In brief: With only a handful of fans and a dilapidated home ground that cannot be accurately described as a stadium, all logic dictates that Häcken should be languishing in a much lower division.
However the Gothia Cup – the largest youth football tournament in the world, held in Gothenburg every summer – provides them with a healthy revenue stream and enables them to punch way above their weight. Yet, this still doesn’t account for their phenomenal success in recent years, including finishing second last season.
Expectations in 2013: Every year I think Häcken are a one-off fluke, yet the next season they get even better. Their track record of resurrecting discards from other clubs and unearthing undiscovered gems, is quite remarkable.
Players to watch: If he can stay fit and recapture the form that made him one of the league’s best players in 2010, Moestafa El Kabir will make up for the lose of Waris Majeed (Spartak Moscow), and ensure Häcken remain title contenders.
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Nic Townsend
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