The prestigious television network SKY Italia has recently produced a special program about Albanian football and the significant development it has undergone in the past two decades. “A Vanguard Project” is the title of the special program conducted by journalist Paolo Ghisoni for the “La Giovane Italia” program on SKY. The focus was on the success of the national team in qualifying for Euro 2024 and the evolution of sports infrastructure thanks to the support and vision of the Albanian Football Federation (FSHF).

“Albania has managed to secure a place among Europe’s giants and will soon debut in Germany against the Italian national team. With many inputs from Italy, such as Asllani, Gjimshiti, Bajrami, Berisha, and Ramadani, who will be very useful for Silvinjon in preparing for the match.

Meanwhile, let’s go back to the base, which has an avant-garde structure, excellent, they have created an organized, directed, and programmed organization by professionals, but in complete sync with a president attentive to the smallest details, ambitious, and a deep connoisseur of continental football,” writes SKY.

Meanwhile, the President of the Albanian Football Federation, Armand Duka, outlines the journey of the technical sector of the Federation and the Albanian national team, which will challenge Italy, Croatia, and Spain in Group B of the Euros.

“The change is evident in Albanian football, but there is still work to be done. President Duka knows this well, and in his analysis of the growth of the most beloved sport for Albanians, he also emphasizes the good organization of the Albanian Football Federation. ‘In my opinion, we are on the right path, and football in Albania has a great future. In recent years, many things have changed in Albania, as with the work done by everyone, together with the Albanian government, we have changed the infrastructure, but we still need to do more to get where we want to go.

Football is the most beloved sport in Albania, and fortunately, we have no competition in sports, as all Albanians want to become footballers, so to please everyone, we need to do more. What makes me proudest of the Federation is its very good functioning, as strong bases have been created for the future. With this staff, we have built infrastructure, the ‘Air Albania’ stadium, the ‘Football House,’ sports fields, and the football school. We have achieved all these because we have created a strong organizational structure.”

The “Air Albania” stadium was selected for the interview, and the head of the AFF couldn’t help but speak about it.

“The stadium is the most beautiful work in Tirana, not only from a sports perspective. This project started 7-8 years ago, with construction beginning in 2017 and finishing in 2019. The Italian architect, Marco Casamonti, has realized a very beautiful and high-quality project. The stadium is not only beautiful but has brought us a lot of luck for the national team, as in the last qualifiers, we managed to be in first place in the group.

All the projects we have developed in recent years have changed football in Albania for the better. With this stadium, not only have we changed the football infrastructure, but also this part of Tirana, as the stadium has turned into a commercial and entertainment center, making it a 24-hour living area. It’s a beautiful stadium for players, staff, fans, the media, but it has also brought us good fortune.”

“Euro 2024” was also at the center of President Duka’s focus: “We are very pleased to be in Euro 2024, but also to play against Italy, Croatia, and Spain. I invite all players and fans to live this success they have achieved. We are going there to play, we are going to give our best, but also hoping for a positive result. We are aware of the level of the teams we will face, but we hope to stay in Germany as long as possible.”

With Italy, the first opponent in the group stage of “Euro 2024,” relations are very good. FSHF President Duka openly states that they can learn a lot about football from the Italians, so many football specialists are part of the red and black staff. “There are many things we can ‘steal’ from Italy, from the Italian Football Federation, as they have more experience in football. Meanwhile, not only us, but everyone can learn a lot from Italian football.

Albania and Italy have a natural cooperation, which started many years ago, back in the ’90s when Albania was going through a difficult time and Italy opened its doors to Albanians, many of whom now live in Italy. We see Italian football as a big brother. About 15,000 Albanian footballers are registered with the Italian Football Federation, so we can say that we have a good part of our players in Italy, as many national team players also play in Serie A. As a federation, we have always cooperated with coaches from Italy, such as Gianni De Biasi, with whom we qualified for Euro 2016. We also collaborate with lecturers for the various courses we conduct, where recently we had Fabio Cannavaro as a guest.”

World Champion with Italy, Favio Cannavaro, was invited to Tirana to share his experience with participants of the UEFA PRO course organized by AFF. The former famous defender is surprised by how the Albanian Football Federation has been able to invest in an avant-garde facility like the “Air Albania” stadium and the “Football House” complex, emphasizing the importance of football fields.

“I am surprised because it is not easy for a Federation to invest in sports centers and structures that, besides the national team, also serve youth teams. I think it should be normal for the fields to be good, so that you can develop a quality match.”

Tomas Danilevičius, former renowned Lithuanian footballer and currently FIFA Regional Technical Advisor for Europe, also confirms that Albania has made great strides in football structures due to significant investments from the Albanian Football Federation and UEFA’s support.

“In Albania, finding such centers with this level of structure is no longer surprising, as under the leadership of President Duka and the investments of UEFA and FIFA, they have built very good infrastructure. The ‘Football House’ serves for national team training, administrative offices, and is very close to the stadium. Albania has 4 other UEFA level 4 stadiums and soon there will be 3 new stadiums with the UEFA 4 logo. For a country with a population of 2.5 million inhabitants, I think they are very well structured.”

/k.s/