Assyrians, but the Zelge fan club also has many
Swedish
Swedish or ' may refer to:
Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically:
* Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland
** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...
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 mass
Assyrian
Assyrian may refer to:
* Assyrian people, the indigenous ethnic group of Mesopotamia.
* Assyria, a major Mesopotamian kingdom and empire.
** Early Assyrian Period
** Old Assyrian Period
** Middle Assyrian Empire
** Neo-Assyrian Empire
* Assyrian ...
areas (Chicago, New Jersey, California, Toronto, Sydney, etc.). With the tech age, Assyriska has been able to spread its fan base outside of
Södertälje
Södertälje ( , ) is a Urban areas in Sweden, city in Södermanland and Stockholm County, Sweden and seat of Södertälje Municipality. As of 2017, it has 72,704 inhabitants. Södertälje is located at Mälarens confluence in to the Baltic Sea ...
and become known in over 80 countries. Acting as their national team, Assyriska represents the entire population of
Assyrians throughout the world.
Assyriska has become a true symbol for
Assyrians traveling to
Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...
. Many make it their goal to watch an Assyriska match at least once when they travel to
Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...
.
Players
First-team squad
Retired numbers
18 –
Eddie Moussa
Eddie Moussa ( ar, إدي موسى; 20 March 1984 – 1 July 2010) was a professional football player. He carried both Swedish and Lebanese citizenship, and was of Assyrian descent.
Club career
He played in Sweden for Assyriska Föreningen duri ...
,
forward
Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward.
Forward may also refer to:
People
* Forward (surname)
Sports
* Forward (association football)
* Forward (basketball), including:
** Point forward
** Power forward (basketball)
** Sm ...
(2001–2010)
Notable players
*
Mikael Ishak
Mikael Ishak (born 31 March 1993) is a Swedish professional Association football, footballer of Assyrian people, Assyrian descent who plays as a Forward (association football)#Striker, striker for Ekstraklasa club Lech Poznań. Beginning his car ...
Staff
Sports
* ''Head Coach:''
Carlos Banda
* ''Assistant Coach:''
Elias Merkes
* ''Assistant Coach:'' Alexander Bernhard
Achievements
League
*
Division 1 Norra
Ettan Fotboll, or simply Ettan ( en, the one), which also is its common name in everyday speech, is the third level in the Swedish football league system and consists of 32 Swedish
Swedish or ' may refer to:
Anything from or related to Sweden ...
:
** Winners (1): 2007
** Runners-up (1): 1999
Cups
*
Svenska Cupen
Svenska Cupen (, ''The Swedish Cup'') is a knockout cup competition in Swedish football and the main Swedish football cup. Svenska Cupen usually refers to the men's tournament, although a women's tournament is also held. Each year 96 teams compe ...
:
** Runners-up (1): 2003
Notable coaches
*
Peter Antoine (1999)
*
Bo Petersson
Bo Petersson (born 10 July 1946 in Kalmar) is a Swedish football manager and former football player.
Career
He played for Älvsjö AIK, Råsunda IS, Spårvägens FF, Vasalunds IF, AIK, IFK Östersund, Visby AIK and Danderyds SK.
After he reti ...
(2002)
*
Conny Karlsson (2003–2004, 2009)
*
José Morais
José Manuel Ferreira de Morais (born 27 July 1965) is a Portuguese professional football coach and former player.
Morais arrived at Inter Milan in July 2009 to replace the departing André Villas-Boas, who took the head coaching position with ...
(2005)
*
Rikard Norling
Rikard Olof Norling (; born 4 June 1971) is a Swedish football manager.
Forced to retire early from his professional playing career due to an injury, Rikard Norling started a coaching career at the age of 22. In his early managerial career, Nor ...
(2010–2011)
Season to season
See also
*
Syrianska FC
Syrianska Football Club, also known as Syrianska FC or simply Syrianska, is a Swedish professional football club based in Södertälje in Stockholm County. The club was founded by Syriac-Aramean immigrants in 1977 as Suryoyo Sportklubb, or Sury ...
*
List of Assyrian-Syriac football teams in Sweden
The following is a List of Assyrian-Syriac football teams in Sweden.
The Swedish football league system currently has ten levels, with the first five being governed by the Swedish Football Association. The sixth to tenth levels are controlled by ...
References
External links
Assyriska Föreningennbsp;– Official Team Site
Zelge Fansnbsp;– Official Supporter Club Site
SvenskaFans Assyriskanbsp;– Supporter Site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Assyriska Foreningen
Football clubs in Stockholm
Allsvenskan clubs
Sport in Södertälje
Assyrian football clubs
Assyrian/Syriac football clubs in Sweden
Association football clubs established in 1971
Association football clubs established in 1974
1974 establishments in Sweden
Diaspora sports clubs
Diaspora football clubs in Sweden