Euro U-17 arrives in Elbasan, AFHF organizes promotional event

2025-05-14 18:25:00, Sport CNA

The next promotional event within the framework of the U-17 European Championship "Albania 2025" took place in Elbasan, where hundreds of children and residents of this city participated.

The activity, which was organized in the square in front of the "Elbasan Arena" stadium, aimed to promote this historic event for our country and involve the citizens of Elbasan in this major sporting event that will be held from May 19 to June 1 in Albania.

Present at this event were the member of the Executive Committee of the Albanian Football Federation, Pano Xhixho, the Deputy Minister of Education and Sports, Endrit Hoxha, the tournament ambassador, Valbona Selimllari, the former national football player, Andi Lila, as well as representatives of the Elbasan Football Federation.

In his welcoming speech, Pano Xhixho emphasized the importance of this European Championship and invited all citizens to experience the atmosphere of this competition up close.

"I bring you the greetings of President Duka. I am very glad that we are at "Elbasan Arena", where we all remember the adventure that Andi Lila started with his friends to go to the European Championship. It seemed impossible for Albania to one day go to the European Championship, but it was precisely this stadium that brought that extraordinary success to the national team.
Here we are today, at another European "Euro U17 Albania 2025", something unimaginable before. Let's enjoy this European Championship, because it doesn't happen often that a European Championship is played in our country", - said the member of the EC, Pano Xhixho.

Deputy Minister of Education and Sports, Endrit Hoxha, thanked the Albanian Football Association and President Duka for bringing this event to Albania.

"On behalf of the Ministry of Education and Sports, I would like to express my gratitude to the Football Federation and especially to President Duka, because I believe that this European event has come about thanks to his support as Vice President of UEFA. It is very nice to see so many children and young people, coaches, representatives, thanking Andi Lila, the referee we have present, representatives from the Federation and from the Elbasan club. I hope that we all enjoy this European together", said Deputy Minister of Education and Sports, Endrit Hoxha.

Euro U-17 Ambassador, Valbona Selimllari, emphasized the importance of supporting the National Team at the European Championship.

"It used to be a dream to touch the European Championship, today it is no longer a dream, it is a fact. The European Championship is coming to Albania, in 2027 the Euro U-21 will also come. Albanian football, with this wonderful team of the Albanian Football Association, I don't know where it will take us, and you are the future, you know. We need to strongly support the boys. If the stadium has this energy, you can be sure that our team will win that day", - said the ambassador of the European Championship, Valbona Selimllari.

Former national team footballer, Andi Lila, described this European Championship as a privilege for the country.

"Every participating footballer will be on the pitch and will perform for the red and black colors. It will be a privilege because all the eyes of Europe and managers will be here to have the richest career possible. All the finalist teams produce world football stars, contenders for the Golden Ball. But I hope that we also do our best and represent ourselves worthily, just as the National Team A faces every opponent worthily. Why not the U-17 team as well. A good job has been done by the coaches of the national team and the Albanian Football Federation, President Duka. Thanks to him, these important activities are coming. We have several stadiums with which we are represented worthily everywhere," said Andi Lila.