The Football Association wants to clarify the public opinion regarding the behavior and position of the state police in the “Abissnet Superiore” category match, between Partizani – Tirana, played at the “Arena e Demave” stadium this Sunday.
The Association has followed procedures and standard protocols for organising the match, informing the state police through official letters. In cooperation with the host club, Partizani, the nessecary meassures were taken for the safety of the match, including coordination with the private security company.
We would like to highlight that the amended Law on Sport No. 105/2020, in Article 51, states that “maintaining public order and safety in sports venues is an institutional responsibility of the State Police.”
In addition to the Law on Sport, last year a cooperation memorandum was signed between the Football Association and the Ministry of Internal Affairs, which clearly states that the State Police “is responsible for maintaining public order and safety in stadiums and sports venues.”
According to this memorandum, the Ministry of Interior, in cooperation with the AFA, develops and implements additional security measures to ensure the safety of all participants, spectators, and interested parties, through the State Police.
Returning to Sunday’s derby, the State Police arrived late at the Partizani stadium, leaving space for clashes between the fan groups outside the stadium, clearly without any planned measures, which are usually made public before derby matches. In fact, the Police initially did not take responsibility for escorting the Tirana team to the stadium, which led to the delay of the match by 30 minutes.
As observed, once the police forces arrived at the stadium and took control of the situation, carrying out their duties, there were no further incidents between the fans. It was also confirmed that the Partizani stadium is suitable for hosting matches of this level, and it is sufficient for the police to perform their functional duty, as prescribed by law, to ensure order in sports venues.
The Association expressess regret for the incident and the injury of several fans and police officers, but emphasizes that these incidents were the result of the lack of responsibility on the part of the police officials.
This is not the first time the State Police has refused to carry out its duties and cooperate with the clubs and the Association, as on other occasions, it has also declined to take responsibility for match security for unfounded reasons. And despite refusing to carry out their duties through official letters, police officers still appeared before the matches and took control of order and security.
The Association is ready to cooperate with all institutions to ensure the smooth running of sports activities and competitions.
However, if this approach continues in the future, the AFA will be forced to reassess its stance and take extreme measures, including the suspension of national football competitions for an indefinite period.
