Mjallby, the team from the village of Hallevik with a population of 800 on the Baltic Sea coast, collected 63 points in the Swedish 1st Football League (Allsvenskan). Mjallby, who has been defeated only once this season and is heading towards the points record in the 101-year league history, is on the eve of a fairytale championship.
Mjallby, the football team of a fishing village with a population of 800, will declare its first league championship if they win the away match against Gothenburg on October 20, after the international break. Mjallby will also declare their championship if the league runner-up Hammarby cannot win.
THERE ARE TEACHERS, POSTMAN AND FISHERMEN IN THE STAFF
Founded in 1939, the club competed for 13 seasons in total in Allsvenskan, Sweden’s top football league, where it first appeared in 1980. Mjallby, which was on the verge of relegation to the fourth league 9 years ago but is now pursuing a historic championship; The president is a school principal, the coach is a teacher, the observer is a postman, the players in the team are from various professions, especially fishermen, and the sports director is a person who beat cancer twice.
‘VILLAGE’ TEAM STARTED EVERYTHING FROM SCRATCH
The Swedish team, which has 5 foreign players in its squad consisting mostly of local players, is about to achieve a rare championship.
Mjallby, who has lost only one match this season, is also close to breaking the record for the highest points in the league’s 101-year history.
Sporting director Hasse Larsson is one of the names at the beginning of Mjallby’s historic championship. Larsson, who beat cancer twice, told The Guardian that he worked without a salary for three years in 2016, when the club hit financial bottom. Larsson, who survived brain tumor and prostate cancer, said, “We started everything from scratch and we had to find people who would support us. We got through those difficult days with those who believed in us. We fought until the end and today’s situation is clear.” he said.
Coach Anders Torstensson stated that the fans of big city teams call themselves “villagers” and said, “Maybe they underestimated us for a few years. But now I can say that everyone is really impressed. We are proud of being a small club and region. This keeps us afloat. Being called villagers has been a great source of motivation for us.” He used the expressions.
IN THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE IN THE NEW SEASON
This success story, originating from a modest fishing village, is preparing to go down in European football history as a modern fairy tale. Mjallby, who was on the verge of relegation to the fourth league 9 years ago, will play in the UEFA Champions League qualifiers if he becomes champion and will also play in a European cup match for the first time in his history in the 2026-27 season.