Roger Federer is coming back to US Open four years after retirement, set for two blockbuster matches US Open confirmed Roger Federer's return on Sunday, and he will be joined by three other tennis greats Published on: Aug 24, 2026, 13:25:16 IST Written by Aratrick Mondal Prefer HTon Google Share
Nerves cost us against Australia, but I'm proud of the team: women's hockey coach: Marijne Nerves cost us against Australia, but I'm proud of the team: women's hockey coach: Marijne Published on: Aug 24, 2026, 13:09:14 IST PTI Prefer HTon Google Share via Copy link Amstelveen
After seventh seed Victor Lai fell in three games to ninth seed Alex Lanier at the 2026 BWF World Championships in New Delhi, the former described the Frenchman as a ‘beast’, lauding his physical fitness and tenacity to go the distance and play the long game
India men’s football team will face Panama in a FIFA international friendly in September, ahead of another friendly against five-time FIFA World Cup winners Brazil in Kolkata on October 3. According to a report by The Times of India, the match between India and the North American side is
Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin has ruled himself out of the running to replace Gianni Infantino, but says he expects a candidate to challenge the Fifa president's leadership in March. Infantino has faced calls to step down after he scrapped a controversial plan to sell off stakes in Fifa's
Mjallby's miracle: A soccer team from a fishing village off the Baltic Sea is close to a fairytale league title
Remote Swedish club Mjallby is on the brink of an unprecedented Allsvenskan title, leading by eight points with six rounds left. This remarkable achievement, driven by strategic planning, data-driven decisions, and a local squad, defies their small village size and limited budget. They are set to make league history.
In a remote fishing village beside the shore of the Baltic Sea, one of the most remarkable achievements in European soccer is close to being realized.
"Make the impossible possible" is one of the mantras found on the walls and the PowerPoint slides at tiny Swedish club Mjallby. And that's exactly what is happening.
Mjallby holds an eight-point lead with six rounds left in Sweden's top league, Allsvenskan, and has lost just one game this season. Oh, and it is on course for the biggest points haul in the league's 101-year history.
Not bad for a team made up of mostly locally born players who play home games in a village of around 800 inhabitants on Sweden's south coast, whose coach is a school principal and scout is a postman. Just nine years ago the club was one game away from dropping into the country's fourth tier.
"If we would be able to win the league, I cannot imagine anything has been close to this achievement," Mjallby chairman Magnus Emeus told The Associated Press. "The size of the club, our conditions, our financial muscle - to one year beat all the others, I think no one has been near this."
Mjallby's unlikely journey to the brink of what could be compared to Leicester's unfathomable Premier League title in 2016 is a tale of hard work, common sense and bold data-driven decisions on and off the field at a club that's the beating heart of a small, tight-knit community.
There's been no takeover by a sheikh from the Middle East or American venture capitalists.
Indeed, Mjallby's turnover last year was around 85 million kronor ($9 million), according to Emeus, who estimates that his club's budget is an eighth of that of defending champion Malmo, Sweden's biggest club which is a 90-minute drive west.
"It's a fairy tale," Mjallby director Jacob Lennartsson tells the in a video call. "We get the question a lot now - how are you doing this? It's important to say we haven't just done this from this year, we've been working for so many years."
About Mjallby Emeus is biased, naturally, but he describes Mjallby's 6,000-capacity Strandvallen home - located in the village of Hallevik - as "the nicest-situated football stadium in Sweden."
"If you kick the ball really hard and far over the goal, it will not be far from the Baltic Sea," Emeus said.
Such is its rural and isolated location that visiting teams might feel like they're driving to the end of the world, Emeus said with a smile.
"They're probably sick and tired of never ever getting to the stadium," he said. "You drive and you drive and you drive and you drive, and then finally you either have to drive into the Baltic Sea or into the arena."
Fishing has long been the predominant industry in this corner of the world, where there are also vast swathes of farmland and an entrepreneurial spirit helping to drive the local economy.
Turning point Founded in 1939, Mjallby has never won a major trophy and has typically played outside the top flight, flitting around the regional leagues.
A big turning point came in 2015 with the arrival of Emeus, a locally born businessman who had moved back to the region after working with companies across Europe. He took up an offer of becoming chairman of Mjallby, which was in the second tier at the time and making year-on-year financial losses, and - in his words - "established a methodology I'd learned in business life."
Strategic plans and ambitious targets were put in place off the field, while new coaches were hired and a commitment was made to lean on homegrown players who could be sold for a profit.
"Another mantra I talk about is, we need to be best on the things which are free," Emeus said. "We can have a better team spirit than Real Madrid ... we can prepare better for a game than Manchester United."
Mjallby won its last match in the 2016 season to stay in the third division, then won back-to-back promotions in 2018 and '19 to return to Allsvenskan.
Teacher and student The unlikely rise to being title contenders has come in the last two years under coach Anders Torstensson, a former youth-team player at Mjallby who spent time in the military before returning to the area, becoming a teacher and occasionally helping out as the club's short-term coach.
Torstensson was hired for the third time in 2023 and was soon joined by an assistant, Karl Marius Aksum, who has a PhD in Visual Perception in Elite Football but had never coached at senior level. Mjallby's leadership noticed that Aksum, a Norwegian, posted his tactical beliefs and principles to a large following on social media and felt he was the coach to help change a team known for being defensively minded to one which played a more expansive game.
Mjallby achieved a club-record 50 points last season, had its highest average possession stats ever (moving up to 51%) and created more chances, Aksum said.
This season, Mjallby has the best defensive record (17 goals conceded), the second most goals (44) and has lost just one of its 24 games. The team's 57 points is a record at this stage of a season and it needs 11 more from its last six games to break Malmo's league record of 67.
"It's no surprise that we're playing a good style of football," Aksum told the AP. "It's a surprise, of course, that we're leading the table.
"For everyone around the village, in the shops, in the countryside when I take a walk or a run, they are living a fairy tale. They can't believe what's happening."
The title? The only team which can realistically stop Mjallby winning the title is Hammarby, which is eight points back in second place. Another Stockholm-based team, AIK, is a further six points adrift in third.
"I've dreamed of qualification to European games at some point in my life and being able to watch Mjallby abroad," said Mjallby fan Johan Cederblad, who travels for the team's home games from Stockholm, 520 kilometers (320 miles) up the coast. "But winning Allsvenskan has probably never even occurred to me."
Mjallby has never been in this position. Its squad is full of unheralded players - though Axel Noren recently got a first call-up by Sweden's national team and fellow defender Abdullah Iqbal is Pakistan's captain - who need to handle increasing pressure.
For Aksum, Mjallby is still "far off from winning the league."
That's not stopping fans believing a dream could turn into a reality.
"We're not here because of luck," Lennartsson said. "We have belief, we have good people - players, coaches, employees - and I think we're humble and have our own identity. That's a great strength."
Add as a Reliable and Trusted News Source Add Now!
Source: EconomicTimes
Related Posts: mjallby sweden,mjallby,swedish league,swedish football league,fc malmo,swedish league standings
Barcelona began their La Liga title defence with a commanding 5-0 victory over Elche on Sunday, with Raphinha and Fermin Lopez scoring twice each and Anthony Gordon setting up two goals on his debut. The result comea a day after Jose Mourinho’s Real Madrid defeated Espanyol 2-1 with a late winner
12 hours ago
GCT Grand Finale: Praggnanandhaa beats Keymer to stake his claim for finals GCT Grand Finale: Praggnanandhaa beats Keymer to stake his claim for finals Published on: Aug 24, 2026, 09:43:17 IST PTI Prefer HTon Google Share via Copy link St. Louis
12 hours ago
UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin may have been vocal in his demand for the current FIFA president Gianni Infantino to step down but he has no interest in replacing the under-fire Swiss. Infantino continues to face pressure to leave his position as world football’s governing body chief following
12 hours ago
The French are known for a lot of things but badminton isn’t one of them. Till Sunday, when the country that has never been considered among the top nations even in Europe created history at the 2026 World championships, in more ways than one
12 hours ago
AITA picked them, the government cut them: Why has India’s Asian Games tennis squad been slashed from 12 to 7? The AITA had originally proposed a 12-member squad for for the Asian Games, which included six women. But the list was slashed down to just seven players. Updated on: Aug 24, 2026
12 hours ago
Ashton Jeanty injury update: Is the Raiders RB out for the season? Doctor reveals possible diagnoses; ‘best case…’ Ashton Jeanty was injured after attempting a catch, prompting a tense silence at the Raiders’ facility before his teammates gathered and knelt in prayer. Updated on: Aug 24
15 hours ago
When Liverpool came to Newcastle last August, there was utter jubilation as Rio Ngumoha scored a remarkable 100th-minute winner. They scored late again this time around, through Dominik Szoboszlai's 99th-minute penalty, but it felt more like a sense of relief than joy as they rescued a point
15 hours ago
'Is Sydney Taylor playing tonight?' Chicago Sky guard's slow start vs Fever sparks injury concerns Sydney Taylor was in Chicago’s starting lineup when the Sky hosted the Indiana Fever on Sunday night. Updated on: Aug 24, 2026, 07:32:12 IST By Ojas Jaiswal Prefer HTon Google Share via Copy link
15 hours ago
Yet again, the England men's cricket team is picking through the wreckage of a late-night misdemeanour. The latest stain on the game's reputation is a result of pictures of fast bowler Brydon Carse in handcuffs and surrounded by police officers outside a nightspot in Derby
15 hours ago
Jean-Philippe Mateta is arguing the remainder of his Crystal Palace contract is invalid and has taken his case to Fifa. Multiple sources have told BBC Sport the France international has launched an official challenge over the validity of the final 10 months on his Selhurst Park deal
1 days ago
Bangladesh 64: Starc 6-12 & 95: Shanto 31; Starc 4-39, Cummins 3-10, Lyon 3-25 Mitchell Starc took 10 wickets in the match as Australia bounced back from last week's shock defeat by Bangladesh to win the second Test by an innings and 51 runs and draw the series 1-1. Second Test
1 days ago
Jannik Sinner's absence benefits Carlos Alcaraz: What to expect from the US Open champion after his long injury layoff Jannik Sinner is out, but is it premature to call Carlos Alcaraz the US Open favourite after four months away? Updated on: Aug 23, 2026
1 days ago
US Open leaves Stan Wawrinka out in the cold, denying former champion a wild card for his final Grand Slam The US Open has surprisingly denied Stan Wawrinka a wild card for what could be his final appearance at a Grand Slam. Updated on: Aug 23, 2026
1 days ago
India faced the Netherlands in their Pool E match of the ongoing FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup 2026 on Saturday (August 22) at the Wagener Stadium in Amstelveen but suffered a 1-3 defeat. India conceded one goal in the third quarter and two in the fourth quarter to go down against the hosts
1 days ago
There is an uncanny resemblance between Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa’s bronze-medal run at the 2011 BWF World Championships and Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand’s campaign at the 2026 edition. Jwala and Ashwini faced the second-seeded Cheng Wen-hsing and Chien Yu-chin as early as the
1 days ago
Runs on the board and rival wickets, is the template that Dhananjaya de Silva will chase when the second Test commences at the SSC Ground on Sunday (August 23, 2026). “It’s about putting runs on the board. That’s what India did [at Galle]. For the first two days they batted and got 460 runs
1 days ago
Serena Williams returns to US Open after four years, joins Carlos Alcaraz for mixed doubles Serena Williams will return to the US Open for the first time since 2022, partnering Carlos Alcaraz in mixed doubles after receiving a wildcard. Published on: Aug 23, 2026
1 days ago
Roberto De Zerbi may have spent close to £400m by the time his Tottenham Hotspur rebuild is complete – but it took just his side's first Premier League game of the season to prove all the money in the world is no guaranteed cure for a losing mentality
1 days ago
Manchester United's fans had endured a bad enough day on the banks of the River Humber when Hull City's stadium announcer gleefully piped up midway through the second half. Two trains back to Manchester from the city centre station had been cancelled
1 days ago
From a shy girl to team mentor, Savita Punia says hockey changed her life From a shy girl to team mentor, Savita Punia says hockey changed her life Published on: Aug 22, 2026, 12:08:49 IST PTI Prefer HTon Google Share via Copy link Amstelveen
2 days ago
Shubhankar makes cut after spectacular ace at Nexo Championship Shubhankar makes cut after spectacular ace at Nexo Championship Published on: Aug 22, 2026, 12:17:58 IST PTI Prefer HTon Google Share via Copy link Aberdeenshire , Shubhankar Sharma ended his streak of four missed cuts as he made the
2 days ago
Inter Miami's Lionel Messi has been fined for slapping Philadelphia Union's Quinn Sullivan during their side's Major League Soccer (MLS) 2-2 draw on Wednesday. Messi, 39, slapped Sullivan around the back of the head towards the end of the game as he complained the Union player had elbowed him after
2 days ago
Premier League champions Arsenal will start the new season with some of the nightmares of the previous two as their marquee signing, midfielder Bruno Guimarães, is not part of the squad due to an injury. Guimarães signed for £75 million (Rs. 979 crore) from Newcastle United and suffered a knock
2 days ago
Nostalgia may have enveloped Sairaj Bahutule when he entered the SSC Ground. He would have remembered his last Test played at the same venue in 2001, a game India lost. The Indian spin-bowling coach, though, quickly immersed himself in the nets here Friday (August 21, 2026)
2 days ago
Lionel Messi fined for slapping opponent on the head as Inter Miami-Philadelphia clash erupts into late red-card chaos Lionel Messi was fined by MLS after slapping Philadelphia's Quinn Sullivan on the head as Inter Miami's 2-2 draw desecended into stoppage-time chaos. Updated on: Aug 22, 2026
2 days ago
Double Olympic medallist Neeraj Chopra managed to deliver his season’s best performance at the Lausanne Diamond League on Friday but fell agonisingly short of the top spot, as Sri Lanka’s Rumesh Pathirage finished first with a throw just nine centimetres more than his
2 days ago
Why did Nick Chubb retire? Net worth in focus as NFL player ends career at 30 Nick Chubb played for eight seasons in NFL that included seven years with the Cleveland Browns and one with the Houston Texans. Updated on: Aug 22, 2026, 09:25:09 IST By Shirin Gupta Prefer HTon Google Share via Copy link
2 days ago
