ArseWeb presents: Arsenal vs AIK

Links

• official site (click on Union Jack/Stars-n-Stripes in top right for English version)
• AIK links page

Head-to-Head Arsenal vs AIK

Total record

29/05/1931  AWAY  W  5-0  (friendly)
08/12/1949  HOME  W  8-0  (friendly)
04/08/1957  AWAY  W  1-2  (friendly)
05/08/1981  AWAY  D  0-0  (friendly)
22/09/1999  HOME  W  3-1  (Champs League first group stage)
02/11/1999  AWAY          (Champs League first group stage)

AIK facts

• Stadium: Rasundastadion, capacity 37,000
• Their name is actually just AIK, but UEFA insist on their being registered for European competitions with the longer name to distinguish them clearly from AEK (of Athens). It's a bit like calling Arsenal "Arsenal London" as some foreign publications do. There are other teams called AIK in Sweden, which take their name from the original AIK, and which do have the name of the town in their official title. See this AFCi page
• Regarding the above, ArseWeb reader Tobias Yamabe writes...

  "The part about other clubs took their name from the "original" AIK isn't correct. AIK means something like "Common Sports Club" in Swedish and wasn't taken from the original club any more than "FC" was taken by Arsenal from the original "FC"-club. "

  "And regarding the AFCi page regarding AIK, it's true that they were founded on Östermalm, but they moved the club to Solna long ago. "

  "One fun detail is when the Icehockey section of AIK (it's usual for Swedish clubs to have several sport sections) play away to Skellefteå AIK, their scoreboard reads "AIK - SAIK", where SAIK is - yes Solna AIK! Skellefteå AIK calls themselves AIK just like ManU calls themselves "United" (Swedish commentators do it all the time, even if they play West Ham like today)."

  thanks for putting us straight Tobias.

  And thanks to Olof who adds some more...

  "AIK (The original) Allmänna IdrottsklubbEN - in Swedish, is like "The Common Sport Club", the other ones like Skellefteå AIK is like "Skellefteå Common Sport Club", in Swedish it is Skellefteå Allmänna Idrottsklubb."

  "So the Skellefteå, and all others AIK-copies, doesn't have the "-EN" in the original name. The "-EN" in the ending is often translate to "The" in English."

  [So it's a bit like if there were a London club whose name were "The FC"]

  And regarding Östermalm...

  "AIK was actually founded on Norrmalm (North), the local concurrent Djurgårdens IF was founded on Östermalm."

  "The football team plays in Solna, the Hockey team on Södermalm (where the third local concurrent Hammarbys IF plays)"

  "The board has their seat in solna too."