FLASH
Shkruar nga Pamfleti
Diego Longo did not hold back in a long interview for "Gazzetta Dello Sport", where he harshly criticized the Albanian championship in all three of its stages in our country.
He has not been spared, describing it as the most corrupt championship in the world, with various episodes, focusing on one when he was managing Kukës, for a match played against Partizan. The Italian coach did not forget to mention Safet Gjici and the sexual scandal of the former mayor of Kukës, expressing himself in the most negative way possible about his experience in our country.
Below are the excerpts where he mentions Albania in his interview:
When did you make the transition from assistant to coach?
After my experience in Ukraine, at Dynamo Kiev. It was my last year as an assistant, I decided the time had come. It was 2021, and I already had an agreement to go to Saudi Arabia, but it fell through at the last minute. I risked missing the season, so I decided to go to Albania, to Kukësi.
How is the Albanian championship?
The most corrupt championship in the world. The relationships between clubs and football institutions or not, are very complicated. I have seen many unacceptable things, but there is one episode that surpasses all the others.
Can you tell us?
In my first year with Kukës, we played for the last place that would secure Europe against Partizan. They are one of the biggest teams, the Albanian equivalent of Juventus, and they have an incredible power. The day before the match, they took away our training pitch, saying that they had organized a match for their under-16 team. But the worst happened the next day. During the match, VAR was disconnected for 15 minutes, “technical problems” according to the referee. During that moment, we were denied two clear penalties and a fake penalty was awarded to Partizan, who won and qualified for Europe. After the final whistle, I ran to the locker room furious and told my president that he should raise his voice, that the situation was unacceptable. He, who was also the mayor of an Albanian city at the time, replied: “You don’t have to be angry, we’re fine like this.” He was arrested a year later.”
Why?
Sex scandal: they put a camera in his office and the video even ended up on YouTube. I think it can still be found.
But your adventure in Albania continued…
First at Flamurtari and then at Teuta. I led the team, which was not doing well, towards the play-off stage for the Superiore, but we lost the match due to a goalkeeper's mistake in the last minute. After Teuta, where there were no facilities or football academy, I left and returned to Italy.
In Serie C, at Sestri Levante…
It was like returning to Albania: there was no desire to take that step forward.
Lini një Përgjigje