FC Kiffen 08

History

Kiffen football is known as the Mustat hurmurit (Black charmers). The name comes from the 1930s when the black coloured jersey was first introduced. Kiffen had two representatives, Ragnar Wickström and Lars Schybergson, in the Finnish football team at the Stockholm Olympics in 1912. The club then won the Finnish football championship (Mestaruussarja) in 1913, 1915 and 1916 in the years prior to Finnish independence in 1917. Kiffen’s last championship win came much later in 1955.^[1]

The decline in Kiffen football set in a decade later when the club were relegated from the Mestaruussarja and then a further relegation from the Suomensarja (Finland League), the second tier, followed in 1965 to the Maakuntasarja, the third tier. Fortunes fluctuated in the late 1960s and early 1970s before the club made its last appearances in the Mestaruussarja in 1977 and 1978.^[2] Among the players representing Kiffen at that time were Erkki Alaja, Juha Dahllund, Kai Haaskivi, Atik Ismail and Reima Kokko.

The following year in 1978 Kiffen had dropped to the Ykkönen (First Division) and in the subsequent years the club have not reached second tier football.^[2] Over the last 30 years the club has fluctuated between the Kakkonen (Second Division) and Kolmonen (Third Division).

In 1982 and 1983 Kiffen’s ladies team reached the Finnish Women’s league championship qualifiers and from 1984 until 1989 played in the Premier Division after which the team withdrew with their divisional place being inherited by MP Mikkeli.^[3]

In recent years the club has focused its activities on youth development. In geographical terms the club is serving the North-East of Helsinki and the Malmi area.

Honours & Achievements

• Finnish Champions (Mestaruussarja Winners): 1913, 1915, 1916 and 1955 ^[1]
• Finnish Cup (Suomen Cup): Runners–up in 1958 (2–4 to KTP Kotka).

Divisional Movements since 1930

Top Level (25 seasons): 1930–32, 1940/41–46/47, 1948–57, 1960–64, 1977–78
Second Level (16 seasons): 1936–39, 1947/48, 195859, 1965, 1969–74, 1976, 1979
Third Level (21 seasons): 1975, 1980–85, 1990, 1994–2004, 2009–2012, 2015– ^[2]

Season to season

Club Structure

Kiffen runs 3 men's teams and 6 veteran's teams.

FC Kiffen are competing in Group B of the Kakkonen. This is the third tier of the Finnish football system. In 2017 the team finished in eighth position in their Kakkonen group.

FC Kiffen/2 are participating in the Section 1 of the Nelonen (Fourth Division) administered by the Helsinki SPL.

FC Kiffen/3 are participating in the Section 3 of the Kutonen (Sixth Division) administered by the Helsinki SPL.

Current squad

As of 9 August 2018 ^[4]

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

No. Position Player 1 GK Besart Mustafa 2 DF Markus Alopaeus 3 MF Omar Adlani 4 DF Otto Talvitie (captain) 5 DF Ahmed Abdi 6 MF Tuomas Tahvanainen 7 MF Kalle Kärki 8 DF Jere Jääskeläinen 9 MF Karim Zine 10 FW Mohamed Mubarik 11 FW Shaggy Kimuenimeso 12 GK Kevin Nyberg 13 MF Leevi Saikkonen 14 FW Abaas Ismail 15 MF Ismail Dahmani

No. Position Player 17 FW Jonne Innala 18 DF Jari Barsk 19 FW Kron Rexhepi 20 DF Ilmari Hieta 21 DF Antti Korhonen 23 DF Valtteri Voutilainen 24 MF Fortuna Namputu 25 DF Robert Razmus 26 MF Mikko Jalkanen 28 DF Jan Oustimenko 29 FW Tatu Penttinen 30 GK Niko Tervonen FW Eero Forsén (on loan from IF Gnistan) DF Joni Ruuth

Management

As of 9 August 2018

Name Role Tommi Lingman Head Coach Jari Hakala Coach Markus Alopaes Coach Olli Paavilainen Goalkeeping Coach Teemu Itkonen Kit Manager Raynold Dickmann Kit Manager Henrik Lindström Team Manager Kimmo Silventoinen First Team Administrator