Dalkurd begin Swedish second division campaign with goalless draw

Kurdish-affiliated football club Dalkurd FF began their Swedish second-division season with a 0-0 draw against Östers IF on Saturday.

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Kurdish-affiliated football club Dalkurd FF began their Swedish second-division season on Saturday with a 0-0 draw against Östers IF at the Myresjöhus Arena in Växjö, Sweden.

Neither side was able to open the scoring in the first half, with the home team, Östers, enjoying most of the possession.

Shortly after the start of the second-half, Dalkurd were reduced to 10 men when new signing Christopher McVey received a second yellow card for a dangerous challenge.

The home side had a chance to take the lead when they were awarded a penalty on 69 minutes but Dalkurd’s goalkeeper Andreas Andersson saved striker Dragan Kapcevic’s spot kick.

Dalkurd’s next match is at home to IF Brommapojkarna on April 7 at 4 p.m. Erbil time.

Related Article: Dalkurd’s Sweden Cup dream ends after 3-1 loss to Hammarby

Based in the Swedish city of Borlänge, Dalkurd was founded on Sept. 26, 2004, by nine Kurdish immigrants as a social project. The club has since built academies in both Sweden and the Kurdistan Region.

The team’s colors are symbolic of Kurdistan, with the Kurdish flag included in the crest on their shirts.

Dalkurd had bull-dozed its way up the ranks of Swedish football since its 2005 introduction in Tier Seven, winning five promotions in its first five seasons.

However, after a string of poor results in Sweden’s top division, Dalkurd were relegated on the last day of the 2018 season, finishing in 15th place with 24 points (6W-6D-18L).