The President of the Football Federation, Armand Duka, gave an interview on the show “Andale Sport” with journalists Flori Thomaj and Benard Lazri.
During the interview, he spoke about his career, experience in business and football, the development of the Federation, organizing a European Championship for the first time in our country, future goals, the “Abissnet Superiore” championship, as well as the Albanian National Team’s match against Serbia on June 7.
Below is President Duka’s full interview for “Andale Sport”:
– You come from a family involved early on in both sports and business. Do you think your business experience influenced the revival of Albanian football?
– In a way, everything is management. Management is a universal concept, and this has helped me. My profession is economist for industry, which I studied. I would say management is the same everywhere. The experience you gain from managing a business can help in the football field, and vice versa. There is a kind of synergy.
– The last major event in Albania was the U17 Euro Championship. What did Albania gain from this competition?
– There was a lot of work preparing and building infrastructure. Sport can be compared to art. Preparing a match is not just 22 players on the field; there is huge preparation, especially when you have a European competition, even with only 8 teams.
Ten football fields were renovated. Work was done on 4 stadiums where matches are played, especially in Rrogozhinë, which was almost rebuilt from scratch. Albanian football gained promotion, young people coming to the stadium stands, and our main goal is to bring them closer to sport. There are also benefits for the country’s image. A little from U17, a little from U21, a little from the sea, a little from the mountains, a little from everything — and we will grow.
– What do you think the Albanian U17 team lacked to perform even better?
– I am satisfied with what the boys gave on the field. We were in a competition with the 7 best teams in Europe, a competition where Spain was left out. We have a good and promising team. These boys will grow and the time will come to see them in Albania’s senior team.
I would be happier if we were European champions, but the fact that we are competitive in a European competition is a good thing. They grow and gain experience. All of us, the Federation’s administration, also gain extraordinary experience. I am not the one to grade the organization, but at an official dinner with the team delegations, the representative of the English federation told me that they organized the U17 European Championship in 2018 and that he had been to several U17 Euros, but never participated in a better-organized one than this.
It’s not about flattering ourselves, but it shows that we gained the right experience, took a step forward, and we aim to go even further because this is also a self-test for the U21 European Championship in 2027.
– One of AFA’s goals is to double the number of children playing football. How will this be achieved concretely?
– This is one of the Federation’s main goals but also a difficult challenge, even though we have made progress. There are two fundamental reasons: unfortunately, there are fewer children in Albania, and second, infrastructure is lacking. We have improved qualitatively, also training facilities, but the physical inventory of football fields is missing.
Street football is missing, and the only way is to have organized football with structured organization. It is truly missing where it should be most, in high-density cities like Tirana.
Because free spaces in Tirana are limited or have been used for construction. We fight to grow and have made projects to increase inventory, offering financing and grants also to any municipality or individual who will build a football field.
– Another important organization is the U21 Euro, also widely discussed because of the cooperation with Serbia. What is the current status?
– We have prepared every plan. We passed the competition phase to get the right to organize the championship. We have appointed the staff and are ready. It is more difficult than the U17 because it is the second most important UEFA European Championship. The level of difficulty is high.
We have determined where the matches will be played, where training will take place, and accommodation sites, and we have 2 years to prepare it. I am confident we will do it in the best possible way. The decision to take a championship together with Serbia is not easy. This is a sports organization. The championships will be played in two different countries.
My message is positive. We must look ahead. The whole world talks about peaceful relations and development, so we must not leave war to our children but peace.
– The match against Serbia is approaching on June 7.
– This match has sensitivity, but also Albania’s experience in organizing matches against Serbia or somewhat similarly against Greece. What must be focused on is the sporting result because in this group, everyone who follows football projects England as first place, and this match gives us the chance to continue dreaming or dims that hope.
From a sporting perspective, I still think it is difficult and there is pressure on the boys playing. Expectations are high and the stadium will be packed. I hope the pressure will not crush our team but be a push to help achieve a positive result. I hope our team uses it positively.
– Is there fear of incidents in Tirana?
– We cooperate with the organizing institutions. We call on all supporters to see this as a football match. Cooperate with us for a positive organization, with the emotions of a football match. Incidents help no one. Let’s support the team and move forward.
– Recently, Igli Tare became sporting director at Milan. How do you feel about this achievement?
– I know him closely and remember when he was a player for the National Team. He is very dedicated and works hard. He has worked a lot. I have confidence, and he has shown that he does that job well. This is not personal pride, but pride for an Albanian succeeding on the international stage. Our successes on the international stage are not many, so we should be proud to have the sporting director of Milan with Albanian origin. Especially since I am somewhat a Milan supporter.
– Do you think the championship is also making progress like the National Team?
– For the championship to make further progress, be more attractive, with more quality and spectators, it needs better organization of clubs and financial support. It is not easy for clubs to generate finances to raise the level, so support is needed, which has always been missing in Albanian legislation.
History has shown that club presidents, with the desire to make a better team, have sometimes ruined their business, and this is not good. From the state budget, football clubs are not financed, and it has always been like that from political powers in power.
We have proposed a legal package to support football, taking example from other countries. It’s the same as the Hungarian law, which has given extraordinary results. A law that foresees the right to funding from business or tax deductions. Kosovo does this too and has had success. Not only this, but as I said, clubs need better organization. Incentives and financial growth push it to another level.
There is a promise it will be done this year, and I hope it happens this year. It is not just a donation for sport or football. It is an investment because football returns the money. We are witnesses to the market football creates, the economy football creates. Because even today football impacts the country’s economy.
– Will the “Final 4” formula continue, or do you think another scheme that attracts more should be found?
– With or without “Final 4,” the same discussion will happen. Every formula has strengths and weaknesses. We sought and thought to make the “Final 4” to produce an extra competition to promote football. It has been followed more than the 36-week championship. From a promotion, emotion, and suspense perspective, it is positive.
