Fricis Kaņeps

Infobox Football biography
playername= Fricis Kaņeps
fullname = Voldemārs Fricis Kaņeps
dateofbirth = birth date|1916|08|10
cityofbirth = Riga
countryofbirth = Russian Empire
dateofdeath = death date and age|1981|11|30|1916|08|10
cityofdeath = Staicele
countryofdeath = Latvian SSR
position = Forward
youthyears =
youthclubs =
years = 1932-1935
1936
1937-1940
1940
1941
1942
clubs = Ventspils Spars
Olimpija Liepāja
RFK
FK Dinamo Riga
RGK Riga
RFK
caps(goals) =
(13)
nationalyears = 1937–1940
nationalteam = Latvia
nationalcaps(goals) = 012 (7)

Fricis Kaņeps (August 10, 1916 in Ventspils - November 30, 1981 in Staicele) was a Latvian footballer. He was one of the most powerful Latvian forwards of the 1930s who didn't have a very good technique but compensated it mostly by his physical strength. In earlier years when still playing in Ventspils Kaņeps also played in defence.

Biography

Fricis Kaņeps was the most notable footballer from Ventspils in the era between the two world wars. The first club that he played for was Ventspils Spars, one of the strongest sides in Zemgale at the time. Before the 1936 he moved to Liepāja to play with the best football club in Latvia outside Riga - Olimpija Liepāja [ [http://www.periodika.lv/Repository/getFiles.asp?Style=OliveXLib:LowLevelEntityToSaveGifMSIE_LATVIAARCHL&Type=text/html&Locale=latvian-skin-custom&Path=SSP/1935/11/25&ChunkNum=-1&ID=Ar00501&PageLabel=5 What has football of Ventspils given] ] . This was a serious step in forward for Kaņeps and the year which he spent with Olimpija was a very productive one. Olimpija won the Latvian Higher League title and Kaņeps was the club's best goalscorer with 12 league goals (just one less than the overall leader Aleksandrs Vanags) [ [http://www.periodika.lv/Repository/getFiles.asp?Style=OliveXLib:LowLevelEntityToSaveGifMSIE_LATVIAARCHL&Type=text/html&Locale=latvian-skin-custom&Path=SSP/1936/10/29&ChunkNum=-1&ID=Ar00800 List of 1936 goalscorers] ] .

After just one season with Olimpija Kaņeps moved to Riga where he joined the strongest local side - RFK. [ [http://www.periodika.lv/Repository/getFiles.asp?Style=OliveXLib:LowLevelEntityToSaveGifMSIE_LATVIAARCHL&Type=text/html&Locale=latvian-skin-custom&Path=JAZ/1936/12/16&ChunkNum=-1&ID=Ar00501&PageLabel=5 Sportsmen change citizenship] ] . In the first year with RFK Kaņeps scored 11 league goals, a tally which he could have improved had he not gotten ill before the end of the season [ [http://www.periodika.lv/Repository/getFiles.asp?Style=OliveXLib:LowLevelEntityToSaveGifMSIE_LATVIAARCHL&Type=text/html&Locale=latvian-skin-custom&Path=SSP/1938/05/30&ChunkNum=-1&ID=Ar00802 Best goalscorers in 1937-38] ] .

Kaņeps played with RFK until its dissolution in 1940. Over the four years with the club he won his second Latvian league title and became a two-time winner of the Latvian Cup. In addition to good success with the club since 1937 he became a regular selection for the Latvia national football team. He made his international début in a 1937 friendly against Germany alongside his main competitor as the best goalscorer in the Latvian league Aleksandrs Vanags [ [http://www.periodika.lv/Default/Skins/LatviaArchL/Client.asp?Skin=LatviaArchL&enter=true&AW=1220340293763&AppName=2 Latvia - Germany 1:3!] ] . In 1937 Kaņeps was a member of the Latvian team that won the Baltic Cup, he also scored several goals for Latvia in world cup qualifiers against Lithuania.

In 1940 after RFK was disbanded Kaņeps played with Dinamo Riga, the next year - with RGK Riga. In 1942 he played with the reformed RFK.

In 1945 Kaņeps was arrested and deported to Siberia. After his return to Latvia he lived and played football in Staicele where he lived until his death in 1981.

Honours

Club Titles

*Latvian Higher League: 1936 (Olimpija Liepāja), 1940 (RFK)
*Latvian Cup: 1937 (RFK), 1939 (RFK)

National Team
*Baltic Cup: 1937

References