Malmö, Göteborg, Djurgardens, Hammarby… all the favorites will have lost to little Thumb Mjällby this season. For the first time in its history, MAIF became Swedish champions. An unexpected destiny for the small town in the south of the country with 1,250 inhabitants. A club which in 2015, then relegated to the third division, almost suffered an administrative demotion and potentially disappeared.
Already fifth in the previous year, the Yellows and Blacks were able to teach the entire national elite a lesson. Flanked by 12e budget of the first division (out of 16 teams), with a median salary barely above 5,000 euros per month, the club based in the neighboring town of Sölvesborg secured its coronation three days before the end of the championship.
Thanks to a 2-0 victory over Gothenburg this Monday, Mjällby AIF was able to complete the competition and make Hammarby's last hopes vain. Even more impressive, the MAIF therefore has three matches left to beat the historic record for points accumulated in the Swedish first division currently held by Malmö (67). Beaten only once this season, the champion has already collected 66 units in his improbable journey.
