Should the tiny club from a fishing village on the Listerlandet peninsula do so it will be the greatest shock in the history of footballA combination of superb scouting and a science-based approach have helped Mjallby top the 16-team leagueSTOCKHOLM: The nervousness of Hammarby and AIK fans ahead of Sunday’s Stockholm derby will pale into insignificance compared to those of Swedish minnows Mjallby AIF, who will become Swedish champions if Hammarby fail to beat their city rivals.Should the tiny club from a fishing village on the Listerlandet peninsula do so it will be the greatest shock in the history of football, according to Torbjorn Andersson, an academic specializing in football at Malmo University.“(It would be) completely unique in the history of football, and that it’s happening now is even more unlikely,” he told broadcaster Radiosporten ahead of what could be the decisive weekend in the Allsvenskan title race.A combination of superb scouting and a science-based approach have helped Mjallby top the 16-team league on 63 points after 26 games, 11 points ahead of second-placed Hammarby, whose resources dwarf those of their smaller southern rivals.Though the club draws support from all over the county of Solvesborg, the town of Mjallby has a tiny population of just over 1,200, and academic Andersson said that, on paper, a club of their stature should have no chance of winning the title.“There’s so much money in it (football), it should be totally impossible,” he said as Mjallby look to replace Malmo, who have won the title a record 27 times, as champions.“If you look at the annual reports the (Swedish) football association has published ...
