President of the Albanian Football Association, Armand Duka, was the guest on Thursday evening’s show “Top Story” hosted by Grida Duma on Top Channel. In the interview conducted at the “Air Albania” stadium, the head of Albanian football spoke not only about the highly anticipated match Albania vs Serbia, valid for the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, but also about the changes and growth of the Football Association over the years.
FULL INTERVIEW:
Armand Duka: I have to welcome you to the stadium, and I hope you have good luck since we also have an important match on Saturday.
Grida Duma: Meanwhile, the Albanian Association has gained a reputation at a level that undoubtedly has made some people jealous.
Armand Duka: I don’t believe so. I’m satisfied if you have noticed that the Association has done things that could make someone jealous. If the Federation approaches the level that football should have or addresses the dissatisfaction Albanians have towards football, I hope there is no jealousy but cooperation with others to move forward.
Grida Duma: They describe you as one of the people who truly understands this field?
Armand Duka: I don’t know if that’s true, but I know very well that I give my maximum, with passion and desire. When I undertake something, I try to do it well, and if I do it well, it is a pleasure.
Grida Duma: I have no problem saying something nice when it’s deserved. Meanwhile, in cases I mentioned, you remained modest, but the fact is that before your leadership, the infrastructure was practically non-existent.
Armand Duka: Indeed, there have been developments in Albanian football, infrastructure has changed, the organization of things and the approach of football, or the Albanian Football Association’s approach to UEFA and FIFA, have changed for the better. Many recognize the infrastructure improvements, like this stadium that everyone likes, but what I like most is the functioning of the Albanian Football Association, its consolidation. It operates with a well-prepared organization that organizes very important activities, including international ones. We have organized many international events every year. Those who have participated have positively evaluated them. The administration is well prepared. Even more important events have been entrusted to us. What stands out are the 2022 Conference League final, which is historic, not just because it was the first time held in Albania but also due to the competition itself. Also, the recently held U-17 European Championship, for which we received positive feedback on the organization. I would highlight the managerial skills of the Federation’s organization to move forward and face future challenges.
Grida Duma: Managing football is economic but also emotional, meaning it needs to be managed emotionally.
Armand Duka: It’s complex; you cannot produce much emotion without good economics. Our management theory has been having a good and prepared team to produce a lot. The Association’s budgets today are many times higher than in the past—100 times higher. The public sees the federation as a state institution, but it operates with its own budget; the Association receives zero funds from the state budget. We run everything with the Association’s revenues. You have to produce economy every day to deliver emotion.
Football is much more than physical confrontation; it’s an education or a more complex discipline. Undoubtedly, to be a high-level footballer, you must be physically strong, but you must also inject teamwork. Teamwork lasts your whole life, even after football. A footballer must be dedicated and sacrificial. Football today is played until my age, by amateurs, but professional players usually retire by age 30. It’s a spectacle; people enjoy our game.
Grida Duma: I have another doubt, is it hard to make a cooperative Albanian team?
Armand Duka: It’s not easy to unite people. Humans generally like themselves. To bring everyone together and make them winners is difficult, not just for Albanians but everywhere. I don’t think it’s genetic; building a team is difficult. Correct relationships, communication, and tolerance are the keys to making it happen.
Grida Duma: You’ve tried with everyone to reduce the high emotions that come with a match between nations, aiming to turn it into a match between teams.
Armand Duka: It really is a football match. At the end of the day, we should enjoy it. We must respect this game and the people who play it. We have an important match because we have the chance to be one of the favorites who can go on a more difficult journey. It’s a tough, intensive match. I say we should see it as a game. The players say the same and reason the same. I hope they manage their emotions on the field and focus only on the game. The match in Belgrade, 11 years ago, has an impact; humans are humans.
Grida Duma: What did you feel in Belgrade when you realized the Albanian team might be in danger?
Armand Duka: To be honest, I felt fear, not personal, but the responsibility I had. We were a small team in a foreign country that was even threatened. At those moments, I felt extraordinary responsibility for the whole team. It was risky; it’s not good to admit that such an event happened during a football match. It was risky for the players and for us as officials to return home without injuries.
Grida Duma: There is agreement that this year’s team is better than the 2014 one. Do you share this view?
Armand Duka: It’s a good team, with quality, players active in good European teams, has good results. Qualification for the 2024 European Championship is even more convincing than that of 2016; we finished first in the group with two fantastic wins and dignified performances, though not with the points we might have deserved. Also, in the Nations League, we ranked fourth in the group. It’s true this team is good. I can’t say if it’s better than the 2016 team.
Grida Duma: There is a huge demand for tickets, and many complaints about tickets, a big question why so many fans didn’t manage to get in. How do you manage such a multiple demand of hundreds of thousands?
Armand Duka: Applications are over 200,000. We have been using an electronic system for distributing or selling tickets for international competitions for some time now. Given the extraordinary demand before the Serbia match, we prepared accordingly and implemented a prior application system, which we took from the system UEFA uses for Champions League or European Championship matches. Tickets are assigned via a random draw, and those who win get the right to buy tickets. Many people will be unhappy, but that’s the limit of our capacity. Almost 1 million requests want to come to the stadium.
Grida Duma: How do you personally feel about the match with Serbia?
Armand Duka: I have not avoided being honest about the burden and pressure before this match… Even now as we speak, I am not calm, not the way I should be. I hope the players don’t feel the same, but desire and possibility are two different things. The desire is to win the match, and we have the possibilities to win it, but football is not an objective sport, unlike other sports, even collective sports, where in 95% of cases the better team wins. In football, that doesn’t always happen, which is why it is more beautiful and has more surprises. We have prepared everything, fortunately, our team is in good shape; all players are available after many absences. I hope we achieve the goal, and the boys enjoy the field.
Grida Duma: What is your vision for the Association in 5 to 10 years, based on how you have built it now?
Armand Duka: I think the national team jersey and logo are the showcase of every country. But I don’t see the national team and logo just as a result. Of course, we need it, but I see it as our main objective and vision. Our vision and goal is definitely to have more children, girls and boys on green fields, educated better, and who will move away from more bad habits.
