Malmö FF

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Malmö FF
Full nameMalmö Fotbollförening (Malmö)
Nickname(s)Di blåe (Scanian: The Blue Ones)[1]
Himmelsblått (Sky Blue)[1]
Short nameMFF
Founded24 February 1910; 114 years ago (1910-02-24)
GroundEleda Stadion, Malmö
Capacity22,500
ChairmanAnders Pålsson
Head coachHenrik Rydström
LeagueAllsvenskan
2023Allsvenskan, 1st of 16 (champions)
WebsiteClub website
Current season

Malmö Fotbollförening (Swedish pronunciation:

Eleda Stadion in Malmö, Scania.[3] The club has won a record 23 Swedish championship titles and the most national cup titles with 15.[4][A]

Malmö FF won its first Championship in 1944.[5] The powerhouse of Swedish football in recent years, Malmö FF also saw glory in the 1970s, winning five Swedish championships and four Svenska Cupen titles. Malmö FF remains the only club from the Nordic countries to have reached the final of the European Cup, the predecessor of the UEFA Champions League. Malmö FF was runner-up in the 1979 European Champions Cup final, which they lost 1–0 to English club Nottingham Forest.[6] For this feat, Malmö FF was awarded the Svenska Dagbladet Gold Medal.[7][6] Malmö FF is also the only Nordic club to have been represented at the Intercontinental Cup (succeeded by FIFA Club World Cup) in which they competed for the 1979 title.[8]

Malmö FF is the leader of the overall Allsvenskan table called maratontabellen,[9] where they are the club that holds both the record of scoring the most goals as well as the record of winning the most matches.

The club colours, reflected in their crest and kit, are sky blue and white, with sky blue shirts, white shorts and sky blue socks being the club's traditional kit colours. The main rivals of the club are fellow regional rivals Helsingborg, historical domestic rival IFK Göteborg and historically local Division 2 Södra Götaland side IFK Malmö.[10] The MFF Support are their official fan club.[11] The club name is literally translated into English as the "Malmö Football Association".

History

Early years

Malmö IP, the first home stadium for the club between 1910 and 1957

The club arose from a municipal initiative in 1905 to encourage young people in Malmö to play organised football. One of the youth teams, the Bollklubben Idrott, also known simply as BK Idrott, was a predecessor to the Malmö FF. BK Idrott joined the newly created football department of the IFK Malmö in 1909, but soon left because of issues between the two clubs. On 24 February 1910 the 19 members of the BK Idrott founded the Malmö FF; the first chairman was Werner Mårtensson.[12][13]

The club spent its first ten years in local and regional divisions as there was no official national league competition, playing the majority of their matches in the city division called the Malmömästerskapen. They also competed in regional competitions in Scania, and played matches against Danish clubs. In 1916 the Malmö FF reached the final of the Scanian regional competition (Distriktsmästerskapen) for the first time, playing against rival the Helsingborgs IF but losing 3–4.[14] The club defeated local rival the IFK Malmö three times during the season, and thus earned the unofficial but much desired title of Malmö's best football club.[15] In 1917 the Malmö FF competed for the first time in the Svenska Mästerskapet, a cup tournament for the title of Swedish champions, but lost their first match in the second qualifying round 4–1 against the IFK Malmö. The club continued to play in the cup until 1922, reaching the quarter-finals in 1920 when they were knocked out by the Landskrona BoIS. The cup was eventually discontinued and the title of Swedish champions was given to the winners of the Allsvenskan which was first created for the 1924–25 season.[16][A]

In 1920 the Swedish Football Association invited Swedish football clubs to compete in official national competitions. Malmö FF earned a place in the Division 2 Sydsvenska Serien. They won this division in the first season, and were promoted to the Svenska Serien Västra, the highest level of competition in Sweden at the time. However, they were relegated after a single season, and found themselves back in the Sydsvenska Serien for nearly a decade until they again achieved promotion to the Allsvenskan, in 1931.[17]

First years in the Allsvenskan and early achievements

The Malmö FF team of 1943–44

The club achieved mid-table league positions for two seasons, but was relegated in 1934 as a penalty for breaking amateur regulations. The club had paid their players a small sum of money for each game. Although against the rules, this was common at the time; Malmö FF was the only club to show it in the accounting records. In addition to relegation to Division 2, the club suffered bans for the entire board of directors and twenty-six players. The version of events told by Malmö FF and local press suggests that local rival, IFK Malmö, had reported the violation to the Swedish Football Association. This belief has contributed to the longstanding competitive tensions between the clubs.[18][19][20]

The club made their way back to the Allsvenskan in 1937 after two seasons in the Division 2. In the same year

Halmstad BK.[22]

The following nine seasons, Malmö FF finished in the top three in the league. The club won the Swedish Championship in 1949, 1950, 1951 and 1953, and were runners-up in 1946, 1948 and 1952. The club also won the Svenska Cupen in 1944, 1946, 1947, 1951 and 1953, and finished as runners-up in 1945. Between 6 May 1949 and 1 June 1951, the team were unbeaten in 49 matches, of which 23 were an unbroken streak of victories.[23]

Young players in the 1960s

The club finished as runners-up in the Allsvenskan twice more, in 1956 and 1957. The following year the club left the Malmö IP for the Malmö Stadion, which had been built for the 1958 FIFA World Cup, and was to host the club for 50 years. In 1964 Malmö FF contracted Spanish manager Antonio Durán; this was the first of a series of changes that led to the most successful era in the club's history. Young talents such as Lars Granström and Bo Larsson emerged during the early 1960s and would prove to be crucial ingredients in the success that would come in the 1970s. The club finished second in 1964 but went on to win their sixth Swedish Championship in 1965, when Bo Larsson scored 28 goals to finish as the league's top goal scorer. The Malmö FF once again won the Allsvenskan in 1967, after a less successful year in 1966. The club's young players, as well as talents bought in from neighbouring clubs in Scania in 1967, became a team that consistently finished in the top three in the Allsvenskan.[24]

Successful 1970s, European Cup 1979, 1980s and 1990s

After finishing as runners-up in Allsvenskan for the final two years of the 1960s, Malmö FF started the most successful decade of their history with a Swedish Championship in 1970. The club won Allsvenskan in 1970, 1971, 1974, 1975 and 1977 as well as Svenska Cupen in 1976 and 1978. The 1977 Allsvenskan victory qualified the club for the

Olympiastadion in Munich against Nottingham Forest. Trevor Francis, who scored the only goal of the match, won it 1–0 for Nottingham Forest. Nevertheless, the 1979 European Cup run is the biggest success in the history of Malmö FF.[25] The team were given the Svenska Dagbladet Gold Medal the same year, awarded for the most significant Swedish sporting achievement of the year, for their achievement in the European Cup.[7]

Malmö Stadion, the home stadium for the club between 1958 and 2008

Much of the success during the 1970s was due to new tactics and training methods brought to the club by Englishman Bob Houghton, who managed the club between 1974 and 1980. Eric Persson was succeeded as chairman in 1974 by Hans Cavalli-Björkman. After the team performed respectably under managers Keith Blunt and Tord Grip in the early 1980s, Roy Hodgson took over in 1985. Roy Hodgson led Malmö FF to two Swedish Championships in 1986 and 1988, and the club won Allsvenskan five years in a row between 1985 and 1989. At the time, the championship was decided by play-offs between the best teams after the end of the regular season; this arrangement was in place from 1982 until 1992. The club reached the play-off final four times between 1986 and 1989 but only managed to win the final twice. Apart from Allsvenskan and Swedish Championships, Malmö FF won Svenska Cupen in 1984, 1986 and 1989.[26]

Other than finishing as runners-up in Allsvenskan in 1996, the team did not excel in the 1990s, as the club failed to win Allsvenskan and Svenska Cupen throughout the entire decade. The 1990s ended with relegation from Allsvenskan in 1999. Hans Cavalli-Björkman was succeeded as chairman by Bengt Madsen in 1999, and former player Hasse Borg was contracted as Director of Sport. These operational changes, as well as the emergence of young talent Zlatan Ibrahimović, led to the return to Allsvenskan in 2001. Ibrahimović rose to fame and became an important player in Malmö FF's campaign to return to the top league. He was later sold to Ajax in 2001, before playing for several European clubs in Italy's Serie A, FC Barcelona in Spain's La Liga, Paris Saint-Germain in France's Ligue 1, Manchester United F.C. in England's Premier League, LA Galaxy in the MLS, and AC Milan again until his retirement in 2023.[27]

Start of the 2000s to the present

Opening game at Stadion

The return to Allsvenskan was the start of the successful early 2000s, under the management of

Eleda Stadion in 2009, a stadium built entirely for football and located next to the old one.[31]

In 2009, Madsen announced that he would step down as chairman, and was replaced by Håkan Jeppsson early the following year.[32] In 2010, the club marked their 100th anniversary with many celebratory events at the beginning of the season. On the day of the club's 100th anniversary in 2010, the Swedish football magazine Offside declared Malmö FF to be the greatest football club in Swedish history.[33] The season became a great success as the club won Allsvenskan for the nineteenth time and became Swedish champions for the sixteenth time.[34] Unlike in 2004, these successes were achieved without any major transfers before the season, and with a squad consisting mostly of younger players.[35]

In October 2013, Malmö FF won their seventeenth Swedish championship and 20th Allsvenskan title in the penultimate round of the league away from home. Similar to 2010, the title was the result of a young squad. The average age of the squad, 23.8 years, was the youngest team to become champions since the beginning of the 21st century.[36] The following year Malmö FF qualified for the group stage of the 2014–15 UEFA Champions League by beating Ventspils, Sparta Prague and Red Bull Salzburg in the qualifying rounds.[37] This was the first time the club qualified for the competition proper since the re-branding from the European Cup in the 1992–93 season and the first time since the 2000–01 season that a Swedish club qualified. In the following months Malmö FF defended their league title, winning their eighteenth Swedish championship and 21st Allsvenskan title.[38] This was the first time a club defended the Allsvenskan title since the 2003 season.

The 2015 season saw Malmö FF failing to retaining the title and missing out on the top-four for the first time since 2009. However, the club managed to qualify once again to the group stages of the UEFA Champions League in the 2015–16 UEFA Champions League edition, beating Žalgiris Vilnius, Red Bull Salzburg and Celtic in qualifiers. In October 2016, Malmö FF won their nineteenth Swedish championship and 22nd Allsvenskan title.[39] The title was Malmö FF's third in the span of four years. This resulted in the club surpassing IFK Göteborg in terms of Swedish championship titles, indisputably becoming the most successful Swedish football club of all time.

Malmö FF is a dominant force in Sweden. As of the end of the 2021 Allsvenskan season, the club are the leaders of the overall Allsvenskan table maratontabellen.[9] Malmö FF are also the record holders for the total number of Swedish championships, Allsvenskan titles and Svenska Cupen titles.[5][40]

Colours and crest

Because of the club colours, sky blue and white, the club is often known by the nicknames Di blåe (Scanian: The Blues) and Himmelsblått (The Sky Blues). The home kit is sky-blue shirts, white shorts, and sky-blue socks. The away strip is black. Various alternative kits have been used for European play such as an all-white kit introduced in the 1950s, and re-used for the 2011 and 2012 seasons, and all-black kits with sky-blue and golden trimmings were used for the European campaigns in 2005 and 2013.[41]

Kit evolution

The club colours have not always been sky blue. The predecessor club BK Idrott wore blue and white striped shirts and white shorts, and this kit was still used for the first six months of 1910 after Malmö FF was founded. This was later changed to red and white striped shirts and black shorts to show that Malmö FF was a new, independent club. This colour combination has on occasion been used in modern times as the away kit. The present sky-blue kit was introduced in 1920.[42] Since 2010 a small Scanian flag is featured on the back of the shirt just below the neck.[43]

Crest evolution

  • 1910
    1910
  • 1920
    1920
  • 1920s
    1920s
  • Current crest
    Current crest

The crest of Malmö FF consists of a shield with two vertical sky-blue fields on the sides, and one vertical white field in the middle. Underneath the shield is "Malmö FF" spelled out in sky-blue letters with a sky-blue star under the text. In the top area of the shield is a white horizontal field over the three vertical fields. The abbreviation of the club name "MFF" is spelled out with sky-blue letters in this field. On top of the shield are five tower-like extensions of the white field. The present shield crest made its debut on the shirt in the 1940s.[44] There were other crests before this but they were never featured on the shirt. While the first crest was black and white, the second crest was red and white in accordance with the club's main colours between 1910 and 1920.[41]

In the original shield logo the full club name and sky-blue star beneath the shield were not featured, they were later added when club chairman Eric Persson discovered while abroad that people had trouble identifying what city the club came from just by looking at the club crest. The six-pointed star has its origins from the oldest seal of the City of Malmö.

For the 100th anniversary of the club in 2010, the years 1910 and 2010 were featured on each side of the shield on a sky-blue ribbon behind the shield.[43]

Malmö FF is the only Swedish club to wear two stars above its crest, representing at least 20 domestic championship titles. The stars are only featured on match shirts and are not part of the club's crest.[45]

Supporters

Tifo at former home stadium Malmö Stadion.
Tifo at the Swedish Cup final in 2016.
Tifo before a Champions League qualifier in 2018. The red and yellow flag is the Scanian flag.
Tifo before Markus Rosenberg's final home game for Malmö FF in 2019.

Malmö FF has several fan clubs, of which the largest is the official fan club MFF Support, founded in 1992. MFF Support describes itself as "a non-profit and non-political organization working against violence and racism".[11] The chairman of MFF Support is Thelma Ernst.[46]

There are also several smaller independent supporter groups. The most prominent of these is Supras Malmö, which was founded in 2003 by a coalition of smaller

Eleda Stadion, marking its presence with banners, flags and choreography. Another group with similar goals is Rex Scania. MFF Tifosi 96 (MT96) is a network of supporters creating tifos for special occasions and important games.[48]
Malmösystrar (Sisters of Malmö) is the largest female supporter faction in Europe with over 200 members.[49]

Malmö FF supporters maintains a friendship with the supporters of Hertha BSC.[50]

Rivalries

Because of geographical proximity, minor rivalries exist with

1979.[10]

During the 2000s, a rivalry between Malmö FF and

FC Copenhagen has grown stronger. The rivalry is mainly about geographical proximity and the fact that the teams have played against each other more frequently. During a match in the Royal League in 2005 at Parken Stadium
in Copenhagen, the meeting was given greater significance than before, this after Danish police, for unclear reasons, handed out blows with batons to Malmö supporters in the stands.

The

rivalry with IFK Malmö is both geographical and historical. The two clubs come from the same city and used to play at the same stadium in the early 20th century. The supposed actions of board members of IFK Malmö in 1933, revealing Malmö FF's breaches of amateur football rules to the Swedish Football Association, further contribute to the competitive tensions between the two clubs.[18][19][20] IFK Malmö have not played in Allsvenskan since 1962; thus matches between the two sides are rare.[51]

Average attendances

As of 12 November 2023[52]

Malmö FF are well known for their large average attendance.[53] Average attendances at Malmö FF's home matches in Allsvenskan and European competitions for the last ten seasons running.

Allsvenskan 2010–2023
Season Stadium Capacity Total High Low Average Occupancy Median
2010
Eleda Stadion
24,000[54] 227,904 24,148 9,346 15,194 63.3% 14,149
2011 185,825 23,612 6,715 12,388 51.6% 11,333
2012 221,981 23,638 10,088 14,799 61.7% 14,583
2013 241,395 23,758 9,837 16,093 67.1% 15,560
2014 211,357 20,310 9,336 14,090 58.7% 13,382
2015 22,500[55] 259,973 22,337 12,862 17,332 77.0% 16,215
2016 267,622 21,719 13,747 17,841 79.3% 17,526
2017 273,807 21,354 14,482 18,254 81.1% 18,830
2018 223,822 20,072 11,237 14,921 66.3% 14,745
2019 248,496 21,812 11,521 16,566 73.6% 16,267
2020 0 0 0 0 0% 0
2021 108,115 21,067 0 7,208 32.0% 5,113
2022 261,156 20,231 13,312 17,410 77.4% 17,052
2023 301,126 21,612 17,116 20,075 89.2% 20,231
European Competitions 2010–2019
Season Competition Capacity Matches Total High Low Average
2011–12 UEFA Champions League 20,500 3 46,916 19,084 12,501 15,639
2011–12 UEFA Europa League 3 26,900 10,802 7,632 8,967
2013–14
UEFA Europa League 3 25,855 11,538 5,689 8,618
2014–15 UEFA Champions League 6 110,014 20,500 8,831 18,336
2015–16 UEFA Champions League 6 113,958 20,500 12,436 18,993
2017–18 UEFA Champions League 1 20,058 20,058 20,058 20,058
2018–19 UEFA Champions League 3 45,985 18,153 10,623 15,328
2018–19 UEFA Europa League 5 82,692 20,312 11,487 16,538
2019–20 UEFA Europa League 8 125,471 20,500 8,667 15,684

Stadia

Malmö FF's first stadium was Malmö IP, which was shared with arch-rivals IFK Malmö. The team played here from the founding of the club in 1910, until 1958. The stadium still exists today, albeit with lower capacity, and is now used by women's team FC Rosengård, who were previously the women's section of Malmö FF. Capacity in 2012 is 7,600, but attendances were usually much higher when Malmö FF played there. For the last season in 1957, the average attendance was 15,500. The club's record attendance at Malmö IP is 22,436 against Helsingborgs IF on 1 June 1956.[56] The stadium is still considered a key part of the club's history, as it was here that the club were founded, played their first 47 seasons, and won five Swedish championships.[57]

A new stadium was constructed in Malmö after Sweden was awarded the 1958 FIFA World Cup – this saw the birth of Malmö Stadion. Malmö FF played their first season at the stadium in 1958. The first time the club won the Swedish championship at the stadium was in 1965.[56] An upper tier was added to the stadium in 1992.[58] The club enjoyed the most successful era of their history at this stadium, winning ten out of twenty Swedish championships while based there. The stadium originally had a capacity of 30,000 but this was lowered to 27,500 due to changes in safety regulations. The club's record attendance at the stadium was 29,328 against Helsingborgs IF on 24 September 1967.[59]

Following the

Eleda Stadion, designed for 18,000 seated spectators and 6,000 standing. The stadium can also accommodate 21,000 as an all-seater for international and European games in which terracing is not allowed. Construction started in 2007 and was finished in 2009. The new stadium is located next to Malmö Stadion. Although there was still small-scale construction going on around the stadium at the time, the stadium was inaugurated on 13 April 2009 with the first home game of the 2009 season against Örgryte IS; Malmö FF's Labinot Harbuzi scored the inaugural goal in the 61st minute.[61] The first Swedish championship won at the stadium occurred in 2010, when the club beat Mjällby AIF on 7 November in the final game of the season 2–0. Attendance at this game set the stadium record of 24,148.[34][62] Stadion is a UEFA category 4 rated stadium.[63]

A panorama of Stadion from the Northern Stand, showing from left to right the Eastern Stand, the Southern Stand and the Western Stand
Stadion from the Western stand before a UEFA Champions League play-off game against FC Red Bull Salzburg in 2014

European record

Malmö FF has a rich European legacy with participation in UEFA competitions since 1964. The club's best European performance was in the 1978–79 season, when they reached the final of the

Nottingham Forest. This makes Malmö FF the only Nordic club to have reached this far in the European Cup or Champions League.[64] Malmö FF is also the only Nordic club to have been represented at the Intercontinental Cup (succeeded by FIFA Club World Cup) in which they competed for the 1979 title.[65] Malmö FF is one of the four Swedish clubs to have participated in the UEFA Champions League group stages, along with IFK Göteborg, AIK, and Helsingborg
.

Overall record by competition

Tournament S Pld W D L GF GA GD
European Champion Clubs' Cup / UEFA Champions League 19 95 32 23 40 103 148 −45
UEFA Cup / UEFA Europa League 17 80 34 15 31 122 97 +25
Cup Winners' Cup 5 22 9 7 6 35 18 +17
Inter-Cities Fairs Cup 4 8 0 1 7 4 23 −19
UEFA Intertoto Cup 1 2 0 0 2 1 4 −3
Intercontinental Cup / FIFA Club World Cup 1 2 0 0 2 1 3 −2
Total 45 197 70 43 83 247 273 −26

UEFA Coefficient

Correct as of 19 Jun 2022.[66][67] The table shows the position of Malmö FF (highlighted), based on their UEFA coefficient club ranking for 2021, and the four clubs which are closest to Malmö FF's position (the two clubs with the higher coefficient and the two with the lower coefficient).

2023 2022 Mvmt. Club 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023 Coeff.
55 60 +5 Russia Krasnodar 11.00 6.00 8.00 25.000
57 78 +21 Spain Real Betis 10.00 11.00 3.00 24.000
57 68 +11 Sweden Malmö FF 7.00 8.00 2.50 5.00 1.50 24.000
59 74 +15 England West Ham 21.00 2.50 23.500
60 61 +1 France Monaco 5.00 15.00 3.00 23.000

Ownership and finances

Malmö FF made the transition from an amateur club to fully professional in the late 1970s under the leadership of club chairman Eric Persson.[68] The club is an open member association, and the annual general meeting is the highest policy-making body where each member has one vote, therefore no shares are issued. The meeting approves the accounts, votes to elect the chairman and the board, and decides on incoming motions. During the successful 2010's era Håkan Jeppsson was the chairman after taking over after Bengt Madsen in 2010, prior to his sudden death in 2018. The club's legal status means that any interest claims are made to the club and not to the board of directors or club members. Daily operations are run by a managing director who liaises with the chairman.[69]

With an equity of 497 million SEK the club is the richest football club in Sweden as of 2019. The turnover for 2018 was 343 million SEK.[70] The highest transfer fee received by Malmö FF for a player was 86.2 million SEK (8.7 million at that time) for Zlatan Ibrahimović who was sold to Ajax in 2001. At the time, this was the highest transfer fee ever paid to a Swedish football club.[71]

The main sponsors of Malmö FF are

Eleda Stadion
between 2007 and 2017 when it was called Swedbank Stadion.

Media coverage

Malmö FF have been the subject of several films. Some examples are Swedish football documentaries Blådårar 1 and Blådårar 2, which portray the club from both supporter and player perspectives during the

2000 seasons. Blådårar 1 is set in 1997, when the club finished third in Allsvenskan. The film focuses on devoted fan Lasse, player Anders Andersson, former chairman Hans Cavalli-Björkman and other individuals.[73][74] Blådårar 2 is set in 2000, the year after the club had been relegated to Superettan, and follows the team as they fight for Malmö FF's return to Allsvenskan.[75][76] The second film continues to follow Lasse, but also has a significant focus on Zlatan Ibrahimović, his progress and how he was eventually sold to AFC Ajax during the 2001 season.[77][78]

The club have also been featured in Mitt Hjärtas Malmö, a series of documentaries covering the history of Malmö. Clips used included match footage from the 1940s (Volume 7), and match footage from the

1979 European Cup Final in Munich from a fan's perspective (Volume 8).[79] Volume 9 of the series is devoted entirely to coverage of the club's 100th anniversary in 2010.[80]

In the 2005 Swedish drama movie Om Sara, actor Alexander Skarsgård plays the fictional football star Kalle Öberg, who plays for Malmö FF.[81][82] Finally, a recurring sketch in the second season of the comedy sketch show Hipphipp! involved a group of Malmö FF fans singing and chanting while performing everyday tasks, such as shopping or operating an ATM.[83]

Players

Current squad

Malmö FF line up before a 2011–12 UEFA Europa League group stage match against FC Metalist Kharkiv
As of 31 January 2024[84]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK Brazil BRA Ricardo Friedrich
3 DF Sweden SWE Anton Tinnerholm
4 DF Finland FIN Niklas Moisander
5 MF Denmark DEN Søren Rieks
6 MF Sweden SWE Oscar Lewicki
7 MF Sweden SWE Otto Rosengren
8 MF Peru PER Sergio Peña
9 FW Sweden SWE Isaac Kiese Thelin
10 MF Denmark DEN Anders Christiansen (captain)
11 MF Sweden SWE Sebastian Nanasi
13 DF Sweden SWE Martin Olsson
14 MF Denmark DEN Sebastian Jørgensen
15 MF Sweden SWE Joseph Ceesay
16 MF Norway NOR Oliver Berg
17 DF Denmark DEN Jens Stryger Larsen
No. Pos. Nation Player
18 DF Sweden SWE Pontus Jansson
19 DF Canada CAN Derek Cornelius
20 FW Norway NOR Erik Botheim
21 FW Sweden SWE Stefano Vecchia
22 MF Sweden SWE Taha Ali
23 MF Norway NOR Lasse Berg Johnsen
25 DF Brazil BRA Gabriel Busanello
26 MF Sweden SWE Mubaarak Nuh
27 GK Sweden SWE Johan Dahlin
32 FW Iceland ISL Daníel Guðjohnsen
33 DF Sweden SWE Elison Makolli
35 DF Sweden SWE Nils Zätterström
37 MF Sweden SWE Adrian Skogmar
38 MF Sweden SWE Hugo Bolin
MF Sweden SWE Peter Gwargis

Out on loan

As of 13 February 2024[84]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK Sweden SWE Melker Ellborg (to Trelleborgs FF until 8 January 2025)
7 MF France FRA Mahamé Siby (to SC Bastia until 30 June 2024)
20 MF Sweden SWE Moustafa Zeidan (to Hatta Club until 30 June 2024)
23 DF Czech Republic CZE Matěj Chaluš (to Slovan Liberec until 30 June 2024)
28 MF Sweden SWE David Edvardsson (to Landskrona BoIS until 31 December 2024)
35 DF Cameroon CMR Samuel Kotto (to IFK Värnamo until 31 December 2024)
No. Pos. Nation Player
36 MF Kosovo KOS Patriot Sejdiu (to NAC Breda until 30 June 2024)
40 MF Ghana GHA Emmanuel Lomotey (to Ethnikos Achna until 30 June 2024)
DF Sweden SWE André Alvarez Perez (to AaB Fodbold until 31 December 2024)
MF Senegal SEN Mamadou Diagne (to Skövde AIK until 31 December 2024)
FW Ghana GHA Malik Abubakari (to Viborg FF until 30 June 2024)
GK Sweden SWE Mathias Nilsson (to IF Gnistan until 31 December 2024)

Retired numbers

12 – MFF Support[85]

Notable players

A blonde man raises his right hand to the camera with three fingers up; he is dressed in a light-coloured football kit.
Bo Larsson is Malmö FF's all-time leading goalscorer in Allsvenskan with 119 goals in 302 matches.[86]
A photograph of a man with dark hair wearing a yellow football shirt, blue shorts and a dark blue captain's armband on his arm, the man is looking away from the camera.
Zlatan Ibrahimović started his professional career at Malmö FF. He made 40 league appearances and scored 16 goals for the club between 1999 and 2001.[86]

List criteria:

  • player has made more than 500 appearances overall for the club, or
  • player has won Guldbollen,[87] an official UEFA or FIFA award,[88][89] or
  • player has been picked as one of the 11 best players in the official hall of fame Sydsvenskan team that was selected by the newspapers readers for the club's 100th anniversary in 2010.[90]
Name Nationality Malmö FF
career
Total
appearances
Total
goals
Guldbollen UEFA/FIFA Award Sydsvenskan team
Erik Nilsson Sweden 1934–1953 600 4 1950
Helge Bengtsson Sweden 1934–1951 501 3
Prawitz Öberg Sweden 1952–1965 515 103 1962
Ingvar Svahn Sweden 1957–1968
1970
414 161 1967
Bo Larsson Sweden 1962–1966
1969–1979
546 289 1965
1973
Yes
Krister Kristensson Sweden 1963–1979 626 16 Yes
Roy Andersson Sweden 1968–1983 624 49 1977 Yes
Roland Andersson Sweden 1968–1974
1977–1983
564 13
Jan Möller Sweden 1971–1980
1984–1988
591 1 1979 Yes
Ingemar Erlandsson Sweden 1976–1987 473 46 Yes
Magnus Andersson
Sweden 1975–1988 568 28
Robert Prytz Sweden 1977–1982
1993–1995
132 36 1986 Yes
Torbjörn Persson Sweden 1980–1995 574 39
Jonnie Fedel Sweden 1984–2001 588 1
Jonas Thern Sweden 1985–1987
1988–1989
160 30 1989 Yes
Martin Dahlin Sweden 1987–1991 176 83 1993 Yes
Stefan Schwarz Sweden 1987–1991 103 7 1999 Yes
Patrik Andersson Sweden 1989–1992
2004–2005
184 24 1995
2001
UEFA Team of the Year
2001
Yes
Zlatan Ibrahimović Sweden 1999–2001 69 16 2005
2007–2016
FIFPro World XI
2013
FIFA Puskás Award

2013
Yes
Jari Litmanen Finland 2005–2007 18 6 UEFA Jubilee Awards
Emil Forsberg Sweden 2013-2014 57 19 2021

Management

Organisation

As of 8 January 2024[91][92][93]

Name Role
Sweden Anders Pålsson President
Sweden Niclas Carlnén Chief executive officer
Sweden Pontus Hansson Secretary
Sweden Daniel Andersson Sporting director
Sweden Ola Toivonen Assistant sporting director
Sweden Anne-Maj Jansson Sporting assistant
Sweden Jeffrey Aubynn
Chief scout
Sweden Alf Westerberg Sporting co-ordinator
Sweden Per Ågren Sporting director youth

Technical staff

As of 8 January 2024[92]

Name Role
Sweden Henrik Rydström Head coach
Sweden Theodor Olsson Assistant coaches
Sweden Martin Falk
England Paul Mitchell Analysts
Sweden James Slaughter
Hong Kong Mak Pakhei
England Tom Noon Fitness coaches
England Jamie Mackay
Sweden Jonnie Fedel Goalkeeping coach
Sweden Alexander Nilsson Physiotherapists
Sweden Jesper Robertsson
Sweden Roem Muftee
Sweden Johan Ahlberg
Sweden Amanda Lahti Club doctor
Sweden Greger Andrijevski Club masseur
Sweden Sverker Fryklund Psychologist
Sweden Daniel Möller Equipment manager

Notable coaches

1979 European Cup Final
during his time in Malmö.
A photograph of a grey-haired, middle-aged man at a football match. He is wearing a black suit, a white shirt and a black and white striped tie. He is watching the game from the sideline.
Roy Hodgson won five consecutive Allsvenskan titles and two Svenska Cupen titles during his five years at the club. He is pictured in 2012 as head coach of England.

This is a list of coaches who have won one or more titles at the club[94]

Name Years Allsvenskan Svenska Cupen
Sweden Sven Nilsson 1944
1945–1946
1950
1949–50
1946
Hungary Kálmán Konrád 1947–1949
1948–49
1947
Bert Turner
1951–1954
1950–51
1952–53
1953
Spain Antonio Durán 1964–1971 1965
1967
1970
1971
1967
Sweden Karl-Erik Hult 1972–1973 1972–73
England Bob Houghton 1974–1980
1990–1992
1974
1975
1977
1973–74
1974–75
1977–78
1979–80
Sweden Tord Grip 1983–1984 1983–84
England Roy Hodgson 1985–1989 1985
1986
1987
1988
1989
1985–86
1988–89
Sweden Tom Prahl 2002–2005 2004
Sweden Roland Nilsson 2008–2011 2010
Sweden Rikard Norling 2011–2013 2013
Norway Åge Hareide 2014–2015 2014
Denmark Allan Kuhn 2016 2016
Sweden Magnus Pehrsson 2017–2018 2017
Denmark Jon Dahl Tomasson 2020–2021 2020
2021
Miloš Milojević
2022 2021–22
Sweden Henrik Rydström 2023– 2023

Statistics

Malmö FF have played 86 seasons in Allsvenskan. The only clubs to have played more seasons are

1979 European Cup Final.[2][4] Malmö FF is also the only Nordic club to have been represented at the Intercontinental Cup (succeeded by FIFA Club World Cup) in which they competed for the 1979 title.[96]

Club honours

Malmö FF have won domestic, European, and international honours. The club currently holds the records for most

Swedish championships, Allsvenskan and Svenska Cupen titles.[A] The club's most recent honour was in 2023 when they won Allsvenskan.[2][4] The club first played in Europe for the 1964–65 European season in the European Cup, and most recently in the 2021–22 European season in the group stage for the UEFA Champions League. Including the qualification stages, they have participated in the European Cup and UEFA Champions League eighteen times and in the UEFA Cup and UEFA Europa League seventeen times. The club have also played in other now defunct European competitions such as the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup and the UEFA Intertoto Cup.[97][98]

Domestic

The Malmö FF team of 1948–49
League
Cups

European

Worldwide

Doubles

Footnotes

  1. ^ a b c d The title of "Swedish Champions" has been awarded to the winner of four different competitions over the years. Between 1896 and 1925, the title was awarded to the winner of the Svenska Mästerskapet, a stand-alone cup tournament. No club was given the title between 1926 and 1930 even though the first-tier league Allsvenskan was played. In 1931, the title was reinstated and awarded to the winner of Allsvenskan. Between 1982 and 1990, a play-off in cup format was held at the end of the league season to decide the champions. After the play-off format in 1991 and 1992, the title was decided by the winner of Mästerskapsserien, an additional league after the end of Allsvenskan. Since the 1993 season, the title has once again been awarded to the winner of Allsvenskan.[5]

References

General

  • Smitt, Rikard (2009). Ända sen gamla dagar... (in Swedish). Project Management. .
  • Törner, Ole (2005). Malmö FF; En Supporters Handbok (in Swedish). Bokförlaget DN. .

Specific

  1. ^ a b Törner, 2005, pp. 42.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Fakta" [Facts]. mff.se (in Swedish). Malmö FF. Archived from the original on 10 September 2012. Retrieved 22 August 2012.
  3. ^ "Kontaktuppgifter och tävlingar" [Contact information and competitions]. skaneboll.se (in Swedish). Skånes Fotbollförbund. Archived from the original on 17 March 2012. Retrieved 22 August 2012.
  4. ^ a b c d "Malmö FF". svenskfotboll.se (in Swedish). The Swedish Football Association. Archived from the original on 16 May 2013. Retrieved 22 August 2012.
  5. ^ a b c "Svenska mästare 1896–1925, 1931–" [Swedish champions 1896–1925, 1931–]. svenskfotboll.se (in Swedish). The Swedish Football Association. Archived from the original on 2 December 2009. Retrieved 22 August 2012.
  6. ^ a b "1978/79: Forest join élite club". UEFA. Archived from the original on 1 May 2011. Retrieved 22 August 2012.
  7. ^ a b "Bragdmedaljörer genom tiderna" [Sweden's top annual medal for an achievement in any sport, Bragdguldet]. svd.se (in Swedish). Svenska Dagbladet. 6 December 2005. Archived from the original on 13 December 2009. Retrieved 22 August 2012.
  8. ^ "Malmö FF history according to Uefa". 26 December 2019. Archived from the original on 25 June 2018. Retrieved 27 December 2019.
  9. ^ a b "Maratontabellen" [All-time Allsvenskan table]. svenskfotboll.se (in Swedish). The Swedish Football Association. 27 December 2019. Archived from the original on 30 April 2019.
  10. ^ a b c Törner, 2005, pp. 52–54.
  11. ^ a b "Vad är MFF Support?" [What is MFF Support?]. mff-familjen.se (in Swedish). MFF Familjen. Archived from the original on 9 August 2012. Retrieved 22 August 2012.
  12. ^ Smitt, 2009, pp. 14–16.
  13. ^ "1910–1939". mff.se (in Swedish). Malmö FF. Archived from the original on 5 September 2012. Retrieved 22 August 2012.
  14. ^ Smitt, 2009, p. 17.
  15. ^ Smitt, 2009, pp. 16–17.
  16. ^ Smitt, 2009, p. 258.
  17. ^ Smitt, 2009, pp. 20–21.
  18. ^ a b Smitt, 2009, pp. 25–26.
  19. ^ a b "Malmö FF". malmo.se (in Swedish). Malmö Stad. Archived from the original on 5 June 2011. Retrieved 22 August 2012.
  20. ^ a b "Historia po himmaplan" [History on home turf]. sydsvenskan.se (in Swedish). Sydsvenskan. 31 December 2011. Archived from the original on 9 December 2012. Retrieved 22 August 2012.
  21. ^ Smitt, 2009, pp. 165.
  22. ^ Smitt, 2009, pp. 27–35.
  23. ^ Smitt, 2009, pp. 40–48.
  24. ^ Smitt, 2009, pp. 49–58.
  25. ^ Smitt, 2009, pp. 58–67.
  26. ^ Smitt, 2009, pp. 76–80.
  27. ^ Smitt, 2009, pp. 84–90.
  28. ^ Smitt, 2009, pp. 89–90.
  29. ^ "MFF är Sveriges rikaste klubb" [MFF is the richest club in Sweden]. idrottensaffarer.se (in Swedish). Idrottens Affärer. 21 February 2009. Archived from the original on 7 June 2019. Retrieved 22 August 2012.
  30. ^ Mattias Larsson (26 January 2017). "90 miljoner är mycket, men inte jättemycket" (in Swedish). Kvällsposten. Archived from the original on 16 December 2018. Retrieved 16 December 2018.
  31. ^ Smitt, 2009, pp. 94–95.
  32. ^ "Välbesökt årsmöte valde Håkan Jeppsson till ny ordförande" [Well attended meeting elected Håkan Jeppsson as new chairman]. mff.se (in Swedish). Malmö FF. 19 February 2010. Archived from the original on 21 September 2012. Retrieved 22 August 2012.
  33. ISSN 1404-6822. Archived from the original
    on 25 July 2011. Retrieved 19 February 2011.
  34. ^ a b "Malmö FF – Svenska mästare 2010" [Malmö FF – Swedish champions 2010]. mff.se (in Swedish). Malmö FF. 7 November 2010. Archived from the original on 21 September 2012. Retrieved 22 August 2012.
  35. ^ "Det hänger på de unga" [It relies on the youngsters]. svenskfotboll.se (in Swedish). The Swedish Football Association. 6 December 2010. Archived from the original on 6 October 2013. Retrieved 22 August 2012.
  36. ^ "MFF yngsta guldlaget på 2000-talet" [MFF has the youngest championship squad in the 21st century]. svt.se (in Swedish). Sveriges Television. 29 October 2013. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 3 November 2013.
  37. ^ "Malmö FF är inne i Champions League" [Malmö FF into the Champions League]. mff.se (in Swedish). Malmö FF. 28 August 2014. Archived from the original on 31 August 2014. Retrieved 30 August 2014.
  38. ^ "Malmö FF är svenska mästare 2014" [Malmö FF are Swedish Champions 2014]. mff.se (in Swedish). Malmö FF. 5 October 2014. Archived from the original on 7 October 2014. Retrieved 7 October 2014.
  39. ^ "Malmö FF är svenska mästare 2016" [Malmö FF are Swedish Champions 2016]. mff.se (in Swedish). Malmö FF. 26 October 2016. Archived from the original on 27 October 2016. Retrieved 26 October 2016.
  40. ^ "Svenska Cupens finaler 1941–" [Svenska Cupen finals 1941–]. svenskfotboll.se (in Swedish). The Swedish Football Association. Archived from the original on 6 March 2012. Retrieved 22 August 2012.
  41. ^ a b Törner, 2005, p. 40.
  42. ^ Smitt, 2009, pp. 16, 20.
  43. ^ a b "Nu släpper vi matchtröjan för jubileumssäsongen!" [The kit for the jubilee season is now released!]. mff.se (in Swedish). Malmö FF. 9 December 2009. Archived from the original on 22 September 2012. Retrieved 22 August 2012.
  44. ^ Smitt, 2009, p. 20.
  45. ^ Karlsson, Kristopher (28 January 2014). "MFF anmäls för dubbla stjärnor" [MFF is reported for double stars]. aftonbladet.se (in Swedish). Aftonbladet. Retrieved 30 March 2023.
  46. ^ "Han är MFF Supports nya ordförande" [He is MFF Support's new chairman]. sydsvenskan.se (in Swedish). Sydsvenskan. 21 September 2011. Archived from the original on 4 November 2011. Retrieved 22 August 2012.
  47. ^ "Manifest" [Manifesto]. suprasmalmo.se (in Swedish). Supras Malmö. 12 January 2009. Retrieved 22 August 2012.
  48. ^ "Vad är MT96?" [What is MT96?]. mff-familjen.se (in Swedish). MFF Familjen. Archived from the original on 14 March 2012. Retrieved 22 August 2012.
  49. ^ "Malmösystrar är Europas största kvinnliga supporterförening: "Man ska veta att det finns en plats dit man kan gå"". fotbollskanalen.se (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 12 July 2019. Retrieved 12 July 2019.
  50. ^ Graeber, Julian (7 October 2022). "Malmö war nur der traurige Höhepunkt: Der 1. FC Union hat einiges aufzuarbeiten vor dem Rückspiel in der Europa League=". Der Tagesspiegel (in German). Berlin: Verlag Der Tagesspiegel GmbH. Retrieved 12 February 2024.
  51. ^ Törner, 2005, pp. 58–59.
  52. ^ "Tabeller och fakta från säsongerna 2001–2016". Svensk Fotboll. Archived from the original on 31 October 2017. Retrieved 5 November 2017.
  53. ^ "Malmö i topp även i publikligan" [Malmö, now in the top in the attendance league as well]. svenskfotboll.se (in Swedish). The Swedish Football Association. 10 November 2010. Archived from the original on 22 February 2014. Retrieved 22 August 2012.
  54. ^ Original capacity of the Stadion in domestic competitions.
  55. ^ Capacity of Stadion was reduced by the Malmo Police in 2015 due to safety concerns.
  56. ^ a b "1940–1969". mff.se (in Swedish). Malmö FF. Archived from the original on 18 September 2012. Retrieved 22 August 2012.
  57. ^ Smitt, 2009, pp. 12–13.
  58. ^ "Malmö kan få tre nya badhus" [Malmö can get three new aquatic centres]. sydsvenskan.se (in Swedish). Sydsvenskan. 21 May 2008. Archived from the original on 10 August 2011. Retrieved 22 August 2012.
  59. ^ Smitt, 2009, p. 50.
  60. ^ "Femtonde SM-guldet till Malmö FF" [Malmö FF wins their fifteenth Swedish championship]. svenskfotboll.se (in Swedish). The Swedish Football Association. Archived from the original on 4 November 2012. Retrieved 22 August 2012.
  61. ^ "Storseger för MFF i hemmapremiären" [Big victory for MFF in the first home game]. sydsvenskan.se (in Swedish). Sydsvenskan. 14 April 2009. Archived from the original on 19 November 2011. Retrieved 22 August 2012.
  62. ^ Smitt, 2009, p. 95.
  63. ^ "Swedbank Stadion högt rankad av UEFA" [Swedbank Stadion highly ranked by UEFA]. mff.se (in Swedish). Malmö FF. 26 January 2011. Archived from the original on 2 September 2011. Retrieved 22 August 2012.
  64. ^ "UEFA Champions League 1978/79 - History – UEFA.com". UEFA.com. Archived from the original on 24 July 2017. Retrieved 4 August 2017.
  65. ^ "Malmö FF according to Uefa". 26 December 2019. Archived from the original on 25 June 2018. Retrieved 27 December 2019.
  66. ^ "UEFA 5-year Club Ranking 2021". UEFA. Archived from the original on 12 November 2020. Retrieved 13 August 2021.
  67. ^ "UEFA Team Ranking 2021". UEFA European Cup Football by Bert Kassies. Archived from the original on 12 November 2020. Retrieved 13 August 2021.
  68. ^ Smitt, 2009, p. 168.
  69. ^ "Stadgar för Malmö Fotbollförening" [By-laws for Malmö Fotbollförening] (PDF). mff.se (in Swedish). Malmö FF. 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 September 2012. Retrieved 22 August 2012.
  70. ^ "Årsredovisning för 2018" [Financial statement]. mff.se (in Swedish). Malmö FF. 15 February 2019. Archived from the original on 16 February 2019. Retrieved 15 February 2019.
  71. ^ Smitt, 2009, p. 197.
  72. ^ "Intersport ny Officiell Sponsor i Malmö FF" [Intersport new official sponsor for Malmö FF]. mff.se (in Swedish). Malmö FF. 27 February 2012. Archived from the original on 11 November 2017. Retrieved 22 August 2012.
  73. ^ "Blådårar – om kärleken till ett fotbollslag" [Blådårar – about the love for a football team]. wgfilm.se (in Swedish). Wg Film. Archived from the original on 29 January 2013. Retrieved 22 August 2012.
  74. ^ "Produktionsdetaljer" [Production details]. wgfilm.se (in Swedish). Wg Film. Archived from the original on 18 August 2010. Retrieved 22 August 2012.
  75. ^ "Blådårar 2 Vägen Tillbaka" [Blådårar 2 The way back]. wgfilm.se (in Swedish). Wg Film. Archived from the original on 23 April 2012. Retrieved 22 August 2012.
  76. ^ "Produktionsdetaljer" [Production details]. wgfilm.se (in Swedish). Wg Film. Archived from the original on 18 August 2010. Retrieved 22 August 2012.
  77. ^ "Zlatan Ibrahimovic till Ajax" [Zlatan Ibrahimovic to Ajax]. sydsvenskan.se (in Swedish). Sydsvenskan. 25 April 2005. Archived from the original on 7 January 2010. Retrieved 22 August 2012.
  78. ^ "Vägen tillbaka – Blådårar 2" [The way back – Blådårar 2]. autoimages.se (in Swedish). Autoimages. Archived from the original on 30 November 2012. Retrieved 22 August 2012.
  79. ^ "Mitt Hjärtas Malmö". mitthjartasmalmo.se (in Swedish). Mitt Hjärtas Malmö. Archived from the original on 13 July 2011. Retrieved 22 August 2012.
  80. ^ "Mitt hjärtas Malmö Volym 9, 1905–2004" [Mitt hjärtas Malmö Volume 9, 1905–2004]. mitthjartasmalmo.se (in Swedish). Mitt hjärtas Malmö. Archived from the original on 20 March 2012. Retrieved 22 August 2012.
  81. ^ "Filmer i urval" [A selection of our films]. onetiredbrother.se (in Swedish). Onetiredbrother. Archived from the original on 20 March 2012. Retrieved 22 August 2012.
  82. ^ "Om Sara". filmiskane.se (in Swedish). Film i Skåne. Archived from the original on 20 March 2012. Retrieved 22 August 2012.
  83. ^ ""Hipp hipp"-gänget har gjort tv-succé" [The "Hipp hipp"-gang has made TV success]. aftonbladet.se (in Swedish). Aftonbladet. 10 April 2003. Archived from the original on 19 October 2012. Retrieved 22 August 2012.
  84. ^ a b "A-laget" [First team squad]. mff.se (in Swedish). Malmö FF. Archived from the original on 31 March 2019. Retrieved 2 January 2020.
  85. ^ "MFF Support". mff.se (in Swedish). Malmö FF. Archived from the original on 15 December 2014. Retrieved 22 August 2012.
  86. ^ .
  87. ^ "Guldbollen". svenskfotboll.se (in Swedish). The Swedish Football Association. Archived from the original on 3 April 2012. Retrieved 22 August 2012.
  88. ^ "Team of the Year: History". UEFA. Archived from the original on 6 December 2010. Retrieved 22 August 2012.
  89. ^ "Golden Players take centre stage". UEFA. 29 November 2003. Archived from the original on 24 May 2012. Retrieved 22 August 2012.
  90. ^ Sandström; Weman; Stolt; Wiman; Gatu. "MFF 100 år". Sydsvenskan. Malmö: 28–29.
  91. ^ "Styrelse och valberedning". mff.se (in Swedish). Malmö FF. Archived from the original on 29 March 2019. Retrieved 16 March 2022.
  92. ^ a b "Ledarstab". mff.se (in Swedish). Malmö FF. Archived from the original on 16 March 2022. Retrieved 16 March 2022.
  93. ^ "Contact". mff.se. Malmö FF. Archived from the original on 1 April 2019. Retrieved 16 March 2022.
  94. ^ Smitt, 2009, p. 312.
  95. ^ a b "Maratontabell". 27 December 2019. Archived from the original on 30 April 2019. Retrieved 28 December 2019.
  96. ^ "Malmö FF According to Uefa". 26 December 2019. Archived from the original on 25 June 2018. Retrieved 27 December 2019.
  97. ^ Smitt, 2009; pp. 282–308.
  98. ^ Smitt, 2009; pp. 192–308.
  99. ^ Smitt, 2009, pp. 258–259.
  100. ^ Smitt, 2009, pp. 262–265.
  101. ^ Smitt, 2009, p. 304.
  102. ^ "Supercupen 2011 herrar" [Supercupen 2011, men]. svenskfotboll.se (in Swedish). The Swedish Football Association. Archived from the original on 5 January 2012. Retrieved 22 August 2012.

External links

Awards
Preceded by Svenska Dagbladet Gold Medal
1979
Succeeded by