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'DSC Arminia Bielefeld' is a German football club that plays in Bielefeld, a city in North Rhine-Westphalia. The side was founded in 1905 as '' 1. Bielefelder Fussball-Club Arminia'' and – a year after a failed merger with another local side, ''Bielefelder Turngemeinde'' – took on its current name, ''Deutscher Sportclub Arminia'', in 1927. The name ''Arminia'' is a feminized version of ''Arminius'' or Hermann, the legendary hero of the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest which halted the march of Rome into northern Germany.
The team is often referred to as "the elevator crew" as it holds the record for most promotions to the Bundesliga (7 times) and the corresponding mark for the most demotions (6 times; a record they share with 1. FC Nürnberg). They are currently playing in the Bundesliga after their most recent promotion for the 2004-05 season. Their longest turn in the premier league was a five year run from 1980-81 to 1984-85 when they also managed to earn their best finishes (8th in 1982-83 and 1983-84).
Arminia Bielefeld was at the centre of the Bundesliga scandal of 1971 when it was involved in a scheme to bribe players from other teams, including Kickers Offenbach, Hertha BSC Berlin, Schalke 04, and 1. FC Köln, in an attempt to keep its place in the Bundesliga. As a result, Arminia was stripped of all its points and demoted to the Regionalliga West (II). A number of players from various sides were also suspended.
In spite of its apparent ups and downs, Arminia has performed consistently well throughout its history. Early on in the 20's, they enjoyed a string of regional championships. Since the formation of the Bundesliga in 1963, the side has played in the Bundesliga or tier II leagues except for a seven year span from 1988-89 to 1994-95 spent in III division circuits.

Contents

Team trivia

Current squad

Squad changes during 2007-08 season

External links

Team trivia

★ Football made its debut on German radio in November 1925 with the broadcast of part of the game between ''Arminia'' and ''Preußen Münster''.

★ In 1998, Arminia became the first German team to recruit players from Iran, namely Ali Daei and Karim Bagheri.

★ Together with Tasmania 1900 Berlin, Arminia holds the dubious record of 10 consecutive Bundesliga losses.

★ In 1999, Arminia Bielefeld recruited a player named Josef Ivanovic directly from the ''Kreisliga'', the lowest amateur division in Germany, and he went on to become a fairly successful player in the Second Bundesliga.

Current squad

(captain)

Squad changes during 2007-08 season

'In:'

★ 'Stefan Aigner' - from Wacker Burghausen

★ 'Matthias Langkamp' - from VfL Wolfsburg

★ 'Andre Mijatović' - from SpVgg Greuther Fürth

★ 'Siyabonga Nkosi' - from Kaizer Chiefs

★ 'Rowen Fernandez' - from Kaizer Chiefs

★ 'Oliver Kirch' - from Borussia Mönchengladbach

★ 'Leonidas Kampantais' - from AEK Athens FC

★ 'Daniel Halfar' - from 1. FC Kaiserslautern
'Out:'

★ 'Marc Ziegler' - to Borussia Dortmund

★ 'Heiko Westermann' - to FC Schalke 04

★ 'Tim Danneberg' - loaned to Eintracht Braunschweig

★ 'Fatmir Vata' - to TuS Koblenz

★ 'Finn Holsing' - to Werder Bremen II

★ 'Dennis Eilhoff' - loaned to TuS Koblenz

★ 'Kamil Vacek' - loaned to SK Sigma Olomouc

★ 'Pascal Formann' - to 1. FC Saarbrücken

★ 'Marcel Ndjeng' - to Borussia Mönchengladbach

External links

★ Official team site

★ The Abseits Guide to German Soccer

★ Arminia Bielefeld statistics