The president of the Albanian Football Association, Armand Duka, gave an interview last night on the show “Skaner” on MCN TV with journalist Gerti Çarçani. For more thean an hour, President Duka discussed many important topics related to Albanian football.
The discussions focused on the financial situation of clubs in Albania, the sponsorship law, the formation of clubs, the state budget for football, investments in sports infrastructure, the “Abissnet Superiore” championship and the Final Four format, refereeing, the recent situation with the state police regarding ensuring order and security in stadiums, fans, the National Team, preparations for the new World Cup qualifying edition, important activities that the Albanian Football Association will organize and host in Albania as well as UEFA Executive Committee’s significant decision to select Albania as one of the host countries for U-21 European Championship in 2027.
Below is the full interview of President Duka in the “Skaner” show, with the journalist Gerti Çarçani
The financial situation of clubs? – It is important that the financial situation improves day by day and that clubs themselves create revenue opportunities and enhance it. I believe this situation has changed for the better because clubs are managed at a much higher level than before and have more income. However, to have football as we desire and to reach another stage, a higher level of development, an incentive or support will be necessary.
Today, almost all club revenues come from their own activities, donations from the Association, or donations from FIFA and UEFA. The state budget contribution is zero, and there are no tax reliefs or incentives for those who invest in football. This would be an even better stimulus to further improve the financial situation.
Undoubtedly, there are many other areas for improvement: increasing revenue from the commercialization of rights, ticket sales, growing the number of spectators, and producing football players. However, as I mentioned, the production of football players is closely tied to an even healthier financial situation.
Sponsorship law? – Clubs face difficulties, and this can lead to frustration and departures. But this is not the only reason why the sponsorship law should exist. We have argued and stated several times that the sponsorship law is a necessity and a right that belongs to sports.
The Albanian economy benefits from football. Football has a direct impact on the economy, amounting to hundreds of millions of euros from the overall activity of Albanian football. The sponsorship law is not just a donation, it can also take another form. The government could choose to create a budget for sports, something that we are the only country without. We are the only country in Europe with a zero budget for football. Most countries have found this law more suitable, as it provides tax relief for those who sponsor sports. There have been discussions and debates about why it should be this way or whether it could create opportunities for abuse.
Absolutely, there is no room for abuse if all the secondary legal acts, which we have proposed, are approved. These acts would prevent or limit any form of abuse. We have made all our efforts and have received promises from the government, even directly from the prime minister. After the Gala Evening, we discussed it with him, and he said that it will definitely happen this year. He even mentioned that it wouldn’t be called sponsorship, but rather a necessary fund for sports. I hope and wish that it will be true this year.
I have seen the figures for football in Kosovo on your show, which have really helped the clubs develop. In the UEFA club rankings, Kosovo’s clubs are performing better than Albanian clubs, even though they have a much smaller history than we do. Everyone has been supportive, but on paper, there is nothing.
Do you think there has been a lack of will from the government or the bureaucratic side, which believes it creates a “hole” in the budget? – *What hole would it create in the budget? The budget, after all, is meant to improve the country’s life. Football is not just a sport where some spectators come to the stadium, it educates children and serves society. If this budget is used for the future of children, to educate them, whether through sports or mentally, this cannot be called a hole.
If we talk about the figures that the sponsorship law will bring, or the taxes that will go to football, they will be less than the cost of one kilometer of road. Sports are not something to be sidelined. I repeat, it is something that serves society, children, education, and why not, even the mental well-being of people.
We have gone as far as extreme decisions. We boycotted the championship, but in the end, we stopped the boycott because we had a promise that this would happen, along with some other things. We will continue to play football and demand what is rightfully ours.
Was the boycott a wrong idea, or did it have an effect? – The result is nothing, maybe the idea of returning was wrong. However, it’s difficult because, in the end, people say they want to see football. Football players want to play, spectators want to watch. It’s not easy to boycott for a long time. I expect the law to be approved this year. I tend to trust everyone, especially the Prime Minister of the country. Everything is important, and good financial health is crucial. But this does not depend on us. I hope it happens this year.
Do you think that with the implementation of this law, businesses will get closer to football? – This law brings several good things. Sports, and football in particular, find it difficult to sustain themselves in every geographical area of Albania. Often, people think only about Tirana or Partizani, but in Albania, more than 23,000 people play football. Of these, only 2,000 are professionals, while the other 21,000 are amateurs, including children from every corner of the country. They cannot develop football without receiving what they are entitled to from the budget.
To further argue what we have emphasized before: the funds that the state can invest in football or in sports in general are not just an expense or a donation. On the contrary, it is an investment that pays off very quickly. From an economic standpoint, the growth of football brings considerable benefits, both from the activities that take place within the country, as well as from the sale of a footballer or taxes paid by professional players. The investment returns faster than in many other sectors, even faster than within three years.
How is the issue of club formalization handled? – Professional clubs in Albania are almost 100% formalized. Even amateur clubs, although not large businesses, have a satisfactory level of formalization. In fact, it is very difficult to find someone working under the table in Albanian clubs.
Formality in football is higher than in most of the Albanian economy. I say this with conviction, as we license clubs by conducting checks on their formalization and operation. If they do not meet the conditions, they are not licensed. It has not been a request from the clubs to benefit from fiscal amnesty. Only a few clubs had tax liabilities inherited from the previous period, which the state did not forgive, and those have been paid. This situation has mainly affected clubs like Vllaznia and Tirana.
Has the time come for the Football Association to be included in the budget list? – The Football Association does a lot of things that maybe it shouldn’t even be doing. Almost all the infrastructure, improvements, maintenance, renovation, and construction of new fields are done through its own revenues and projects obtained from FIFA and UEFA.
The main focus in the budget or the sponsorship law should be the clubs, academies, and football teams throughout Albania. Not only the professional clubs, but especially the amateur ones. They cannot generate income and struggle to survive without financial support. Today, all activities in Albania, including amateur activities, are funded by the Football Association.
Through projects like “Uniforma Ime,” the supply of footballs, and other initiatives, as well as payments for fields, children’s tournaments, and training for kids under 10, the focus should be on clubs, academies, and children. The Association, at this point, generates revenue and manages its activities well. However, if there’s anything that could improve, it should be directed toward supporting clubs, academies, and children. I believe we are the only country in Europe that has zero budget allocations for football.
“Abissnet Superiore” championship and the Final Four format? – I don’t think you have supported any of the schemes. However, there has been significant progress, especially regarding the changes made to the league structure. From a league with 18 teams, uneven fields, and a single phase, we’ve reduced it to 16, 12, and then 10 teams with clearer categories. You haven’t acknowledged the reforms in the youth championships either. Today, the U-19 league in our country has a level of competition and rivalry equal to the senior teams. This is the result of reforms and changes to the league formats.
So I don’t expect you to say how good it is, and it’s not your place to say. Everything needs a period to mature, grow, and yield results. This too needs time. But I don’t believe it has produced anything negative last year or this year. It creates a kind of suspense for the championship, a kind of competition and sports activity in the capital in a very beautiful stadium. It’s a conclusion to the competition and gives more chances for four teams to become champions. Discussions vary, but even the World Cup can be lost by a penalty. The most important thing is to give more attention to football.
The rivalry between the 4 teams that will ultimately share the title increases the rivalry, the interest, and the number of people who come around football. In the end, it creates more people who will get involved tomorrow. This is also the promotion you can give to the game. Of course, it could bring in some more revenue, but these revenues are not vital for the clubs. What’s important is to create greater interest in the game. The competition can be decided by a penalty, even by a minute.
There have been matches in the Albanian championship that were decided by goal difference. That’s football, I don’t see anything wrong with it. It will be the clubs, mainly, who will decide whether they want to continue like this or not. Nothing is done based on the opinion of one person at a table. The best experts in Europe have been consulted, and we have taken all the statistics of the Albanian championship from the last 20 years, and they have come to this conclusion. There is never an ideal situation, every kind of scheme has different opinions. This is something new. New things are always more interesting in football. The newer things, the more beautiful they are. Here in our game, there are never the same opinions. We grow from different opinions.
Undoubtedly, there are differences between teams, as there are clubs with better rosters, quality, condition, and form, but the differences are not that big. We witnessed the last week of the Cup, where Skënderbeu won against Dinamo City, which is in the top positions. We have seen other similar results, both at home and away. There are surprises, you never know. A championship with ten teams is unpredictable. We are the championship with the smallest differences between the first and last place in Europe.
We are the championship that has the most excitement until the last day to decide the title. I believe it will go back to this tradition. It’s not surprising that teams at the bottom like Skënderbeu, Teuta, Tirana, Laçi can win any match, even against Partizan, Egnatia, Vllaznia, Dinamo. It could bring closer competition, or it might not happen. Football is unpredictable, and that’s what makes it beautiful.
Does the second year of ‘Final Four’ risk being without Tirana? – It would be great for Tirana to be a part of it. Not having Tirana in last year’s ‘Final Four’ was somewhat of a penalty. It’s known that Tirana is the capital city’s team with a lot of support, and it would have brought even more interest.
If there’s interest in Tirana, there’s interest in football. When there’s interest in the stadium for Tirana, it’s not just Tirana that benefits, but also Laçi or Skënderbeu, because they’re part of the same family. Being a team with a lot of fans and great interest in the capital, it would be very good if they were part of it.
Is it true that the President has his eyes more on the National Team? – In a way, the National Team, not only for the importance it has, but also for the direct impact on its performance from the Association and all its staff, is greater than the performance of a club.
From an organizational standpoint, I believe we are perfect, in terms of overseeing it and all the elements, financing, etc. We have already started a project to maintain the fields of the clubs. Besides having built them, of course, the good is endless, but within our possibilities, we do the best for every club, academy, team, or individual who plays football.
Refereeing? – Refereeing, for as long as football has existed, will remain a debated issue because decisions are not always acceptable.
Results are not always acceptable, but the referees and all the work done for their preparation is like never before. Whether it’s for their theoretical or physical preparation.
The fact that the level of referees in Albania is much better than before and has developed more than the game itself is shown by the presence of Albanian referees in international competitions. Never in the history of our country have we had referees at the level of the Conference League or Europa League groups. Even today, we continue, and our referees are active, including with the women, like Emanuela Rusta. The level has risen. In the “Final Four” final, I believe there will be an international referee from the best in Europe.
Security in stadiums, referring to the latest derby? – If you look at the Police’s letter for organizing the derby at the “Arena e Demave” which is a charming stadium, I would rank it among the best in the Balkan region. If it’s not in the top 5, it’s in the top 10. And to say that we cannot take responsibility for organizing a football match in this stadium, and if you read the arguments, they say that the stadium’s capacity is smaller than the demand from the fans. When the National Team plays, we have 300,000 requests, and only 20,000 people can enter the stadium.
What does the Police mean, that we shouldn’t play at the “Arena Kombëtare”? Where should we go, to the moon? We played football in 1991 when Albania was what it was. We played football in 1997. In 2025, 90% of the stadiums in Albania have letters from the Police saying they are unsuitable and do not take responsibility for security. This is a kind of game where they think they’ve taken the responsibility off themselves. They don’t think about how they will carry out their duty to guarantee a public event. We could simply say that we have 90% of the letters from the Police, and we don’t play football. This is the reality, these are the stadiums. That stadium is actually very good. When the Police arrived at the stadium, everything was perfect. This means they do it when they want to do it, and they don’t do it when they don’t want to do it.
We have generally had very good cooperation, but I don’t know why these things have happened recently. But I hope it will be different, let them see sports sportively. There is a kind of climate in Albania where they say let’s take the responsibility off ourselves, send a letter saying we don’t take responsibility, and let them ‘kill themselves.’ They also add a criminal investigation for the head of the competitions, blaming him for the match being held at “Arena e Demave.” We don’t take orders from the police to organize matches. The police’s duty is to maintain public order at any event. If they don’t want to maintain it, let them not maintain it. That is one of the best stadiums in the region. The police can’t say the capacity is smaller than the demand. It seems a bit absurd to me.
Even today, we received a letter from the police saying they don’t take responsibility for organizing the Delvina – Orikum match. About 90% of the letters from the police are like this. Before the match starts, the letters come. So, what should we do, should we suspend them? The matches are held, and the police come. They do it so that if something happens, they can say, “We told you”.
Lack of spectators in stadiums? – I don’t have an exact statistic to say today how much spectator presence there is in stadiums in Albania and whether it is below or above the regional level. Certainly, there should be more, and when I say the presence of spectators in every football match, not just in the National Arena, but also in all other activities. Especially in the youth championship, the interest has significantly increased compared to last year. If we take the average and include the National Team, there are still more spectators in the stadium than before.
Undoubtedly, there should be more, but there should also be more promotion and better organization from the clubs. There are other phenomena that negatively affect, but they are not an excuse for us or for the clubs. Like the live broadcast of matches, which gives people the opportunity to watch more comfortably, or even all the other added activities, so the variety of different activities.
However, the interest in being in the stadium should be greater. The product must be promoted, and promotion is done by the organizers themselves, the clubs, the academies, and all other actors.
There are dedicated projects for this by the Association, and support has not been lacking. I believe there will be even more. Very soon, we will see filled stadiums in Albania.
Clubs have relied only on social media for all kinds of communication. To bring back the fans, it’s not easy, but it’s not impossible either? – Absolutely, they have taken steps forward even in this regard, because if social media didn’t exist until yesterday, now they do. This is a positive step. It can be organized much better, marketed much better, promoted better, and announced, because, after all, people sometimes are not very clear about the schedules or days of matches.
Whether it’s the clubs, the academies, or anyone organizing activities, in some way they need to announce their events to have more presence, but not just announce them, but also promote, market, and generate more interest. There have been positive steps, but there is still a lot of work to do.
Is there an answer as to why the National Team’s matches are sold-out and not a derby?– Yes, because in the National Team’s matches, people don’t just come for the football. With the National Team, Albanians see that ‘Cinderella,’ that beautiful thing they take pride in.
They don’t come just for football, but for their pride, for the jersey, for the connection with the nation, to unite forces in a national demonstration. It’s not the same. This is what the fans of Partizani should do for Partizani, or the fans of Teuta for Teuta. It’s not that simple, because national desire and feelings are bigger than those for a club.
Of course, the National Team’s results have also been very good. The National Team’s participation in the European Championships, in 2016 and 2024, has further promoted the team. We should truly be very satisfied that the England-Albania match at Wembley was sold-out two months in advance. I don’t think any Balkan or mid-level team would be sold-out two months ahead. The tickets were sold by the English Football Association.
Investment in infrastructure for 2024 over 10 million euros. Is the strong momentum for improving infrastructure quality continuing? – With our possibilities, finances, and projects, we’ve done a lot. I’m sure we’ve done much more than any other Association in the region and beyond. What has been done in the past year, you have highlighted, such as the fields that have been renovated or built. Our main goal is to build new fields, and here we face some difficulty because the general requests are to renovate the ones we have. We don’t want to participate in that, although we haven’t ruled out 100% the option of renovation, but rather focus on building new fields.
We have been successful in 2024, but we aim to do even more in 2025.
Only this week we will present 3 stadium projects for renovation in cooperation with the municipalities of the cities. The Kavaja stadium, which is in the design phase, and we will present it this week in Kavaja. The Vora stadium in cooperation with the municipality of Vora, and the Gramsh stadium, a mini stadium, for those needs that Gramsh might have, in cooperation with the municipality of Gramsh.
We certainly also have other projects, football fields under reconstruction that have started or will start. We have a major project for the maintenance of many sports grounds because we have the U-17 European Championship in May, and we need 8 natural grass football fields for training, and for this, we have assembled a team that is rebuilding and maintaining these fields where the teams will train.
One field at the “House of Football” which has become a large construction site, and I hope we will complete it on time. The reconstruction of the “Tofik Jashari” field in Shijak, in Luz, in Lushnje, at “Selman Stërmasi,” where a training field will be made, ‘Skënder Halili,’ etc. There are 10 fields that our teams are rebuilding and maintaining to make them ideal for the European Championship.
At the “House of Football” another natural grass field or a hotel for the National Team? – The hotel for the National Team is a project for 2025. We have very high expenses because hotel prices have become very expensive. The National Team is accommodated in Tirana, and considering the budgets we spend on accommodation, it seems like we only have the A team, but we have about 20 National teams.
We have the women’s teams, from all age groups, from U15 to the senior team, we have the boys’ teams from U14 to the senior team, which have a lot of accommodation expenses, which have become very high. In the business plan we made, it appears that the hotel will serve us, and we will start this project in 2025. We have applied for funds from FIFA, and I’m very sure that it will be approved, and we will proceed.
The name for the “Arena Kombëtare”? – We have had several applications, and Monday is the final deadline. We will decide this week what the new name of the “National Arena” will be. “Air Albania” has shown interest again, we have set conditions for the old commitment and for the future, to guarantee it, and it will be part of the competition as well. There are 5 companies in the running.
The National Team in the World Cup qualifiers. Can we try the impossible? – We have always had criticism. Even when we said we would play in the European Championship, but in reality, we qualified twice. Now, qualifying for the World Cup is a very difficult thing, but we will try. The group is as it is, and the composition of the teams is known. England, besides being a team with tradition, is in good form and has a new coach who will show their strength in front of the fans in the first match at Wembley against Albania.
We have started all preparations with the clear thought that we will fight for the World Cup, but with responsibility and awareness of the difficulty of reaching the World Cup. It remains to be seen. We have done everything even better organizationally compared to the European qualifiers and the Nations League, regarding the conditions we have created for the team, and I believe we have instilled in the minds of the staff and players that we are real contenders for the World Cup.
Football is unpredictable, because if it were predictable, it wouldn’t have the beauty it has.
Is the road to the World Cup more difficult? – Yes, definitely, there are only 16 teams, while in the European Championship there are 24 teams. In group stages, the top two teams qualify in the European qualifiers, and if the European qualifiers were World Cup qualifiers, we would have qualified for the World Cup because we finished first in our group. This draw is a bit different, all the teams are tough, undoubtedly England is the strongest, but all are tough, even Andorra. You have to fight in every match. Theoretically, the first place belongs to England, but practically, we will have to see.
Has the time come for Albania to play differently in your opinion? – I don’t understand what it means to play differently. For me, you should always play with full commitment, and it’s not the tactics that are decisive.
Of course, in special moments of the game, whoever makes the right move at the right time gains an advantage. The tactics depend on the players available, the opponent you’re facing, and the moment you’re in, and you need to decide accordingly. I think the staff’s choices, and Silvinho’s, are like this, not just Silvinho’s, but the staff’s. Silvinho never says ‘I,’ but ‘we.’ Their work doesn’t start on the first day of the camp but on the first day of the year. They analyze everything in detail, prepare everything well, and I’m satisfied with that. The team or a player doesn’t always respond at the maximum level that you want, but the preparation is fantastic, serious, and responsible, and I’m extremely pleased with the guys.
The mobilization, the desire, their love for coming here, they are happy to come with the national team, they are united, and I’m happy with what they give. I haven’t always been satisfied with the results, but I am happy with their commitment.
How can we achieve a good result in London? – Just like in any football match, there’s no need to be afraid, 11 against 11. We have shown that we can do well. We’ve seen many games where the team that is better on paper doesn’t win. I saw Manchester City against Real Madrid, and Real, a team of stars, destroyed City, which was a superpower just 6 months ago. But two weeks before playing City, I saw Real against Espanyol, with Kumbulla leading, and Espanyol won the game. That’s football. We need to have faith that we can do well. We’re not the favorites, but we have nothing to lose.
In the European agenda, now Albania is viewed differently ?– This is also shown by what I said earlier, Wembley sold-out two months before. The differences between teams are small, there are no big or small teams. Care and maximum commitment are required. If you ask any Albanian, they would say that 6 points from Andorra and 6 points from Latvia are in the bag. Latvia is a strong team, and you have to sweat a lot to win.
Now we need to focus on England. Andorra drew against us in Elbasan, so they shouldn’t be underestimated. Every moment should be valued with the same concentration. Big teams don’t forgive you, and we need to go there. Never think that if you win, you are automatically better on paper, but you need to be better on the field.
Against any opponent, you experience a loss very badly? – Of course, we go to the stadium to win. You have to know how to lose, that’s why football is beautiful.
European U-21 Championship 2027 Albania Serbia. Why did UEFA decide this? Did Albania request it? – We applied to be the organizers of the U-21 European Championship as the sole candidate, just like Serbia, Turkey, and Belgium. Pragmatically, along the way, we thought that the union of the two federations would be closer to the decision to organize it. We believe that organizing a U-21 European Championship is a significant event and very important for football and Albania.
It’s an event that promotes football in general, promotes the players who will play with the U-21 National Team, as the team will participate as the organizer, improves infrastructure, and puts Albanian football in the spotlight. We are, of course, football people, but also Albanian citizens. We know the history, but we don’t think we should remain prisoners of history, we must look ahead, we don’t change destinies or geography.
We can’t rewrite history, we don’t amnesty anyone, but we look forward to collaborating and seeking the benefit of football. The message we convey is one of citizenship, peace, and cooperation. I don’t think it harms anyone. I understand those who are sensitive about what they’ve been through, but you have to know how to build the future.
They say that Rama asked Duka for this organization… – Rama is the Prime Minister of the country, but he didn’t know when we started this initiative, but of course, I asked him. To host a European Championship, you need to collaborate with all the actors in the country. For the preparation of the documentation to participate in the competition, all Albanian institutions are involved. We’ve received guarantees from the Government, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, local authorities, the municipalities where it will be organized, the airport. You can’t do it alone if you don’t have the consensus of everyone.
For this, I told the Prime Minister at the time, should we apply, should we merge our bid with Serbia? He said, ‘Fantastic, let’s continue.’ All the preparations for the bid were done together with all the institutions in the country, otherwise, we wouldn’t have been trusted with the organization.
Do you think that public opinion in Kosovo will perceive this differently later? – This is a very big sporting event. We will play football in Tirana, Shkodër, Elbasan, and Rrogozhinë, maybe even in another stadium with the projects we have now. Our National Team will participate in this competition, and the final will be held in Tirana, which is the biggest event of the championship. The best teams from Europe will participate in Albania, the Serbs will play in Serbia, we in Albania, and everyone will enjoy it.
Was the final of the UEFA Conference League in Tirana a very good organizational test? – They cannot believe that you can organize such a large event without giving some proof. We gave those proofs with the Conference League, the organization of which went perfectly. We have organized many international tournaments in Albania, we are one of the countries that organize the most qualifying matches for the U-17 and U-19 teams, for girls and boys, and we did very well. In one tournament for the U-19s, it was originally planned to be held in another country, but all three participating teams agreed to hold it in Albania in 2025. We have a tradition of hospitality, in addition to the fact that the staff of the AFA is at the highest organizational level for these tournaments.
All these factors have made it unquestionable that AFA organizes this event very well. This championship is the second most important level for adult football. In September, we will have the UEFA Executive Committee meeting in Tirana, which is historic for us, as UEFA organizes meetings in Tirana or conferences on sustainability, etc. We are not just on the map of countries that organize, but on the top-list of countries that organize well.
The Prime Minister will be in September at the UEFA Executive Committee meeting? – Absolutely, not only the Prime Minister, but also the ministers, we will have welcome meetings.
The mission is clear, to lower sensitive barriers and heal some wounds… – I empathize with people who get upset, even though I don’t accept the language of hatred. I encourage them to view it with sportsmanship and a positive outlook.
Our goal is good, our objective is positive, and it’s for the benefit of Albanians everywhere they live, including Kosovo. Most opinionists in Kosovo are positive about this organization, but for the sake of populism, sometimes they make different statements.
It could have been a joint application with Kosovo, but they weren’t ready? – Absolutely yes. With the Association and football in Kosovo, we are one, and it cannot be discussed that if it had been possible with Kosovo, we would have been very happy.
Has the betting process completely stalled? – I have no information, it has stalled with a kind of betrayal from politics. It started differently and we were invited and lobbied for betting in Albania to be legalized, based on the fact that betting has existed and continues to operate illegally. Since this activity takes place, why shouldn’t there be some revenue for clubs, football academies? From the approval of the law, they started removing things that could provide income for the clubs, like advertisements, with populist arguments, claiming that if a club writes or advertises a betting company, it would manipulate the results, etc. 50% of English clubs advertise this activity. There were also other changes that were promised but were removed. As long as betting takes place in Albania, there should be some revenue for sports, but it seems it was planned differently, with revenues going to others.
