FM23 | Kiruna FF: Recruitment & 2028 Season

September 19, 2023

Hello, hello, and welcome to Youth Intake’s new home!

If you’re new here feel free to catch up here. I will be updating you on the recruitment over the last two seasons, tactical changes and how the 2028 season unfolded. There has been so much movement in the playing staff that it’s been hard for me to keep up!

Recruitment

When it comes to the club’s recruitment strategy, I believe it’s essential to shed light on the significant player turnover we’ve experienced. There are three key reasons behind this constant flux of players.

Due to the club’s objective to “sign players to sell for profit,” We’ve accumulated a shit ton of players, with over 110 spread throughout the club. With that in mind, I am not afraid of selling players, as long it’s for the right price. This allows us to maintain a robust system that can readily replace any first-team member. I’ve come to rely on a combination of talents from our academy, Central American recruits, and experienced players to fill any gaps that may arise.
Our #LoanArmy has expanded far and wide, reaching clubs across Scandinavia, Slovakia, and the second tiers of the Netherlands and Belgium. This network allows us to provide valuable experience and development opportunities for our youth players. (cc: @OakyFM)
Our participation in European competitions, spanning three seasons now, has been a significant catalyst for our player turnover. Clubs are seemingly ready to snatch up my players every summer transfer window..

2027 Transfers:

Transfers In:

In the 2027 winter transfer window, we strengthened our squad with nine first team signings, including experienced international veterans to provide valuable experience to our young team. Moreover, as the European summer transfer window approached, we faced a significant exodus of nineteen players, including sixteen from our first team. To maintain competitiveness, we swiftly recruited six new players, comprising a starting goalkeeper, Swedish youth internationals, and senior internationals.

Notable Arrivals: Mamadou Fall (Free, IFK Mariehamn), Tim Olsson (Free, IK Sirius), Bryan Acosta (Free, Real Salt Lake), Aléx Roldán (Free, Nashville), Akinkunmi Amoo (Free, FC København), Adnan Ćatić (£33.5K, Helsingborgs IF), Michael Sáček (£65K, Sparta Praha), Alex Medina (£1.4M, Municipal), Svit Sešlar (£2.6M, Deportivo Pasta). Jewinson Bennette (Free, Sunderland), Patrik Waliś (Free, Lech), Otto Rosengren (£1.4M, Marseille for) Samuel Brolin (£600K, AIK), André Álvarez Pérez (£1.1M, Malmo), Ibuki Inaguma (£1.2M, Fukuoka Blaze).

Transfers Out:

Our outgoing transfers generated a remarkable club-record revenue of £138,208,200. Of the thirty-seven players we sold, twelve were from our youth teams, contributing £15.9M to our overall revenue. The remaining £122.2M came from the transfer fees of twenty-five first-team players.

Notable Departures: Tonihno (Borussia M’Gladbach, £3.8M), Niko Tsakiris (Sunderland, £4M), Ariagner Smith (SanderjyskE, £48K), Mario Fonseca (IF Elfsborg, £5.5M), Damjan Dakić (Ipswich, £7M), Ludwig Augustinsson (Marseille, £4M), Oscar Aga (Nice, £6M), Brandon Aguilera (RB Salzburg, £14M), and Petar Ratkov (Southampton, £15M).

It’s worth noting that we also experienced a few instances where players arrived and left the club within the same season. Akinkunmi Amoo joined us from FC København on a free transfer but departed for Wolfsburg (£26,000,000). Similarly, Mamadou Fall arrived from IFK Mariehamn on a free transfer and left for Brentford (£7,000,000).

Transfer Fees Paid: £16,250,000
Transfer Fees Received: £138,208,0200
Net Transfer Spend: -$121,979,700
Highest Incoming Transfer: Svit Sešlar from Deportivo Pasta for £2,600,000
Highest Outgoing Transfer: Akinkunmi Amoo to Wolfsburg for £26,000,000.00. We made a profit of £26M!!

2028 Transfers:

Much like the previous season, there was considerable movement within our squad. During the winter transfer window, we bid farewell to fourteen players, amassing £21.4M in total transfer fees. Among them were five first-team members, including Youth Intake legend Joe Hodge (PSV, £6M), Kiruna legend Tobias Stridsman (Vasalunds IF, £1.5K), and Michael Sáček (Porto, £2.8M). However, I didn’t let these departures weaken us, as we made fourteen incoming transfers for a total expenditure of £13.8M. I switched my recruitment approach, to target homegrown Swedish talents and I felt the team was bit unbalanced.

Notable Arrivals: Simeon Jovanovski (£6.5M, Malmo FF), Ismet Lashaku (£62K, BK Hacken) Ludvig Nåvik (£1.6M, Napoli), Elison Makolli (£775K, Malmo FF), Diar Selmani (£250K, IF Brommapojkarna), Matteo Perez Vinlöf (£2M, Bayern), Gent Elezaj (£900K, Hammarby IF).

With another European summer transfer window looming over, I wanted to make sure that I was prepared when European clubs came knocking for my players. To bolster our squad, I signed Montader Madjed, a long-standing target (RB Leipzig, £3.2M). Additionally, we secured the services of five players for the reserves, including highly rated Guatemalan youth international Jorge España (Municipal, £1.6M) and Czech youth international Andres Blanco (Jablonec, £50K).

On the flip side, we sold a total ten players, generating a remarkable £81.9M in transfer revenue. Among the significant departures were Alex Medina (Bournemouth, £25,000,000), Svit Sešlar (PSG, £18,000,000), and Jewison Bennette (Wolfsburg, £14,750,000). To further highlight the insane turnover we’ve experienced at the club, nine of the players sold had only just arrived last season.

Net Transfer Spend: -£83,953,700
Highest Incoming Transfer: Simeon Jovanovski from Malmo FF for £6,500,000.
Highest Outgoing Transfer: Alex Medina to Bournemouth for £25,000,000. We made a profit of £24,500,000!

Tactical Change

After using the 4-3-1-2 shape for several seasons, I must admit that while it has been enjoyable and quite successful in our domestic competitions, it hasn’t yielded favorable results during our European efforts, especially in the knockout stages. As a result, I decided to return to my tried-and-tested favorite formation, the 4-4-2. However, this time, I’m taking a different approach compared to previous versions (as seen in my SC Verl save) and opting for a highly fluid possession-based tactic.

The defense is anchored by a Sweeper Keeper on Defense, providing an additional option in distributing from the back and acting as an extra sweeper to clean up any potential defensive lapses. In front of the Sweeper Keeper, two Central Defenders on defense duty. Two Wingbacks on support duty on either side of the defense. Their role is crucial as they provide width in the attack, supporting the midfield while also contributing defensively on the flanks.

The midfield is well-balanced with two Central Midfielders on support duty. The left-sided Central Midfielder is given the freedom to roam from their position and make forward runs, adding unpredictability to the attacking play. On the other hand, the right-sided Central Midfielder is instructed to dribble less, shoot less often, and take more risks. This player’s role will involve dictating the tempo and providing creative passes to unlock the opposition’s defense.

The defensive winger role has become my favorite due to its impact on our playing style. They play a crucial role on the flanks of our central midfield, not only bolstering our mid-block shape and pressing intensity but also executing overlapping runs that effectively stretch the opposition’s defense. To maximize their effectiveness, I’ve added player instructions, urging them to roam from their positions, shoot less often, and get further forward. This encourages them to maintain width and push up the field, providing us with additional attacking options.

However, due to the demanding nature of this position, I’ve prioritized heavy rotation among the players on the wings. As a result, Montader Madjed and Rodrigo Palacios have both established themselves as my go-to wingers, delivering strong performances on a regular basis. Their contributions have been instrumental in our tactical approach this season.

Our striking partnership is incredibly dynamic and versatile. Richard Bengtsson, whose best role is as a Target Forward, has surprisingly thrived when deployed as an Advanced Forward or a Complete Forward on attack. Meanwhile, Mirsad Ziba, probably the perfect Pressing Forward, has been impressive this season since being shifted to the False Nine role. The two strikers complement each other perfectly, with Bengtsson utilizing his strength and aggression to make threatening runs behind the defense, while Ziba drops deep to drag defenders out of position, thus creating space for the midfielders, right winger and Bengtsson.

In Possession:

During the build-up and attacking phases, I’ve opted for much shorter passing to maintain possession and work the ball into the box to create high-quality scoring opportunities. The narrow width will allow the players to stay compact, creating passing triangles, and exploiting central areas, while passing the ball at at slightly higher tempo.

In Transition:

I wanted to adopt a more proactive approach. The goalkeeper and defense are instructed to distribute to the center backs and fullbacks, encouraging a fast buildup from the back. I’ve also instructed the team to counter-press, aiming to win the ball back quickly after losing possession.

Out of Possession:

When not in possession, I wanted the team to implement a mid-block to maintain a structured defensive shape. The players have been instructed to press much more often, putting pressure on the ball carrier and trying to win back possession early in the opposition’s half. The team also has the option to drop off more when facing a counter-attacking threat, aiming to deny space in behind the defense and remain compact.

2028 Season

Allsvenkan

Despite initial concerns about the player turnover, it had little impact on our performance, and we comfortably secured our third title in four years. Our defensive prowess was outstanding, conceding a mere 18 goals throughout the season, breaking our previous record set two years ago, and impressively keeping 17 clean sheets. Samuel Brolin emerged as Sweden’s top goalkeeper, boasting the best save and prevented save ratio, and earning the title of Sweden’s first-choice keeper.

At the heart of our defense, André Álvarez Pérez and Simeon Jovanovski formed an exceptional partnership at center-back. Both players ranked in the top four for pass completion, with Álvarez Pérez standing out with the highest tackle ratio in the league. Moreover, the depth provided by Elison Makolli and Adnan Ćatić from the bench ensured consistent defensive performances whenever called upon.

Our midfield duo of Joakim Björnquist and Ludvig Nåvik was truly fantastic. Both players excelled in various creative metrics, such as key passes, open play key passes, and progressive passes. Nåvik’s impressive tally of fourteen assists led the league, proving his instrumental role in creating scoring opportunities. Additionally, Kiruna Icon Ramón Lundqvist continued to shine despite being a squad player, displaying exceptional creativity with the highest number of key passes per 90 (4.78) in the league, even with limited minutes compared to other top players.

In the attacking department, Mirsad Ziba and Richard Bengtsson continued to be prolific goal-scorers for us. These two players consistently outperformed others, even those with better attributes for their respective roles. Ziba, despite playing as a False 9, topped the goal-scoring charts with an impressive 22 goals and 10 assists. Meanwhile, legend Richard Bengtsson did not disappoint, finishing the season with 17 goals and 4 assists.

The season’s performance was exceptional, as we finished a remarkable sixteen points ahead of IFK Göteborg. Last year’s champions, Malmö, struggled and finished in 4th place with fifty-seven points, a considerable drop from the previous season. Although we scored fourteen fewer goals compared to the previous season, we still outperformed other teams by a significant margin, tallying twenty more goals than the nearest competitor. With this success, we look forward to competing in the Champions League next season.

Europa League

After locking in a disappointing second place last season, we punched our ticket to the Europa League Second Qualifying League Path Round. The real fun began when we squared off against Hibernian. A smashing (8-1) victory at home and a cool (5-1) win in Scotland. Three of our die-hard fans were there to witness the show and cheer us into the next round.

Then came AFC Chindia Târgovişte. We didn’t mess around, sealing a tidy (2-0) win at home and hanging on for dear life in a nail-biting 5-4 win in Romania. Things got really serious when we had a date with those Norwegian heavyweights, Molde, in the playoff round. Okay, we stumbled a bit with a (1-2) loss in Norway, but back in the Arctic Circle, we made it look easy with a comfy (3-1) victory, bagging our ticket to the Europa League proper.

Our schedule didn’t pull any punches, throwing us into the ring with heavyweights like Club Brugge, Napoli, Villarreal, Manchester United, and Montpellier. But it wasn’t all giants on the horizon; we had some winnable matches lined up against CFR Cluj, Metalac, and Cracovia.

We kicked things off on a high note, with a solid (3-0) victory against Club Brugge. The following match had us on the road to Napoli, and I am still not sure how we held on that (1-0) win. Coming back to Kiruna, we confidently handled back-to-back fixtures, securing comfortable wins against CFR Cluj (1-0) and Metalac (3-0).

Now, our trip to Villarreal – that one was a tough pill to swallow. The Yellow Submarines proved to be a proper challenge, and ran us out of Spain with a (3-0) loss. We finished the match with zero shots on target. Things took a turn when Manchester United paid us a visit. I am still surprised that we were able to handle Utd this easy, winning the match (3-0).

Our meeting with Montpellier didn’t go as planned, though. A bit of a rough day in front of the goal led to a deserved (1-2) loss. But hey, we wrapped up the league phase with a bang, finishing strong with a (3-0) victory against Cracovia. That win sealed our spot in the Round of 16.

The draw led us to face Napoli away, with a compelling win with a scoreline of (4-3) in our favor. The return leg looked promising but we fell behind 0-1 with just 30 minutes on the clock. However, we pulled through, and wrapped it up with a (2-1) win.

The quarterfinals had us up against a superb Athletic Bilbao side, and luck was on our side as both their star strikers were sidelined due to injuries. Taking full advantage, we asserted ourselves over the two legs, winning (6-2) on aggregate .

Next up was Sporting Club in the semi-finals. The first leg was a rollercoaster, ending in a frustrating (2-2) tie. Our own Jovanoski saw red in the second half, giving Sporting an opening to level the match. But the second leg was a different story – we fielded a rotated squad, and managed to secure a (2-1) victory in front of our fans. Mirsad Ziba fired in the winning goal early in the second half. FM would throw us a curveball, as Mirsad Ziba found himself sent off for a horrible tackle in the 80th minute.

Our journey took us all the way to the Cardiff Community Stadium for our inaugural European final, against powerhouse, Manchester United. With our star striker Mirsad Ziba out, Dušan Dimitrijević stepped into the limelight in his absence. United’s lineup included elite stars like Bruno Fernandes, Nicolas Jackson, and Victor Osimhen. The match was a real seesaw, with both sides going back and forth. We found ourselves trailing 2-0 by the 35th minute, courtesy of two brilliant counter-attacking goals from Nicolas Jackson.

At halftime, Richard Bengtsson, Simon Jovanoski, Perez Vinlöf, and Ortega were subbed off after a torrid first half. The changes injected a bit of energy, and we fought our way back when Dimitrijević headed in a corner. Our joy, however, was short-lived as a mix-up between Victor Osimhen and Victor Lindelof in our own half gifted United another goal, leaving us trailing by two goals once more. Just five minutes later, Dušan headed in another corner kick, giving us a glimmer of hope.

In the end, our efforts fell short, and the match finished (2-3), with Manchester United having the last laugh. Though the outcome wasn’t in our favor, our journey to the final marked a significant milestone for Kiruna FF.

Player of the Season

Mirsad Ziba adjusted well in his new role as False 9, finishing the season with 40 goals and 20 assists from 42 (4) appearances. The stats above don’t include the three goals he scored in last season’s Champions League knockout rounds and two goals scored in the Svenskan Cup. For the last two seasons, Ziba has drawn interest from more than thirty clubs through out Europe, fortunately for us, none of those clubs are in the top 5 leagues in Europe.

Youth

Finances & Infrastructure

Finances

Our recent transfer dealings have put us in an incredibly strong position with a hefty balance of £168 million. A substantial chunk of our transfer budget has been shifted to our wage budget. As a result, we now have the league's largest wage budget, not only in our league but across all Scandinavian leagues, standing at £73.7 million per year. Yet, we're only spending a fraction of that, with our actual annual wage expenditure of £9.5 million.

We've been very selective in the transfer market, opting for players who not only fit our system and recruitment strategy but also have potential resale value. This approach has paid off, as we've managed to turn a profit on (what I am guesstimating) 99% of the players who have joined the club in the last six seasons.

Infrastructure

We finished a season with lovely message from the chairman stating “Our plans for a stadium move have unfortunately had to be scrapped. Although the board would have liked to move forward with the plans, the local council have intervened and refused to grant full planning permission. The club had set an objective of building a new stadium but are no longer proceeding with their plans and they are expected to continue in a different direction for the foreseeable future.”

LOL

Thanks for making it all the way down here! This will be my second to last Kiruna FF update. The next post will be a lovely summary of the last few seasons in the Arctic Circle.

Best,

José

FM23 | Kiruna FF: 2027 Season

June 14, 2023

Welcome to sixth chapter of our journey with Kiruna FF.

The Swedish football season traditionally runs from spring to autumn, starting in late March or early April and concluding in November. If a Swedish team has won the league title or qualified for a European competition in the previous season, they would begin their new Allsvenskan season while their previous year’s European competition is still ongoing. This situation arises because the European competitions typically start in the summer and continue into the following year.

Let’s take a look at how the 2026/2027 Champions League season finished, our attempt to win three titles in-a-row, the Svenska Cupen, and our 2027/2028 Champions league campaign.

2026/2027 Champions League

At the end of last season, we found ourselves in 7th place with 12 points. We had two matches left in the League Phase. We continued our Champions League campaign with a tough match against Liverpool, which we lost (1-3). It was a disappointing result, but we managed to bounce back in our next match against Juventus. We won that game (3-2), thanks to goals from Damjan Dakić and two from Petar Ratkov. Helping us qualify for the Knockout Play Off Round.

In the Knockout Play Off Round, we faced AC Milan in a two-legged tie. In the first leg, we lost (2-5), despite goals from Richard Bengtsson and Brandon Aguilera. We had hoped to turn things around in the second leg, but unfortunately, we lost again (2-3), despite Richard Bengtsson scoring twice for us.

Overall, our Champions League campaign season was a success. We punched way above our weight securing some fantastic results against big European teams like Celtic (5-1), Rennes (5-1), and Italian giants Juventus (3-2).

Domestic Competitions

Svenska Cupen

We started our campaign in Group 1 with a convincing (3-0) win against Skövde AIK. Marko Petrović led the way with two goals, and Akinkunmi Amoo added the third. In our second group game, we faced Örebro SK and secured another a (2-0) victory. Oscar Aga opened the score in the 10th minute, and Jorge Gárate sealed the win with a goal in the 37th minute. Our final group game against Vasalunds IF was a dominant display, resulting in an (8-0) win. Brandon Aguilera started the scoring early with a goal in the 6th minute, followed by three goals from Petar Ratkov, one goal from Marko Petrović, and a hat trick by Richard Bengtsson.

In the quarter-finals, we faced IK Sirius and continued our winning ways with a (3-1) victory. Ramon-Pascal Lundqvist got us off to a great start with a goal in the 3rd minute, followed by a goal from Enrico Dueñas and Petar Ratkov sealed the win with a goal in stoppage time. We faced Halmstads BK in the semi-finals, Honduran international Pedro Green opened the scoring early with a goal in the 6th minute, followed by a Michal Sáček goal, and Richard Bengtsson added a goal from the penalty spot to secure our place in the final to finish the match (3-0)

In the final, we met Djurgårdens IF. Richard Bengtsson opened the scoring with a goal in the 23rd minute, and Svit Sešlar sealed the win with a goal in the 38th to secure our first Svenska Cupen with a (2-0) victory.

Allsvenskan

We started off the season with a decent start of the season winning nine of the first 12 matches, drawing one, and losing two matches vs IFK Götenborg (0-1) and IF Brommapojkarna (2-3) between April and May. In June and July, we won five and drew two matches, keeping us in first place six points ahead of Malmö.

Our winning streak continued in August with three comfortable wins, we faced IF Elfsborg in my favorite match of the season, coming back from 0-3 at halftime to win the match (5-3). By September we had gone 17 matches unbeaten. However, back-to-back losses against Malmö (3-4) and Helsingborgs (0-2) in October meant that we were unable to catch up with Malmo, who went three points ahead of us. We ended the season on a high note with a (6-1) win against Djurgårdens IF, and a (4-0) win against Landskrona BoIS. Unfortunately, we finished the season in second place, with a total of 70 points. Some may say that we’ve pulled an Arsenal but hey, that’s neither here or there.

Despite finishing in second place, we had an impressive season, scoring 92 goals. Petar Ratkov was the top scorer with 19 goals, while Mirsad Ziba and Richard Bengtsson scored 18 and 15 goals respectively. Defensively, we suffered from losing our best defenders during the summer window. We conceded 33 goals this season, 14 more than the last.

Next season we will enter the Europa League League Path Qualifiers. This might be our first proper chance to win an European trophy.

2027/2028 Champions League

Our second go in the Champions League went almost the same as last campaign by winning three rounds of qualifying matches versus Sarajevo, Dinamo Zagreb, and Ludogorets.

We began the league phase by picking up three consecutive (3-3) draws against Borussia M’gladbach, Real Sociedad, and Man City. We came back to tie from being down in the last 20 minutes in all three matches, I am still now sure how that even happen! The first lost came against Borussia Dortmund (0-1) from Karim Adeyemi penalty in the 38th minute, not a bad result after being down a man in the 23rd minute after Michael Sáćek was sent off.

We bounced back against Galatasaray (5-2). This was another fun one, with the scoreline being (4-2) at half time. The second half didn’t have the goals but it was quite fun to watch as there were a lot of silly open goal off target shots from both teams. We continued with back-to-back wins versus RB Salzburg (4-2) and Monaco (3-0). Both of these wins were on home turf, which meant we were still unbeaten at home (including the qualifying phase).

Our hopes to skip the knock out round were damped as we travelled to Bergamo in the final league phase match, losing (1-4) vs Atalanta. This meant that we would face KRC Genk in the Knock Out Play Off Round.

As you can see above, we gave it our best shot! We dominate Genk in both matches. We continued the momentum in the home match against Man City; dominating in possession, shots, and xG. Our hopes sky high in the second leg as went ahead after a goal from Ludvig Nåvik in 16th minute, unfortunately that was it for us. Man City decided to stop toying with us and scored five goals in the second half.

In terms of individual performances, Richard Bengtsson and Mirsad Ziba continued their fantastic form in Europe, scoring 14 and 16 goals respectively.

Youth

Last season, I recruited Sweden’s top Head of Youth Development from Hammarby. A year later, the impact of Joakim Rydberg became evident as we achieved our best youth intake to date. These “elite” youngsters are quite versatile across in various positions, and possess the potential to compete at a high level, not far from Superettan. It looks like the future is bright in Kiruna, as we are covered for the future in most positions from goalkeeper to striker.

Finances & Infrastucture

Despite our notable successes both on and off the pitch, it is important to acknowledge that Kiruna FF remains a relatively small club in Sweden. Our average attendance currently stands at a modest 2,242, making it the third lowest in the league. Even when playing in Europe, we struggle to sell out our stadium. Furthermore, commercially, the club has been facing challenges, only securing £250K in sponsorship deals, which once again places us as the third worst in the league. As a result, we have heavily relied on the transfer market to generate income.

Our financial situation is quite healthy, with £101M in the bank. Through the sale of an impressive 37 players, we managed to accumulate a total of £135M. We have brought in 43 new players for a total of £16.25M, including 24 youngsters from Central America. This influx of players, overall count of 125 players throughout the club, has led to Kiruna FF surpassing Malmo FF in terms of having the highest salary expenditure, amounting to £8.42M per year.

A portion of the funds generated has been dedicated to improving our training and youth facilities with the training facilities being regarded as “great” and the youth facilities as “good.” Moreover, our junior coaching and youth recruitment programs are now “exceptional.” Lastly, the chairman has outlined a plan to construct a new stadium with a proposed capacity of 16K, although this figure may seem ambitious to say the least, it is better than not having a plan.

Reputation

After back-to-back titles in 2025 and 2026, and a second place finish in 2027. We’ve solidified our reputation as the 11th most reputable team in Sweden. Still, we’ve yet to reach the level of clubs like Malmo FF, Djurgårdens IF, and Hammarby IF. My focus for the rest of the save is to win more titles and hopefully join their ranks.

While we’ve had relative success in Europe, making it to the Champions League knockout rounds two season’s in-a-row, we haven’t cracked the top 75 clubs. Also, there are no Swedish teams are mentioned in the rankings, and the Allsvenskan hasn’t secured a spot in the top 20 leagues either. My aim is to improve Sweden’s position in the nation club coefficients and the Allsvenskan in the club rankings.

Even though we lost bottled the title, it was definitely my favorite season thus far. Managing in Sweden continues to keep me on my toes as we’ve continue to lose our best players. Some of them didn’t even make it through the entire season.

As there’s been a ton of playing staff turnover in the last couple of seasons, I will be breaking down some of the more notable transfers that we’ve had. I will also take a look at the 2028 Allsvenskan season as well as our time in the Europa League.

Feel free to reach out on Twitter, and if you want to stay up to date with the save, come say hi on Slack.
Thanks for making it to the end!

Thanks again for making it all the way through.
Best,
José

FM23 | Kiruna FF: 2026 Season

April 15, 2023

Welcome to the fifth post of our journey with Kiruna FF.

Last time a round, I deviated a bit to touch on my recruitment efforts in Central America and whether they did or did not have any influence in their performances. Let’s recap our second season in the Allsvenskan and Kiruna’s first time competing in the Champions League.

Svenska Cupen

Unfortunately, we could not make it past the group stages this season. We were drawn against Utsiktens BK, Ljungskile SK, and Malmo FF. We were able to win against Utsiktens (4-0) and Ljungskile (7-0), but our luck ran out after narrowly losing the match against Malmo (0-1).

Allsvenskan

What makes managing in Sweden fun it’s the challenge of knowing that you will lose key players every season. This year was no exception, as we lost several important players in defense and midfield. Despite this, we brought in some quality new players and had a great start to the season, winning seven out of our first 11 games and scoring an impressive 31 goals. Our defense also performed well, conceding only nine goals in those 11 games.

After the World Cup break, our team went on an incredible unbeaten streak of 19 games, scoring 64 goals and conceding only nine in the process. Our strikers were in top form, with Richard Bengtsson leading the league with 22 goals and Peter Ratkov finishing with 14. Our midfield was also strong, with Matias Belli Moldskred finishing second in the league with eight assists and Ludwig Augustinsson proving to be a valuable asset with seven assists from just six starts.

Defensively, we were equally impressive. We had the fewest goals conceded in the league at 19 and kept a league-high 17 clean sheets. Sebastian Selin had a fantastic season in goal, keeping 16 clean sheets and conceding only 19 goals, with the highest expected goal prevented in the league with 11.93. That’s seven more goals prevented than the next goalkeeper.

However, we need to improve defending from set pieces. Of the 19 goals we conceded, 11 came from set pieces. We allowed the 13th-most goals from corners (9) in the league. On the other hand, we scored 18 goals from corners, eight more than any other team, and nine from indirect free kicks, five more than any other team.

Overall, we had some fantastic results in attacking and defensive play this season, with ten of our players making it to the top 10 highest average league ratings. We had the second-highest possession rate in the league at 62% and created a league-high 155 chances while taking a whopping 529 shots. Our shots-on-target ratio was also impressive at 44%, which led to a league-high 95 goals scored.

The goal for next season is more of the same, qualify for the Champions League, improve our set-piece defending, and win the league for the third time in a row.

Champions League

I knew we needed to strengthen the squad with some established older players to help us in the qualifying rounds. In came Costa Rican international Brandon Aguilera (£0, Nottingham Forest) to replace outgoing Bénie Traoré (£2.5M, Empoli). Swedish international Ludwig Augustinsson (£2M, Sevilla) wanted to return to Sweden after years abroad, and we were more than happy to provide him with a new home up north. We added another Costa Rican international, right-back Ian Smith (£0, Alajuelense), to replace fellow Costa Rican Diego Campos (£220K, SPAL). Lastly, Petar Ratkov (£950K, TSC) joined to partner up top with Richard Bengtsson.

Our performances in the qualifying rounds were solid, with Richard Bengtsson and Petar Ratkov leading the way with a combined total of 15 goals. We were able to score a total of 22 goals throughout the six matches, averaging more than three goals per game.

As we moved into the Champions League “League Phase,” we continued to perform at a high level. We put in a fantastic team performance in our first match against Celtic, winning (5-1) with goals from Carl Andersson, Brandon Aguilera, Niko Tsakiris, Richard Bengtsson, and Víctor Ochoa. Our second match was a thrilling (4-3) victory over Club Brugge, with goals from Niko Tsakiris, Oscar Aga, Brandon Aguilera, and an 89th-minute goal from Petar Ratkov.

We were unable to get going against Ajax, losing (0-2). However, we did our best to bounce back against Roma (2-4), with two goals from Mirsad Ziba. Despite the loss, we were able to turn things around in the last two matches of the year, winning against Strømsgodset (3-0) with a hat-trick from Petar Ratkov and against Rennes (5-1) with another fantastic team performance, including goals from Richard Bengtsson, Oscar Aga, Jacob Montes, and Mirsad Ziba.

When looking at individual performances, Richard Bengtsson and Petar Ratkov stood out as our top goal scorers with 11 and 10 goals, respectively, putting them in first and second place in the League Phase. Mirsad Ziba had a solid season with five goals, tying him for 11th place. Our team’s success was mainly due to the exceptional playmaking of Ludwig Augustinsson, who led the Champions League in assists with an impressive 13. Ramon-Pascal Lundqvist also contributed with five assists, tying him for second place. Regarding average ratings, Petar Ratkov and Richard Bengtsson finished in the top 11 with ratings of 7.93 and 7.76, respectively.

We find ourselves in 7th place with 12 points from 6 matches. We topped the table in goals scored with 19, but we were in 32nd place with 11 goals conceded. With two more matches to go against league leaders Liverpool and 18th place-Juventus, we’re hoping to finish as high in the table as possible, as I’d like to avoid the Knockout Rounds.

Players of the Season

Richard Bengtsson had another incredible season scoring 33 goals in 26 (10) appearances. He also provided six assists to his teammates. He has now scored 107 goals and 26 assists in 142 appearances.
Petar Ratkov came in halfway through the season and has done exactly what I signed him up to do. His 10 goals from 3 (9) appearances in the Champions League is just ridiculous. He finished the season with 25 goals. Let’s see how many goals he can score next season.
Ramon-Pascal Lundqvist had his best season at the club. Playing in the CM(A), he provided 12 assists and scored 6 goals from 26 (1) appearances. He finished the season with a 7.50 average rating.
Ludwig Augustinsson was a creative force, the wingback came in halfway through the season and was able to provided an incredible 20 assists in 18 (3) appearances. His 17 crossing was the perfect recipe for Bengtsson and Ratkov.

Youth

This season’s intake has been another success, producing a diverse group of players from various nationalities and positions, as well as Kiruna-born talents. The intake features two “Elite Talents” in Bosnian U19 International Ismet Begović and Kiruna’s own midfielder Adam Grimstad. Additionally, there are four “Top Talents” in goalkeeper Simon Olsson, striker Fredrik Friberg, Brazil born center-back Sérgio, and midfielder Adilson Oliveira, who is of Cape Verdean descent but also from Kiruna. Lastly, Swedish/Lebanese winger Fadi Ayoub.

Of all the players in the intake, Adam Grimstad and Fredrik Friberg stand out as particularly promising. They both have the potential to develop into first team players within the next few seasons.

Club Culture

Over the course of the last five seasons, significant changes have occurred in our club culture. After three consecutive promotions, we have now won back-to-back Allsvenskan titles. These achievements have not gone unnoticed by our fans, as our season ticket holders have increased from 95 to 1,166 and our social media following has grown from 2.4K to 159K. Our supporters now demand a particular style of play a possession and high-tempo pressing football.

However, our success has also brought about a shift in our fanbase. Previously, our club was supported by a smaller, more dedicated group of fans, but now we have more than doubled the number of fair weather fans. Despite this change, we have managed to maintain a high attendance capacity of 98% over the last three seasons, averaging 2197 fans per match.

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This is it for now. We go at it again, we will try to advance as far as we can in the Champions League and hopefully win another title!

Feel free to reach out on Twitter, and if you want to stay up to date with the save, come say hi on Slack.
Thanks for making it to the end!

Best,
José

Kiruna FF: Central American Recruitment vs 2026 World Cup

March 14, 2023

Hello, and welcome back! In the previous post, I provided an overview of our debut season in Allsvenskan and delved deeper into our current club standing.

This post will be about how effective my recruitment efforts have been in Central America and their impact on the respective nations’ success. Let’s jump right in!

Central American Recruitment

Our scouts have focused on the Central American nations, Mexico, the USA, and Canada. They are searching for U19 players with at least 3-star potential, and I am also manually scouting all levels of the national teams and veteran players with a significant reputation.

In Belize, Shane McCaulay signed from the Mexican lower league team, Tepic, for £7.5k, and he has made seven appearances for the Belize national team.

We’ve had better luck when scouting for Costa Ricans. Diego Campos, who joined us from Degerfors IF for £70k, has been on our radar since the beginning of the save and has been performing well, scoring one goal and providing 15 assists in 53 appearances. Rafael Mora, who joined Carmelita for £39.5k during the winter, has already made four appearances this season and is expected to debut soon. Mauricio Miranda, Harold Maffio, and Brandon Solís have all made their U21 debuts. All five players have yet to be called up to the national team.

In El Salvador, we currently have three players at the club, including national team star Enrico Dueñas, who joined Cartagena in 2024 as a free agent. Franco Fernández has broken through this season, starting one match and making ten more appearances as a substitute. At the same time, Diego Águila was released by DC United and has recently completed his senior debut.

Guatemala’s Victor Ochoa joined the club in 2024 as an unattached player and spent his first season on loan at Sandvikens IF, making 27 appearances, scoring once, and providing one assist. He broke through last season, scoring once in 24 appearances in 2025, and has been a squad player this season. Ochoa recently undeclared from Guatemala and is hoping to be called up by Mexico.

Mario Fonseca, who joined the club for free from MLS Next side Strikers FC Irvine in 2024, made several appearances in his first season. Still, he was sent out on loan to Halmstads SK, scoring 16 goals and providing six assists in 27 appearances. Our second Honduran import, Pedro Green, joined from Honduran side Marathon earlier this season for £90k and has now made his senior international debut.

The first Central American player signed was Nicaraguan international striker Ariagner Smith, after being released from Latvian club Spartaks in 2023. Smith helped us with back-to-back promotions from Ettan Norra to Superettan to Allsvenskan, scoring 16 goals in 34 appearances for the club before being loaned out for the last two seasons. Jacob Montes joined us in 2024 from Brazilian side Botofogo for £12k and has been a solid player, scoring two goals and delivering eight assists in 44 appearances with a 7.05 average rating. Matias Belli Moldskred joined us last season for free from Norwegian side Sandness Ulf and made 18 appearances, scoring four and assisting four.

Finally, Marcos Ortega is the only Panamanian player at the club, joining us this season from CD Universitario for £12.5k after making 27 senior appearances for the Panamanian side.

Overall, our recruitment efforts in the Central American nations, Mexico, the USA, and Canada have been quite fruitful, and we’ve managed to sign several high-potential players. I want to add more players in the following transfer windows to continue developing our Central American gems.

2026 World Cup

CONCACAF Qualifiers:

The road to qualifying for the World Cup differed from previous years. The CONCACAF region was split into three qualifying groups of four teams each. With Canada, Mexico, and the USA already qualified, the remaining Central American teams had a fantastic opportunity to make it to the World Cup.

Group A saw Honduras and Guatemala go up against Caribbean powerhouse Jamaica. The Catrachos edged out Jamaica on goal difference to clinch the top spot, while Jamaica settled for the playoffs. The story was similar in Group B, where Nicaragua secured their first-ever World Cup qualification by topping the group.

In Group C, Suriname caused a major upset by winning all six matches against Panama, Trinidad & Tobago, and Haiti, booking their pot in the World Cup. Unfortunately, Costa Rica’s journey ended as they lost to Bolivia, who went on to beat Jamaica in the playoffs and qualify for their first World Cup.

It was a proud but bittersweet moment in the save as we were able to send five Central American players to the World Cup, but sadly no Swedish players were called up.

World Cup Finals:

The World Cup was expanded to 48 teams, and the teams were split into 16 groups of three. The top two teams from each group would qualify for the knockout stages, leaving no room for error.

Honduras found themselves in Group F, along with football giants Argentina and Ukraine. Their first match against Argentina was tough, but the Catrachos put up a fantastic effort, even though Argentina dominated possession by 76%. Honduras went tip-for-toe with the Argentinians, registering eight shots on goal compared to Argentina’s 7. However, they couldn’t find the back of the net, and Argentina won the match 1-0.

Honduras faced Ukraine in their second match, but the Ukrainian team was in better shape, winning (3-0). They had 12 shots on goal from 24 attempts, while Honduras managed only three shots on goal from 5 attempts. Despite their best efforts, the Catrachos finished at the bottom of the group without scoring a single goal.

On the other hand, Nicaragua was drawn into Group K, with Croatia and Japan as their opponents. Croatia thrashed them in their first match, losing (5-1). Ariagner Smith scored Nicaragua’s first-ever World Cup goal, but it was not enough to save the team from defeat. The scoreline against Japan was better, with Nicaragua losing (1-0). However, Japan dominated them, completing 929 out of 989 passes with 77% possession. Nicaragua failed to register a shot on goal in the match, which ended their World Cup dreams.

Fast forwarding to the Quarter-Finals, we saw Spain take on Brazil in a highly anticipated match. Unfortunately, Brazil proved too strong for Spain, winning (2-0). Meanwhile, England secured a comfortable (2-0) victory over Ireland, setting up a Semi-Final clash with Brazil. In the other Quarter-Final match, Sweden faced off against Switzerland but ultimately lost (1-3). Italy, on the other hand, dominated Belgium, winning (4-1).

In the Semi-Finals, Brazil continued their winning streak, defeating England (1-0) to secure their spot in the Final. In the other match, Italy faced off against Switzerland, with the Azzurri emerging victorious with a narrow (1-0) win. With both teams set to meet in the Final, fans eagerly anticipated a thrilling match.

Ultimately, Italy emerged victorious, defeating Brazil (3-2) in what I imagine was a thrilling match. Gianluca Scamacca put in a fantastic performance, scoring a first-half hat-trick. The Italian team proved they had what it took to redeem themselves for their absence in the 2022 World Cup.

Looking ahead to the 2030 World Cup, one thing is certain – the competition will be tough. With Canada, Mexico, and the United States back in the mix, the Central American nations must work even harder to secure their spot.

World Rankings

I wanted to know how much each Central American nation’s FIFA ranking has changed from the beginning of the save, in 2022, to the end of the 2026 Season.

Even though we saw a slight improvement in their ranking, Belize remains one of the lowest-ranked teams in the region. In 2022, they were ranked 174th, and by 2026, they had moved up six spots to 168th. Once considered a powerhouse in the region, Costa Rica has seen a significant drop in their ranking. In 2022, they were ranked 34th, but by 2026, they had fallen to 63rd. The steep decline in their ranking could be attributed to missing the World Cup.

El Salvador has also dropped in their ranking. In 2022, they were ranked 71st; by 2026, they had slipped seven spots to 78th. Guatemala, on the other hand, has improved in their ranking. In 2022, they were ranked 115th, and by 2026, they had moved up eight spots to 107th. Despite their consistent performances in the last few years, Honduras has not seen much change in their ranking. In 2022, they were ranked 80th; by 2026, they ranked 81st, just one spot lower.

Nicaragua, one of the lowest-ranked teams, has seen a notable improvement in their ranking. In 2022, they were ranked 138th, and by 2026, they had moved up 14 spots to 124th. Their performances in recent years have been better than expected, and qualifying for the World Cup has helped them immensely. Lastly, Panama has slightly declined their ranking. In 2022, they were ranked 60th; by 2026, they had fallen five spots to 65th.

Overall, I am still determining how much my recruitment policies have helped the region. Aside from Nicaragua and Honduras’ surprise World Cup qualifications, I have yet to have a hand in how other teams have improved. Guatemala, for example, has done quite well without Kiruna players on the national team. Costa Rica, on the other hand, has not been impressive in the last Gold Cup or the World Cup qualifiers. I’ve yet to have my players debut for the national team, so I plan to develop the few players at the club to improve their standing.

This was a different post from me, and I hope y’all enjoy it. In the next post, I’ll jump in quickly to see how we fared in the 2026 Season.

As always, feel free to reach out on Twitter, and if you want to stay up to date with the save, come say hi on Slack.

Best,
José

FM23 | Kiruna: 2025 Season

February 26, 2023

Hello again!

Originally this post was meant to be a deep dive into the finances at the club during my first three seasons. Instead, I played another season. It’s been a ton of fun, and It’s hard to stop when you’re on a hot streak. But I want to make A FM Old Timer proud one day with a proper finance post.

Let’s take a look at my first season in the Allsvenskan.

Transfers

Promotion can be a bitch. On the one hand, it guarantees some prize money and TV exposure, which can benefit the rest of the club. On the other hand, it also puts the team in the spotlight, drawing attention from other teams, not just in Sweden but across Europe. Unfortunately, our short summer transfer window was a disadvantage compared to other European clubs that were enjoying their longer transfer period.

We sold 23 players for a total of £5.3M, with twelve going to Allsvenskan sides and the remaining ten heading to teams in Denmark, France, Germany, and Norway. The loss of our three best central defenders, Adel Ziarat (£5K, AIK), Adnan Ćatić (£50K, Helsingborgs IF), and Robin Frej (£16.5K, IFK Götenborg), was tough to swallow. We also had to say goodbye to some fan favorites, including Willie Sörensen (£6.5K, GAIS), Oliver Verona (£240K, Sion), Måns Nygren (£60K, Sandefjord), and legend Adam Johnson (£8.25K, GIF Sundsvall).

To fill the gaps in the first team, we brought in some promising new players, such as goalkeeper Sebastian Selin (free, Hammarby IF), Yannick Adjoumani (free, BK Häcken), Mayer Gil (free, Águilas Doradas), Poul Kallsberg (free, Djurgårdens IF), Oscar Aga (£78K, IF Elfsborg), August Sandström (£3.6K, Lunds BK), Matias Belli Moldskred (free, Sandnes Ulf), and Marcus Ferkranus (free, LA Galaxy). We also signed six Central American youngsters and several young Swedish players. We spent a total of £90K for 21 players, most of whom would play in the reserve and U19 teams.

First Team

During the season, our first team consisted of 26 players. Still, towards the end of the season, we played a league-high 37 players, focusing on plenty of rotation to give opportunities to some reserve and U19 players.

Four new signings snuck into our starting eleven. Sebastian Selin took over as our no.1 following Nygren’s departure. John Clarke and Marcus Ferkranus filled the gap left by our departing central defenders, and Diego Campos secured the starting spot at right wingback. Omar Alba also joined towards the end of the season and will begin the next as our left wingback, while Chris Andersson and Philippe Niang will rotate at right and left wingback.

Youth Intake’s favorite, Joe Hodge, will begin as our BWM(D)/CM(D), with Matias Belli Moldskred as our CM(S) and Ramon-Pascal Lundqvist as our CM(A). Club legend Tobias Stridsman, Johan Nyholm, and Nicaraguan international Jacob Montes will support this midfield trio.

Our team’s attack will be led by Benié Traoré as our shadow striker, with support from Enrico Dueñas and Adam Bark. August Sandström and Poul Kallsberg will play wherever needed due to their versatility. Our striker duo will comprise new club captain Robert Bengtsson and Oscar Aga. Their backups will be Kiruna’s wonderkid, Mirsad Ziba, and South Korean youth international Sang-Jun Park.

Svenska Cupen

We played in the Svenska Cupen for the first time, having qualified for the group stage and placed in a favorable group. We secured our position at the top of the group after defeating IF Bromma (4-0), Västerås SK (3-0), and IK Norrköping (7-0). Moving onto the quarter-finals, we faced Halmstads BK, winning with a hat-trick from legend Adam Johnson, securing a 3-2 win. However, our cup journey ended in the semi-finals as we faced Malmo FF. Despite a brave effort from our team, Malmo FF dominated possession with 60% compared to our 40% and had more chances on goal, taking 21 shots compared to our 6. Nigel Robertha scored the winning goal to end the match (1-0).

Allsvenskan

Our first team in Sweden’s first tier was a fun one. The team took a while to hit their stride as we began the season with three straight draws, IFK Göteborg (1-1), BK Häcken (2-2), and Landskrona BoIS (1-1). Even though we dominated all matches in possession and shots, averaging over 20+ shots and 60%, we were only able hit the target six times in each of the matches. We turned things around in the next three matches, winning two against AIK (2-0) and Örebrok SK (1-0)and losing one against IF Elsborg (2-4).

Performances continued to improve in the next nine matches, winning five against the likes of GAIS (2-0), Helsingborgs IF (4-2), and Kalmar FF (2-0). We also lost three more matches against Hammarby IF (0-1), Mjällby AIF (2-4), and Djurgärdens IF (2-3). A 56-minute goal from Richard Bengtsson helped us draw (1-1) against Malmö FF. Halfway through the season, we found ourselves in 4th place.

Although we were slowly climbing up the table, we struggled to put the ball in the back of the net. We led the league in all attacking metrics (goals, crosses completed, chances created, etc.) but still underperforming our xG by -6.75, our 34% shots on target were 14th in the league, and we were tied dead last at a 9% conversion rate. Yes, that conversion rate is horrible, but the highest rate in the league was 15%, so it wasn’t just us that could not score or hit the target.

The team improved in the second half of the season, going on a ten-match unbeaten run. Those changes to our approach paid off in a big way. We saw a significant performance improvement, with our attacking play coming to the fore. Our unbeaten run started with a (1-0) win against IFK Norrköping FK, followed by a (4-1) victory over Helsingborgs IF. Although we lost to Malmö FF (1-0) in our next match, we bounced back with a stunning run of form that saw us win six of our next seven matches, including a (4-1) win against Halmstads BK and a (5-1) thrashing of Mjällby AIF.

As the season drew close, we found ourselves in a tense battle for the title with Malmö FF and IF Elfsborg. Our goal difference proved to be the decisive factor, as we had scored eight more goals than Malmö FF. On the final day of the season, we knew that we had to win against Djurgårdens IF to secure the title. The pressure was on, but we were the more dominant team winning (4-0) to clinch the league title in style. CHAMPIONS LEAGUE, HERE WE COME!

Team Stats

Our attacking numbers have been phenomenal throughout the season. We finished the season with the highest number of goals (66) and the highest non-penalty expected goals (xG) (63) in the league. We also ranked first in the league for goals from indirect free kicks (10) and penalties (9). Additionally, we had the highest number of shots (515) and shots on target (198).

However, our conversion rate was only 12%, which ranked us third in the league. Furthermore, the fact that we ranked seventh in shots-on-target percentage with 38% showcased our inability to finish our chances, becoming a trend for most of the season, especially in close matches.

In contrast to our attacking metrics, our defensive metrics were less impressive. We conceded 31 goals throughout the season, which ranked us fifth in the league. Our expected goals conceded were on par, at 31.61. We also needed to improve our set-piece defending as we ranked towards the bottom in goals scored from set-pieces. Of the 31 goals we conceded, eight came from set pieces and five from penalties. We must also improve our pressing as we ranked 6th with 4.55 OPPDA.

Our dominance in the attacking front helped us score enough goals to offset our defensive weaknesses. As I look ahead to next season, my focus is on improving our defense as I hope to bring in some reinforcements. If we continue to create chances while improving our defensive performance, we will have a strong chance of winning the league and making it to the Champions League league phase.

Player of the Season

Thanks to his impressive performances over the past three seasons, Richard Bengtsson has quickly become my favorite player during this save. Scoring an impressive 50 goals in just 72 matches, he has proven to be a force to be reckoned with on the field. Richard continued to shine this season, adding 24 goals in just 32 matches. Not only that, but he also managed to score three hat-tricks and had a remarkable 4-goal match.

While Bengtsson’s statistics place him somewhere between an average and an “elite” player, there is always room for improvement. One area where he could stand to enhance his game is in headers won. With his imposing frame and impressive attributes, including 15 jumping reach, 15 off the ball, and 16 heading, he has the potential to terrorize defenders in the air.

Bengtsson managed to rack up an impressive list of accolades. He was awarded the Top Goalscorer title, Forward of the Year, Swedish Young Player of the Year, and even Swedish Player of the Year. Bengtsson has a bright future ahead of him.

Youth

Over the past few seasons, Kiruna FF has seen several promising youth players come through the ranks. While I have yet to have the chance to write extensively about them, I’ve had the opportunity to sign several newgens through trialing over 100 players in the club’s first two seasons. Some were manually scouted, while others were recruited through the recruitment focus.

During the 2022 season, we signed 11 nonattached players to the first team, including Richard Bengtsson, Philippe Niang, Johan Nyholm, Mohammed Andersson, and Carl Andersson. Unfortunately, the 2022 intake didn’t produce any players worth signing.

Moving on to the 2023 season, we added four more nonattached players, though they have yet to fully develop to the point of being notable. However, we did sign a decent graduate from the 2023 intake in Mintesnote Worku, a Swedish/Ethiopian right-back with a 4.5-star potential.

Looking ahead to the 2024 season, we signed an additional ten nonattached players to bolster the team. We were particularly excited to bring in our first Central American youth player, Salvadorian left-back Franco Fernandez. The 2024 intake gave us two decent players, defender Filip Resin and Daniel Olsson, and one player that will surely be a star – Kosovan/Swedish striker Mirsad Ziba. Sixteen and already with a 3-star current ability, we immediately moved him to the first team.

I can finally report on a good enough intake to be excited about. Among the intake were four “elite” talents, including two left-backs in Albin Ådemo and Allan Lindbäck, and two attacking midfielders in Lukas Boqvist and Jacob Christensen. We also had two “top” talents in Finnish goalkeeper Markku Rahikka and Afghani/Swedish right midfielder Samiullah Akbari. The future is looking bright at Kiruna FF.

Finances & Infrastructure

Finances:

Overall, the football club has seen some ups and downs, but there’s more to celebrate than worry about.

Let’s start with the good news: From 2022 to 2025, the club’s total cash inflows increased from £223,142 to £11,000,500. The most significant contributors were TV revenue, Prize Money, and players sold, bringing in a combined £9,256,159 in 2025, making up over 84% of the total cash inflows for that year. On the flip side, the club’s outflows increased over the last four years. In 2025, the club totaled £10,219,417, compared to £198,688 in 2022. The most significant expenses for the club were player wages, staff wages, and ground maintenance, which accounted for a total of £6,855,111 in 2025.

It’s worth noting that the club was in debt for most of the last four years. In 2022, we had begun with an opening balance of £10,010, and by 2025 that had ballooned to £(742,564). Thankfully due to our success on the pitch, we have been able to get back on track finishing the season with a whopping £38,519! Jokes aside, I will have to keep winning the league and continue to profit on player sales if we are to maintain a positive balance.

Infrastructure:

My top priority has always been to improve our club’s facilities and youth setup. Over the past four seasons, I have invested £2,988,682 into the facilities. Our first team facility is now regarded as average, and the next step is to improve the youth facility’s rating from below average to above average.

Moreover, I have also spent £1,395,290 on our youth setup, and the results speak for themselves. We now have an exceptional academy coaching and youth recruitment system. Our youth development is already bearing fruit, with some exciting young players coming through the ranks, with Mirsad Ziba being the jewel of the Kiruna academy. Ziba is a promising young player, and he has the potential to become a future star of our team.

Alrighty, enough of that! I must improve the team if we are to retain the title and qualify for the Champions League, as the board has updated the objectives for next season – win the league and make it to the Champions League league phase.

With the 2026 World Cup just around the corner, it will be the perfect way to answer this question: How effective have my recruitment efforts been in Central America, and what impact have they had on the success of the respective nations?

Feel free to reach out on Twitter, and if you want to stay up to date with the save, come say hi on Slack.
Thanks for making it to the end!

Cheers,
José