Esbjerg fB
Full nameEsbjerg forenede Boldklubber
Short nameEfB
Founded23 July 1924 (1924-07-23)[1]
GroundBlue Water Arena, Esbjerg
Capacity18,000
OwnerPacific Media Group (Paul Conway, Grace Hung)
Chien Lee
Michael Kalt
Randy Frankel
Krishen Sud
Head coachLars Lungi Sørensen
League2nd Division
2022–234th
WebsiteClub website

Esbjerg forenede Boldklubber (Danish pronunciation: [ˈesˌpjɛɐ̯ˀ fʌˈe̝ˀnð̩ ˈpʌltkʰlupɐ]; commonly known as Esbjerg fB or EfB in short) is a Danish professional football club based in Esbjerg, West Jutland, that plays in the 2nd division, the third-tier of the Danish football league system. Founded in 1924 as a merger between Esbjerg Boldklub af 1898 and Esbjerg Amatørklub af 1911, the first team play their home games at Blue Water Arena which has been the club's home ground since its opening in 1955.

History

Early years

Original logo

Esbjerg forenede Boldklubber was officially established in 1924 as a merger between Esbjerg Boldklub af 1898 (E.B. 98) and Esbjerg Amatørklub af 1911 (EAK) after 12 years of competition between the two clubs.[1] The new club was driven by ambition for something bigger, which already produced results the day after when the club's best start-up team defeated Kolding IF with 7–0.[2]

Golden years

The club's golden years were in the first half of the 1960s with the Austrian coach Rudi Strittich throughout most of the decade.[3][4] The club won the Danish Championship in 1961, 1962, 1963 and 1965 and won the DBU Cup in 1964.[5] This success has been largely attributed to Austrian coach Rudi Strittich, as well as strikers Jens Peter Hansen and Carl Emil Christiansen.[6] In the championship season of 1961, Esbjerg set a stadium record with 20,000 spectators, as Esbjerg won the clash against KB 3–1 at home.[7] In 1968, Esbjerg almost won another championship, when the team had the same amount of points as two other clubs before the last round, but despite winning the last match, KB won the title on goal difference. The following year, however, Esbjerg suffered relegation from the top tier, where they had played twenty seasons in a row.

In 1974, Esbjerg fB won promotion to the top division again, marking the beginning of the club's second golden era. Esbjerg won the DBU Cup again in 1976. In 1977, Strittich returned as coach, and with goalkeeper Ole Kjær and midfielder Jens Jørn Bertelsen as the driving forces in the following years, Esbjerg were back at the top.[8] The club won bronze medals in 1977, and in 1978 Esbjerg fB lost the cup final to Frem after a penalty shootout and a total of three finals, all of which ended 1–1.[9] Later that year, they achieved a second-place finish in the top tier, while the team reached the third round of the UEFA Cup, where they beat Hertha BSC 2–1 in the first leg, but lost in the return match in Berlin by 4–0.[10]

In 1979, Esbjerg fB won the club's fifth and most recent Danish championship. The following year, the team eliminated Halmstads BK in the European Champion Clubs' Cup. In the subsequent round, Esbjerg lost on the road with 3–0 to Spartak Moscow, but was in the return match, close to a sensation, Esbjerg won 2–0.[11]

Ups and downs

In 1985, Esbjerg was close to winning the cup tournament, but lost in the final 3–2 to Lyngby on a goal shortly before the final whistle. Esbjerg relegated from the top tier in 1986 and in the early 1990s were down in the third division. In 1999, Esbjerg returned to the Danish Superliga. This time, their tenure in the top division was more permanent, achieving a third-place finish in the 2003–04 season as their best performance, after being in first place with four rounds left.[12] During that season, they broke records, causing Brøndby IF's largest home defeat ever, beating them 6–1 at Brøndby Stadium.[13] In 2006 and 2008, the club reached the cup final. In the 2010–11 Danish Superliga season EfB finished 12th and were relegated to the Danish 1st Division for the first time since the 1999–2000 season.[14]

Esbjerg returned to the Superliga in the 2012–13 season with success under head coach Jess Thorup, a former player for the club, as the team managed to win the Danish Cup for the third time in the club's history with a 1–0 victory against Randers FC, thus qualifying for European football. At the same time, they achieved a fourth place in the Superliga.[15]

Frederiksen and European success

On 2 May 2013, the club announced that Niels Frederiksen would succeed Thorup as the club's head coach from the start of the 2013–14 Danish Superliga season.[16] In the first season under Frederiksen, Esbjerg reached to the round of 32 in the Europa League, where they lost 4–2 over two legs to Italian side Fiorentina, despite winning 1–0 away at Stadio Artemio Franchi.[17] This came after advancing from the group stage in second place by beating Standard Liège (2–1; 2–1) and Elfsborg (2–1; 1–0), and losing two matches to group winners, Red Bull Salzburg (2–1; 3–0).[18] Esbjerg had qualified to the group stage after winning 5–3 on aggregate over French club Saint-Étienne.[19][20][18] When the International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS) published their list of best clubs in the world, Esbjerg were in 79th place.[21] Hans Henrik Andreasen was part of the autumn team in the Europa League among the best players in the tournament.[22] In the domestic league, they also had a successful season, ending in fifth place which qualified the club for contention in the 2014–15 Europa League second round.[23]

In the following season, Esbjerg knocked out Kazakh side Kairat Almaty 2–1 on aggregate in the second qualifying round, before facing Polish club Ruch Chorzów in the third round. In the first leg, Esbjerg drew 0–0 away.[24] However in the second leg, a last-minute goal by Łukasz Surma for Ruch Chorzów to make it 2–2 to win on away goals, ended Esbjerg's hopes of advancing in the tournament.[25] In the domestic league, Esbjerg had sold key players such as Jakob Ankersen, Eddi Gomes and Martin Pušić during the winter transfer window,[26][27][28] and partly due to this the club struggled against relegation. In the last fixture of the season, Esbjerg avoided relegation after a 2–1 win over relegation rivals, FC Vestsjælland.[29]

On 10 August 2015, Frederiksen was dismissed by Esbjerg with the side placed last in the Danish Superliga table after four matches into the 2015–16 season, with chairman Søren Poulsen citing "lacking" domestic results as the reason behind the dismissal.[30][31] Frederiksen was succeeded by Jonas Dal.[32]

In 2017, Esbjerg moved out of the Superligaen after losing the decisive relegation final over two matches against AC Horsens by an aggregate score of 4–3. However, the club returned to the Superliga after just one season in the second tier. In the 2019–20 season, the club suffered another relegation after a tumultuous season.[33]

New ownership, relegation, and controversies

From July 2020 to May 2021, Ólafur Kristjánsson was the head coach of the club. Earlier that season, in March 2021, Chien Lee, Partners Path Capital, Pacific Media Group and Krishen Sud invested in Esbjerg fB and became the majority shareholder.[34] Thereby, the club became part of the same ownership group as Barnsley, Oostende and Nancy.[35] The club failed promotion to the Superliga in the 2020–21 season, finishing in third place, 14 points from promotion spots.[36]

In May 2021, Peter Hyballa was hired as head coach of the club.[37] Less than two months into his tenure, Danish newspaper B.T. reported that multiple Esbjerg players demanded his dismissal after "mental and physical punishments".[38][39] The following day, Spillerforeningen, the Danish Player's Association, reprimanded the Esbjerg board after the American chairman Michael Kalt had toned down the conflict and informed JydskeVestkysten that only a few players were involved in the demand.[40][41] One day later, Hyballa demoted four key players to the U19 team: Yuriy Yakovenko, Jakob Ankersen, Kevin Conboy and Zean Dalügge.[42] On 15 July, Esbjerg fB were reported to the Danish Labour Inspection Authority ("Arbejdstilsynet") by Spillerforeningen after reports came out that Hyballa had allegedly hit and "mentally terrorised" players.[43][44] The following week, Hyballa stated that he had never hit anyone, and that he had only tried to motivate his players.[45]

On 24 July, Hyballa appointed the 19-year-old Mads Larsen as the new team captain.[46] Three days later, on 27 July, new accusations arose against Hyballa – this time from Kasper Pedersen – who had terminated his contract by mutual consent the day before. He stated that Hyballa had created a "horrible mood" and that he had left the club due to the manager.[47]

On 28 July 21 of Esbjerg's first-team players sent an open letter to club management, expressing "strong distrust" to Hyballa. The letter, which was also published in several media outlets, mentions several episodes where Hyballa had physically or mentally abused players.[48][49] Responding to the letter, investor and spokesperson for the Esbjerg board, Paul Conway, stated to JydskeVestkysten that "[i]t's so unprofessional, I've never experienced anything like it. It can never be the players who get to decide who get to play and who is the coach."[50]

On 11 August after weeks of stories in the press and a bad start to the season, Hyballa resigned as manager of Esbjerg and was replaced by Roland Vrabec.[51] He was dismissed in March 2022 after seven months, as the club were mathematically out of reach of promotion.[52] Rafael van der Vaart was appointed caretaker coach.[53] On 18 March, in a 3–0 home loss to Lyngby, Esbjerg hooligans threw firecrackers onto the pitch and rioted after the game which resulted in multiple arrests, as the team were in a relegation battle.[54][55] On May 18, 2022, Esbjerg lost 2–3 to Fremad Amager after blowing a 2–0 lead, and was for the first time in 28 years relegated to 2. division, the Danish 3rd tier, with 8 points to survival and only 2 matches left.

Stadium

Esbjerg fB plays at Blue Water Arena, which is the name of Esbjerg Stadion at Gl. Vardevej and part of Esbjerg Sports Park.

Honours

Esbjerg fB by season.

Danish Superliga

Danish Cup

Danish 1st Division

Achievements

Players

Current squad

As of 1 January 2024[56]

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

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK Sweden SWE Lukas Jonsson
2 DF Denmark DEN Jonas Mortensen
3 DF Denmark DEN Oliver Svendsen
5 DF Denmark DEN Andreas Troelsen
6 DF Denmark DEN Jesper Lauridsen
7 MF Albania ALB Bardhec Bytyqi
8 MF Denmark DEN Mads Larsen
9 FW Denmark DEN Elias Sørensen
10 FW Denmark DEN Mathias Jørgensen
11 FW Denmark DEN Emil Holten
12 MF Denmark DEN Andreas Lausen
14 FW New Zealand NZL Oscar Obel-Hall
No. Pos. Nation Player
15 DF Denmark DEN Tobias Stagaard
16 GK Denmark DEN Daniel Gadegaard
17 FW Canada CAN Steven Simpson
18 MF Denmark DEN Marcus Hansen
19 MF Denmark DEN Nicklas Strunck
20 MF Comoros COM Yacine Bourhane
21 FW Denmark DEN Leonel Montano
22 DF Iceland ISL Ísak Ólafsson
25 DF Denmark DEN Malthe Kristensen
30 DF Australia AUS Con Ouzounidis
34 GK Denmark DEN Emil Jørgensen

Out on loan

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

No. Pos. Nation Player

Staff

  • Head Coach: Lars Lungi Sørensen
  • Assistant Coach: Søren Pallesen
  • A + Coach:
  • Goalkeeper Coach: Frode Birkeland
  • Transition Coach: Patrick Harboe
  • Forward Coach: Jesper Lange
  • Physical Coach: Morten Bastholm
  • Assistant Physical Coach: Mattias Fredeløkke
  • Kit Manager: René Christiansen

Former coaches

Denmark national football team players

The following 32 Esbjerg football players has been picked and had their debut on the Denmark national football team (debut/matches/goals):

Former notable foreign players

Esbjerg has a list of former notable foreign players of which some have represented their national team. Some of the most memorable are listed here:

Player of the Year


Player of the year Esbjerg fB

Player of the /ear Denmark

Recent history

Season Pos. Pl. W D L GS GA P Cup Notes
1999–2000 SL 12 338421 407028 Quarter-final relegated
2000–01 1D 1 301983 792965 5th round promoted
2001–02 SL 7 3313614 424445 Semi-final
2002–03 SL 5 33121110 655747 Quarter-final
2003–04 SL 3 331887 714462 5th round
2004–05 SL 5 33131010 614749 5th round
2005–06 SL 6 3312615 434542 Runner-up
2006–07 SL 7 33101013 465140 4th round
2007–08 SL 7 3313614 595445 Runner-up
2008–09 SL 9 3371115 324132 3rd round
2009–10 SL 4 3313119 484350 4th round
2010–11 SL 12 3371214 364933 Semi-final relegated
2011–12 1D 1 262132 601966 3rd round promoted
2012–13 SL 4 3313812 383247 Winner
2013–14 SL 5 3313911 473848 4th round
2014–15 SL 8 33101013 474540 Semi-final
2015–16 SL 11 337917 386430 3rd round
2016–17 SL 14 3261214 325430 3rd round relegated
2017–18 1D 2 331869 613660 1st round promoted
2018–19 SL 3 3616812 454756 Quarter-final
2019–20 SL 14 325720 325822 Quarter-final relegated
2020–21 1D 3 321859 433859 3rd round
2021–22 1D 11 3261016 365428 2rd round relegated

References

  1. 1 2 Ahlstrøm, Frits (2013). Fodbold i sjov og alvor (1. E-bogsudgave ed.). Politiken. ISBN 9788740013207.
  2. ↑ "Esbjerg fB - 3F Superliga". superliga.dk. Superliga. Retrieved 11 June 2020.
  3. ↑ Kjærbøl, Michael (24 August 2018). "Diametrale trænermodsætninger – DBUs slingrekurs". ekstrabladet.dk. Ekstra Bladet. Retrieved 11 June 2020.
  4. ↑ "Trænerlegenden Rudi Strittich er død". ekstrabladet.dk. Ekstra Bladet. 12 July 2010. Retrieved 11 June 2020.
  5. ↑ "Det gyldne efterår 1961 - et tronskifte i dansk fodbold". jv.dk. JydskeVestkysten. 26 November 2011. Retrieved 11 June 2020.
  6. ↑ "EfB historie fra 1. kamp i 1924 til 1970". EfB-retro (in Danish). Archived from the original on 14 February 2018. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
  7. ↑ Silkjær, Søren Lintrup (12 August 2009). "Stadionrekord bliver aldrig slået". JydskeVestkysten (in Danish). Archived from the original on 14 February 2018.
  8. ↑ Danish Dynamite (in Danish). Gyldendal. 2015. ISBN 9788702164916.
  9. ↑ "Pokalfinaler – Sydbank Pokalen – SuperStats". Superstats. Archived from the original on 14 February 2018. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
  10. ↑ "efbhistorik.dk – tal og historie om Esbjerg fB". EfB Historik (in Danish). Archived from the original on 14 February 2018. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
  11. ↑ "EUROPACUP 1980/1981 MESTERHOLD, 2. RUNDE". Haslund (in Danish). Archived from the original on 14 February 2018. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
  12. ↑ "Esbjerg glemmer aldrig de uheldige helte fra 2004". Tipsbladet (in Danish). Archived from the original on 14 August 2020. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
  13. ↑ "Brøndby IF, sejre-nederlag, statistik fra superligaen - SuperStats". Superstats (in Danish). Archived from the original on 14 February 2018. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
  14. ↑ Fodbold, danske kampe 2011 (1st ed.). Carlsens Årbøger. 2011. p. 16.
  15. ↑ Jacobsen, Mathias (15 July 2013). "Esbjerg fB - tilbage i toppen". Indkast (in Danish).
  16. ↑ Helmin, Jesper (2 May 2013). "Officielt: Lyngby-manager til Esbjerg". bold.dk. bold.dk. Retrieved 5 April 2020.
  17. ↑ Primdahl, Nikolaj (20 February 2014). "Se billederne: Fiorentina var for stor en mundfuld for Esbjerg". jv.dk. JydskeVestkysten. Retrieved 5 April 2020.
  18. 1 2 "Europa League 2013/2014". efbhistorik.dk. EfB Historik. Retrieved 5 April 2020.
  19. ↑ Ritzau (29 August 2013). "Esbjerg er klar til gruppespillet i Europa League". nordjyske.dk. NORDJYSKE Medier. Retrieved 5 April 2020.
  20. ↑ Schack Nørgaard, Niels (22 August 2013). "Formidabelt comeback: Esbjerg slår Saint-Etienne i vild kamp". B.T. B.T. Retrieved 5 April 2020.
  21. ↑ Dehn, Anders (9 January 2014). "Esbjerg er nummer 79 i verden". Ekstra Bladet (in Danish).
  22. ↑ "Hans Henrik Andreasen er blandt Europas bedste - TV 2". TV2 Sporten (in Danish). 13 December 2013. Archived from the original on 16 January 2014.
  23. ↑ Helmin, Jesper (10 June 2014). "EfB: Ikke tæt på nye spillere". bold.dk. bold.dk. Retrieved 5 April 2020.
  24. ↑ Ritzau (31 July 2014). "Esbjerg-træner tilfreds med 0-0". dr.dk. Danmarks Radio. Retrieved 5 April 2020.
  25. ↑ Jensen, Michael (7 August 2014). "Se alle billederne: Esbjerg sendt ud af Europa i allersidste sekund". jv.dk. JydskeVestkysten. Retrieved 5 April 2020.
  26. ↑ Ritzau (2 February 2015). "Esbjerg sælger Ankersen til IFK Göteborg". nordjyske.dk. NORDJYSKE Medier. Retrieved 5 April 2020.
  27. ↑ Nyhedsbureauet Newspaq (16 January 2015). "Esbjerg sælger forsvarsspiller til udlandet". avisen.dk. avisen.dk. Retrieved 5 April 2020.
  28. ↑ Vøge, Lasse; Abolhosseini, Farzam (30 January 2015). "Esbjerg bekræfter: Sælger profil til Superliga-rivaler". bt.dk. B.T. Retrieved 5 April 2020.
  29. ↑ Tornby, Gustav (31 May 2015). "Esbjerg redder sig - FC Vestsjælland rykker ned". tipsbladet.dk. Tipsbladet. Retrieved 5 April 2020.
  30. ↑ Helmin, Jesper (10 August 2015). "Esbjerg fyrer Niels Frederiksen". bold.dk. bold.dk. Retrieved 5 April 2020.
  31. ↑ Helweg Christiansen, Casper (10 August 2015). "Esbjerg fyrer Niels Frederiksen". dr.dk. Danmarks Radio. Retrieved 5 April 2020.
  32. ↑ Brøndum Nielsen, Lars (16 October 2015). "Officielt: Jonas Dal er ny træner i Esbjerg". dr.dk. Danmarks Radio. Retrieved 5 April 2020.
  33. ↑ Elgaard, Peter (28 June 2020). "Esbjerg rykker ud af Superligaen". TV SYD (in Danish).
  34. ↑ "EfB præsenterer ny hovedaktionær - efb.dk". Esbjerg fB (in Danish). 5 February 2021. Archived from the original on 5 February 2021. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
  35. ↑ "Denmark's Esbjerg fB becomes latest Pacific Media-led acquisition". Inside World Football. 5 February 2021.
  36. ↑ "1. DIVISION OPRYKNINGSSPIL 2020/21 (2021) //". DBU (in Danish). Retrieved 19 March 2022.
  37. ↑ "Peter Hyballa ny cheftræner i EfB – efb.dk" (in Danish). 24 May 2021. Retrieved 27 May 2021.
  38. ↑ Abolhosseini, Farzam; Davidsen, Michel Wikkelsø (8 July 2021). "B.T. afslører: Kaos i Esbjerg – spillere kræver træneren fyret". B.T. (in Danish).
  39. ↑ Margren, Sara (8 July 2021). "Avis: Esbjerg-spillere kræver træner fyret". bold.dk (in Danish).
  40. ↑ "Amerikansk formand freder cheftræneren trods oprør i truppen, men anerkender at noget må ændres: – Nogle ser visionen, andre ser at de ikke passer ind". jv.dk (in Danish). 8 July 2021.
  41. ↑ Schmidt, Martin (9 July 2021). "SPF advarer Esbjerg midt i kaos: Skal stoppes". bold.dk (in Danish).
  42. ↑ Lindhardt, Jan Maass (9 July 2021). "EfB degraderer profiler til u19-holdet på Hyballas opfordring". ugeavisen.dk (in Danish).
  43. ↑ Brandt, Theis Fischer (15 July 2021). "Træner-kaos: EfB anmeldt til Arbejdstilsynet". bold.dk (in Danish).
  44. ↑ Egelund, Af Klaus (15 July 2021). "Anmelder Esbjerg efter træner-vanvid". Ekstra Bladet (in Danish).
  45. ↑ Schmidt, Martin (21 July 2021). "Hyballa nedtoner afstraffelse: Hvad er et slag?". bold.dk (in Danish).
  46. ↑ "Mads Larsen ny anfører". efb.dk (in Danish). 24 July 2021.
  47. ↑ Andersen, Thomas N. (27 July 2021). "Tidligere Esbjerg-spiller står frem: – Hyballa har skabt en rædselsfuld stemning". Ekstra Bladet (in Danish).
  48. ↑ "Esbjerg-spillere udtrykker mistillid til træner i åbent brev – TV 2". sport.tv2.dk (in Danish). 29 July 2021.
  49. ↑ Margren, Sara (29 July 2021). "Se hele Esbjerg-truppens brev til ledelsen her". bold.dk (in Danish).
  50. ↑ Bruun, Ole (29 July 2021). "EfB-ejer efter åbent brev om mistillid til træneren: Spillerne kommer aldrig til at bestemme, hvem der skal være træner". jv.dk (in Danish).
  51. ↑ Margren, Sara (11 August 2021). "Officielt: Hyballa stopper - EfB hyrer ny tysker". bold.dk (in Danish).
  52. ↑ Grundahl, Søren Pors (9 March 2022). "Esbjerg fB fyrer cheftræner". TV SYD (in Danish).
  53. ↑ Porse, Kristian (9 March 2022). "Esbjerg fyrer Vrabec efter syv måneder". bold.dk (in Danish).
  54. ↑ Roth, Christopher (19 March 2022). "Flere anholdte efter absurde scener - TV 2". TV2 Sporten (in Danish).
  55. ↑ "EfB tager afstand fra fanopførsel - efb.dk". Esbjerg fB (in Danish). 18 March 2022.
  56. ↑ "Superligatrup | Esbjerg fB". efb.dk (in Danish). Retrieved 29 June 2019.
  57. ↑ "Esbjerg fB's officielle hjemmeside | Regionens Hold" (in Danish). EfB.dk. Retrieved 26 November 2019.
  58. ↑ "Esbjerg fB's officielle hjemmeside | Regionens Hold" (in Danish). EfB.dk. Retrieved 26 November 2019.
  59. ↑ "Anders Dreyer årets spiller i Esbjerg | bold.dk". Archived from the original on 8 August 2018. Retrieved 19 July 2018.
  60. ↑ "Sæsonens Spiller 2018/2019: Joni Kauko - EfB" (in Danish). Efb.dk. 20 May 2019. Retrieved 26 November 2019.
  61. ↑ "Sæsonens Spiller 2019/2020: Austin - efb.dk". Esbjerg fB (in Danish). 10 July 2020. Archived from the original on 10 August 2020. Retrieved 20 March 2022.
  62. ↑ "Kikkenborg er Sæsonens Spiller - efb.dk". Esbjerg fB (in Danish). 25 May 2021. Archived from the original on 25 May 2021.
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