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"Our fans will make Germany blush", Duka is confident about the road to the European Championship

2024-01-17 12:49:00, Sport CNA

"Our fans will make Germany blush", Duka is confident about the road

Armand Duka

The President of the Albanian Football Federation, Armand Duka, during an interview for "Sportpress24", showed details of the qualification of the Albanian National Team in the European Championship, what awaits them in Germany, as well as commented on the decision of the European Court of Justice.

He also gave details about the final stage of the U-17 European Championship that will take place in Albania in 2025.

As for "Euro 2024", he expressed full confidence that the players will give their best and that our fans will "red" Germany.

Interview:

- How are the preparations of the Albanian National Team and the technical leaders for the final stage of "Euro 2024" going?

We started our preparations after the match against Czech Republic, as we almost secured qualification. In the organizational plan, we have everything ready, we have selected the base camp where our team will be accommodated during the finals of the European Championship in Germany. It is a very good sports complex in Kaiserau, very close to Dortmund and Düsseldorf, where we will play two of our three group games.

The complex offers very good conditions, it has a lot of experience in hosting football teams, it has previously hosted the national teams of Germany, Brazil, Spain, Ivory Coast or clubs such as FC Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, FC Liverpool, FC Porto, Borussia Dortmund, Schalke 04, Valencia, Athletic Bilbao, Udinese, Legia Warsaw, Borussia Monchengladbach, Verder Bremen, RB Leipzig, Eintracht Frankfurt, Wolfsburg, Union Berlin, Fortuna Dusseldorf, Roda Kerkrade, Standard Liege, Los Angeles Galaxy, SC Paderborn, Stuttgart, Hamburger, Bohum, Arminia Bielefeld and Dinamo Dresden.

We have also scheduled four friendly matches, two in March and two in June before the start of the tournament. Psychologically, we are trying to prepare, and this is the most difficult for us, since we do not have much experience in such tournaments, and the draw has put us in front of teams that have much more such experience.

- What are your expectations for the Albanian National Team in this major international tournament?

I can't wait for the players, staff and fans to enjoy participating in Euro 2024, to enjoy their success. The footballers should not have any kind of burden, they have done their duty and made us proud by participating in the "Euro", what we had never tried and enjoyed in history, we are enjoying for the second time in eight years.

We don't have to do anything more than we did in the qualifying matches, maximum commitment, team spirit, trust in the team and not in individual values, we will appreciate every second and minute, we will do our best and we will aim to pass the group , and if we reach we will be satisfied, if we go still further we will be happy.

But I am very sure of one thing, that our fans will "red" Germany, they will support us unsparingly and this will be another strong weapon for the team.

Armand Duka

– In your group, you have strong opponents like Spain, Italy and Croatia. What do you expect to achieve against these rivals?

There is no doubt that this is a very strong group, as labeled "Hell's Group". The three teams we will face have indisputable values ??and levels in European football, which deserve maximum respect.

Italy is the reigning champion of Europe with a special style of football, which is always considered the favorite of the competition. Croatia is a semi-finalist of the last World Cup, with many high level footballers. Spain remains a team of tradition, which in the last two decades, has won a lot as a national team, but has also been high at the club level. But we also had a very good season against difficult teams like Poland, the Czech Republic, Moldova and the Faroe Islands. We are a good team, not with many stars, but very united and with a lot of desire.

The victories against teams of a high level like Poland or the Czech Republic, increased the team a lot and created a lot of confidence in us. Reaching the first place in the group, which we did not discuss for a moment, and especially the way the team played, shows that we have grown a lot. We respect everyone, but we are also not afraid of anyone. We will try to give our best and try to qualify.

– What is the importance of Albania's participation in such a good major tournament as "Euro 2024" and the importance it has for Albanian football?

Participation in major competitions, such as the finals of the European or World Championships, are certainly major events for the national teams of large countries, but not for a small country like Albania.

In the finals of the European Championship "France 2016", we participated for the first time in such a big football event. It was really very exciting and experienced as such, not only by us, the team and the staff. But from all Albanians, around the world. I can say that, from the period of the qualifiers of that European and following, the national team and the achievements of football in the country, have been experienced as the most important events and have turned into holidays for the entire Albanian nation. I can say that football during these years has increased the national pride of Albanians and rightly so.

- How do you promote the development of football in Albania and how does this success affect Albanian sports?

No success is achieved in a day. Even Rome wasn't built in a day. Moreover in today's times. When the pace is very high and football, being the most important game in the world, there is a lot of attention. It takes a lot of work to climb up. To achieve results in football you need passion, hard work and luck.

Në rastin tonë janë dy të parat pasioni dhe puna e fortë dhe e programuar, me strategji e objektiva të qartë. Prej kohësh ne kemi hartuar dhe miratuar strategji për zhvillimin e futbollit në vend, që përfshin shumë elementë që ndikojnë në arritjen e rezultatit. Më të rëndësishmet kanë qenë përmirësimi i përditshëm i infrastrukturës, edukimi i stafeve, zhvillimi i futbollit të fëmijëve, etj.

Të gjitha këto kanë ndikuar në arritjen e rezultateve pozitive. Kualifikimi për në finalet e Europianit “Gjermani 2024”, ka qenë një nga objektivat e strategjisë “Futbolli për Kombin”, të përgatitur e miratuar kohë më parë. Të qartë për vështirësitë, ne jemi përpjekur dhe kemi punuar fort ditë pas dite, për t’i realizuar ato.

Padyshim që entuziazmi që sjell suksesi rrit më shumë vëmendjen dhe interesin për futbollin. Kualifikimi na shërben shumë, që fëmijët tanë të kenë idhujt e tyre, shembujt për të ndjekur të cilët kërkojnë t’u ngjajnë futbollistëve të ekipit kombëtar. Ky është objektivi ynë kryesor, ky është promocioni ynë kryesor, mesazhi që u japim fëmijëve tanë, punoni e stërvituni fort e bëhuni si futbollistët e ekipit kombëtar.

"Our fans will make Germany blush", Duka is confident about the road

– Përgjatë viteve që keni qenë në postin e presidentit të Federatës Shqiptare të Futbollit, çfarë keni ndryshuar?

Shumë gjëra kanë ndryshuar në vend, kanë ndryshuar nga zhvillimet e kohës, por edhe nga politikat e strategjitë e FSHF-së. Nëse do kthej kokën pas e të kujtoj ditën e parë si president më duket si ëndërr. Në atë kohë nuk kishim institucion në radhë të parë, infrastrukturë të mjerueshme, nuk gjetëm strategji e nuk kishte projekte.

Sot jetojmë një realitet tjetër, FSHF është një institucion i konsoliduar, i programuar dhe i aftë të zhvillojë futbollin në vend, një institucion që të jep garanci për të ardhmen e futbollit shqiptar. Infrastruktura ka ndryshuar shumë, nga një vend që kishim pikëpyetje për zhvillimin e ndeshjeve ndërkombëtare në një vend që ka aftësi të organizojë çdo vit 10-15 turne kualifikues për kampionatet evropiane të moshave, finalen e parë të historisë së UEFA Conference League dhe do të mirëpresim Kampionatin Evropian U-17 të vitit 2025.

Nga një federatë që nuk kishte licencuar asnjë trajner, sot ka të drejtën dhe organizon kurse të licencuara nga UEFA për trajnerë të të gjitha niveleve nga UEFA C, UEFA B, UEFA A e UEFA Pro. Dhe jo vetëm këto, por shkolla e FSHF-së është një shkolle e mirorganizuar e organizon trajnime për të gjitha specialitetet që i shërbejnë futbollit si mjekë, fizioterapistë, etj.

Nga një federatë që organizonte vetëm një kampionat të kategorisë së parë me 18 ekipe në një federatë që organizon 570 ndeshje futbolli në javë të të gjitha niveleve që nga 7-vjeçarët deri te veteranët. Dikur nuk mendohej që vajzat të luanin futboll. Sot jo vetëm luajnë, por kemi kampionate kombëtare të të gjitha moshave, ekipe kombëtare gjithashtu, madje kemi mundur edhe Greqinë me ekipin A. Pra, po jetojmë në një epoke ndryshe e në një realitet të ri.

– Now that you have been elected to the post of Vice President of UEFA, what do you think should be changed or improved for the benefit of football?

UEFA is one of the best and most democratic institutions in the world, working and investing heavily to develop football everywhere, cooperating closely with member federations. Having said that, I am very proud to have been elected to the post of UEFA Vice President and this is a great achievement for Albanian football and for Albania. At the same time, it is an even greater obligation for the trust given, the support they have given me, to reward them with work, to reward them with results and honesty in all the decision-making of the governing body.

In addition to being a solid organization, UEFA has as its objective the best possible management of all its sporting and financial activities, but what is even more important is an organization that improves every day and is open to change so that football can be even more very inclusive and closer to children everywhere. And this has been demonstrated through development programs or changes in competition formats to make football more attractive, best adapting to the dynamic changes that time imposes.

I am very sure that either the above developments that I mentioned for my country, or many developments in other European countries, the level where European football is today are the result of the appropriate policies and strategies of UEFA, are the support we give each other - to the other. And exactly these two principles I would never want to change.

– How do you comment on the decision of the European Court of Justice regarding the issue of the European Super League?

I do not think that the decisions of the courts should be commented on. Decisions are opportunities given to the parties to improve the way some internal regulations are drafted. I do not want to repeat what has already been said that there is a big difference between the ECHR press release and the decision itself. For the very way in which the issues were raised, the Court seems as if it had no other alternative to express itself in the decision, as it happens with competition issues.

Personally, I think that the decision is nothing new and that in fact it only strengthens what UEFA and the entire community of well-known football actors have expressed as values: open competitions where sports merit and solidarity prevail before financial interests. One thing must be clarified for everyone, the decision of the ECJ does not give "OK" to approve the Super League, so this decision should not be misinterpreted./CNA