Assyriska Fotbollsföreningen, also known simply as Assyriska FF, is a Swedishfootball club based in Södertälje, Stockholm County. 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 in 2005 where their games were broadcast in over 80 countries.[1] The club has also played a final in Svenska Cupen, which was lost against IF Elfsborg in 2003.
Assyriska is often viewed as a substitute national team by the Assyrian 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 by Nuri Kino and Erik Sandberg. The success of the documentary film made it possible to win the Golden Palm Award at the Beverly Hills Film Festival.
A chart showing the progress of Assyriska through the swedish football league system. The different shades of gray represent league divisions.
Assyriska Föreningen in Södertälje was founded in 1971 by ethnic Assyrian refugees from Turkey who belonged to the Syriac 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 by Superettan), 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.
They lost a promotion play-off against Örebro SK in 1999, but five years later, in 2004, Assyriska was promoted to Allsvenskan, the highest league, for the first time as Örebro SK was relegated due to economical problems.[5] Assyriska's debut in Allsvenskan went well in the beginning and they had a couple of notable wins against big clubs as IFK Göteborg with 0–3 and against IF 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 rivals Syrianska FC to finish third in the Superettan table,[6] faced Djurgårdens IF in a play-off for a place in the Allsvenskan 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 player Eddie 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]
Stadium
Assyriska Föreningen's primary stadium since 2006 is Södertälje Fotbollsarena. Until 2006, the team played at the old stadium Bårsta IP.
Supporters
Assyriska Föreningen's official fan club is called Zelge Fans. They were first started 1993 by a group of Assyriska supporters in Södertälje. They were known as Neshre, which means eagle (or eagles) in Syriac. Three months after they launched, the club changed its name to Zelge Fans, Zelge meaning "sun rays" in Syriac. The sun rays are a symbol of the Assyrian flag, 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 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 areas (Chicago, New Jersey, California, Toronto, Sydney, etc.). With the tech age, Assyriska has been able to spread its fan base outside of Södertälje and become known in over 80 countries. Acting as their national team, Assyriska represents the entire population of Assyrians throughout the world.[2][3]
Assyriska has become a true symbol for Assyrians traveling to Sweden. Many make it their goal to watch an Assyriska match at least once when they travel to Sweden.
^ abReimegård, Claes (12 April 2005). "Assyriska laddar för festpremiär". Svenska Dagbladet. SVD. Retrieved 11 July 2013.
^ abc"Assyriska har blivit hela världens landslag" (in Swedish). DN. from the original on 1 November 2003. Retrieved 31 October 2003.
^ ab"Assyriska ska värva stjärnor". Expressen. 4 December 2004. Retrieved 11 July 2013.
^"Elfsborg slog Assyriska i cupfinalen". AB. 1 November 2003. Retrieved 12 July 2013.
^"Assyriska till allsvenskan". SR. 8 November 2004. Retrieved 12 July 2013.
^"Summary – Superettan – Sweden – Results, fixtures, tables and news". Soccerway. 9 January 2013.
^"Summary – Allsvenskan – Sweden – Results, fixtures, tables and news". Soccerway. 9 January 2013.
^"Jonson räddade Djurgården i kvalet". Expressen. 8 November 2009. Retrieved 12 July 2013.
^"Summary – Superettan – Sweden – Results, fixtures, tables and news". Soccerway. 9 January 2013.
^""De visste vilka de var ute efter" | Nyheter | Aftonbladet". Aftonbladet.se. 1 July 2010.
^"Summary - Superettan - Sweden - Results, fixtures, tables and news - Soccerway".
^"Summary - Superettan - Sweden - Results, fixtures, tables and news - Soccerway".
^"Truppen" (in Swedish). Assyriska FF. Retrieved 23 April 2018.
^. Archived from the original on 6 December 2008. Retrieved 8 September 2010.
External links
Assyriska Föreningen – Official Team Site
– Official Supporter Club Site
SvenskaFans Assyriska – Supporter Site
May 05, 2023
assyriska, assyriska, fotbollsföreningen, also, known, simply, swedish, football, club, based, södertälje, stockholm, county, club, formed, 1974, assyrian, immigrants, advanced, through, league, system, currently, playing, fourth, highest, swedish, league, div. Assyriska Fotbollsforeningen also known simply as Assyriska FF is a Swedish football club based in Sodertalje Stockholm County 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 in 2005 where their games were broadcast in over 80 countries 1 The club has also played a final in Svenska Cupen which was lost against IF Elfsborg in 2003 Assyriska FFFull nameAssyriska FotbollsforeningenNickname s AFFFounded1974 49 years ago 1974 GroundSodertalje Fotbollsarena SodertaljeCapacity8 500ChairmanMoussa EsaManagerGhassan HeamedLeagueDivision 22022D2 Sodra Svealand 2nd of 14Home coloursAway coloursAssyriska is often viewed as a substitute national team by the Assyrian 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 by Nuri Kino and Erik Sandberg The success of the documentary film made it possible to win the Golden Palm Award at the Beverly Hills Film Festival Contents 1 History 2 Stadium 3 Supporters 4 Players 4 1 First team squad 4 2 Retired numbers 4 3 Notable players 5 Staff 5 1 Sports 6 Achievements 6 1 League 6 2 Cups 7 Notable coaches 8 Season to season 9 See also 10 References 11 External linksHistory Edit A chart showing the progress of Assyriska through the swedish football league system The different shades of gray represent league divisions Assyriska Foreningen in Sodertalje was founded in 1971 by ethnic Assyrian refugees from Turkey who belonged to the Syriac 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 by Superettan 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 where they lost with 0 2 against IF Elfsborg On the way to the final they won against IFK Goteborg with 4 1 and Djurgardens IF with 0 4 4 They lost a promotion play off against Orebro SK in 1999 but five years later in 2004 Assyriska was promoted to Allsvenskan the highest league for the first time as Orebro SK was relegated due to economical problems 5 Assyriska s debut in Allsvenskan went well in the beginning and they had a couple of notable wins against big clubs as IFK Goteborg with 0 3 and against IF 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 rivals Syrianska FC to finish third in the Superettan table 6 faced Djurgardens IF in a play off for a place in the Allsvenskan 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 player Eddie 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 Stadium EditAssyriska Foreningen s primary stadium since 2006 is Sodertalje Fotbollsarena Until 2006 the team played at the old stadium Barsta IP Supporters EditAssyriska Foreningen s official fan club is called Zelge Fans They were first started 1993 by a group of Assyriska supporters in Sodertalje They were known as Neshre which means eagle or eagles in Syriac Three months after they launched the club changed its name to Zelge Fans Zelge meaning sun rays in Syriac The sun rays are a symbol of the Assyrian flag 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 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 areas Chicago New Jersey California Toronto Sydney etc With the tech age Assyriska has been able to spread its fan base outside of Sodertalje and become known in over 80 countries Acting as their national team Assyriska represents the entire population of Assyrians throughout the world 2 3 Assyriska has become a true symbol for Assyrians traveling to Sweden Many make it their goal to watch an Assyriska match at least once when they travel to Sweden Players EditFirst team squad Edit As of 16 April 2021 13 Note Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules Players may hold more than one non FIFA nationality No Pos Nation Player1 GK SWE Jasmin Ljuca2 DF SWE Essel Sampson3 DF SWE Eufrat Barmousa4 DF SWE Kevin Rohlin5 DF TUR David Durmaz captain 6 MF SWE Gabriel Aphrem7 MF SWE Christian Aphrem8 DF SWE Oskar Wener9 FW SWE Antonio Yakoub10 MF SWE Gino Berg11 MF SWE Kevin Sharro12 FW NGA Uchenna Ike13 MF FRA Moussa Traore No Pos Nation Player14 DF SWE Adi Tahirovic15 FW NED Youri de Winter16 FW SWE Linus Hillemar17 MF SWE Younas Messaoudi19 MF SWE Amani Biregeyi20 DF SWE Afram Hanna21 GK SWE Malte Haggqvist22 DF SWE Nemrut Awrohum24 MF SWE Marcus Linday25 MF CUW Quinton Christina85 GK SWE Nahir Saliba88 DF SWE Kyle KonweaRetired numbers Edit 18 Eddie Moussa forward 2001 2010 Notable players Edit Mikael IshakStaff EditSports Edit Head Coach Carlos Banda Assistant Coach Elias Merkes Assistant Coach Alexander BernhardAchievements EditLeague Edit Division 1 Norra Winners 1 2007 Runners up 1 1999Cups Edit Svenska Cupen Runners up 1 2003Notable coaches Edit Peter Antoine 1999 Bo Petersson 2002 Conny Karlsson 2003 2004 2009 Jose Morais 2005 Rikard Norling 2010 2011 Season to season EditSeason Level Division Section Position Movements1993 Tier 2 Division 1 Norra 14th Relegated1994 Tier 3 Division 2 Vastra Svealand 1st Promoted1995 Tier 2 Division 1 Norra 12th Relegated1996 Tier 3 Division 2 Vastra Svealand 1st Promoted1997 Tier 2 Division 1 Norra 9th1998 Tier 2 Division 1 Norra 5th1999 Tier 2 Division 1 Norra 2nd2000 Tier 2 Superettan 11th2001 Tier 2 Superettan 13th2002 Tier 2 Superettan 5th2003 Tier 2 Superettan 10th2004 Tier 2 Superettan 3rd Promoted2005 Tier 1 Allsvenskan 14th Relegated2006 Tier 2 Superettan 13th Relegated2007 Tier 3 Division 1 Norra 1st Promoted2008 Tier 2 Superettan 4th2009 Tier 2 Superettan 3rd Promotion Playoffs2010 Tier 2 Superettan 4th2011 Tier 2 Superettan 9th2012 Tier 2 Superettan 8th2013 Tier 2 Superettan 8th2014 Tier 2 Superettan 14th Relegation Playoffs2015 Tier 2 Superettan 4th2016 Tier 2 Superettan 14th Relegated2017 Tier 3 Division 1 Norra 9th2018 Tier 3 Division 1 Norra 15th Relegated2019 Tier 4 Division 2 Sodra Svealand 3rd2020 Tier 4 Division 2 Sodra Svealand 1st Promoted2021 Tier 3 Division 1 Norra League restructuring in 2006 resulted in a new division being created at Tier 3 and subsequent divisions dropping a level 14 See also EditSyrianska FC List of Assyrian Syriac football teams in SwedenReferences Edit a b Reimegard Claes 12 April 2005 Assyriska laddar for festpremiar Svenska Dagbladet SVD Retrieved 11 July 2013 a b c Assyriska har blivit hela varldens landslag in Swedish DN Archived from the original on 1 November 2003 Retrieved 31 October 2003 a b Assyriska ska varva stjarnor Expressen 4 December 2004 Retrieved 11 July 2013 Elfsborg slog Assyriska i cupfinalen AB 1 November 2003 Retrieved 12 July 2013 Assyriska till allsvenskan SR 8 November 2004 Retrieved 12 July 2013 Summary Superettan Sweden Results fixtures tables and news Soccerway 9 January 2013 Summary Allsvenskan Sweden Results fixtures tables and news Soccerway 9 January 2013 Jonson raddade Djurgarden i kvalet Expressen 8 November 2009 Retrieved 12 July 2013 Summary Superettan Sweden Results fixtures tables and news Soccerway 9 January 2013 De visste vilka de var ute efter Nyheter Aftonbladet Aftonbladet se 1 July 2010 Summary Superettan Sweden Results fixtures tables and news Soccerway Summary Superettan Sweden Results fixtures tables and news Soccerway Truppen in Swedish Assyriska FF Retrieved 23 April 2018 GAIS Lagfacta Assyriska FF Archived from the original on 6 December 2008 Retrieved 8 September 2010 External links EditAssyriska Foreningen Official Team Site Zelge Fans Official Supporter Club Site SvenskaFans Assyriska Supporter Site Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Assyriska FF amp oldid 1152782014, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
