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"Fans" are increasing in stadiums, football is remembered once every four years

2025-04-20 20:35:00, Sport CNA

"Fans" are increasing in stadiums, football is remembered once every

On the eve of the general elections, Albanian stadiums, from the Superior to the lowest levels, have aroused great interest. The turn comes from a new "fan base" that appears as if by miracle every four years.

Those who previously wouldn't even show up for the derby are now sitting in the stands of suburban stadiums, in cities that they once only remembered from previous campaigns. Wherever more than ten people gather, an interested party from the political elite immediately "flows" and in an instant becomes a fan, a football expert, and a great friend of the players, coaches, and even the groundskeeper.

This presence is nothing more than an old theater, with well-known actors, but with updated scenography. Clubs that for most of the year are forgotten, left to the mercy of fate, and that function thanks to the personal efforts of presidents, local businesses and love for sports, are suddenly embraced by figures who until yesterday refused to even listen to their troubles.

It is no coincidence that most clubs are still directly or indirectly dependent on local governments, being used as political currency during elections and abandoned immediately after the electoral results. There are no long-term policies, no structural investments, no reforms to strengthen the sports system, there are only handouts, some promise of a “new” stadium or “reconstruction”, which seems more like a remake of old promises.

In the stands of matches, you see faces that greet you with forced humility, that meet players and coaches as if they were part of a common project to revive the sport. Club presidents, who have been throwing money out of their pockets for years, feel embarrassed by this sudden and, often, hypocritical enthusiasm. Because no one has asked them before what the club needs, what needs to change, or how they can be helped to build a sustainable sports system.

The sponsorship law, left over from 1994, has meanwhile become like a tragic character in an endless soap opera. It is promised in every campaign, but never approved or updated. Albanian football no longer expects to be like in Germany or England, the only requirement is to at least reach Kosovo's standards. But even this remains a dream that is repeated every four years, to be forgotten immediately after the ballot boxes close.

In a small and poor country, hope dies last. But still, it is legitimate to ask the question: until when? Because if this farce continues, one day not too far away, the stands of these stadiums will be empty. The fields will be ruined. The clubs will have lost their voice and the community will no longer have either the nerve or the will to listen once again to the same lie recited with campaign zeal. And then, politics will understand, but as always, too late, that stadiums are not for campaigns, but for respect, investment and continuity.