Janis Rozitis
Encyclopedia
Jānis Rozītis was a Latvian
football
forward, a two time champion of Latvia and a Latvia national football team
regular in mid 1930s.
. He played his first official matches for the side in 1932 and in 1933 he became a regular. On 10 June 1934 Rozītis made his first international appearance for Latvia as he replaced another youngster - Ēriks Raisters
in a friendly match against Lithuania
. He scored his first goal for Latvia in a friendly against Estonia national football team
on 12 June 1935. In total between 1934 and 1939 Rozītis scored 7 goals over 26 matches. With RFK Rozītis won the Latvian Higher League titles in 1934 and 1935.
After the 1936 season Rozītis left RFK and continued playing with the football club of his work place - biggest Riga factory VEF
. Rozītis had been playing with VEF Rīga
in addition to RFK since at least 1934 in clerks
tournaments but as VEF side was aiming for the top-flight it acquired several higher class footballers to play with its side full time, and Rozītis was the most notable of those.
Although it wasn't until 1939 when VEF gained a place in the Latvian Higher League, Rozītis did not lose his place in the national team in 1938 and 1939. He stayed with VEF after Latvia was annexed by the Soviet Union
in 1940 and he also stayed there when Latvia was occupied by Nazi Germany
in 1941. Rozītis died in an accident on 3 May 1942 together with two other VEF footballers - Leonīds Peiča and Arnolds Boka.
Latvia
Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...
football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
forward, a two time champion of Latvia and a Latvia national football team
Latvia national football team
The Latvian national football team is controlled by the Latvian Football Federation, the governing body for football in Latvia and represents the country in international football competitions, such as the World Cup and the European Championships. So far, they have never qualified for a FIFA World...
regular in mid 1930s.
Biography
Rozītis started playing football with the youth squad of RFKRigas FK
Riga FK was a Latvian football club which was founded December 14, 1923. It was the strongest and most popular Latvian football club in 1920s and 1930s, it was also the base team for Latvia national football team in its early years...
. He played his first official matches for the side in 1932 and in 1933 he became a regular. On 10 June 1934 Rozītis made his first international appearance for Latvia as he replaced another youngster - Ēriks Raisters
Eriks Raisters
Ēriks Raisters was a Latvian right-wing football forward who played 27 international matches for Latvia between 1934 and 1940.-Club playing career:...
in a friendly match against Lithuania
Lithuania national football team
The national football team of Lithuania is under the auspices of the Lithuanian Football Federation. It played its first match in 1923. In 1940, Lithuania was occupied by the Soviet Union; the country regained its independence in 1990 and played their first match as a new nation against Georgia on...
. He scored his first goal for Latvia in a friendly against Estonia national football team
Estonia
Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...
on 12 June 1935. In total between 1934 and 1939 Rozītis scored 7 goals over 26 matches. With RFK Rozītis won the Latvian Higher League titles in 1934 and 1935.
After the 1936 season Rozītis left RFK and continued playing with the football club of his work place - biggest Riga factory VEF
VEF
VEF, Latvian acronym for Valsts Elektrotehniskā Fabrika , is a manufacturer of electrical and electronic products in Riga, Latvia. VEF was the biggest Latvian factory in Soviet era and the leading communication technology producer in the Soviet Union...
. Rozītis had been playing with VEF Rīga
VEF Riga
VEF Rīga is the name of a professional basketball club that is based in Riga, Latvia. The club plays their home domestic league games at Olimpiskais Sporta Centrs in Riga. VEF Rīga is the oldest professional basketball club in Latvia and the Baltic region. The club name VEF came from the radio...
in addition to RFK since at least 1934 in clerks
Clerks
Clerks is a 1994 independent comedy film written and directed by Kevin Smith, who also appears in the film as Silent Bob. Starring Brian O'Halloran as Dante Hicks and Jeff Anderson as Randal Graves, it presents a day in the lives of two store clerks and their acquaintances...
tournaments but as VEF side was aiming for the top-flight it acquired several higher class footballers to play with its side full time, and Rozītis was the most notable of those.
Although it wasn't until 1939 when VEF gained a place in the Latvian Higher League, Rozītis did not lose his place in the national team in 1938 and 1939. He stayed with VEF after Latvia was annexed by the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
in 1940 and he also stayed there when Latvia was occupied by Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
in 1941. Rozītis died in an accident on 3 May 1942 together with two other VEF footballers - Leonīds Peiča and Arnolds Boka.
Honours
- Latvian Higher League: 1934, 1935
- Baltic Cup: 1937