kids encyclopedia robot

Malmö FF facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
Quick facts for kids
Malmö FF
Malmo FF logo.svg
Full name Malmö Fotbollförening (Malmö)
Nickname(s) Di blåe (The Blue Ones)
Himmelsblått (Sky Blue)
Short name MFF
Founded 24 February 1910; 115 years ago (1910-02-24)
Ground Eleda Stadion, Malmö
Ground Capacity 22,500
Chairman Anders Pålsson
Head coach Henrik Rydström
League Allsvenskan
2024 Allsvenskan, 1st of 16 (champions)
Third colours

Malmö FF, also known as MFF, is a professional football club from Malmö, Sweden. They play in the Allsvenskan, which is the top football league in Sweden. Their home games are played at Eleda Stadion.

Malmö FF is the most successful football club in Sweden. They have won the Swedish championship 24 times and the Svenska Cupen (Swedish Cup) 16 times. Both of these are national records!

The club started in 1910. They won their first national championship in 1944. The 1970s were their best time. During this period, they won five Swedish championships and four Swedish Cup titles. They also became the only team from the Nordic countries to reach a European Cup or UEFA Champions League final. In 1979, they were runners-up in the 1978–79 European Cup, losing 1–0 to Nottingham Forest. Because of this amazing achievement, Malmö FF received the Svenska Dagbladet Gold Medal. They were also the only Nordic team to play in the Intercontinental Cup in 1979.

Malmö FF is known as Di blåe, which means "The Blue Ones" in the local dialect. Their team colors are sky blue and white. Their home kit is sky blue shirts, white shorts, and sky blue socks. They have strong rivalries with Helsingborgs IF and IFK Göteborg.

Club History

How it All Started

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

The club began in 1905 when the city of Malmö encouraged young people to play organized football. One youth team, Bollklubben Idrott (BK Idrott), was a big part of Malmö FF's beginnings. On February 24, 1910, 19 members of BK Idrott officially started Malmö FF. Werner Mårtensson was their first chairman.

For the first ten years, the club played in local leagues. They often played against teams from Denmark. In 1916, Malmö FF reached the final of a regional competition for the first time. They played against their rivals Helsingborgs IF but lost 3–4. That year, they beat local rivals IFK Malmö three times. This earned them the unofficial title of Malmö's best football club.

In 1920, the Swedish Football Association invited clubs to play in national competitions. Malmö FF joined the Division 2 Sydsvenska Serien. They won this division in their first season and moved up to the Svenska Serien Västra, which was the top league then. However, they were sent down after just one season. They returned to the top league, Allsvenskan, in 1931.

First Big Wins

Guldlaget1944
The Malmö FF team of 1943–44

In 1934, the club faced a challenge. They were sent down to Division 2 because they had paid their players small amounts of money. This was against the rules for amateur clubs. Malmö FF was the only club to show these payments in their records. Many believe that their rival, IFK Malmö, reported them. This event made the rivalry between the two clubs even stronger.

Malmö FF returned to Allsvenskan in 1937. That same year, Eric Persson became chairman. He led the club until 1974. Many people believe Persson was the most important person in the club's history. Under his leadership, the club went from having no titles to winning ten Swedish championships by 1974.

Malmö FF won their first Swedish championship in 1944. They won the second-to-last game of the season against AIK in front of 36,000 fans. They won the last game 7–0 against Halmstad BK.

For the next nine seasons, Malmö FF was always among the top three teams. They won the Swedish Championship in 1949, 1950, 1951, and 1953. They also won the Svenska Cupen in 1944, 1946, 1947, 1951, and 1953. From May 1949 to June 1951, the team went unbeaten for 49 matches!

Malmoffplayers1962
Young players in the 1960s

In 1958, the club moved to Malmö Stadion, a new stadium built for the 1958 FIFA World Cup. In 1964, Spanish manager Antonio Durán joined the club. This started a period of great success. Young stars like Lars Granström and Bo Larsson helped the team win their sixth Swedish Championship in 1965. Bo Larsson scored 28 goals that season, making him the league's top scorer. Malmö FF won Allsvenskan again in 1967.

Golden Era: The 1970s and Beyond

The 1970s were the most successful time for Malmö FF. They won Allsvenskan in 1970, 1971, 1974, 1975, and 1977. They also won the Swedish Cup in 1976 and 1978. The 1977 Allsvenskan win allowed them to play in the 1978–79 European Cup. They beat strong teams like AS Monaco and Dynamo Kyiv. Malmö FF reached the final in Munich, but lost 1–0 to Nottingham Forest. Even so, this was the biggest success in the club's history.

Sweden malmö stadion sweden
Malmö Stadion, the home stadium for the club between 1958 and 2008

Much of this success was thanks to English manager Bob Houghton. He brought new tactics to the club from 1974 to 1980. In 1985, Roy Hodgson became manager. He led Malmö FF to two Swedish Championships in 1986 and 1988. The club won Allsvenskan five years in a row from 1985 to 1989. They also won the Swedish Cup in 1984, 1986, and 1989.

The 1990s were not as successful. The club did not win Allsvenskan or the Swedish Cup. In 1999, they were even sent down from Allsvenskan. However, with a new chairman, Bengt Madsen, and former player Hasse Borg as Director of Sport, things changed. A young talent named Zlatan Ibrahimović also helped the team return to Allsvenskan in 2001. Zlatan became a famous player and was later sold to Ajax in 2001. He went on to play for many big clubs in Europe before retiring in 2023.

Recent Successes (2000s to Today)

Sweden malmö eleda stadion nya stadion
Eleda Stadion

Malmö FF's return to Allsvenskan in the early 2000s brought more success. Under manager Tom Prahl, they finished in the top three for three years in a row. In 2004, they won Allsvenskan, their fifteenth Swedish Championship. In 2005, they almost reached the UEFA Champions League but lost in the final qualifying round.

Malmö FF became the richest club in Sweden thanks to good sponsors and selling players. In 2009, Malmö FF moved from Malmö Stadion to Eleda Stadion. This new stadium was built just for football.

In 2010, the club celebrated its 100th anniversary. They won Allsvenskan for the nineteenth time and became Swedish champions for the sixteenth time. This was achieved with a team mostly made up of younger players.

In 2013, Malmö FF won their seventeenth Swedish championship. The team was very young, with an average age of 23.8 years. The next year, Malmö FF qualified for the group stage of the 2014–15 UEFA Champions League. This was the first time a Swedish club had qualified since 2001. Malmö FF then won their eighteenth Swedish championship, becoming the first club to defend the Allsvenskan title since 2003.

Malmö FF League Performance
Chart of Malmö's yearly table positions in the Swedish football league system.

In 2016, Malmö FF won their nineteenth Swedish championship. This was their third title in four years. They now have more Swedish championship titles than IFK Göteborg, making them the most successful Swedish football club ever.

The 2020s have also been very successful. The club won Allsvenskan in 2020, 2021, 2023, and 2024. They have now won a total of 27 league titles. They also reached the Champions League group stage in 2021–22 and the knockout stages of the UEFA Europa League in 2019–20.

Malmö FF is a very strong team in Sweden. They lead the all-time Allsvenskan table, meaning they have won the most matches in the league's history. They also hold the record for the most Swedish championships, Allsvenskan titles, and Swedish Cup titles.

Team Colors and Crest

Malmö FF is often called Di blåe (The Blues) or Himmelsblått (The Sky Blues) because of their sky blue and white colors. Their home uniform is sky blue shirts, white shorts, and sky blue socks. Their away uniform is black. Sometimes, they use other colors for European games, like all-white or all-black kits.

Kit Evolution

The club's colors were not always sky blue. The first club, BK Idrott, wore blue and white striped shirts. For the first six months of Malmö FF, they used these colors. Then, they changed to red and white striped shirts with black shorts to show they were a new club. Sometimes, this red and white combination is used for their away kit today. The current sky blue kit was introduced in 1920. Since 2010, a small Scanian flag is on the back of the shirt.

Crest Evolution

Malmö FF's crest is a shield with two sky blue sections on the sides and a white section in the middle. Below the shield, "Malmö FF" is written in sky blue letters with a sky blue star. At the top of the shield, "MFF" is written in white. The current shield crest first appeared on the shirts in the 1940s. Before that, there were other crests, but they were not on the shirts.

The full club name and star were added later. This happened after chairman Eric Persson noticed that people abroad did not know where the club was from just by looking at the crest. The six-pointed star comes from the oldest seal of the City of Malmö.

For the club's 100th anniversary in 2010, the years 1910 and 2010 were added to the crest.

Malmö FF is the only Swedish club to wear two stars above its crest. These stars mean the club has won at least 20 domestic championship titles. The stars are only on the match shirts and are not part of the official club crest.

Supporters

MFF-Helsingborg
Tifo at former home stadium Malmö Stadion.
Malmö FF - BK Häcken 2016 tifo
Tifo at the Swedish Cup final in 2016.
MFF-Vidi FC Champions League 2018-2019 Q3 Tifo
Tifo before a Champions League qualifier in 2018. The red and yellow flag is the Scanian flag.
Himmelsblåe legenden - Markus Rosenberg
Tifo before Markus Rosenberg's final home game for Malmö FF in 2019.

Malmö FF has many fan clubs. The biggest official one is MFF Support, started in 1992. MFF Support works against violence and racism. The chairman of MFF Support is Thelma Ernst.

There are also smaller fan groups. Supras Malmö, started in 2003, is one of the most well-known. They are often seen in the main supporter stand at Eleda Stadion with banners and flags. Another group is Rex Scania. MFF Tifosi 96 (MT96) creates amazing tifos (large fan displays) for special games. Malmösystrar (Sisters of Malmö) is the largest female fan group in Europe, with over 200 members.

Malmö FF fans are also friends with the supporters of Hertha BSC from Germany.

Rivalries

Malmö FF has a few rivalries. Minor rivalries exist with nearby clubs like Trelleborgs FF and Landskrona BoIS. The main rivals are Helsingborgs IF, IFK Göteborg, and IFK Malmö.

The rivalry with Helsingborgs IF is old and strong. It started when Malmö FF joined Allsvenskan in the 1930s. Both teams are from the same region, Scania, in southern Sweden.

The rivalry with IFK Göteborg is about who is the best. These two clubs are the most successful in Swedish football history. They are also the only two Swedish clubs to have reached European cup finals. IFK Göteborg reached the UEFA Cup final twice, and Malmö FF reached the European Cup final in 1979.

A rivalry with FC Copenhagen from Denmark has also grown. This is because the cities are close, and the teams have played each other more often.

The rivalry with IFK Malmö is both about geography and history. Both clubs are from Malmö and used to share a stadium. The rivalry became more intense when IFK Malmö reportedly told the Swedish Football Association about Malmö FF breaking amateur rules in 1933. Since IFK Malmö has not played in Allsvenskan since 1962, games between them are rare.

Average Attendances

Malmö FF is known for having many fans at their games. Here are the average attendances for their home matches in Allsvenskan and European competitions:

Allsvenskan 2010–2023
Season Stadium Capacity Total High Low Average Occupancy Median
2010 Eleda Stadion 24,000 227,904 24,148 9,346 15,194 Green-Up-Arrow.svg 63.3% 14,149
2011 185,825 23,612 6,715 12,388 RedDownArrow.svg 51.6% 11,333
2012 221,981 23,638 10,088 14,799 Green-Up-Arrow.svg 61.7% 14,583
2013 241,395 23,758 9,837 16,093 Green-Up-Arrow.svg 67.1% 15,560
2014 211,357 20,310 9,336 14,090 RedDownArrow.svg 58.7% 13,382
2015 22,500 259,973 22,337 12,862 17,332 Green-Up-Arrow.svg 77.0% 16,215
2016 267,622 21,719 13,747 17,841 Green-Up-Arrow.svg 79.3% 17,526
2017 273,807 21,354 14,482 18,254 Green-Up-Arrow.svg 81.1% 18,830
2018 223,822 20,072 11,237 14,921 RedDownArrow.svg 66.3% 14,745
2019 248,496 21,812 11,521 16,566 Green-Up-Arrow.svg 73.6% 16,267
2020 0 0 0 0 RedDownArrow.svg 0% 0
2021 108,115 21,067 0 7,208 Green-Up-Arrow.svg 32.0% 5,113
2022 261,156 20,231 13,312 17,410 Green-Up-Arrow.svg 77.4% 17,052
2023 301,126 21,612 17,116 20,075 Green-Up-Arrow.svg 89.2% 20,231
European Competitions 2010–2022
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
2020–21 UEFA Europa League 3 0 0 0 0
2021–22 UEFA Champions League 7 61,522 19,551 4,012 8,789
2022–23 UEFA Champions League 2 29,064 17,234 11,830 14,532
2022–23 UEFA Europa League 5 64,029 16,057 10.912 12,806

Home Stadiums

Malmö FF's first stadium was Malmö IP. They shared it with their rivals, IFK Malmö. The team played there from 1910 until 1958. This stadium still exists today and is used by the women's team FC Rosengård. Malmö IP is an important part of the club's history. It is where the club started and won five Swedish championships.

A new stadium, Malmö Stadion, was built in Malmö for the 1958 FIFA World Cup. Malmö FF started playing there in 1958. They won their first Swedish championship at this stadium in 1965. The club had its most successful period here, winning ten Swedish championships.

After their 2004 Allsvenskan win, plans were made for a new stadium. In 2005, Malmö FF announced that work would begin on Eleda Stadion. This stadium was designed just for football. It opened on April 13, 2009. The first goal at the new stadium was scored by Malmö FF's Labinot Harbuzi. In 2010, the club won its first Swedish championship at Eleda Stadion. The stadium record for attendance is 24,148 fans. Eleda Stadion is a top-rated stadium by UEFA.

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 Football History

Malmö FF has a long history in European competitions since 1964. Their best European performance was in the 1978–79 season. They reached the final of the UEFA Champions League (then called the European Champion Clubs' Cup). They lost 0–1 to English team Nottingham Forest. This makes Malmö FF the only club from the Nordic countries to reach the final of this competition.

Malmö FF is also the only Nordic club to have played in the Intercontinental Cup in 1979. This tournament was the predecessor to the FIFA Club World Cup. Malmö FF is one of only four Swedish clubs to have played in the UEFA Champions League group stages.

Overall Record in European Competitions

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

Club Management

Organisation

As of January 8, 2024

Name Role
Sweden Anders Pålsson President
Sweden Niclas Carlnén CEO
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
Argentina Jaime Segura Technical manager
Sweden Alf Westerberg Sporting co-ordinator
Sweden Per Ågren Sporting director (youth)
Denmark Lars Hallengreen Chief scout (youth)

Coaching Staff

As of January 8, 2024

Name Role
Sweden Henrik Rydström Head coach
Sweden Theodor Olsson Assistant coaches
Sweden Martin Falk
Sweden Tobias Eriksson Analysts
Sweden James Slaughter
Hong Kong Pak Hei Mak
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

Famous Coaches

Bob Houghton (1979)
Bob Houghton won three Swedish championships, four Svenska Cupen titles and reached the 1979 European Cup Final during his time in Malmö.
Roy Hodgson Euro 2012 vs Italy (cropped)
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.

Here are some coaches who have won titles with Malmö FF:

Name Years Allsvenskan Svenska Cupen
Sweden Sven Nilsson 1944
1945–1946
1950
1943–44
1949–50
1944
1946
Hungary Kálmán Konrád 1947–1949 1948–49 1947
Wales Bert Turner 1951–1954 1950–51
1952–53
1951
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
Serbia Miloš Milojević 2022 2021–22
Sweden Henrik Rydström 2023– 2023
2024
2023–24

Club Honours

Malmö FF has won many titles in Sweden, Europe, and worldwide. They hold the records for the most Swedish championships, Allsvenskan titles, and Svenska Cupen titles. Their most recent win was the Allsvenskan in 2023.

The club first played in Europe in 1964. They have played in the European Cup and UEFA Champions League 18 times. They have also played in the UEFA Cup and UEFA Europa League 17 times.

Domestic Titles

Guldlaget1949
The Malmö FF team of 1948–49
  • Swedish Champions
    • Winners (24): 1943–44, 1948–49, 1949–50, 1950–51, 1952–53, 1965, 1967, 1970, 1971, 1974, 1975, 1977, 1986, 1988, 2004, 2010, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2020, 2021, 2023, 2024

League Titles

  • Allsvenskan (Top League)
    • Winners (27): 1943–44, 1948–49, 1949–50, 1950–51, 1952–53, 1965, 1967, 1970, 1971, 1974, 1975, 1977, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 2004, 2010, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2020, 2021, 2023, 2024

Cup Titles

  • Svenska Cupen (Swedish Cup)
    • Winners (16): 1944, 1946, 1947, 1951, 1953, 1967, 1972–73, 1973–74, 1974–75, 1977–78, 1979–80, 1983–84, 1985–86, 1988–89, 2021–22, 2023–24
  • Svenska Supercupen (Swedish Super Cup)
    • Winners (2): 2013, 2014

European Titles

Worldwide Titles

Doubles (League and Cup Wins)

  • Allsvenskan and Svenska Cupen
    • Winners (9): 1943–44, 1950–51, 1952–53, 1967, 1974, 1975, 1986, 1989, 2024

Images for kids

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Malmö FF para niños

kids search engine
Malmö FF Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.