FC Flora Talinn
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| Full name | FC Flora |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Triibulised (Streakeds), Kaktused (Cactus) |
| Founded | 10 March 1990 |
| Ground | A. Le Coq Arena |
| Capacity | 10,340 |
| President | Pelle Pohlak |
| Manager | Arno Pijpers |
| League | Meistriliiga |
| 2016 | Meistriliiga, 4th |
| Website | Club home page |
Football Club Flora, also known as Flora Tallinn internationally, is a professional football club, based in Tallinn, Estonia. They compete in the Meistriliiga, the top tier of Estonian football.
Founded in 1990, the club was one of the founding members of the Meistriliiga, and is one of two clubs which have never been relegated from the Estonian top division. Flora has won 10 Meistriliiga titles, 7 Estonian Cups and 9 Estonian Supercups. In international club football, Flora has won 1 Livonia Cup trophy.
Flora was founded on 10 March 1990 by the current president Aivar Pohlak as an effort to revive Estonian football during the dissolution of the Soviet Union. The team was mainly based on ethnic Estonian players from Lõvid youth team. Flora didn't have a successful start in the Estonian SSR Football Championship, finishing last in the 1990 season and being relegated. The situation changed after the restoration of independence and formation of the Meistriliiga in 1992. After 52 years of foreign occupation, Estonian clubs could once again play for the Estonian League Championship title. Flora finished the first season in fourth place, while Norma won the first league title.
After the first season, the league was reformed to run from Autumn to Spring, as most of the European top-level football leagues do. Flora finished the 1992–93 season as runners-up with 34 points behind Norma, who claimed their second league title with 42 points.
In 1993, Roman Ubakivi was hired as manager. One round before the end of the 1993–94 season, Tevalte, who led the Meistriliiga table at the time, was controversially disqualified over match fixing allegations by a decision of the Estonian Football Association. The season ended with Flora and Norma both on equal 36 points. Flora won the Championship Playoff match 5–2 and was awarded the league title. They made their European debut in the 1994–95 UEFA Cup, losing 0–6 on aggregate to Odense in the preliminary round. Flora managed to defend the title in the 1994–95 season and won the 1994–95 Estonian Cup, beating Lantana-Marlekor 2–0 in the final.
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