Landskrona BoIS v IFK Värnamo, Swedish Superettan

 

Landskrona BoIS 1-0 IFK Värnamo
Swedish Superettan, tier 2
Sunday 28 June 2026, 15:00 kick-off
Landskrona Idrottsplats
Criowd: 3,285

Once again I made a Sunday trip south to see another match in the exciting and unpredictable second tier. Last week in Helsingborg it was very hot but this week, a short distance down the coast to Landskrona, was stiflingly hot. One report I have read claimed it was 33 C and that means much hotter out on the field with hardly a light breeze as relief. It was really too hot to play football and my consolation was that I had a seat in the shade. The players must have been completely exhausted after well over 90 minutes out in the furnace and if summers are going to be like this in the future then Sweden could well consider moving to an autumn-spring football season, as Denmark did a few years ago.

Landskrona is known as an industrial city with shipyards, textiles and engineering featuring over the last 150 years, but has also a history going back to the middle ages as an important miltary stronghold on the Öresund channel between Sweden and Denmark. Football has a proud tradition here and the club was a founder member of the top league in Sweden, Allsvenskan, in season 1924-25. Since then, Landskrona BoIS (who play in black and white stripes) have played 34 seasons in the top flight, the latest period up there being 2002-2005. Their most successful years were probably the 1970s when they won the cup and managed a couple of European appearances, losing to Ipswich Town in the 1977-78 UEFA Cup for example. In recent years they have managed to win play-off places but have fallen at the final hurdle and are hoping that this will be their year for a return to the big time. In anticipation of this the ground is being rebuilt, more about that below. At present they sit in 4th place only 3 points off the top and have had some impressive wins in the last few weeks, including a convincing 3-0 win away to fierce rivals Helsingborg.

In contrast, IFK Värnamo (playing in white and blue, but all black for today's game) have had a miserable season after relegation from Allsvenskan last season. They are second bottom with only one point from their last 10 games and a second relegation is staring them in the face. They are a small town club that made a miraculous climb to the top thanks to good talent development and good management rather than splashing out on star players. But as so often happens with such clubs, one day they run out of steam and head downwards again. They have some good players but simply can't get a break. The short summer break now will hopefully give them a chance to regroup.

The ground

Under construction - where the main stand will be

The new ground is taking shape and three sides are in place and the new main stand should be ready for next season. The old ground had lots of character with plenty open terracing but it was definitley time to rebuild. The old ground saw crowds of over 17,000 back in the fifties. Its main claim to international fame though was hosting the Faroe Islands' first competitive match in the qualifying round of the European championship in 1982 when they sensationally beat Austria 1-0. 

Today's stadium consists of three (soon four) matching stands in club colours, black and white, but open in the corners and I think it will have a 10.000 capacity when finished. The present main stand was well filled - the photo on the right was taken before kick-off. The home end stand is all covered terracing, much appreciated by the ultras (very vociferous all through the game) and the away end is half seating and half terracing for the away fans. This end was sadly empty for this game apart from seven long-suffering but hardy away fans. I read a suggestion that the seating at this end could be filled with complimentary seats for local boys and girls' teams and even if this doesn't add much revenue they would provide extra vocal support. It's always a bit sad to see empty stands but if Landskrona keep up their challenge at the top they should soon fill the ground.

At the moment the area is a big building site and getting to the entrance was rather complicated and definitely not obvious. Around the ground is a massive sports complex with indoor halls, ice-rink, training pitches etc and will be very impressive when it's all finished.

The match

First half free kick for Värnamo

Given the blistering heat this was not an action-packed game. I had been looking forward to seeing Landskrona's fast and very skilful forward Constantino Capotondi but he was suspended for today's match. His absence was clear as the home team lacked the fast incisive attacking football that has been their trademark in recent weeks. The first half was uneventful with Värnamo looking more likely to score and on the whole they could find some grains of hope from today with a tighter defence and some promising attacks with the tricky Shamoun as orchestrator. The hosts had a few half chances but in general they were rather subdued with many missed passes and no real sustained pressure. 

The second half saw a more determined home side putting pressure on Värnamo from the start and in the 62nd minute they got the breakthrough. The busy Japanese midfielder Kota Sakurai was felled in the box and  the referee pointed to the spot. Edi Sylisufaj shot home what proved to be the winner (sse photo below). After that Värnamo wilted in the heat and although the hosts created a few more chances the game was already sewn up. I missed the last 15 minutes because I had a train to catch and the walk to the station was about 25 minutes. Missing that train would have meant a two hour wait. Because of all the building work there was only one way out of the ground and that was in the opposite direction to where I wanted to go.  After a few diversions I finally found my route and had to walk quickly in the heat, meaning that I got to the station soaking wet with sweat. I was pleasantly surprised to hear afterwards that I hadn't really missed anything.

Another new ground visited and added to my map and although it wasn't the best game or conditions I think Landskrona will be up there in the promotion race in the autumn. I hope Värnamo can find some inspiration over the summer break and avoid another relegation. I visited them a couple of seasons ago on a very wet afternoon in October but wasn't writing this blog then. Photos from there are of course on my map.

Penalty goal

More than football

As always when I go on my travels I spend at least a few hours seeing the sights and maybe visiting a museum or art gallery. Despite Landskrona's reputation as a working class industrail town it also has a long history and a picturesque centre. The population today is about 36,000. The town was founded back in the early 15th century but the real development started at the end of the 17th century when it became a military stronghold with the building of an impressive citadel with moats and fortifications. The museum offers a well-presented and interesting introduction to the town's history and industrial heritage. My visit there was even better because it was nice and cool inside! My photo collage below gives you a few glimpses of the sights. If you wonder why it all seems rather quiet remember that this is a Sunday morning in a heatwave!

Tourist information - Visit Landskrona.