Editing FC Flora (section)

==History==
===Early history (1990–2000)===
Flora was founded on 10 March 1990 by [[Aivar Pohlak]] as an effort to revive Estonian football during the [[dissolution of the Soviet Union]]. The team was mainly based on players from Lõvid youth team. Flora finished their [[1990 Estonian SSR Football Championship|first season]] in last place and were relegated. The situation changed after the formation of the [[Meistriliiga]] in 1992. After 52 years of the Soviet occupation ([[Estonian SSR]]), Estonian clubs could once again play for the Estonian League Championship title. Flora finished the [[1992 Meistriliiga|inaugural season]] of the Meistriliiga in fourth place. After the first season, the league was reformed to run from Autumn to Spring. Flora finished the [[1992–93 Meistriliiga|1992–93 season]] as runners-up. In 1993, [[Roman Ubakivi]] was appointed as manager. One round before the end of the [[1993–94 Meistriliiga|1993–94 season]], [[FC Tevalte Tallinn|Tevalte]], who led the Meistriliiga table at the time, was controversially disqualified over allegations of match fixing. The season ended with Flora and [[FC Norma Tallinn|Norma]] both on equal 36 points. Flora won the championship play-off match 5–2 and was awarded their first league title. The club made their [[UEFA Cup|European]] debut in the [[1994–95 UEFA Cup]], losing to [[Odense Boldklub|Odense]] 0–6 on aggregate in the preliminary round. Flora managed to defend the league title in the [[1994–95 Meistriliiga|1994–95 season]] and won the [[1994–95 Estonian Cup]], defeating [[FC Lantana Tallinn|Lantana-Marlekor]] 2–0 in the final.<ref name="hist">{{cite web|title=Ajalugu|trans-title=History|language=Estonian|publisher=FC Flora men's team|url=https://fcflora.ee/klubi-ajalugu|access-date=10 December 2019|archive-date=10 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190710144809/https://fcflora.ee/klubi-ajalugu/|url-status=live}}</ref>
[[File:FC Flora 1995.png|left|thumb|190x190px|[[Marek Lemsalu]] lifting Flora's first-ever [[Estonian Cup]] in 1995]]
In January 1996, [[Teitur Thordarson]] replaced Ubakivi as manager. Disappointing start in the [[1995–96 Meistriliiga|1995–96 season]] left the team in second place. Flora finished the [[1996–97 Meistriliiga|1996–97 season]] as runners-up once again. In the [[1997–98 Meistriliiga|1997–98 season]], the club won their first league title under Thordarson. Subsequently, the league format was changed and Flora managed to win [[1998 Meistriliiga|another title]] in the same calendar year. Flora made their debut in the [[UEFA Champions League]] for the first time in the [[1998–99 UEFA Champions League|1998–99 season]], narrowly losing to [[FC Steaua București|Steaua București]] 4–5 on aggregate in the first qualifying round. The club added another Estonian Cup trophy after defeating Lantana 3–2 in the finals. Since 1999, Meistriliiga adopted the current league format with the season running from Spring to Autumn within a single calendar year. The [[1999 Meistriliiga|1999 season]] was unsuccessful as Flora placed third. In 2000, [[Tarmo Rüütli]] was appointed as manager. Under Rüütli, Flora finished the [[2000 Meistriliiga|2000 season]] as runners-up behind [[FC Levadia Tallinn|Levadia]], who won the title without a single loss.<ref name="hist"/>

===New stadium and a new era (2001–2017)===
[[File:Lilleküla staadion 2010-07-12.jpg|thumb|220x220px|Construction around Lilleküla Stadium]]
In 2001, a new era began for Flora as the club moved to the new [[Lilleküla Stadium]] and Rüütli was replaced by [[Arno Pijpers]]. Under Pijpers, Flora won three consecutive Meistriliiga titles in [[2001 Meistriliiga|2001]], [[2002 Meistriliiga|2002]] and [[2003 Meistriliiga|2003]]. In the 2003 season, Flora won the league without losing a single league match, extending their unbeaten run from the previous season to 37, while [[Tor Henning Hamre]] scored a record 39 goals in a season. Pijpers left Flora in September 2004, before the end of the [[2004 Meistriliiga|2004 season]], and was replaced by [[Janno Kivisild]]. The team failed to defend the league title for another season, finishing in third place.<ref name="hist"/>

The [[2005 Meistriliiga|2005 season]] was unsuccessful as Flora placed fourth, 26 points behind the league champions [[FC TVMK|TVMK]]. This was the first time Flora didn't win a Meistriliiga medal since 1992. After the disappointing season, Kivisild was replaced by [[Pasi Rautiainen]]. In the [[2006–07 UEFA Cup]], Flora defeated [[FC Lyn Oslo|Lyn Oslo]] 1–1 on aggregate on away goals in the first qualifying round, before losing to [[Brøndby IF|Brøndby]] 0–4 on aggregate in the second qualifying round. The club finished the [[2006 Meistriliiga|2006 season]] in third place and placed second in the [[2007 Meistriliiga|2007 season]]. Flora also suffered their biggest margin of defeat in the Meistriliiga thus far, losing 0–6 to TVMK in 2007.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Meistriliiga 2017 - 36. Round |url=https://www.worldfootball.net/schedule/est-meistriliiga-2017/ |access-date=2023-06-05 |website=worldfootball.net |language=en |archive-date=5 June 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230605050403/https://www.worldfootball.net/schedule/est-meistriliiga-2017/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Flora finished the [[2008 Meistriliiga|2008 season]] as runners-up, behind Levadia once again, despite amassing 91 points and scoring 113 goals. Tarmo Rüütli returned to Flora for the [[2009 Meistriliiga|2009 season]], but failed to lead the club to winning the league, placing fourth. Flora were more successful in the Estonian Cup, winning the trophy in [[2007–08 Estonian Cup|2008]] and [[2008–09 Estonian Cup|2009]].<ref name="hist"/>

In 2010, Rüütli was replaced by the former Flora player and [[Estonia national football team|Estonia national team]] record cap holder [[Martin Reim]]. Under Reim, rejuvenated Flora ended the reign of Levadia who had won the four previous Meistriliiga titles and won the league in the [[2010 Meistriliiga|2010 season]]. Flora successfully defended their title in the [[2011 Meistriliiga|2011 season]] and won the [[2010–11 Estonian Cup]], defeating [[JK Narva Trans|Narva Trans]] 2–0 in the final. Flora finished the [[2012 Meistriliiga|2012 season]] in third place, behind the champions [[Nõmme Kalju FC|Nõmme Kalju]] and Levadia. After the season, Reim left the club and was replaced [[Marko Lelov]] in December 2012. Lelov won the [[2012–13 Estonian Cup]], but was sacked in July 2013 after disappointing results in the league. He was replaced by [[Norbert Hurt]], initially as a caretaker, with position being made permanent later. Flora finished the [[2013 Meistriliiga|2013 season]] in fourth place and placed third in [[2014 Meistriliiga|2014]].<ref name="hist"/>

In 2015, Flora celebrated their 25th anniversary by winning their 10th league title in the 34th round of the [[2015 Meistriliiga|season]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://jalgpall.ee/voistlused/uudised/tallinna-fc-flora--eesti-meister-2015-n8883|title=Tallinna FC Flora – Eesti meister 2015|trans-title=FC Flora Tallinn – Estonian champions 2015|publisher=Estonian Football Association|date=24 October 2015|language=Estonian|access-date=2 February 2018|archive-date=2 August 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180802011459/http://jalgpall.ee/voistlused/uudised/tallinna-fc-flora--eesti-meister-2015-n8883|url-status=live}}</ref> The club also won the [[2015–16 Estonian Cup]], defeating [[JK Sillamäe Kalev|Sillamäe Kalev]] 3–0 in extra time in the final. In May 2016, Aivar Pohlak resigned from the club's presidency and was succeeded by his son Pelle Pohlak. In the first qualifying round of the [[2016–17 UEFA Champions League]], Flora lost to [[Lincoln Red Imps F.C.|Lincoln Red Imps]] 2–3 on aggregate, after which Hurt resigned and was replaced by [[Argo Arbeiter]]. Flora finished the disappointing [[2016 Meistriliiga|2016 season]] in fourth place. Arbeiter was sacked and in January 2017, Arno Pijpers returned to take over as manager. In the [[2016 Meistriliiga|2017 season]], Flora won their 11th Meistriliiga title.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://jalgpall.ee/voistlused/uudised/fc-flora-kindlustas-meistritiitli-n12887|title=FC Flora kindlustas meistritiitli|trans-title=FC Flora secured league title|publisher=Estonian Football Association|date=28 October 2017|language=Estonian|access-date=2 February 2018|archive-date=28 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190328120438/http://jalgpall.ee/voistlused/uudised/fc-flora-kindlustas-meistritiitli-n12887|url-status=live}}</ref> In December 2017, it was announced that Pijpers will not continue as manager.

=== Jürgen Henn era (2018–2023) ===
[[File:Jürgen Henn.jpg|left|thumb|230x230px|[[Jürgen Henn]] is the most successful head coach in FC Flora's history]]
[[Jürgen Henn]] was appointed in Pijpers' place in January 2018. Under Henn, Flora won the [[2019 Meistriliiga]] and advanced through the first qualifying round of Europa League, beating [[FK Radnički Niš|Radnički Niš]] 4–2 on aggregate. Flora faced [[Eintracht Frankfurt]] in the second round which brought a record 8,537 people onto the stands in Tallinn, as Flora narrowly lost 1–2 with [[Mihkel Ainsalu]] scoring for the hosts.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |date=2019-07-25 |title=Frankfurdi Eintracht alistas kodus mänginud Flora |url=https://sport.err.ee/964392/frankfurdi-eintracht-alistas-kodus-manginud-flora |access-date= |website=ERR |language=et}}</ref> The second leg saw Flora face the German side at the sold out [[Waldstadion (Frankfurt)|Waldstadion]], where they were again defeated 1–2 in front of a crowd of 48,000.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |date=2019-08-01 |title=VIDEO {{!}} Sinjavski kaunis kauglöök vaigistas 48 000 Frankfurdi toetajat |url=https://sport.err.ee/967020/video-sinjavski-kaunis-kauglook-vaigistas-48-000-frankfurdi-toetajat |access-date= |website=ERR |language=et}}</ref> Despite the result, Flora players were celebrated by the Eintracht fans after the final whistle for their impressive performance, with Eintracht manager [[Adi Hütter]] labelling the scene as extraordinary and touching.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2019-08-02 |title=Europa League: Fans von Eintracht Frankfurt feiern Tallinns Spieler |url=https://www.welt.de/sport/fussball/article197830727/Europa-League-Fans-von-Eintracht-Frankfurt-feiern-Tallinns-Spieler.html |access-date= |website=Die Welt |language=de}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2019-08-02 |title=SGE-EL-Quali: Emotionale Minuten nach dem Abpfiff |url=https://www.fr.de/eintracht-frankfurt/eintracht-frankfurt-el-quali-emotionale-minuten-nach-abpfiff-zr-12881951.html |access-date= |website=Frankfurter Rundschau |language=de}}</ref> Led by Jürgen Henn, Flora won the treble in 2020 by lifting the 2020 Estonian Supercup, the [[2019–20 Estonian Cup]] and the [[2020 Meistriliiga]] title. The club also advanced to the UEFA Europa League qualifying play-offs, where they lost 1–3 to [[GNK Dinamo Zagreb|Dinamo Zagreb]] on 1 October 2020.[[File:Flora vs Eintracht Frankfurt 2019.jpg|thumb|250x250px|Flora facing [[Eintracht Frankfurt]] in the UEFA Europa League second qualifying round in 2019]]Flora became the first Estonian side to advance to a [[UEFA#Club|UEFA club competitions]] group stage when they beat [[Shamrock Rovers F.C.|Shamrock Rovers]] 5–2 on aggregate to qualify for the [[2021–22 UEFA Europa Conference League]] on 26 August 2021,<ref>{{cite web |title=Ajalugu tehtud! Flora mängib alagrupis! |url=https://soccernet.ee/artikkel/ajalugu-tehtud-flora-mangib-alagrupis |website=Soccernet.ee |access-date=27 August 2021 |date=26 August 2021 |archive-date=27 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210827113054/https://soccernet.ee/artikkel/ajalugu-tehtud-flora-mangib-alagrupis |url-status=live }}</ref> where they were drawn into group B against [[K.A.A. Gent|Gent]] of Belgium, [[FK Partizan|Partizan]] of Serbia and [[Anorthosis Famagusta F.C.|Anorthosis Famagusta]] of Cyprus.<ref>{{cite web |title=Mourinhot ja Kane'i ei tulnud: Flora sai ajaloolised eurovastased Serbiast, Belgiast ja Küproselt (vaata ka Euroopa liiga gruppe!) |url=https://soccernet.ee/artikkel/mourinhot-ja-kanei-ei-tulnud-flora-sai-ajaloolised-eurovastased-serbiast-belgiast-ja-kuproselt |website=Soccernet.ee |access-date=27 August 2021 |date=27 August 2021 |archive-date=27 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210827161458/https://soccernet.ee/artikkel/mourinhot-ja-kanei-ei-tulnud-flora-sai-ajaloolised-eurovastased-serbiast-belgiast-ja-kuproselt |url-status=live }}</ref> The 2–2 draw away against Anorthosis was the first ever point picked up by an Estonian side in UEFA group stage history, with [[Rauno Sappinen]] scoring both goals as Flora came from 2–0 down to earn a point in Cyprus. On match day 5, Flora made more history by beating Partizan 1–0 in Tallinn, thanks to a goal from [[Martin Miller (footballer)|Martin Miller]]. This result meant that they became the first ever Estonian side to win a game in a UEFA group stage.

After finishing the [[2021 Meistriliiga|2021 Meistriliiga season]] as runners-up, FC Flora won their 14th Estonian championship title in the [[2022 Meistriliiga|2022 season]], earning 97 points and thus repeating Levadia's 2009 record of most points in a season. Flora lifted their 15th league title in [[2023 Meistriliiga|2023]]. On 30 November 2023, Jürgen Henn announced he will be stepping down after six years in charge, marking the end of the longest and most successful managerial tenure in Flora's history.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=2023-11-30 |title=Flora head coach Jürgen Henn to step down after six years in charge |url=https://news.err.ee/1609181320/flora-head-coach-jurgen-henn-to-step-down-after-six-years-in-charge |access-date= |website=ERR |language=en}}</ref>

=== Recent history (2024–present) ===
Flora replaced Henn with their sporting director and former manager Norbert Hurt, under whom the club started the 2024 season by lifting their 12th Estonian Supercup in February 2024. However in July, Hurt resigned after a disappointing 0–5 home loss in the Champions League first qualifying round and was replaced by the club's U21 head coach Taavi Viik.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=13 July 2024 |title=No more years of Hurt for Flora as coach steps down after Champions League loss |url=https://news.err.ee/1609396156/no-more-years-of-hurt-for-flora-as-coach-steps-down-after-champions-league-loss |access-date= |website=ERR |language=en}}</ref> Flora finished the [[2024 Meistriliiga|2024 season]] in fourth place, their first outside the top three finish in eight years. The club appointed their recently retired player [[Konstantin Vassiljev]] as head coach for the following season.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=2024-11-25 |title=Konstantin Vassiljev appointed new head coach of Flora Tallinn |url=https://news.err.ee/1609532155/konstantin-vassiljev-appointed-new-head-coach-of-flora-tallinn |access-date= |website=ERR |language=}}</ref>