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The President of the Albanian Football Federation, Armand Duka, has praised the progress made by the Albanian championship, although he admitted that domestic football still remains far from the standards of the most developed European championships.
In an interview for "Top Albania Radio", Duka said that the Superiore has become more competitive and unpredictable, which according to him makes the competition more interesting for fans.
" From a competition point of view, the championship is very interesting and no one predicts it. If we talk about the level, ours is not at the level of advanced European championships. It has made positive steps forward, but it is still far away ," declared Duka.
The head of the AFF stressed that Albania stands well in relation to the countries of the region in some infrastructural aspects, especially regarding stadiums, but underlined the need for more training fields.
" As for the Balkans, we are good in some components and we need to work on other aspects. In terms of stadiums, we are ahead, but we could have a larger number of training fields ," he added.
The Duke also commented on the possibility of a joint national team between Albania and Kosovo, considering it currently impossible due to the state status of the two countries. However, he raised an idea that he said could be discussed in the future.
" It is impossible for Albania and Kosovo to have a national team as long as we are not a state. What I can think of would be for one of the states to decide not to build a national team and the players to go to one of the teams ," said the president of the Albanian Football Association.
In the sports part of the interview, Duka recalled the strongest emotions with the Albanian National Team, highlighting the match against Andorra and Nedim Bajrami's goal against the Czech Republic.
" I experienced more emotion in the match with Andorra, there were very few chances and we were facing difficulties. The goal that has stayed in my mind the most is Bajram's in the Czech Republic ," he said.
He also praised former coach Gianni De Biasi as the most charismatic figure in the history of the national team, while mentioning Julian Shehu as the player who has surprised him the most.
The Duke also commented on the use of VAR technology in football, which he said, although he personally does not favor it, has significantly helped reduce arbitrary errors.
" I'm personally not for technology, but VAR has corrected many mistakes and has marked great progress in this regard ," he declared.
In a series of quick choices between footballers and well-known figures of the National Team, Duka preferred Ernest Muçi over Armando Broja, Etrit Berisha over Thomas Strakosha and Lorik Cana over Mërgim Mavraj.
At the end of the interview, the AFF president spoke about Albania's international football goals. He confirmed that the country will host the European Under-21 Championship and that work is underway to bring the European Super Cup final to Tirana in 2028.
" We will organize the European Under-21 Championship next year and we are lobbying to have the European Super Cup final in Albania in 2028. Usually, when we set out, we achieve things ," concluded Duka.
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