Swedish Assyrian soccer team to expand to Canada, statement says

The Word | Feb. 14, 2024 | Cover photo courtesy of Assyriska FF

The Sweden-based Assyrian soccer team Assyriska Fotbollsföreningen, known as Assyriska FF, is building a sister team in London, Ontario, according to a Wednesday statement from the club.

The new team will be called the Assyrian Soccer Club (ASC), according to the statement. The announcement comes as Assyriska marks its 50th anniversary.

"It is well known that Assyriska has supporters all over the world, this is another sign that the saga is international and has its next chapter in North America," Moussa Esa, chairman of Assyriska FF, said in the statement.

According to the release, the initiative comes after a six-month collaboration with community members in Canada who had contacted the Swedish team in hopes of starting their own local club. George Oshanna will head the Canadian team, the statement said.

“Through this project, we hope to be more present as a mother club and play the role of the national team we have been over the years,” Esa said in the statement.

Founded in Sodertjalle, Sweden in 1974 by a group of Assyrian immigrants, the team has garnered a reputation among some in the global Assyrian diaspora as a de facto national sports team.

In 2005, the team became part of the highest competitive soccer league in Sweden, the Allsvenskan, a first for an immigrant-founded team in the country, according to Assyriska.

The teams are now working on “preparing the Canadian website and social media to get started with signing players and starting their youth academy.”

Canada is home to an estimated 40,000 Assyrians, though counts vary.