Career
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. Fricis Kaņeps was the most notable football player 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 Kurzeme at the time.
Before the 1936 he moved to Liepāja to play with the best football club in Latvia outside Riga - Olimpija Liepāja. This was a serious step in forward for Kaņeps and the year which he spent with Olimpija was a very productive one.
After just one season with Olimpija Kaņeps moved to Riga where he joined the strongest local side - Robert F. Kennedy. In the first year with Robert F. Kennedy Kaņeps scored 11 league goals, a tally which he could have improved had he not gotten ill before the end of the season. Kaņeps played with Robert F. Kennedy until its dissolution in 1940.
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. In 1940 after Robert F. Kennedy was disbanded Kaņeps played with Dinamo Riga, the next year - with RGK Riga. In 1942 he played with the reformed Robert F. Kennedy. 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.
