"FC Köln-Albania" association is established in Albania

2023-06-14 20:35:00, Sport Nga Gerard Chakmakjian

"FC Köln-Albania" association is established in Albania In Albania, the sports association "FC Köln-Albania" was founded. The initiative was carried out by a group of Albanians, mainly from the colony of Cologne, on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the creation of the famous German football club. Among them are also members of the "Kuqezi" fans, in respect of the idols of the National Team, Mavraj and Roshi, who have played in recent years for the colors of FC Köln.

Sports journalist Gerard Chakmakjian, a well-known fan of Cologne and a citizen of this wonderful country of North Rhine-Westphalia, was elected president of the "FC Köln-Albania" association. As secretary, Elvi Fundo was elected, also this journalist who has been living in Germany for 5 years.

The club with about 100,000 members in Germany (the fourth in the whole country) seems to have a lot of fans in Albania as well. The association includes various intellectuals and professionals such as lawyers, businessmen from various fields, computer scientists, economists and many citizens who have a passion for football and follow the Cologne legends team.

The matches, especially those against Borussia Dortmund and Bayer Leverkusen, are extremely popular even in the country of the eagles, where the Bundesliga is one of the most popular sports attractions. The special feature of FC Köln fans in Albania is that there are not only young people among them. As the winner of the football season in 1961 and three years later, as the first Bundesliga champion, FC Köln, there is another generation of fans .

Albanian fans of the 60s and 70s don't forget the three draws with Liverpool and then the elimination from the quarter-finals of the European Cup. Even the 1985-1986 UEFA Cup final, lost to Real Madrid, or the 1978-1979 European Cup semi-final, with Nottingham Forest, had no way of leaving a mark on Albanian football fans. It was the time of footballers like Pierre Littbarski and Bernd Schuster and then Schumacher, Cullmann, Herbert Zimmermann, who became European champions. But also the famous trainer Rinus Michels, after the successes with Ajax, Barcelona and the Dutch national team. A few years later FC Köln footballers Bodo Illgner, Pierre Littbarski, Thomas Häßler and Paul Steiner became world champions with the national team.

It was at this time that the communist regime was overthrown in Albania and thousands and thousands of Albanians arrived in Europe and Germany, many of whom still live in Cologne today. It is precisely them, who grew up with the old stories of FC Köln, but also with those they experience every week at the
"RheinEnergieStadion", who have just created the "FC Köln-Albania" association in Albania.

Soon the official logo will be published, the organization of events, the association will have its own office and premises where fans will be invited to follow the challenges of the Cologne team together while enjoying the Gaffel Kölsch beer (which you can already find in Tirana ). traditional of the area and the official sponsor of FC Köln. / Gerard Chakmakjian