Raio Piiroja (born 11 July 1979) is an Estonian former professional footballer . He played as a centre-back for Pärnu/Kalev , Lelle , Flora , Vålerenga , Fredrikstad , Vitesse and Chengdu Blades .
70-451: Piiroja made his international debut for the Estonia national team on 21 November 1998 in a friendly against Armenia . He was team captain from 2008 to 2011, and made a total of 113 appearances for Estonia before retiring in 2013. On 31 March 2015, Piiroja made his 114th and final appearance for Estonia in his testimonial match against Iceland . Known for his leadership and ability in
140-522: A 2–0 win over Uruguay in a friendly. He was sent off by referee Viktor Kassai in the 76th minute of the first leg of the UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying play-off against Republic of Ireland , which Estonia went on to lose 5–1 on aggregate. Piiroja ended his international career in October 2013, but made one final appearance for Estonia on 31 March 2015, in his testimonial match against Iceland . He made
210-513: A 6–0 defeat. The game took place on a grass surface, which was a first for the Estonians. The Estonian Football Association was founded on 14 December 1921 and affiliated with FIFA in 1923 joining Yugoslavia, Latvia, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Turkey and Uruguay. Estonia's only participation in a major tournament took place at the 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris. Estonians lost their only match in
280-601: A goals record of three scored and 31 against. The biggest defeats came from abroad against Croatia (7–1) and Lithuania (5–0). From 14 October 1993 to 5 October 1996 Estonia played without a victory for almost three years and by February 1996 the team had sunk to 135 in the FIFA World Rankings . Public interest was at a low. In the autumn of 1994 when Estonia hosted Italy at the Kadrioru Stadium only 3000 people came to watch. Results improved with
350-645: A group of six. 2009 was declared the 100th anniversary of Estonian football. The final matches for record cap holder Martin Reim (6 June versus Equatorial Guinea ) and long-standing goalkeeper Mart Poom were held (against Portugal on 10 June). Sajandi mäng (English: Match of the Century ) was the first ever match versus Brazil , who had arrived in Tallinn as the FIFA World Rankings leaders, and also
420-566: A one-year contract, with an option of extension for another season, at Eredivisie side Vitesse . On 18 February 2013, Piiroja signed for China League One team Chengdu Blades . Piiroja made his international debut for the Estonia national team on 21 November 1998, in a 2–1 loss against Armenia in a friendly, replacing Viktor Alonen in the 85th minute of the match. Piiroja soon established himself as Estonia's first choice centre-back. In 2008, he succeeded Martin Reim as team captain . On 25 March 2011, Piiroja made his 100th appearance in
490-463: A recreation and sport. Military ski races were held in Norway during the 18th century, and ski warfare was studied in the late 18th century. As equipment evolved and ski lifts were developed during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, two main genres of skiing emerged— Alpine (downhill) skiing and Nordic skiing . The main difference between the two is the type of ski binding (the way in which
560-572: A total of 114 appearances and scored 8 goals. Piiroja married his long-time girlfriend Marje in 2005. They divorced in 2015. Outside of football, Piiroja enjoys skiing and is an avid fisherman . On 1 June 2016, Piiroja released his autobiography, Ninamees Raio Piiroja, õhuvõitleja , written by sports journalist Gunnar Press. Flora Fredrikstad Individual Estonia national football team The Estonia men's national football team ( Estonian : Eesti Jalgpallikoondis ) represents Estonia in international football matches and
630-423: A weaker goal difference. Estonia scored four goals and conceded sixteen. Estonia also entered the qualifying tournament for Euro 2000 . This time round the Estonians recorded three wins and two draws in their group, with fifteen goals scored and seventeen conceded. The team also found themselves in the same group as Scotland, this time losing 3–2 away but drawing 0–0 at home. The Estonian magazine Sporditäht, placed
700-757: Is also Estonia's largest football stadium. Lilleküla Stadium is also the home of FC Flora . Their previous home ground was the Kadriorg Stadium, which opened in June 1926 with a 3–1 victory over Lithuania. The Kadriorg holds 5,000 seats and in contrast to the Lilleküla Stadium, stages athletics events on a regular basis. 1992–2000 Estonia have also staged friendly matches away from Tallinn in Kohtla-Järve , Kuressaare , Narva , Pärnu , Rakvere , Tartu , Valga and Viljandi . The kit of
770-671: Is controlled by the Estonian Football Association , the governing body for football in Estonia . Estonia's home ground is Lilleküla Stadium in the capital city Tallinn . The national team's first ever match was held against Finland in 1920 and resulted in 6–0 defeat. Estonian footballers have participated only once in the Olympic Games, when they played a single match in the 1924 Olympic Games' final tournament in Paris, France. They were defeated 1–0 by
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#1732791238064840-474: Is practiced in certain areas that are reserved exclusively for ski jumping. Telemark skiing is a ski turning technique and FIS-sanctioned discipline, which is named after the Telemark region of Norway. It uses equipment similar to Nordic skiing, where the ski bindings are attached only at the toes of the ski boots, allowing the skier's heel to be raised throughout the turn. However, the skis themselves are often
910-557: The 2002 season and was named Estonian Player of the Year for the first time. In 2003, Piiroja joined Norwegian Tippeligaen side Vålerenga on loan. In August 2004, Piiroja signed a contract with Tippeligaen side Fredrikstad . On 12 November 2006, he scored twice in the 2006 Norwegian Football Cup Final against Sandefjord as Fredrikstad won 3–0. In 2007, Piiroja extended his contract for four more years. During his time with Fredrikstad, Piiroja won four consecutive Estonian Player of
980-418: The Estonian Football Association (EFA) an ultimatum signed by 25 players which stated that "only those who have acquired Estonian citizenship on the basis of legal continuity should be included in the national team". In July of the same year FIFA gave the right to represent Estonia to 97 non-citizens who were according to EFA born in Estonia and were in the process of acquiring Estonian citizenship. In October
1050-607: The FIFA World Cup or UEFA European Championship . The team has reached the UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying play-offs , by finishing second in their qualifying group, before being drawn up against Ireland for a play-off tie, making 2011 the " annus mirabilis of Estonian football". They have since repeated this feat by qualifying for the UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying play-offs through being the best group winner in 2022–23 UEFA Nations League D . Estonia has also participated in
1120-704: The International Olympic Committee (IOC), and the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS). Skiing has a history of almost five millennia. Although modern skiing has evolved from beginnings in Scandinavia , it may have been practiced more than 100 centuries ago in the Altai Mountains , according to an interpretation of ancient paintings. However, this continues to be debated. The word "ski" comes from
1190-463: The Old Norse word "skíð" which means to "split piece of wood or firewood". Asymmetrical skis were used in northern Finland and Sweden until at least the late 19th century. On one foot, the skier wore a long straight non-arching ski for sliding, and a shorter ski was worn on the other foot for kicking. The underside of the short ski was either plain or covered with animal skin to aid this use, while
1260-474: The floodlighting inadequate. This matter was raised with the officials who agreed with their concerns. In protest, the Estonians failed to show up, which kicked off only to be stopped seconds later. At the end of qualifying, the Estonians finished fifth in a field of six teams on a total of four points ahead of Belarus. This was the first time the Belarusians finished last in a qualifying campaign, and had
1330-402: The qualifying rounds for the 2006 FIFA World Cup , under the supervision of Dutchman and assistant coach of Pijpers Jelle Goes , after Pijpers left the post in 2004. Five wins, two draws and five losses gave them 17 points in their qualification group and fourth place. The team were placed ahead of Latvia, Liechtenstein and Luxembourg. UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying was not as successful, which seen
1400-493: The ski boots are attached to the skis). Also called "downhill skiing", Alpine skiing typically takes place on a piste at a ski resort . It is characterized by fixed-heel bindings that attach at both the toe and the heel of the skier's boot. Ski lifts , including chairlifts , bring skiers up the slope. Backcountry skiing can be accessed by helicopter , snowcat , hiking and snowmobile . Facilities at resorts can include night skiing , après-ski , and glade skiing under
1470-484: The 1970s, the game lost popularity in Estonia and the sport was mainly played by the Russian immigrant community. Estonian football-life was relaunched in mid-70s by the attempts of Roman Ubakivi , who formed Estonian-language training groups. The most notable team was Lõvid (English: Lions ) in 1980–1989, who were coached by Ubakivi and Olev Reim. Several players, such as Mart Poom and Martin Reim , became part of
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#17327912380641540-550: The 1998 events between the pair in their top ten sporting events. On 31 March 1999 the Estonians defeated Lithuania 2–1 in Vilnius. Estonia remained a theoretical possibility to qualify for their first major tournament. Despite failing to qualify, they still set themselves a then team record of 11 points. Their meeting with Scotland on 8 September 1999 was a 5,000 sell-out at the Kadriorg. Head coach Teitur Thordarson resigned at
1610-582: The Baltic Cup for the 4th time, beating Latvia 2–1 at home, and it's the first time after 83 years, since 1938. Home games are played in Tallinn at the Lilleküla Stadium since 2001, its capacity is about 14,400. The stadium borrows its name from its sponsor A. Le Coq , a major Estonian brewery. The stadium was opened on 2 June 2001, for the sold-out World Cup qualifier versus the Netherlands. This
1680-591: The Estonian SSR had its own representative team, but because of the occupation it did not take part of international competitions. Between 1948 and 1976, the Baltic Cup was held 19 times, which The Byelorussian SSR won a few times and the Estonian SSR five times. From 1969 to 1982, Soviet-occupied Estonia was the only Soviet "union republic" not participating in the Soviet Union's football league. During
1750-522: The Estonian national team (home games) traditionally consists of a blue shirt, black shorts and white socks, while a change strip (away games), is that of a white shirt, black shorts and blue socks. Before 1996, other colour combinations have been used. The goalkeeper usually wears a yellow jersey, black shorts and yellow socks. The kit design changes every two years to a new one. Since 1997 the team's supplier has been Nike , while between 1992 and 1997 it
1820-585: The Estonian team failed to turn up for the game. For unclear reasons, the match was rescheduled to be played on neutral ground in Monaco after it was agreed at a FIFA meeting in Scotland on 7 November, leading to the rescheduled match to take place on 11 February 1997 ending in a 0–0 draw. Reasons for the original postponement of the game was that the Scottish team trained at the Kadriorg the night before, finding
1890-528: The Euro 2012 qualifying campaign. The regular qualification phase for the Euro 2012 tournament was completed with a win in the final game away to Northern Ireland. Four days later, Serbia failed to beat Slovenia , thus Estonia entered a qualifying play-off against the Republic of Ireland with the first leg in Tallinn. Estonia lost the home game 0–4 but managed a 1–1 draw abroad. The Euro 2012 qualifying campaign
1960-612: The European record in 2009 until November of that year. The record for most goals is held by Andres Oper with 38. Estonians were introduced to the game of football by English sailors in the first years of the 20th century, when the land was still part of the Russian Empire . The national team was formed after the war of independence (1918–1920). It played its first match on 17 October 1920 in Helsinki, Finland which ended in
2030-497: The FIFA World Rankings. The first home game of the campaign was a 3–0 loss to Spain, the reigning European champions . The team still picked up points during the qualification, which included holding Euro 2008 semi-finalists Turkey to a 0–0 draw. Further results were a 1–0 win over Armenia, and a 2–2 draw away from home before the campaign was completed with a 2–0 win against the Belgians. The team collected 8 points finishing fifth in
2100-662: The Faroe Islands then followed, before a tour of South America saw the team lose to Chile and Uruguay. A 3–0 loss to Turkey in Istanbul then completed their friendly matches cycle before qualifying resumed. However, the Sinisärgid won away from home to Slovenia and at home to Northern Ireland , which lifted the team to 58th in the FIFA rankings, giving them their best position to date. This win completed their group matches in
2170-492: The Meistriliiga in a 4–2 defeat against Narva Trans and became the youngest goalscorer in Meistriliiga history at the age of 16 years and 15 days. In 1996, Piiroja joined Lelle , a team affiliated with Flora . He played for Lelle from 1997 until 1999, when he was promoted to Flora's first team. With Flora, Piiroja won his first Meistriliiga title in the 2001 season . He won his second consecutive Meistriliiga title in
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2240-561: The Serbian team had competed in the World Cup. Media attention came from a 2–2 friendly international result with Bulgaria . Two days before the friendly match, on 11 February 2011, bets were placed by officials regarding the outcome of the match. Suspicion of match manipulation was raised when a Hungarian referee gave four disputable penalties, being equally distributed between the two sides. The same team of officials also took charge of
2310-633: The United States in first round. During World War II, in 1940, Estonia was invaded and occupied by the Soviet Union , and there was no possibility of fielding a national football team again until the country restored full independence in August 1991. After the end of the 1944–1991 Soviet occupation, Estonia's first FIFA -recognised international match was with Slovenia on 3 June 1992, a 1–1 draw at home in Tallinn. Estonia has never qualified for
2380-481: The World Cup. The team's biggest win came on 26 July 1928 which was a 6–0 success against Lithuania in Tallinn, meanwhile their biggest defeat came on 11 August 1922 which was a 10–2 loss to Finland. Out of the team's head coaches before the Second World War, seven of them were Hungarian with Antal Mally taking this position twice. There were four foreign coaches (three Hungarians and one Austrian), while
2450-522: The Year awards, in 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009. Fredrikstad finished the 2009 season in 14th place and were relegated from the Tippeligaen after a 2–0 loss against Sarpsborg 08 in the play-offs. Fredrikstad returned to the Norwegian top division after a season, with Piiroja scoring in both legs of an 8–1 aggregate win against Hønefoss in the promotion play-offs. On 31 August 2011, Piiroja signed
2520-412: The air, Piiroja was named Estonian Footballer of the Year five times, in 2002, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009. Piiroja started playing football with his hometown club Rivaal, before moving to Pärnu . He made his Meistriliiga debut on 16 July 1995, five days after his 16th birthday, against Eesti Põlevkivi in the opening match of the season. 10 days later, on 26 July 1995, Piiroja scored his first goal in
2590-430: The arrival of the newly independent team's first foreign coach, Icelander Teitur Thordarson . His first victory was achieved at the fifth attempt in October 1996, when they defeated Belarus at the Kadriorg Stadium in a 1998 World Cup qualifier with a goal from Hohlov-Simson. After the victory over the Belarusians, the Estonian team gained infamy on 9 October 1996, when a match against Scotland had to be rescheduled after
2660-541: The board of EFA made a decision that after the date of 1 April 1993 non-citizens could no more debut in the national team. The citizenship dispute heated up again in February 1993 when Estonia took part in a three team friendly tournament held in Finland. For the first time , non-citizen players Andrei Borissov and Sergei Bragin were allowed to represent Estonia in the national team. In a statement made on 23 February
2730-471: The bottom of alpine skis to give them traction on snow. This permits Nordic style uphill and back-country travel on alpine skis. For downhill travel, the heels are locked and the skins are removed. The Nordic disciplines include cross-country skiing and ski jumping , which both use bindings that attach at the toes of the skier's boots but not at the heels. Cross-country skiing may be practiced on groomed trails or in undeveloped backcountry areas. Ski jumping
2800-538: The crucial meeting between them and Latvia at the Kadrioru Stadium , 2,000 out of the 12,000 spectators were Latvians. Estonia's first FIFA World Cup qualifying match took place on 11 June 1933 in Stockholm, Sweden, which ended with a Swedish 6–2 win. This match was also the world's first FIFA world cup qualifying match. Since later on Sweden also defeated Lithuania, the match between Estonia and Lithuania
2870-587: The end of 1999, leading the Estonian football association to look for a new coach. They were taken over this time by Tarmo Rüütli (who was replaced by caretaker Aivar Lillevere for two games), who was appointed until autumn 2000, and seen the team through their qualifying group for the 2002 FIFA World Cup. After the departure of Rüütli and Lillevere's two game stint as caretaker manager, the Estonian Football Association made an agreement with Dutchman Arno Pijpers . Plans were later set by
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2940-740: The first Estonian national team was coached by Albert Vollrat in 1932. Coaches also played for several seasons, who also determined the composition of the football association. Players were mostly in Tallinn clubs, such as TJK , Sport , Kalev and Tallinn Estonia. The republic's most capped players were goalkeeper Evald Tipner (67) and the outfield players Eugen Einmann (65), Eduard Ellman-Eelma (58) and Karl-Rudolf Silberg-Sillak (52). Top goal scorers were Ellman-Eelma (21 goals in 65 matches), Richard Kuremaa (18/42), Arnold Pihlak (17/44), Georg Siimenson (14/42) and Friedrich Karm (9/13). Players received small pay for their contributions – 5 Estonian krooni in 1938. The Baltic tournament victory
3010-497: The five-time world champions, winning 1–0. Much attention was attracted the day after the international friendly, with the Estonian FA announcing that coach Rüütli's contract was to be extended to 2011. Estonia later achieved one of its most famous victories, winning 3–1 in a 2012 European Championship away qualifier on 8 October 2010 against Serbia then ranked 15th in the FIFA rankings. The match took place four months after
3080-578: The football association to build a modern football home in Tallinn, which took place in 2000 and construction began outside of the Lilleküla railway line, giving it its original name of the Lilleküla Stadium. The arena opened on 2 June 2001, ahead of their 2002 World Cup qualifying game against the Netherlands (4–2 defeat). The 9,300 tickets on sale for the match sold out within six hours. Their campaign for 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification , saw two victories over Andorra and two draws with Cyprus, which gave
3150-413: The game reached five minutes of play, only to lose 7–2. This was then followed up with a 1–0 success against Finland in which Richard Kuremaa scored the only goal of the game in the 56th minute. Qualification was completed with a 4–1 defeat against Germany, despite a goal from Georg Siimenson taking the teams in at half time with a 1–0 lead for the Estonians. As a result, Estonia failed to qualify for
3220-548: The game the day before, an international friendly involving Latvia and Bolivia which ended 2–1 in favour of the Latvians and had also seen three penalties awarded in the game, which were also all of the goals scored. The Estonian team got an important victory in their next match, which was on 25 March at the Lilleküla Stadium over Uruguay in a friendly match. Former World Cup winners Uruguay had recently reached
3290-502: The government of Estonia urged the Estonian Central Sports Union to "consider manning Estonian sports teams only with Estonian citizens". On 11 March the local press published an open letter in which the signatories accused EFA and the head coach Uno Piir of using four "alien citizens" (Andrei Borissov, Sergei Bragin, Aleksandr Puštov, Sergei Hohlov-Simson) in games and using Russian as the working language of
3360-536: The group as the most vocal, situated in the Southern section of the Lilleküla Stadium. A busy away journey took place in October 2007, when at Wembley Stadium for the European championship qualifier with England a crowd of two thousand Estonian fans were in attendance. Skiing Skiing is the use of skis to glide on snow for basic transport, a recreational activity, or a competitive winter sport . Many types of competitive skiing events are recognized by
3430-468: The last official match between the two teams as independent nations 50 years previously. The principle of assembling the squad was controversial. 63 players made a public addressing ( Päevaleht , 24 April 1990) calling out the football governing bodies to only select the descendants of Estonians, leaving out immigrants who came to Estonia after World War II . Estonia restored its full independence on 20 August 1991, and returned to international football when
3500-530: The local sub-regional Baltic Cup championship, which takes place every two years between the countries of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania . Estonia has won the three-nation Baltic Cup tournament five times — most recently in 2024 — which is less than either of the other two teams in the tournament, Latvia and Lithuania. The record for the most international caps by an international is held by Konstantin Vassiljev with 158. Martin Reim has 157 caps, who held
3570-403: The long ski supporting the weight of the skier was treated with animal fat in a similar manner to modern ski waxing . Early skiers used one long pole or spear. The first description of a skier with two ski poles dates to 1741. Troops in continental Europe were equipped with skis by 1747. Skiing was primarily used for transport until the mid-19th century but, since then, it has also become
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#17327912380643640-478: The national team later. Not a single Estonian reached the Soviet national team, but two Ubakivi's pupils, Ott Mõtsnik and Toomas Krõm , broke into the youth team. The Singing Revolution , the pursuit to restore Estonian independence and to cool regional tensions, found its way to football as well. On 18 July 1990, an exhibition match was held between Estonian and Latvian footballers at Kadriorg Stadium, to remember
3710-505: The national team. The signatories also noted that "most of the positions belonging to Estonians (in youth teams) were filled with non-citizens". According to Estonian press the EFA had also misled FIFA because most of those 97 players who had gotten the right to represent Estonia had not actually applied for citizenship. On 5 December 1991 the EFA decided to take part in 1994 FIFA World Cup qualification tournament despite financial difficulties,
3780-673: The newest member, Kosovo . On 15 November 2014, Estonia became the first and so far only team to give up a point to San Marino in the European Championship qualifying tournament, when the two sides played to a 0–0 draw in San Marino. On Tuesday, 28 March 2017, Estonia gained one of the most famous wins in their history as they beat Croatia 3–0 at home in an international friendly. On 19 November 2018, Estonia defeated Greece 1–0 in Athens. On 10 June 2021, Estonia won
3850-415: The poor state of the Kadrioru Stadium and the inexperience of the national team. Estonia ended the qualification tournament in the last place of the group and with record of one goal scored and 27 conceded. The team lost nine games and drew once against Malta . In the UEFA Euro 1996 qualifying tournament the team was coached by Roman Ubakivi . The qualification tournament ended without a single point and
3920-543: The same width as Alpine skis. The following skiing disciplines are sanctioned by the FIS . Many have their own world cups and are included in the Winter Olympic Games . Equipment used in skiing includes: Technique has evolved along with ski technology and ski geometry . Early techniques included the telemark turn, the stem , the stem Christie , snowplough , and parallel turn . New parabolic designs like
3990-508: The second half of the 1940s and the traditions started to fade. According to Uno Piir , the first national team manager after Estonia restored independence in 1991, the reason for football's downfall in Soviet-occupied Estonia was the inability to create a club competitive at the level of the Soviet Union's top clubs, hence the decrease in audience and the favouring of other sports by the governing bodies of sports. Formally,
4060-543: The semi-finals of the 2010 World Cup and were sitting at 7th place in the FIFA rankings at the time of the 2–0 victory. The captain Raio Piiroja earned his 100th international cap. On 29 March, the good performances continued with a 1–1 home draw against Serbia. This was followed by a period of poor form, which began with an unofficial friendly game loss to the Basque Country , qualifying defeats to Italy and
4130-478: The supervision of the ski patrol and the ski school . Alpine skiing branched off from the older Nordic type of skiing around the 1920s when the advent of ski lifts meant that it was no longer necessary to climb back uphill. Alpine equipment has specialized to the point where it can now only be used with the help of lifts. Alpine Touring setups use specialized bindings which are switchable between locked and free-heel modes. Climbing skins are temporarily attached to
4200-457: The team a total of eight points in the final table and fourth place with ten goals scored and 26 against, finishing ahead of those two teams. This was later matched in UEFA Euro 2004 qualifying , where they gained two more wins over Andorra and draws with Croatia and Bulgaria. The team's goals record was much more stronger defensively, only conceding six goals in their eight matches while scoring four. Estonia then most successful tournament came in
4270-741: The team debuted in the Baltic tournament which took place in Lithuania in November 1991. However, the first recognized match did not take place until June 1992 in Tallinn as a friendly against Slovenia (1–1). This historic meeting under the guidance of coach Uno Piir was overseen by a team consisting of Mart Poom , Urmas Hepner , Igor Prins , Urmas Kaljend , Meelis Lindmaa , Toomas Kallaste , Tarmo Linnumäe , Indro Olumets , Martin Reim , Sergei Ratnikov , Risto Kallaste , Viktor Alonen , Urmas Kirs , Marko Kristal and Aleksandr Puštov . Puštov
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#17327912380644340-404: The team finish sixth in a field of seven teams, only ahead of Andorra who were also the only team they recorded wins against and gained a total of seven points. The Estonian FA shortly parted company with Goes in June 2007. November 2007 saw the approval of a two-year contract for new head coach Tarmo Rüütli, who had overseen the national team in the 1999–2000 season, with this being the last time
4410-482: The team took on an Estonian coach, as Pijpers was the first of three foreign coaches between 2000 and 2007. Rüütli's main task in his second term was to lead the team through the 2010 World Cup qualifying matches. The team showed volatile form in friendly matches during 2008. In September, the Estonians lost 3–2 to Belgium in an away qualifying match, but fell to a low ebb after being beaten 7–0 by Bosnia also on their travels, and fell to an all-time low of 137th place in
4480-568: The team was revived and they played two unofficial friendlies (in Riga 0–4 and in Tallinn 1–8), but only few players remained from the pre-war era. When Soviet troops invaded Estonia again in 1944, some of the best footballers ( Richard Kuremaa , Elmar Tepp, Valter Neeris, etc.) were mobilised; some fled to west. Many ex-nationals ( Arnold Pihlak , Arnold Laasner, etc.) were in Estonia's team in Geislingen 's refugee camp. The clubs were renamed in
4550-582: The tournament to the United States 1–0. The Estonian league season usually lasted from the end of May to September. In 1928 the first Baltic football contest was held involving all three nations, it was held nine times during this period. Four of them were held in Latvia, two in Estonia and three in Lithuania. Estonia was particularly notable for winning the edition of the tournament in 1938. In
4620-577: Was 50 krooni. On 18 July 1940 the team played their last official game as an independent nation for more than half a century. The game was played at the Kadrioru Stadium and was a 2–1 victory against Latvia. In 1940, the Stalinist Soviet Union invaded and occupied Estonia and, in August 1940, when Estonia was annexed into the USSR, the national team ceased to exist along with the independent country. During German occupation (1941–1944),
4690-400: Was Estonia's best to date, with 16 points achieved out of a possible 30, and was the closest that Estonia came to qualifying for a major tournament. On 5 June 2012, Estonia set a record for being the first team to have played all of UEFA fellow 52 members . Two more sides have been added since 2013 as full UEFA members. Estonia has played the 53rd member, Gibraltar , but has not yet taken on
4760-487: Was cancelled, because Sweden had already won the group. Estonia's first points in the FIFA World Cup qualifying rounds were gained in 1938 , playing the qualification matches in 1937, the third edition of the tournament. At the time teams would play each other once in each group. Estonia were in group one, drawn with Germany, Sweden and Finland. In their first match against Sweden, the team went 2–0 up even before
4830-529: Was supplied by Lotto . Below is a timeline of how the home kit colours have changed through time: Estonia's main supporters group of that of the Jalgpallihaigla (English: Football Hospital ), with over 600 members. The group is committed to "Deal with all of your supporters issues from ticket distribution in a special fans section, and also with the fans as watchdogs for relations with the Estonian Football Association and their clubs". Home games see
4900-422: Was the scorer of the Estonian goal. At that time the composition of the squad was influenced by the country's citizenship policy. There were disputes whether the national team should include players who lived in Estonia but had not acquired Estonian citizenship. Most of those players in question were of Russian origin. Approximately four months before the first official match against Slovenia, FC Flora presented
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