Swedish-Kurdish club promoted to second highest Swedish football league

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The Swedish-Kurdish football club Dalkurd FF entered the second-highest league Superettan again on Sunday after playing 1-1 away to GAIS, which was relegated to the third division after the match.

Grattis Sverige, #ViÄrTillbaka#DalkurdFF pic.twitter.com/B5HlVCaOx3

— Dalkurd FF (@DalkurdFF) December 5, 2021

“One year ago he (Christoffer Styffe) gave a promise to take the club back to Superettan. Last night he accomplished the mission as a captain, just 20 years old,” the official account of DalKurd FF tweeted. 

Dalkurd FF defeated GAIS 2-1 on Dec 2. On Sunday, it drew 1-1 against GAIS in a two-legged ties match on a home-and-away basis, paving the way for being promoted to the Superettan again, after years of setbacks and demotions for the team.

“This victory allows Dalkurd to get to Superettan, the second-highest league, which also is seen as the Elite League,” Adan Anwar, a Swedish-Kurdish fan of Dalkurd FF, told Kurdistan 24.

“It would also lead to better financial support, more recognition, along with playing with more competitive teams,” Anwar added. “Elite Leagues require the clubs and players to have a special ‘elite’ license.” 

“This will lead to better financial support for Dalkurd.” 

Cihan Dalaba, media manager at Dalkurd, also told Kurdistan 24 that the victory is very important for the Swedish-Kurdish club.

"Not just because we gained promotion to Superettan," he said. "It also shows you what you can do when you come together as a group, not only the players but everybody who is working in the club and all of the supporters, all together."

Initially 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. 

Since 2020, Dalkurd FF has been playing their home games in Studenternas IP in a city called Uppsala since the one in Borlänge did not have the high standards required for a football pitch.

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

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

However, after poor results in Sweden’s top division since 2018, they were relegated to Superettan and later relegated to Swedish’s third-level league Ettan.