FC Flora

Flora
Full name Football Club Flora
Nickname(s) Triibulised (Streakeds), Kaktused (Cactus)
Founded 10 March 1990
Ground A. Le Coq Arena
Ground Capacity 9,692 [1]
President Pelle Pohlak[2]
Manager Argo Arbeiter
League Meistriliiga
2016 Meistriliiga, 4th
Website Club home page

FC Flora Tallinn, commonly known as Flora Tallinn, or simply as Flora, is a professional football club, based in Tallinn, Estonia.

Founded in 1990, Flora was one of the founding members of the Meistriliiga, and is one of two clubs which have never been relegated from the Estonian top division, along with Narva Trans. Domestically, Flora has won 10 Meistriliiga, 7 Estonian Cup and 9 Estonian Supercup trophies. In international club football, Flora has won 1 Livonia Cup trophy.[3]

Flora is often regarded to be the flagship of Estonian football due to the club policy of promoting young Estonian players through the ranks and several managers having coached both Flora and the Estonia national football team at the same time in the past.

History

Early history

Flora was founded on 10 March 1990 by the current president Aivar Pohlak as an effort to revive Estonian football during the dissolution of the Soviet Union. The team was mainly based on ethnic Estonian players from Tallinna Lõvid youth team. Flora didn't have a successful start in the Estonian SSR Football Championship, finishing last in 1990 and being relegated. The situation changed after the restoration of independence and formation of the Meistriliiga in 1992. After 52 years of foreign occupation, Estonian clubs could once again play for the Estonian League Championship title. Flora finished the first season in fourth place, while Norma won the first league title.[4]

After the first season, the league was reformed to run from autumn to spring, as most of the European top-level football leagues do. Flora finished the 1992–93 season as runners-up with 34 points behind Norma, who claimed their second league title with 42 points.

In 1993, Roman Ubakivi was hired as manager. One round before the end of the 1993–94 season, Tevalte, who led the Meistriliiga table at the time, was controversially disqualified over match fixing allegations by a decision of the Estonian Football Association. The season ended with Flora and Norma both on equal 36 points. Flora won the Championship Playoff match 5–2 and was awarded the league title. In 1994, the club competed in the UEFA Cup for the first time, losing 0–6 on aggregate to Odense in the preliminary round. Flora managed to defend the title in the next season and won the 1994–95 Estonian Cup, beating Lantana-Marlekor 2–0 in the final.[4]

In January 1996, Teitur Thordarson replaced Ubakivi as a manager. Disappointing start in the 1995–96 Meistriliiga left the team in second place behind Lantana. Lembit Rajala won the goal scoring title with 16 goals. Flora finished the next season in second place behind Lantana once again. Mart Poom broke the club record by keeping a clean sheet for 756 minutes. Flora won their first league title under Thordarson in the 1997–98 Meistriliiga season. After the season Meistriliiga format was reformed once again and the club managed win another title in the same calendar year. Flora also competed in the UEFA Champions League for the first time in 1998, narrowly losing to Steaua București 4–5 on aggregate in the first qualifying round.The club added another Estonian Cup trophy after defeating Lantana 3–2 in Kuressaare. Flora also met Italian Milan in a friendly match, ending in a 1–2 defeat. Since 1999, Meistriliiga adopted the current league format with the season running from spring to autumn within a single calendar year. Andres Oper, the club's top goalscorer in three previous seasons, left the team in July. The 1999 Meistriliiga was unsuccessful; Flora placed third, while Levadia won the title and Tulevik came in second. In 2000, Tarmo Rüütli was hired as the new manager. Under Rüütli, Flora finished the 2000 Meistriliiga season second, behind Levadia, who won the title without a single loss during the season.[4]

New stadium and new era

In 2001, a new era began for Flora as the club moved to the new Lilleküla Stadium. Rüütli returned to Tulevik and was replaced as manager by Arno Pijpers. Under Pijpers, Flora won three consecutive Meistriliiga titles in 2001, 2002 and 2003. In 2003, Flora won the league without losing a single match and from 2002–03, the team went unbeaten in the Meistriliiga for 37 matches. In 2003, Tor Henning Hamre also broke the club goal scoring record by 39 goals. Pijpers left Flora in September 2004, before the end of the 2004 season and was replaced by Janno Kivisild. The team failed to defend the title for another season, finishing in third place. Vjatšeslav Zahovaiko won the goal scoring title with 28 goals.[4]

The 2005 season was unsuccessful as Flora placed fourth, 26 points behind the league champions TVMK. This was the first time Flora didn't win a Meistriliiga medal since 1992. After the disappointing season, Kivisild was replaced by Pasi Rautiainen. In the 2006–07 UEFA Cup qualifying rounds, Flora defeated Lyn Oslo 1–1 on aggregate on away goals in the first qualifying round, before losing to Brøndby 0–4 on aggregate in the second qualifying round. The club finished the 2006 Meistriliiga season in third place and came second in 2007. In 2007, Flora also suffered their biggest margin of defeat in the Meistriliiga thus far, losing 0–6 to TVMK. Flora finished the 2008 season second behind Levadia once again, despite 91 points and 113 goals scored. In 2009, Tarmo Rüütli returned to Flora, replacing Rautiainen as manager but failed to guide the club to winning the league, placing fourth. The club was more successful in the Estonian Cup, winning the trophy in 2008 and 2009.[4]

Recent history

In 2010, Rüütli was replaced as manager by the former Flora player and Estonia national football team record cap holder Martin Reim. Under Reim, rejuvenated Flora ended the reign of Levadia who had won the four previous Meistriliiga titles by winning the 2010 season, while Sander Post won the goal scoring title with 24 goals. Flora successfully defended their title in 2011 and won the 2010–11 Estonian Cup, defeating Narva Trans 2–0 in the final. Flora finished the 2012 Meistriliiga season in third place, behind the winners Nõmme Kalju and Levadia. Reim left the club and Marko Lelov was hired as the new manager. Lelov won the 2012–13 Estonian Cup in April but was sacked on 20 July after disappointing results in the Meistriliiga. He was replaced by Norbert Hurt, initially as a caretaker manager with position being made permanent later. Flora finished the 2013 season in fourth place and placed third in 2014.[4] In 2015, Flora celebrated their 25th anniversary as a club by winning their 10th Meistriliiga title in the 34th round of the season.[5] They also won the 2015–16 Estonian Cup, defeating Sillamäe Kalev 3–0 in extra time in the final.[6] On 26 May 2016, Aivar Pohlak resigned from the club's presidency and was succeeded by his son Pelle Pohlak.[7] In the first qualifying round of the 2016–17 UEFA Champions League, Flora lost 2–3 on aggregate to Lincoln Red Imps, after which Hurt resigned and was replaced by Argo Arbeiter.[8][9] Flora finished the disappointing 2016 season in fourth place.

Crest

Honours

Domestic

Winners (10): 1993–94, 1994–95, 1997–98, 1998, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2010, 2011, 2015
Runners-up (6): 1992–93, 1995–96, 1996–97, 2000, 2007, 2008
Third place (5): 1999, 2004, 2006, 2012, 2014
Winners (7): 1994–95, 1997–98, 2007–08, 2008–09, 2010–11, 2012–13, 2015–16
Runners-up (4): 2000–01, 2002–03, 2005–06, 2009–10
Winners (9): 1998, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2016
Runners-up (3): 1999, 2006, 2010

Regional

Winners (1): 2011
Runners-up (2): 2003, 2004

Stadium

A. Le Coq Arena

Estonia and Brazil playing at A. Le Coq Arena
Main article: A. Le Coq Arena

The club's home ground is the 9,692-seat Lilleküla Stadium, known as A. Le Coq Arena for sponsorship reasons. It is the largest football stadium in Estonia. Besides the stadium there is a training base with two grass surface and two artificial turf training pitches. Lilleküla Stadium is also used by the Estonian Football Association to host Estonia national football team matches and has been used to host concerts.

The stadium is located in Lilleküla, at Asula street 4c, Tallinn.[10]

Flora uses Sportland Arena artificial turf, situated across from the A. Le Coq Arena, during winter and early spring months for training and home matches.

Players

First-team squad

As of 23 July 2016.[11]

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

No. Position Player
1 Estonia GK Magnus Karofeld
3 Estonia MF Jan Kokla
4 Estonia DF Kevin Aloe
6 Estonia MF German Šlein
7 Estonia MF Andre Frolov (vice-captain)
8 Estonia FW Hannes Anier
9 Estonia FW Rauno Alliku
10 Estonia MF Brent Lepistu
11 Estonia MF Rauno Sappinen
16 Estonia DF Markus Jürgenson
19 Estonia DF Gert Kams (captain)
No. Position Player
20 Estonia MF Maksim Gussev
21 Estonia DF Madis Vihmann
22 Estonia DF Nikita Baranov
23 Estonia MF Mihkel Ainsalu
27 Estonia MF Joseph Saliste
31 Estonia DF Joonas Tamm
33 Estonia GK Richard Aland
44 Finland FW Sakari Tukiainen
49 Georgia (country) MF Zakaria Beglarishvili
72 Estonia MF Herol Riiberg
73 Estonia GK Mait Toom

Out on loan

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

No. Position Player
2 Estonia DF Hans Joosep Tammerik (at Tarvas)

Reserves and academy

Further information: FC Flora U21 and FC Flora U19

Retired numbers

12 – Club supporters (the 12th Man)

Personnel

Current technical staff

Position Name
Manager Estonia Argo Arbeiter
Assistant manager Estonia Jürgen Henn
Estonia Risto Kallaste
Goalkeeping coach Estonia Aiko Orgla
Physiotherapist Estonia Jüri Salupere
Masseur Estonia Oliver Papp
Fitness coach Estonia Kristjan Vomm

Managerial history

Manager Career
Estonia Aivar Pohlak1990–1991
Lithuania Raimondas Kotovas1992
Estonia Roman Ubakivi1993–1995
Iceland Teitur Thordarson1996–1999
Estonia Tarmo Rüütli2000
Netherlands Arno Pijpers2001–2004
Estonia Janno Kivisild2004–2005
Finland Pasi Rautiainen2006–2008
Estonia Tarmo Rüütli2009
Estonia Martin Reim2010–2012
Estonia Marko Lelov2012–2013
Estonia Norbert Hurt2013–2016
Estonia Argo Arbeiter2016–

Seasons and statistics

League and Cup

Meistriliiga

Europe

Player records

As of 5 November 2016.[12] Active players in bold.

Most Meistriliiga games

Rank Player Career Games
1Estonia Martin Reim1992–1999, 2001–2008385
3Estonia Gert Kams2006–2012, 2015–273
3Estonia Marko Kristal1990–1999, 2001–2004263
4Estonia Markus Jürgenson2009–252
5Estonia Teet Allas2000–2010233
6Estonia Andre Frolov2005–192
7Estonia Karl Palatu2005–2006, 2008–2013185
8Estonia Rauno Alliku2008–182
9Georgia (country) Zakaria Beglarishvili2010–2012, 2014–169
10Estonia Sergei Mošnikov2006–2011, 2014164

Most Meistriliiga goals

Rank Player Career Goals
1Estonia Vjatšeslav Zahovaiko1999, 2003–2009121
2Estonia Sander Post2004–2011, 2013–201472
3Estonia Martin Reim1992–1999, 2001–200869
4Estonia Kristen Viikmäe1996–2000, 2003–200764
5Norway Tor Henning Hamre2002–200362
Estonia Indrek Zelinski1993–1999, 200162
7Estonia Albert Prosa2012–201661
8Estonia Rauno Alliku2008–60
9Estonia Henri Anier2008–201152
10Estonia Marko Kristal1990–1999, 2001–200451

References

  1. ↑ "A. Le Coq Arena". fcflora.ee. Retrieved 16 March 2014.
  2. ↑ "Kes on kes?". fcflora.ee. Retrieved 16 March 2014.
  3. ↑ "Saavutused" (in Estonian). FC Flora.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Ajalugu" (in Estonian). FC Flora.
  5. ↑ "FC Flora on Eesti meister 2015!" (in Estonian). FC Flora.
  6. ↑ "Flora võitis karikafinaalis Sillamäed lisaajal 3:0" (in Estonian). FC Flora. 21 May 2016.
  7. ↑ "FC Flora sai uue presidendi" (in Estonian). Soccernet.ee. 26 May 2016.
  8. ↑ "Norbert Hurt paneb Flora peatreeneri ameti maha" (in Estonian). Soccernet.ee. 8 July 2016.
  9. ↑ "Flora nimetas uueks peatreeneriks Argo Arbeiteri" (in Estonian). Soccernet.ee. 13 July 2016.
  10. ↑ "A. Le Coq Arena" (in Estonian). FC Flora.
  11. ↑ "A. Le Coq Premium liiga – Tallinna FC Flora". jalgpall.ee. Retrieved 28 June 2016.
  12. ↑ List of all FC Flora players
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