The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ruled on June 17, 2024, in favor of the Albanian Football Association, overturning the decisions made during the Extraordinary Assembly of the National Olympic Committee of Albania (KOKSH) held on January 10, 2021.
CAS declared invalid the decisions made during the Extraordinary Assembly of KOKSH, which had approved the new statute. This includes the changes to the KOKSH statute, the dismissal of the President, and the election of new members to the verification commission.
CAS found that KOKSH did not properly notify the AFA about the assembly and allowed the participation and voting of individuals who were not members. These actions violated the established procedures and AFA’s rights as a member association.
By overturning the assembly’s decisions, CAS upheld AFA’s rights to participate and be regularly informed about KOKSH assemblies, ensuring fair representation and decision-making.
In a completely irrational and legally illogical manner, KOKSH, which itself requested that the matter be adjudicated outside of Albania, today does not recognize the CAS ruling.
KOKSH openly refuses to abide by international rules, creating a dangerous precedent and violating the New York Convention on the recognition and enforcement of arbitral awards.
This is not just a sports dispute. This is a pure form of institutional violence, a direct attack on international law and the principles of justice!
This stance takes us back to the dark days of communism when Albania was an isolated island that didn’t recognize any international decisions. Back then, the state didn’t implement the world’s laws – and today, unfortunately, history is repeating itself.
The Albanian Football Association will not remain silent and will take all legal steps to establish justice in the country. We call on all international authorities, FIFA, UEFA, and the European Courts of Justice to respond immediately and protect the sporting order from the deliberate destruction occurring in Albania.
Albanian sports cannot be held hostage by a captured justice system and a state that rejects international law. Albanians deserve to be part of the world, not isolated from it.
