Albania national football team

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Albania
Nickname(s)	Kuq e Zinjtë (Red and Blacks)
Association	Football Association of Albania
Confederation	UEFA (Europe)
Head coach	Arie Haan
Captain	Altin Lala
Most caps	Foto Strakosha (73)
Top scorer	Alban Bushi (14)
Home stadium	Qemal Stafa
FIFA code	ALB
FIFA ranking	82
Highest FIFA ranking	62 (August 2006)
Lowest FIFA ranking	124 (August 1997)
Elo ranking	95
First kit 　 Second kit
First international
Albania 2 - 3 Yugoslavia (Tirana, Albania; October 7, 1946)
Biggest win
Turkey 1 - 4 Albania (Antalya, Turkey; January 21, 1998)
Biggest defeat
Hungary 12 - 0 Albania (Budapest, Hungary; September 24, 1950)

The Albania national football team is the national football team of Albania and is controlled by the Football Association of Albania. Although not considered as one of the strongest footballing sides in Europe, Albanians are passionate about their football and have occasionally managed to display a good image against more illustrious opponents.

Founded on June 6, 1930, Albania had to wait 16 years to play the first international match, debuting against Yugoslavia in 1946. In 1932 Albania had already joined FIFA (during the congress June 12 - June 16) and in 1954 it was one of the founding members of UEFA. Albania had been invited to play in World Cup 1934, but owing to organizing difficulties it didn't take part.

In addition to the senior football team, Albania also has teams of U21, U19, and U17 level. One of the most successful is the feeder of the senior team, the U21 level. In the finals of the Euro 1984 U21 championship they went all the way to the quarter-finals, only to be knocked out by Italy 2-0 on aggregate. They became the only Albanian team in any level to qualify for a competitive tournament. Currently Albania does not have a women's team but they are working towards creating one.

Most of the matches of Albanian national team have been played in Qemal Stafa. The stadium was built around the 1930s as a multi use stadium. Today, it is mostly used for football matches. The stadium has a capacity of 25,000 spectators with 15,000 seats. Albania has also used the Loro-Boriçi stadium in Shkodra where they have had some successful matches, like beating Russia 3-1 in a home Euro 2004 qualifying match. There is a rumor that the Football Association of Albania is planning to build a stadium in Tirana with a capacity of around 40,000.

Albania has an official supporters' association, the Tifozat Kuq e Zi who self-finance their activities using help from FSHF to arrange traveling and stadium visits for the matches.^[1]

In December 2007, Albanian Football Federation president Armando Duka announced Arie Haan would replace Croatia's Otto Baric as Albania head coach. He signed a two-year contract on January 4, 2008. ^[2]

Albania start their FIFA World Cup 2010 Qualifying campaign against Sweden on June 6, 2008. They have been drawn in Group 1 with Sweden, Portugal, Denmark, Hungary and Malta.

After 46 days of international suspension (FIFA and UEFA) due to heavy political interference, Albania is back in the football scene.^{[3] [4][5]}

Contents 1 History 1.1 FIFA World Cup 1966 Qualification 1.1.1 Group 5 1.2 UEFA Euro 1984 Qualifications 1.2.1 Group 6 1.3 FIFA World Cup 1986 Qualification 1.3.1 Group 1 1.4 FIFA World Cup 1998 Qualification 1.4.1 Group 9 1.5 UEFA Euro 2004 Qualifications 1.5.1 Group 10 1.6 FIFA World Cup 2006 Qualification 1.6.1 Group 2 1.7 UEFA Euro 2008 Qualification 1.7.1 Group G 1.8 Some memorable matches 2 Squad 2.1 The Kosovo dilemma 2.2 Players 2.2.1 Goalkeepers 2.2.2 Defenders 2.2.3 Midfielders 2.2.4 Strikers 2.3 The most common line-up 2.4 Coaching staff 3 FIFA World Cup 2010 Qualification 3.1 Group 1 4 Next match 5 Albania versus other countries 6 Former famous players 7 Notable Managers 8 Honours 8.1 Senior team 8.2 Albania U-23 8.3 Albania U-21 8.4 Albania U-18 8.5 Albania U-17 8.6 Albania U-16 8.7 Albania U-15 8.8 Albania U-14 9 World Cup record 10 European Championship record 11 See also 12 References 13 External links

[edit] History

The early years oversaw a notably successful Balkan Cup in the 1946 campaign. Albania won the cup after overcoming Yugoslavia on level points but a better goal difference. The final match was played and won against Romania 1-0. Four days earlier, Albania had already beaten Bulgaria 3-1. Interestingly, Albania wasn't expected to participate, but the withdrawal of Greece from the tournament offered Albania a chance to join in the re-established post-war cup.

After taking part for the first time in European Championships in 1963, for edition 1964, in the 1968 European qualifiers, they managed a 0-0 draw against West Germany, which eventually eliminated West Germany from qualification. During that era, Albania boasted arguably its greatest ever footballer, Panajot Pano.

The 1986 FIFA World Cup qualifiers brought further notable results with a 2-2 draw away to Poland and a 2-0 win over eventual semi-finalists Belgium.

The qualifiers for the 1998 FIFA World Cup qualifiers saw Albania forced to play some home games on neutral venues due to civil unrest at home. However, they achieved a 4-1 win over Turkey in an away friendly match in 1998 - the only time Albania have scored more than 3 goals in a full international match (although they did win 5-0 at home to Montenegro on September 22, 1946, Montenegro was at that time part of Yugoslavia).

During the 2004 European qualifiers, Albania managed a heroic 3-1 win against Russia in Shkodër.

The 2006 World Cup qualifiers qualifiers have seen Albania's results improve markedly, including an epic 2-1 victory against the then newly crowned European Champions, Greece.

Recently, the U19 team also known as Shpresat (The Team of Hopes), managed to qualify for the Elite round in the Euro U19 2008 which is going to be held in Czech Republic. Along the way, they lost against Spain (2-0), won a very important match against Serbia (2-1) and drew with Lichtenstein (0-0). They are expected to resume the tournament in March 1.^[6]

[edit] FIFA World Cup 1966 Qualification

The first time that Albania competed for a place in the world's elite for the World Cup 1966 in England was a match against Netherlands in mid-1964. Drawn in Group 5 with the Dutch were also Northern Ireland and Switzerland. Albania only got a point from this qualification round in a game against Northern Ireland in Tirana, which actually prevented Northern Ireland from qualfiying.

[edit] Group 5

May 24, 1964, Rotterdam, Netherlands -  Netherlands 2 - 0  Albania

October 25, 1964, Tirana, Albania -  Albania 0 - 2  Netherlands

April 11, 1965, Tirana, Albania -  Albania 0 - 2  Switzerland

May 2, 1965, Geneva, Switzerland -  Switzerland 1 - 0  Albania

May 7, 1965, Belfast, Northern Ireland -  Northern Ireland 4 - 1  Albania

November 24, 1965, Tirana, Albania -  Albania 1 - 1  Northern Ireland

• Switzerland qualified.

Rank	Team	Pts	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1	Switzerland	9	6	4	1	1	7	3
2	Northern Ireland	8	6	3	2	1	9	5
3	Netherlands	6	6	2	2	2	6	4
4	Albania	1	6	0	1	5	2	12

[edit] UEFA Euro 1984 Qualifications

In its first participation of a Euro qualifier in group edition, Albania finished last out of four other teams competing for the spot in the tournament. In 8 played matches Albania got 2 points, with 2 draws, 6 losses, and no wins. On the other hand, Albania made some power nations nervous. They, lost 0-1 away to Turkey with the goal being scored in the 86th minute. In the next two games Albania tied Northern Ireland to a scoreless draw and lost 1-2 to Germany, both home games. In the last three matches, Albania tied Turkey, in Qemal Stafa, also losing to Austria 2-1 in Tirana. The last game of the competition was an away game to Germany. After 22 minutes Albania went ahead 0-1 with a goal by Genc Tomori. However, they were tied one minute later, and eventually lost 2-1 with the last goal being scored in the 79th minute.

[edit] Group 6

September 22, 1982, Vienna, Austria  Austria 5 - 0  Albania

October 27, 1982, Izmir, Turkey  Turkey 1 - 0  Albania

December 15, 1982, Tirana, Albania  Albania 0 - 0  Northern Ireland

March 30, 1983, Tirana, Albania Albania 1 - 2 West Germany

April 27, 1983, Belfast, Northern Ireland  Northern Ireland 1 - 0  Albania

May 11, 1983, Tirana, Albania  Albania 1 - 1  Turkey

June 8, 1983, Tirana, Albania  Albania 1 - 2  Austria

November 20, 1983  West Germany 2 - 1  Albania

• West Germany qualified.

Rank	Team	Pts	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1	West Germany	11	8	5	1	2	15	5
2	Northern Ireland	11	8	5	1	2	8	5
3	Austria	9	8	4	1	3	15	10
4	Turkey	7	8	3	1	4	8	16
5	Albania	2	8	0	2	6	4	14

[edit] FIFA World Cup 1986 Qualification

In a 4-team group Albania got 4 points with one win and 2 draws. After losing to Belgium in Brussels, Albania were visitors in eventual group winners Poland. There Albania got its first point in a shocking 2-2 draw. Less than two months later Albania was host to group runners up Belgium in Tirana, defeating them with a clear 2-0 win. After losing to Greece away and Poland at home, Albania got its last point in its last game against neighbour rivals Greece in a 1-1 draw.

[edit] Group 1

October 17, 1984, Brussels, Belgium Belgium 3 - 1 Albania

October 31, 1984, Mielec, Poland Poland 2 - 2 Albania

December 22, 1984, Tirana, Albania Albania 2 - 0 Belgium

February 27, 1985, Athens, Greece Greece 2 - 0 Albania

May 30, 1985, Tirana, Albania Albania 0 - 1 Poland

October 30, 1985, Tirana, Albania Albania 1 - 1 Greece

• Poland and Belgium qualified.^[7]

Rank	Team	Pts	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1	Poland	8	6	3	2	1	10	6
2	Belgium	8	6	3	2	1	7	3
3	Albania	4	6	1	2	3	6	9
4	Greece	4	6	1	2	3	5	10

[edit] FIFA World Cup 1998 Qualification

In the 1998 World Cup, Albania was drawn in a 6-team group which included Germany, Portugal, Ukraine, Northern Ireland and Armenia, Albania got 4 points but showed again that it can battle with the big powers. Its two matches with Germany saw them lose 2-3 at neutral ground and a 3-4 unfortunate defeat in Hannover. Albania got a 1-0 win against Northern Ireland and a 1-1 tie against Armenia.

[edit] Group 9

October 9, 1996, Tirana, Albania  Albania 0 - 3  Portugal

November 9, 1996, Tirana, Albania  Albania 1 - 1  Armenia

December 14, 1996, Belfast, Northern Ireland  Northern Ireland 2 - 0  Albania

March 29, 1997, Granada, Spain  Albania 0 - 1  Ukraine

April 2, 1997, Granada, Spain  Albania  2- 3  Germany

June 7, 1997, Porto, Portugal  Portugal 2 - 0  Albania

August 20, 1997, Kyiv, Ukraine  Ukraine 1 - 0  Albania

September 6, 1997, Yerevan, Armenia  Armenia 3 - 0  Albania

September 10, 1997, Zürich, Switzerland  Albania 1 - 0  Northern Ireland

October 11, 1997, Hannover, Germany  Germany 4 - 3  Albania

• Germany qualified.^[8]

Rank	Team	Pts	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1	Germany	22	10	6	4	0	23	9
2	Ukraine	20	10	6	2	2	10	6
3	Portugal	19	10	5	4	1	12	4
4	Armenia	8	10	1	5	4	8	17
5	Northern Ireland	7	10	1	4	5	6	10
6	Albania	4	10	1	1	8	7	20

[edit] UEFA Euro 2004 Qualifications

The 2004 Qualifications for the European competition was of some success for Albania. This was the season when Albania was undefeated at home. Tying two and winning two, but with 0 points on the road. Albania started the undefeated run with a 1-1 draw against eventual winners of the group, Switzerland. Then a back to back encounter with Russia, saw the lose 4-1 in Russian soil, but when they returned, they paid them back by beating them 3-1. This game was the biggest for Albania. After missing a penalty, Albania scored first after just 20 minutes, but Russia tied 56 minutes later. Then after a lot of pressure from Albania, Russia conceded 2 goals in just 3 minutes. In the two other home games, Albania tied Republic of Ireland 0-0 and beat Georgia 3-1. Away Albania got 0 points, but managed to score 4 goals.

[edit] Group 10

October 12, 2002, Tirana, Albania  Albania 1 - 1  Switzerland

October 16, 2002, Volgograd, Russia  Russia 4 - 1  Albania

March 29, 2003, Shkodër, Albania  Albania 3 - 1  Russia

April 2, 2003, Tirana, Albania  Albania 0 - 0  Republic of Ireland

June 7, 2003, Dublin, Republic of Ireland  Republic of Ireland 2 - 1  Albania

June 11, 2003, Geneva, Switzerland  Switzerland 3 - 2  Albania

September 6, 2003, Tbilisi, Georgia  Georgia 3 - 0  Albania

September 10, 2003, Tirana, Albania  Albania 3 - 1  Georgia

• Switzerland qualified.
• Russia play-off.

Rank	Team	Pts	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1	Switzerland	15	8	4	3	1	15	11
2	Russia	14	8	4	2	2	19	12
3	Republic of Ireland	11	8	3	2	3	10	11
4	Albania	8	8	2	2	4	11	15
5	Georgia	7	8	2	1	5	8	14

[edit] FIFA World Cup 2006 Qualification

Albania kicked off the qualification for a place in Germany 2006 World Cup with a bang. Two months after Greece beat Portugal to win the European championship, Albania made the Portuguese happy by beating Greece 2-1 in a match which Albania scored goals in the 2' and 11' minute. Albania went on to disappoint by losing to Georgia away and Denmark at home, before returning to winning ways by beating Kazakhstan 0-1. February and March 2005 would be the toughest part of the qualification for Albania since they had to play Ukraine, Turkey, and Greece, losing all three of those ties. Later Albania would beat Georgia 3-2 and Kazakhstan 2-1. The last positive result for Albania in this tournament would be a 2-2 draw away at Ukraine. At the end Albania got 13 points and topped Georgia and Kazakhstan. The 13-point mark set a new record for group matches.

[edit] Group 2

September 4, 2004, Tirana, Albania -  Albania 2 - 1 Greece 

September 8, 2004, Tbilisi, Georgia -  Georgia 2 - 0 Albania 

October 9, 2004, Tirana, Albania -  Albania 0 - 2 Denmark 

October 13, 2004, Almaty, Kazakhstan -  Kazakhstan 0 - 1 Albania 

February 9, 2005, Tirana, Albania -  Albania 0 - 2 Ukraine 

March 26, 2005, Istanbul, Turkey -  Turkey 2 - 0 Albania 

March 30, 2005, Piraeus, Greece -  Greece 2 - 0 Albania 

June 4, 2005, Tirana, Albania -  Albania 3 - 2 Georgia 

June 8, 2005, Copenhagen, Denmark -  Denmark 3 - 1 Albania 

September 3, 2005, Tirana, Albania -  Albania 2 - 1 Kazakhstan 

October 8, 2005, Dnipropetrovsk, Ukraine -  Ukraine 2 - 2 Albania 

October 12, 2005, Tirana, Albania -  Albania 0 - 1 Turkey 

• Ukraine qualified.
• Turkey play-off.

Team	Pts	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD
Ukraine	25	12	7	4	1	18	7	11
Turkey	23	12	6	5	1	23	9	14
Denmark	22	12	6	4	2	24	12	12
Greece	21	12	6	3	3	15	9	6
Albania	13	12	4	1	7	11	20	-9
Georgia	10	12	2	4	6	14	25	-11
Kazakhstan	1	12	0	1	11	6	29	-23

[edit] UEFA Euro 2008 Qualification

In the matches for the 2008 European qualifiers campaign, Albania have managed very good results as well as good team play in some matches comparing to previous outings in such tournaments. Starting with the 2-2 away draw to Belarus, two wins against Luxembourg home and away (2-0, 0-3) and a 0-0 draw away to Bulgaria have been the most cherished results. Great matches have been played against Netherlands in both legs, although allegedly dubious referee decisions have marred Albania's performances,^[9][10] ending up in two losses (2-1, 0-1). Other set-backs have also been suffered after drawing 0-0 against Slovenia and losing 0-2 to Romania in both matches played at home. Albania ended hopes of qualifying mathematically when they failed to win over Slovenia away and managed a yet again 0-0 draw. In the penultimate match at home against Bulgaria, Albania excelled playing wonderfully but ended up in a very unlucky draw. After going ahead with dominating football, they conceded in the dying minutes and later missed a penalty. In the last match at home, Albania was hugely disappointing losing 2-4 against Belarus. Contrary to the popular belief that this would be the easiest match during the campaign, Albania not only missed a chance to break the points-record of all competitions but also produced a very lethargic performance in a rainy night. Albania's Euro campaign ended with a disaster match, losing 6-1 away to Romania which eventually resulted in the resignation of the coach Otto Barić and his assistant.^[11]

[edit] Group G

September 2, 2006 19:00 EEST	Belarus	2 – 2	Albania	Dinamo Stadium, Minsk Attendance: 23,000 Referee: Asumaa (Finland)
	Kalachev  2' Romaschenko  24'	Report	Skela  7' (pen.) Hasi  86'

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September 6, 2006 20:00 CEST	Albania	0 – 2	Romania	Qemal Stafa, Tirana Attendance: 10,000 Referee: Benquerença (Portugal)
		Report	Dică  65' Mutu  75' (pen.)

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October 11, 2006 20:30 CEST	Netherlands	2 – 1	Albania	Amsterdam ArenA, Amsterdam Attendance: 40,000 Referee: Yefet (Israel)
	van Persie  15' Beqaj  42' (o.g.)	Report	Curri  67'

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March 28, 2007 18:00 EEST	Bulgaria	0 – 0	Albania	Vasil Levski National Stadium, Sofia Attendance: 25,000 Referee: Eriksson (Sweden)
		Report

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June 2, 2007 20:30 CEST	Albania	2 – 0	Luxembourg	Qemal Stafa, Tirana Attendance: 8,000 Referee: Silagava (Georgia)
	Kapllani  38' Haxhi  57'	Report

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June 6, 2007 20:15 CEST	Luxembourg	0 – 3	Albania	Stade Josy Barthel, Luxembourg Attendance: 4,325 Referee: Malzinskas (Lithuania)
		Report	Skela  25' Kapllani  36'  72'

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September 12, 2007 20:45 CEST	Albania	0 – 1	Netherlands	Qemal Stafa, Tirana Attendance: 19,600 Referee: Riley (England)
		Report	van Nistelrooy  90+1'

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October 17, 2007 20:45 CEST	Albania	1 – 1	Bulgaria	Qemal Stafa, Tirana Attendance: 8,000 Referee: Stuchlik (Austria)
	Kishishev  32' (o.g.)	Report	Berbatov  87'

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November 17, 2007 20:00 EET	Albania	2 – 4	Belarus	Qemal Stafa, Tirana Attendance: 5,000 Referee: Demirlek (Turkey)
	Bogdani  39' Kapllani  43'	Report	Romaschenko  28'  63' (pen.) Kutuzov  45+1'  54'

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November 21, 2007 18:00 EET	Romania	6 – 1	Albania	Lia Manoliu Stadium, Bucharest Attendance: 25,000 Referee: Trivkovic (Croatia)
	Dică  22'  71' (pen.) Tamaş  53' Niculae  62'  65' Marica  69' (pen.)	Report	Kapllani  64'

• Romania and Netherlands qualified.

Team Pts Pld W D L GF GA GD  Romania 29 12 9 2 1 26 7 +19  Netherlands 26 12 8 2 2 15 5 +10  Bulgaria 25 12 7 4 1 18 7 +11  Belarus 13 12 4 1 7 17 23 -6  Albania 11 12 2 5 5 12 18 -6  Slovenia 11 12 3 2 7 9 16 -7  Luxembourg 3 12 1 0 11 2 23 -21

[edit] Some memorable matches

Date			Tournament			Place			Match	Score
October 9, 1946			Balkan Cup			Tirana, Albania			Albania - Bulgaria	3 - 1
October 13, 1946			Balkan Cup			Tirana, Albania			Albania - Romania	1 - 0
December 17, 1967			Euro 1968 Qual.			Tirana, Albania			Albania - West Germany	0 - 0
December 22, 1984			World Cup 1986 Qual.			Tirana, Albania			Albania - Belgium	2 - 0
January 21, 1998			Friendly			Antalya, Turkey			Turkey - Albania	1 - 4
October 14, 1998			Euro 2000 Qual.			Oslo, Norway			Norway - Albania	2 - 2
October 11, 2000			World Cup 2002 Qual.			Tirana, Albania			Albania - Greece	2 - 0
April 25, 2001			Friendly			Gaziantep, Turkey			Turkey - Albania	0 - 2
March 29, 2003			Euro 2004 Qual.			Shkodër, Albania			Albania - Russia	3 - 1
February 18, 2004			Friendly			Tirana, Albania			Albania - Sweden	2 - 1
September 4, 2004			World Cup 2006 Qual.			Tirana, Albania			Albania - Greece	2 - 1
October 8, 2005			World Cup 2006 Qual.			Dnipropetrovsk, Ukraine			Ukraine - Albania	2 - 2
March 28, 2007			Euro 2008 Qual.			Sofia, Bulgaria			Bulgaria - Albania	0 - 0
June 6, 2007			Euro 2008 Qual.			Luxembourg City, Luxembourg			Luxembourg - Albania	0 - 3
September 12, 2007			Euro 2008 Qual.			Tirana, Albania			Albania - Netherlands	0 - 1
October 17, 2007			Euro 2008 Qual.			Tirana, Albania			Albania - Bulgaria	1 - 1

[edit] Squad

[edit] The Kosovo dilemma

Due to the fact that some national team players were born in Kosovo (around 92% ethnic Albanian region)^[12], there is a clear possibility that those players could leave for the future Kosovo national football team. Kosovo has declared its independence and this will start a new process as FIFA and UEFA look to accept the newly formed state and its football federation, similar to the case of Montenegro and its break-up from the union with Serbia.

The current and most selected players in the national team who were born in Kosovo (or registered as Kosovo citizens) are: Arjan Beqaj, Armend Dallku, Blerim Rrustemi, Debatik Curri, Lorik Cana and Besart Berisha. Lorik Cana has faithfully declared that Albanians have one national team and he will remain with Albania^[13][14] while Debatik Curri said, "One strong national team is better than two weak ones", similar to Besnik Hasi (now retired).^[15]. Another uncapped Kosovo-born player, Ilir Nallbani, has reiterated his desire to play for Albania saying "I am Albanian, I want the red-and-black jersey. If I am given the chance, I will choose Albania."^[16] Others however have remained silent.

In international football, players are normally committed to play for a specific national team to the exclusion of all others once they play in all or part of any match recognised as a full international by FIFA. However, an exception is made in cases where one or more newly-independent states are created out of a former state. Based on current FIFA rules, a player will be eligible to play for Kosovo, even if he had previously represented Albania, if at least one of the following statements about him is true^[17]:

• He was born in Kosovo.
• At least one of his parents and/or at least one of his grandparents was born in Kosovo.
• He has lived in Kosovo continuously for any two-year period.

Due to mixed ancestries, it is probable that a large percentage of the players eligible to play for Kosovo will also remain eligible to play for Albania, and vice versa. However, once they have played for either Albania or Kosovo, they are no longer eligible to play for the other one.

[edit] Players

Note:

• Players containing the flag possess dual nationality. See "The Kosovo dilemma" above.
• Players containing the , are called-up for the coming match(es).
• Players containing the , were either recently withdrawn from the squad due to injury, or are currently injured.
• Players containing the , are suspended for the next official match.

[edit] Goalkeepers

No. Pos. Player DoB (Age) Caps Goals Club GK Arjan Beqaj August 20, 1975 (age 32) 30 0 Anorthosis Famagusta GK Isli Hidi October 15, 1980 (age 27) 3 0 FC Kryvbas Kryvyi Rih GK Ilion Lika May 17, 1980 (age 28) 14 0 Terek Grozny

[edit] Defenders

No. Pos. Player DoB (Age) Caps Goals Club DF Elvin Beqiri July 27, 1980 (age 27) ? ? FC Arsenal Kyiv DF Andi Lila February 12, 1986 (age 22) 1 0 KS Besa Kavajë DF Armend Dallku June 16, 1983 (age 24) 21 0 Vorskla Poltava DF Blerim Rrustemi February 4, 1983 (age 25) 4 0 FC Rot-Weiss Erfurt DF Erion Xhafa May 31, 1982 (age 26) 3 0 SK Tirana DF Kristi Vangjeli September 5, 1985 (age 22) 9 0 Aris Thessaloniki F.C. DF Debatik Curri December 28, 1983 (age 24) 11 1 Vorskla Poltava DF Endri Vrapi May 23, 1982 (age 26) 2 0 SK Tirana DF Ansi Agolli October 11, 1982 (age 25) 0 0 Vaasan Palloseura

[edit] Midfielders

No. Pos. Player DoB (Age) Caps Goals Club MF Lorik Cana July 27, 1983 (age 24) 25 1 Olympique Marseille MF Klodian Duro December 21, 1977 (age 30) 45 2 AC Omonia MF Ervin Skela November 17, 1976 (age 31) 49 9 Energie Cottbus MF Altin Lala (captain) November 18, 1975 (age 32) 63 3 Hannover 96 MF Elis Bakaj June 26, 1987 (age 20) 1 0 KF Partizani MF Ervin Bulku March 3, 1981 (age 27) 8 0 FC Kryvbas Kryvyi Rih MF Jahmir Hyka March 3, 1988 (age 20) 4 0 Mainz 05 MF Gilman Lika January 31, 1987 (age 21) 0 0 Vllaznia Shkodër MF Paulin Dhëmbi August 9, 1979 (age 28) 0 0 KF Partizani MF Bledi Shkëmbi August 13, 1979 (age 28) 0 0 KF Partizani

[edit] Strikers

No. Pos. Player DoB (Age) Caps Goals Club FW Edmond Kapllani July 31, 1982 (age 25) 20 5 Karlsruher SC FW Besart Berisha July 29, 1985 (age 22) 7 2 Burnley FC FW Dorian Bylykbashi August 8, 1980 (age 27) 0 0 FC Kryvbas Kryvyi Rih FW Hamdi Salihi January 19, 1984 (age 24) 5 1 SV Ried FW Erjon Bogdani April 14, 1977 (age 31) 44 8 AS Livorno

[edit] The most common line-up

Beqaj Dede Curri Dallku Vangjeli Cana Duro Lala Berisha Haxhi Bogdani

The 4-5-1 line-up used by Otto Barić.

[edit] Coaching staff

Head Coach	Arie Haan
Assistant Coach	(vacant)
Assistant Coach	Shpetim Duro
Goalkeeping Coach	Jani Kaçi
Team Doctor	Asllan Kasa
Masseurs	Achim Bullinger
	Ylli Mihali

[edit] FIFA World Cup 2010 Qualification

Main article: 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification - UEFA Group 1

September 6, 2008	Albania	vs.	Sweden	Qemal Stafa, Tirana

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September 10, 2008	Albania	vs.	Malta	Qemal Stafa, Tirana

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October 11, 2008	Hungary	vs.	Albania

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October 15, 2008	Portugal	vs.	Albania

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February 11, 2009	Malta	vs.	Albania	Ta' Qali Stadium, Ta' Qali

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March 28, 2009	Albania	vs.	Hungary	Qemal Stafa, Tirana

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April 1, 2009	Denmark	vs.	Albania	Parken Stadium, Copenhagen

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June 6, 2009	Albania	vs.	Portugal	Qemal Stafa, Tirana

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September 9, 2009	Albania	vs.	Denmark	Qemal Stafa, Tirana

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October 14, 2009	Sweden	vs.	Albania	Råsunda Stadium, Solna

[edit] Group 1

Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts  Portugal 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  Sweden 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  Denmark 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  Hungary 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  Albania 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  Malta 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Albania beat Switzerland 10-0

[edit] Next match

Albania vs. Sweden , September 6, 2008, WC Qual. (H)

• Venue: Qemal Stafa, Tirana
• Referee: (N/A)

[edit] Albania versus other countries

Against	Wins	Draws	Losses	Total
Algeria	2	0	0	2
Andorra	1	0	1	2
Armenia	0	1	1	2
Austria	0	0	6	6
Azerbaijan	3	0	0	3
Bahrain	0	0	1	1
Belarus	0	1	1	2
Belgium	1	0	1	2
Bosnia and Herzegovina	1	1	0	2
Bulgaria	2	4	5	11
China PR	0	1	1	2
Cuba	0	1	0	1
Cyprus	0	1	2	3
Czechoslovakia	2	0	3	5
Denmark	1	0	5	6
England	0	0	4	4
Cyprus	0	1	2	3
Estonia	1	1	0	2
Finland	2	1	4	7
France	0	0	2	2
Georgia	3	1	6	10
Germany	0	1	13	14
Greece	4	4	6	14
Hungary	0	1	2	3
Iceland	2	0	1	3
Republic of Ireland	0	1	3	4
Kazakhstan	2	0	0	2
Luxembourg	2	1	0	3
Latvia	0	5	0	5
Lithuania	1	0	2	3
Macau	1	1	4	6
Mexico	0	0	1	1
Moldova	2	0	0	2
Netherlands	0	0	4	4
Northern Ireland	1	2	5	8
Norway	0	1	1	2
Poland	1	3	7	11
Portugal	0	0	3	3
Romania	2	1	10	13
Russia	1	0	1	2
San Marino	1	0	0	1
Slovenia	0	2	2	4
Spain	0	0	5	5
Sweden	1	0	2	3
Switzerland	0	1	3	4
Turkey	3	1	5	9
Ukraine	0	1	3	4
Vietnam	1	0	0	1
Wales	0	1	1	2
Yugoslavia	0	1	4	5
Total	59	45	147	251

[edit] Former famous players

• Loro Boriçi
• Riza Lushta
• Selman Stërmasi
• Bledar Kola
• Naim Kryeziu
• Sulejman Demollari
• Agustin Kola
• Mirel Josa
• Arben Minga (28 caps, 2 goals)
• Sokol Kushta (31 caps, 10 goals)
• Vasil Ruci (67 caps, 10 goals)
• Panajot Pano (25 caps, ? goals)
• Rudi Vata 1990-2001 (59 caps, 5 goals)
• Blendi Nallbani 1989-2002 (18 caps, 0 goals)
• Mehmet Dragusha 2003-2005 (6 caps, 0 goals)
• Altin Rraklli 1997-2005 (63 caps, 11 goals)
• Foto Strakosha 1996-2006 (73 caps)
• Besnik Hasi ?-2006 (50 caps, 2 goals)
• Adrian Aliaj ?-2006 (15 caps, 8 goals)
• Igli Tare ?-2007
• Edvin Murati ?-2007

[edit] Notable Managers

• Hans-Peter Briegel 2002-2006

[edit] Honours

[edit] Senior team

• Winners of VIII Balkan Cup (Tirana, October 1946)
• Winners of Rothmans Football International Tournament (Valletta, February 4 - February 10, 2000)^[18]

[edit] Albania U-23

• 3rd place in Balkan Cup 1969 in Romania
• 3rd place in Balkan Cup 1970 in Bulgaria
• 2nd place in Balkan Cup 1974 in Romania

[edit] Albania U-21

• 3rd place in Balkan Cup 1976 in Greece
• Winners of Balkan Cup 1978 (home-away matches)
• Winners of Balkan Cup 1981 in Greece

[edit] Albania U-18

• 2nd place in Balkan Cup 1979 in Bulgaria
• 3rd place in Balkan Cup 1985 in Greece
• 3rd place in Balkan Cup 1987 in Turkey
• 2nd place in Adriatic Tournament 1990 in Italy
• 2nd place in Balkan Cup 1990 in Greece
• 3rd place in Balkan Cup 1995 in Turkey

[edit] Albania U-17

• 2nd place in Rijeka Tournament 1996 in Croatia

[edit] Albania U-16

• 2nd place in Nereo Rocco Tournament 1996 in Italy

[edit] Albania U-15

• Winners of Beato Annibale Maria di Francia Tournament 1996 in Italy
• 3rd place in Balkan Cup 2001 in Albania

[edit] Albania U-14

• 2nd place in Primavera Tournament 1995 in Italy

[edit] World Cup record

• 1930 to 1962 - Did not enter
• 1966 - Did not qualify
• 1970 - Entry not accepted by FIFA
• 1974 - Did not qualify
• 1978 - Did not enter
• 1982 to 2006 - Did not qualify

[edit] European Championship record

• 1960 - Did not enter
• 1964 to 1972 - Did not qualify
• 1976 - Did not enter
• 1980 to 2008 - Did not qualify

[edit] See also

• Kategoria superiore
• Albania national under-21 football team
• List of Albanian footballers

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• AlbaniaSoccer.com
• AIFR archive of results: 1946-2000/01
• Albanian Soccer News
• Tifozat Kuq e Zi / Red and Black Fan Club
• Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation - Albania
• Albania Sport

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