The President of the Football Federation, Armand Duka, in an interview for RTSH with journalist Kristo Thoma, addressed various issues related to Albanian football.
He spoke about the U-17 European Championship currently being held in Albania, about the “Abissnet Superiore” and the “Final 4” phase, as well as about the two upcoming matches of the National Team within the qualifiers for the World Cup.
Below is the full interview of President Duka for RTSH:
In Albania, the Under 17 European Championship is taking place. How satisfied are you with this championship being held in our country?
-We are in the middle of the championship. It is an important event for Albanian football. It is an important event for football in general. It is one of the most important competitions organized by the European football institution. It would not be news if this championship was held in England, France, or Germany, but for a country like Albania, or countries of the same level, it is news. It is historic news because for the first time a final tournament is organized in Albania.
Being so historic, so important, we have also given our maximum attention to organizing it as well as possible, under the best possible conditions. To offer the maximum comfort to the teams visiting Albania, the maximum training and hospitality conditions that we generally offer, and I believe we have succeeded. I have received opinions from the participating teams, and the impressions have been very positive for everything they have experienced so far. The sporting part, whether they have had positive results or not, is in the hands of the teams themselves. What we have done to prepare this European Championship has been at really high levels, more than what is done for a competition of this level in other countries. We are really satisfied with what we have achieved and with the promotion we are giving to football in Albania and its future to have as many children around the game of football as possible.
Between the Conference League final and the U-21 European Championship comes this event. What is the secret detail for bringing these competitions to our country?
-You have to show that you know how to organize such competitions. You need to have the conditions to organize. Every competition has its own level of requirements, and we have met the maximum of what we can fulfill as criteria. The infrastructure in Albanian football has changed because if we didn’t have the necessary infrastructure, it would be impossible to get such events. The organizational level of the Football Association has changed; it has gained a lot of experience. We have organized every year tournaments, mini European qualifying tournaments, which maybe don’t seem so many. But we have gained the experience to request the U17 European Championship, U21, or the Conference League final. This is the maximum level that we can organize now. We will try for more, maybe some youth world cup in cooperation with others.
How do we win that final sprint with others to organize such events?
-First, you must aim for it. Once upon a time, we didn’t even think about such a thing. There are countries that don’t think about it and others that don’t want to open themselves to unnecessary troubles. Better without it. Sometimes when you think about the controversies created by organizing the U-21 Championship, you say when we were without it, we had no discussions. We were still better men. But the more work you do, the more discussions and controversies there are. We try to do as much as possible. The key is the conditions, organizational experience, and certainly also the trust or relationship that the Football Federation creates in international organizations.
Is the Euro U17 an important test also for the AFA?
-It is a test for ourselves and a test for UEFA, to see how well we can do this job. Undeniable experience to be ready for a competition of an even higher level like the Under 21 European Championship, which I am very confident we will do well. Our genetic flaw is that we can’t program it well and do it much earlier. We do it at the last moment.
Will investments in infrastructure remain in Albanian football? Many fields have been invested in before Euro U17?
-For the preparation of this European Championship, there has been extraordinary work, maybe invisible. All teams that come need to train, and to prepare those training fields that they will use for 15 days, we have worked for 1 year. To bring them to satisfactory levels because natural fields are needed. If you look today at the Luz stadium, one of the stadiums where teams train, it is in perfect condition. The same as the National Arena or all other stadiums, in Lushnja, in Shijak, in Durres, Selman Stermasi, Skender Halili, “House of Football” fields. For all of these, extraordinary work has been done. But also the stadiums, except for the National Arena that did not need intervention, Elbasan needed intervention, Durres even more because it is a worn-out stadium and is thought it might be demolished.
Egnatia Arena is a stadium almost built from scratch with the contribution of the club and the AFA. A big job has been done. It is a big army of people, about 100 people working for the organization or preparation of the European Championship, with more than 200 volunteers. We have had a considerable attendance in stadiums, the average number of fans has been high, and I think it will increase even more. Our goal is to have a full stadium in the final. The average number so far is 4,500 spectators, a record number relative to the population. But not a total record, since Germany holds the record with 5,500 a few years ago. A very large volume of work, but the result is positive. The championship has reached in a way its purpose, to promote football even more. To give pleasure also to people who enjoy it, we have seen really beautiful matches. I have enjoyed some beautiful matches, sometimes it seems to me as if the teams are playing as senior national teams.
Could the renovation of Selman Stermasi have been done earlier so Tirana could play in Tirana?
-Certainly it could have been done. It is not a difficult thing, but you have to commit. And the club should have committed to do it. We have made these 10 fields for the European Championship and to continue not to damage them we have invested in equipment and machinery that we will donate to the clubs to maintain them at the same level. I hope that after the European Championship clubs will not misuse and damage them because natural grass must be maintained. If you undervalue the field for two days, it dies. I hope we have done the maximum to sensitize the clubs and municipalities that own these assets to maintain them.
Reasons that have brought many fans to the stadium for Euro U17 matches?
-The main thing has been the organization. Promotion of the European Championship not only by the Federation, but we have had very good cooperation with the 4 municipalities where the matches are held. Surprisingly, cooperation with Rrogozhina has been perfect. Small places have more desire for these events. Tirana has many other things to do. With the Ministry of Education we have had very good cooperation to bring students to the stadium. And certainly the importance and the good level of the European Championship.
What can we all do to increase the number of fans in the stadium even in championship matches?
-It is complex to bring fans back to the stadium. There are several factors to work on to improve. In my opinion, the level of football is last, and I argue with facts that in the 5th German category the stadium is full, even though the level is lower than our championship. People go to the stadium because they have fun those 2 hours, they have good infrastructure, which has improved also in Albania. They also have a better cultural environment, clubs are better organized. There are village teams in Germany that have full stadiums. They have promoted better. What we need to do is to promote positively, have as little negativity as possible because it is a product. If you say my product is not healthy, not good, no one will take it.
When you say negativity that is not true, you harm football. When we harm the branch where we sit ourselves, it is hard to stay. You lose a football match and pour venom against the game, the opponent, the referee. Why invite people to the stadium when these things said are not true? Football has a lot of emotion, it is not easy to manage emotions. It is not easy to be calm if you haven’t got a result and accept it. You have to have a satisfactory level. You have to manage emotions. That’s why I take Germany as an example. It does not happen that after losing the match the coach says I won’t come to the conference because I lost the match. Club organization, football promotion, infrastructure conditions, and messages we give influence the number of fans in the stadium.
How satisfied are you with the season that just ended in our championship?
-The special thing that the Albanian championship has had in the last 10 years is competition. There are no easily predictable matches. The place in the standings or home advantage does not matter. This is the most beautiful thing. Even this championship until the last day had competition, emotion. The 3 teams that would play in the Final 4 were known, but all other verdicts were undetermined. But also Egnatia, Vllaznia, and Dinamo fought for the ranking position. A fight until the last day with emotion. With an even better and satisfying level. For me also better organized, even by clubs. Which gives me hope and confidence that we will have even better organization and why not more spectators. We have started a project as a federation with clubs to assist them to promote better, organize and market better, so there will be more fans in the stadium. And I believe we will achieve positive results for this.
A concern or criticism for this championship? What needs to be improved immediately?
-Football is a game that has criticisms inside. They should serve to improve it, not to criticize without logic. I do not want to talk about the organizational part, which is the responsibility of the association. I believe the federation has done a lot this season with 50 matches per month in the championship. That’s a big workload and responsibility. It has handled it very well. I will talk about the technical part. Clubs must have more quality and more young players to play more often. It is our request. Our attention must be in this direction.
You said earlier that you will evaluate the Final 4 after the championship ends. What do you think now?
-Final 4 has brought more interest and a double increase in the number of fans compared to the league phase. The goal has been achieved. Football has been better. Emotion has been more. Teams have played at their maximum level. I think we will keep the Final 4 for next year. But the final decision will be taken after the end of the championship and after clubs analyze it and give their opinion. We will see how Final 4 will influence the level of the championship.
Does the federation financially support the clubs for the Final 4?
-Yes. The association gives money. The clubs have big financial difficulties, and the federation has helped the clubs with some money to support the organization of the Final 4.
You have often said that you want more players from the Albanian league in the national youth teams. What have you done about this?
-We have talked about it internally and want to make policies and regulations to encourage Albanian players from the Albanian league. This will increase motivation for players and clubs. It is a positive thing.
Can Albania qualify for the World Cup?
-Yes, I am optimistic. When we qualified for the European Championship, many laughed. Now we aim to qualify for the World Cup. It is difficult, but not impossible. We have real chances in the group to fight for second place behind England and ahead of Serbia and others. We need to believe and make efforts on and off the field.
What do you expect from the upcoming important match against Serbia?
-I want us to win, to keep alive the chance for the playoffs. It is a difficult opponent but we can compete. We need the fans to be positive, not to put pressure. Positive energy helps the team perform better.
About ticket prices for national team matches?
-Prices are set reflecting growing costs and the federation’s financial needs to support football without external help. Tickets are reasonably priced. VIP tickets are limited and not for resale. Criticism often comes from misinformation or bad intentions.
Final message to the fans?
-Let’s enjoy football positively, support each other and the team, and focus on the sport itself.
