KF Vllaznia Shkodër

Full name	Klubi i Futbollit Vllaznia
Nickname(s)	Kuq e Blutë (Red & Blues) Djepi i Futbollit Shqiptar (Cradle of Albanian football)
Founded	16 February 1919; 105 years ago (1919-02-16) as Shoqëria Sportive Vllaznia (Vllaznia Sports Society)
Ground	Loro Boriçi Stadium, Shkodër, Albania
Capacity	16,000 [1]
Chairman	Alban Xhaferri
Manager	Qatip Osmani
League	Kategoria Superiore
2022–23	Kategoria Superiore, 4th
Website	Club website
Home colours Away colours Third colours
Current season

Active branches of Vllaznia Shkodër
Football (Men's) Football (Women's) Basketball Futsal Volleyball (Men's) Volleyball (Women's)

Klubi I Futbollit Vllaznia Shkodër, commonly known as Vllaznia is an Albanian football club based in the city of Shkodër. It is the association football branch of the Vllaznia Sports Club, which was founded on 16 February 1919. It is also the oldest club in Albania which means it is the first club created in Albania. The club have competed in every edition of Kategoria Superiore since 1930, which is the top tier of football in Albania, besides in the 1956–57, 1961-62 and 2018-19 football seasons.

Vllaznia is one of the most successful football clubs in Albania, having won nine Kategoria Superiore titles, eight Albanian Cups and two Albanian Supercups. They have only been relegated from the Kategoria Superiore three times in 1956 due to a disqualification, in 1961, and for the last time in decades in 2018.

The club's ground has been the Loro Boriçi Stadium since it was built in 1952, which is named after former Vllaznia and Albania national team captain. In 2016, the stadium was rebuilt into modern all-seater at the cost of €17 million, and it now has a capacity of 16,022, making it the second largest stadium in Albania.

History

Background history

Football was introduced to the city of Shkodër in 1908, when a Maltese priest, Father Gut Ruter, brought a football into the city, which is considered to be the first time football was played in the country. The first football club formed in Albania was Indipendenca Shkodër, which began operating in 1912 under the guidance of founder Palokë Nika, who was also the captain of the team. ^[2] The first football game organised in city took place in October 1913 between Indipendenca Shkodër and the occupying Austro-Hungarian Imperial Navy. It was the first time a football team composed of Albanians had played foreigners, making it the first international game to ever take place involving an Albanian team, as well as being the first 90-minute football game to be played with two 45 minute halves in the country. Indipendenca Shkodër lost the game 2–1, with the captain Palokë Nika scoring the only goal for the home side. ^{[2] [3]}

Early history

Following the rise in popularity of football in the city, this prompted Palokë Nika along with other sportspeople in the city to form a club that would cater for many sports including football and on 16 February 1919 the Vllaznia Sports Society was formed. Vllaznia is a concept in Albanian culture often translated as "brotherhood;" it refers to loyalty to one's fis (clan, tribe). ^[4] They played games against other Albanian teams, notably playing KF Tirana in their first ever game in October 1920. The club also played international games, the first of which was against the occupying Italian troops on 23 May, who beat Vllaznia 1–0. Later in the year for Albanian Independence Day on 28 November Vllaznia organised another football game against an Italian selection again, this time losing 5–1. The club's first game outside of Albania was played on 31 August 1922 in Montenegro against FK Lovćen Cetinje, a match which they lost 4–0. ^[2] The club would continue to play domestic friendly games until the creation of the Albanian Football Association in 1930 and the start of the Kategoria e Parë in the same year. ^[3]

Championships of World War II

During the peak of World War II, between the years 1939 and 1942, Albanian Football Association organized three championships, in 1939, 1940 and 1942. ^[5] According to all information gathered in years from Albanian and foreign historians, players and veterans who lived these events, clear evidence proves the existence of these championships at that time, as well as the existence of three trophies given from Albanian Football Association officials themselves. One must not forget that 1942 Albanian Superliga had a nationwide participation – the first and the only one so far involving teams from both countries as Albania and Kosovo. KS Vllaznia won one such championship whilst KF Tirana won the other two championships in 1939 & 1942. ^[6] This would update the championship trophies won by these clubs to respectively 10 and 26 at the present time.

After years of silence, Albanian Football Association have appointed a dedicated commission with 5 members, which is involved in gathering enough evidence in this regard. And finally, after a significant amount of evidence has been produced, it has been given an official date, when Albanian Football Association intend to officially recognize these 3 championships in their next General Assembly, to be held in February 2013. ^[7]

In 1958 the club was renamed "KS Vllaznia". In the European Cup for Champions 1978/79 they beat Austrian team Austria Wien (who went on to the semifinals) 2–0 at home but lost 3–4 on aggregate. In the Cup Winners Cup of 1987/88 they reached the Round of 16 after beating Sliema Wanderes from Malta in both games (aggregate 6–0). In the 2001/2002 UEFA Champions league qualifying they beat KR Reykjavik from Iceland 2–1 in Reykjavik and 1–0 in Tirana with two goals from Klodian Duro. In next round KF Vllaznia were eliminated by the Turkish club Galatasaray 2–0 in Istanbul and 1–4 in Tirana. German Uli Schulze, a UEFA Cup Winners' Cup winner with 1. FC Magdeburg in 1974, was appointed as new coach in summer 2006. He was later replaced by Mirel Josa who is currently at his third spell coaching the team.

2000s

In the 2000s, Vllaznia went through changes. In 2003 the President of Vllaznia, Myftar Cela, was shot in Montenegro. The President was loved by every Vllaznia fan due to his generosity and his love for the team. After Cela died, a group of businessmen gathered to help the team.

In 2006, an Albanian businessman, Valter Fushaj, became Vllaznia President. Since then he has been criticized by the fans for corruption and not wanting the best for the team.

In the 2009–2010 season Vllaznia went through some rough changes; having to change 3 coaches and also replace players. Vllaznia dropped to the bottom of the table, and having been criticized by the fans, Vllaznia went through some bad times.

On 17 April 2010, Vllaznia won 3–2 against Skënderbeu Korçë but the result was changed to a 2–0 loss for Vllaznia. This was because the player Ansi Nika wasn't on the team roster but was picked for the team anyway. This led to protests by the fans, making accusations that the Vllaznia staff and the President Valter Fushaj specifically did it for bribing reasons.

GEA Sport Era

Roberto Nava, the president of GEA Sport SA, bought 50% of KF Vllaznia ^[8] and in July, Nava negotiated with Napoli to loan Sebastián Sosa on a one year term in Shkodër. After successful negotiations with Napoli, Nava went on to buy Sebastián Rodríguez from Almería and Giorginho Aguirre from Corona Brasov. ^[9]

Vllaznia were relegated from the Albanian Superliga in the 2017/18 season, a club that suffered their last demotion almost six decades ago in the early 1960s.

However, during the 2018/19 season, the team managed to gain promotion to the Superliga while also being crowned champions of the Albanian First Division (the second tier of Albanian Football), beating second-placed Erzeni to the title by a whopping 12 points.

In the 2019/20 season, Vllaznia finished eighth in the Superliga. They were then placed in the relegation play-off final against KF Besëlidhja Lezhë, but won 3-1 to secure their status as a top-flight club for another season.

The 2020/21 season saw Vllaznia jump up the table and have a very successful season, finishing on an impressive 66 points and securing a second-place finish that booked them a spot in the Europa Conference League Qualifiers. Teuta, the team that won the league, beat Vllaznia on goal difference.

Vllaznia also secured European football in the 2021/22 and 2022/23 seasons. In the 2023/24 Europa Conference League Qualifiers, they played the highly successful Northern Irish club Linfield F.C., but lost 3-2 on aggregate.

Stadium

The home ground of the club is called "Loro Borici". The name comes from one of the club's and Albania's greatest footballer to ever play, Loro played with some of the biggest teams at that time, with Roma and Lazio. The striker was known for his goalscoring abilities which he displayed in the Serie A after he left Vllaznia in the 1930s.

Loro Boriçi stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Shkodër, Albania. It is currently used mostly for football matches and is the home ground of Vllaznia Shkodër. The stadium holds about 16,000 spectators and was reconstructed in 2001. It is named in honour of Loro Boriçi, famous player in the 1940s and 1950s. It is also the second largest stadium in Albania behind the Qemal Stafa Stadium in Tirana which seats 19,600.

In October 2014, Edi Rama, prime minister of Albania, promised the reconstruction of the stadium, which was last renovated in 2001. ^[10] He said that the stadium will be with a renewed capacity of about 20,000 spectators. ^[11]

On 3 May 2015, construction works officially started, bringing the stadium to a renewed capacity of 17,500 seats. ^[12]

During the 2015–16 Albanian Superliga season, Loro Boriçi Stadium was under re-construction, therefore Vllaznia used Ismail Xhemali Stadium in Pukë at the beginning of the season and then switched to Reshit Rusi Stadium in Shkodër for much of the season.

Fans

Vllaznit Ultras
Abbreviation	V-U
Established	2005
Type	Ultras
Motto	Një jetë, dy ngjyra, një skuader.
Headquarters	Shkodër,   Albania
Affiliations	Ultras Beveren
Website	https://www.facebook.com/vllaznit05/

Vllaznia is one of the most popular and recognised teams amongst Albanian football fans in Albania, Kosovo and North Macedonia. The Ultras group of Vllaznia are known as 'Vllaznit Ultras' and were the first official ultras fan base in Albania who were created in 2005. They have strong ties with other Albanian Ultra groups such as the Ultras Guerrils who support KF Partizani Tirana and Armata E Veriut of FK Kukësi. It is known that Vllaznit Ultras meet up with opposition fans to greet each other before and after a game. Vllaznit Ultras are not just present in the football scene, they also attend Vllaznia's basketball matches to show their full support and love for Vllaznia at any sporting level. Fans of Vllaznia have always attended matches in high quantities, but in recent years the number of fans attending games has decreased due to the poor management and loss of confidence in the team. In the last 3 seasons the team has made a good performance in the league pretending for the title and also winning two Albanian Cups. This good performance has risen the passion and confidence among the fans, which has grown the number of fans in the stadium. They have ties with Ultras Beveren, the supporters of Belgian team Waasland-Beveren

Despite the low number of fans at Vllaznia's football games, they have recently turned up in strong numbers for the clubs basketball team, BC Vllaznia, due to their outstanding form in the past few years, having won the 3 Albanian Basketball League championships from 2014 to 2016.

Rivalries

Vllaznia's all time enemies are KF Tirana who are the most successful side in Albanian football. Both teams had been the only two in Albania to not have been relegated from the top tier of Albanian football, until on the final match day of 2017, where both sides fought out who would survive and go down in front of a full crowd (Vllaznia 0–0 Tirana), Tirana were relegated. This rivalry is known as the "All-time Albanian derby". The rivalry is mainly in existence because both sides were the first two football teams to be found in Albania, where Vllaznia was found in 1919, whilst KF Tirana was found in 1920. Another reason why this rivalry potentially exists is due to the historic popularity between these two sides. Vllaznia and Tirana were the only sides in Albania to have never been relegated in the Albanian Superliga, they both hold 78 official seasons and 81 unofficial seasons (including three unofficial championships during World War II) in Albanian top flight football going into the 2016-17 Albanian Superliga season.

Both ultra groups, the Vllaznit Ultras and Tirona Fanatics are known for their fierce rivalry in the stands and off the pitch, which was shown in a match played in Loro Boriçi Stadium in Shkodër on 11 September 2014. ^[13] During this game there was a lot of tension which began in the second half of the game. The game was interrupted when Tirana's fans started throwing bottles and other objects to show their anger towards the referee's decisions. Late on, Tirana grabbed an equaliser through Ervin Bulku to level 1–1, and this sparked a huge brawl between the fans. Tirana fans ran onto the pitch and seemingly started throwing chairs and bottles at Vllaznia fans. From then on Vllaznia fans started attacking Tirana fans inside and outside of the stadium. Vllaznia's fans gave an official statement on Vllaznia's official Facebook page where they stated that what Tirana fans did was seen as an embarrassment and an insult to people of Shkodra and Albanian football, therefore action was needed. Amongst some of the injured people was Tirana's president, Refik Halili who was hit by a fan of Tirana with a stone. Vllaznia fans were given a 10 match ban from attending home games, whilst Tirana were given 15. ^[14]

Vllaznia has a fierce rivalry with Flamurtari Vlorë too. This rivalry dates back to the 70s when the two sides were the best teams in Albania. This is also the rivalry between the main clubs from the north and the south of Albania. This game is one of the most attended matches in Albanian football. The relations between fans of the clubs in and out of field are rude and supporters usually have troubles and violence.

Other derbies include the North Albanian derbies against Laçi and Kukësi. Laçi fans insist that the North Albanian derby is between Laçi and Vllaznia, whereas fans of Kukësi believe it is between Kukësi and Vllaznia. However history suggests that Besëlidhja Lezhë and Vllaznia were the most popular Northern Albanian sides decades ago.

Honours

Kategoria Superiore

• Winners (9): 1940*, 1945, 1946, 1971–72, 1973–74, 1977–78, 1982–83, 1991–92, 1997–98, 2000–01
• Runners-up (11): 1932, 1933, 1936, 1937, 1947, 1949, 1974–75, 1996–97, 1998–99, 2002–03, 2008–09, 2020–21

Kategoria e Parë

• Winners (2): 1957, 1962
• Runners-up (1): 2018–19

Albanian Cup

• Winners (8): 1964–65, 1971–72, 1978–79, 1980–81, 1986–87, 2007–08, 2020–21, 2021–22
• Runners-up (8): 1938–39, 1965–66, 1967–68, 1969–70, 1985–86, 1998–99, 2005–06, 2009–10

Albanian Supercup

• Winners (2): 1998, 2001
• Runners-up (4): 1992, 2008, 2021, 2022

KF Vllaznia Shkodër statistics in Kategoria Superiore

Since the Kategoria Superiore began in 1930, KF Vllaznia have played 1991 Superliga matches, scored 3181 goals and conceded 2053. The club has collected so far 2638 points, won 911 games, drawn 470 and lost 612. The club's goal difference is -106 and the winning difference is +1128.

Recent seasons

Season	Division	Pos.	Pl.	W	D	L	GS	GA	P	Cup	Supercup	Europe		Top Scorer
1998–99	Kategoria Superiore	2nd	30	18	6	6	57	18	60	RU	—	UCL	1QR	Vioresin Sinani 14
1999–00	Kategoria Superiore	4th	26	11	4	11	29	28	37	QF	—	UC	1QR	Edi Martini 8
2000–01	Kategoria Superiore	1st	26	17	5	4	51	22	56	SF	—	UIC	1R	Vioresin Sinani 15
2001–02	Kategoria Superiore	5th	26	12	4	10	44	27	40	QF	W	UCL	2QR	Vioresin Sinani 11
2002–03	Kategoria Superiore	2nd	26	15	4	7	51	32	49	SF	—	—	—	Vioresin Sinani 17
2004–05	Kategoria Superiore	3rd	36	21	5	10	77	51	68	SF	—	UC	1QR	Vioresin Sinani 36
2004–05	Kategoria Superiore	4th	36	19	4	13	80	47	61	SF	—	UIC	2R	Abílio 20
2005–06	Kategoria Superiore	6th	36	13	6	17	39	45	45	RU	—	—	—	Vioresin Sinani 13
2006–07	Kategoria Superiore	3rd	33	18	9	6	46	28	63	QF	—	UIC	2R	Klevis Dalipi 9 Suad Liçi 9
2007–08	Kategoria Superiore	7th	33	12	9	12	46	46	45	W	—	—	—	Vioresin Sinani 20
2008–09	Kategoria Superiore	2nd	33	19	7	7	49	29	64	SF	RU	UC	2QR	Vioresin Sinani 14
2009–10	Kategoria Superiore	6th	33	13	7	13	34	39	46	RU	—	UEL	2QR	Bekim Balaj 8
2010–11	Kategoria Superiore	3rd	33	17	8	8	41	27	59	SF	—	—	—	Vioresin Sinani 11
2011–12	Kategoria Superiore	6th	26	10	5	11	38	32	35	SR	—	UEL	2QR	Xhevahir Sukaj 9
2012–13	Kategoria Superiore	6th	26	11	5	10	30	26	38	SR	—	—	—	Dritan Smajli 7
2013–14	Kategoria Superiore	8th	33	12	9	12	42	36	45	QF	—	—	—	Tomislav Bušić 13
2014–15	Kategoria Superiore	7th	36	11	5	20	27	41	35	QF	—	—	—	Sebastián Sosa 7
2015–16	Kategoria Superiore	6th	36	11	6	19	36	42	39	QF	—	—	—	Eraldo Çinari 6
2016–17	Kategoria Superiore	7th	36	8	16	12	29	35	40	QF	—	—	—	Elis Bakaj 6 Ndriçim Shtubina 6
2017–18	Kategoria Superiore	↓9th	36	12	8	16	38	42	44	SR	—	—	—	Xhevahir Sukaj 10
2018–19	Kategoria e Parë	↑2nd	26	20	3	3	44	11	63	SR	—	—	—	Sílvio Júnior 9
2019–20	Kategoria Superiore	8th	36	12	10	14	36	41	46	SR	—	—	—	Gilman Lika 10
2020–21	Kategoria Superiore	2nd	36	19	9	8	44	22	66	W	—	—	—	Ardit Hoxhaj 12
2021–22	Kategoria Superiore	5th	36	13	16	7	47	38	55	W	RU	UECL	2QR	Liridon Latifi 12
2022–23	Kategoria Superiore	4th	36	13	11	12	39	39	50	SF	RU	UECL	2QR	Herald Marku 7
2023–24	Kategoria Superiore										—	UECL	1QR

Records

• Biggest ever home league victory: Vllaznia Shkodër 8–0 Flamurtari Vlorë – 6 February 1999
• Biggest ever home league defeat: Vllaznia Shkodër 0–4 Dinamo Tirana – 25 September 2010
• Biggest ever away league victory: KF Laçi 1–7 Vllaznia Shkodër – 18 December 2004 / KF Tirana 0–6 Vllaznia Shkodër - (1947) kf apolonia-KF VLLAZNIA 0-6 18.04.2021
• Biggest ever away league defeat: KF Tirana 5–1 Vllaznia Shkodër – 28 February 2004
• Biggest ever European home victory: Vllaznia Shkodër 3–0 Široki Brijeg – 15 July 2021
• Biggest ever European home defeat: Vllaznia Shkodër 0–4 Trabzonspor – 14 July 2007
• Biggest ever European away victory: Sliema Wanderers 0–4 Vllaznia Shkodër – 30 September 1987
• Biggest ever European away defeat: Trabzonspor 6–0 Vllaznia Shkodër – 8 July 2007

Albanian records from September 1997

KF Vllaznia in Europe

As of 20 July 2023.

Season	Competition	Round	Country	Club	Home	Away
1967–68	Balkans Cup	Group A		Beroe Stara Zagora	4–0	0–2	2nd
				Gençlerbirliği	1–0	1–1
				Farul Constanța	2–1	1–2
1971–72	UEFA Cup	1R		Rapid Wien	n.d.	n.d.
1977	Balkans Cup	Group B		Panathinaikos	1–1	0–3	3rd
				Budućnost Titograd	1–1	0–2
1978–79	UEFA European Cup	1R		Austria Wien	2–0	1–4
1979–80	European Cup Winners' Cup	1R		Dynamo Moscow	n.d.	n.d.
1983–84	European Cup Winners' Cup	1R		Hamburger SV	n.d.	n.d.
1986	Balkans Cup	QF		Gloria Buzău	0–0	0–3
1987–88	UEFA Cup Winners' Cup	1R		Sliema Wanderers	2–0	4–0
		2R		RoPS	0–1	0–1
1991–92	UEFA Cup	1R		AEK Athens	0–1	0–2
1998–99	UEFA Champions League	QR		Dinamo Tbilisi	3–1	0–3
1999–00	UEFA Cup	QR		Spartak Trnava	1–1	0–2
2000	UEFA Intertoto Cup	1R		Nea Salamis	1–2	1–4
2001–02	UEFA Champions League	1QR		KR	1–0	1–2
		2QR		Galatasaray	1–4	0–2
2003–04	UEFA Cup	QR		Dundee	0–2	0–4
2004	UEFA Intertoto Cup	1R		Hapoel Be'er Sheva	1–2	3–0
		2R		Slaven Belupo	1–0	0–2
2007	UEFA Intertoto Cup	1R		Zagreb	1–0	1–2
		2R		Trabzonspor	0–4	0–6
2008–09	UEFA Cup	1QR		Koper	0–0	2–1
		2QR		Napoli	0–3	0–5
2009–10	UEFA Europa League	1QR		Sligo Rovers	1–1	2–1
		2QR		Rapid Wien	0–3	0–5
2011–12	UEFA Europa League	1QR		Birkirkara	1–1	1–0
		2QR		Thun	0–0	1–2
2021–22	UEFA Europa Conference League	1QR		Široki Brijeg	3–0	1–3
		2QR		AEL Limassol	0−1	0–1
2022–23	UEFA Europa Conference League	2QR		Universitatea Craiova	1–1	0−3
2023–24	UEFA Europa Conference League	1QR		Linfield	1−0	1−3

• QR = Qualifying Round
• 1R = 1st Round
• 2R = 2nd Round

World & European Rankings

(As of 3 August 2023) ^[15]

UEFA club coefficient ranking

Rank	Team	Points
294	FC Ordabasy	4.000
295	Knattspyrnufélagið Víkingur	4.000
296	St Patrick's Athletic F.C.	4.000
297	KF Vllaznia Shkodër	4.000
298	FK Partizani Tirana	4.000
299	Puskás Akadémia FC	4.000
300	St Joseph's F.C.	4.000

Players

Current squad

As of 1 February 2024

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player 1 GK   ALB Kristi Qarri 2 DF   ALB Geralb Smajli 3 DF   ALB Gledjan Pusi 4 DF   CRO Marko Jurić 5 DF   ALB Dritmir Beci 6 MF   ALB Ardit Krymi 7 DF   ALB Ildi Gruda 8 DF   ALB Eslit Sala 9 FW   ALB Bekim Balaj ( captain) 10 MF   KOS Alfred Ajdarević 11 FW   ALB Mehdi Çoba 12 GK   ALB Aron Jukaj

No. Pos. Nation Player 13 MF   ALB Antonio Delaj 17 MF   KOS Lorik Boshnjaku 19 DF   ALB Flori Spahija 20 MF   ALB Esat Mala 22 FW   ALB Kevin Dodaj 23 DF   ALB Esin Hakaj 29 MF   BRA Andrey Yago 31 GK   ALB Jurgen Mehidri 34 DF   SRB Miloš Stojanović 66 MF   ALB Ersi Zaganjori 77 MF   ALB Rejan Alivoda 99 FW   BRA Bruno Gomes

Other players under contract

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

Current staff

Position	Name
Head Coach	Qatip Osmani
Assistant Manager	Bashkim Livoreka
Assistant Manager	Ergi Borshi
Goalkeeping Coach	Ideal Lekiqi
Sporting director	Tefik Osmani
Academy director	Sead Halilagić
Athletic Training Coach	Aurel Locaj
Video Analyst	Ardit Mani
Team doctor	Zyhdi Coba
Fiziotherapist	Ilirjan Haxhaja
Fiziotherapist	Armir Dibra
Masseur	Brian Ferhati

Managerial history

Title winning Managers

Name	Period	Trophies
Ibrahim Dizdari	1945	National Championship
Ernest Halepiani	1946	National Championship
Xhevdet Shaqiri	1971–1978	3 National Championships
Ramazan Rragami	1982–1983	National Championship
Astrit Hafizi	1991–1992	Albanian Superliga
Hysen Dedja	1997–1998	Albanian Superliga, Albanian Supercup
Derviš Hadžiosmanović	2000–2001	Albanian Superliga, Albanian Supercup
Derviš Hadžiosmanović	2008	Albanian Cup
Thomas Brdarić	2020–2022	Albanian Cup
Mirel Josa	2022–2023	Albanian Cup

Notable former youth players

Women's team

A women's team was created in 2013. When three time Albanian champion KF Ada Velipojë disestablished their women's team, the whole team moved to Vllaznia and formed a new women's section. ^[17] The team then won the 2013–14 Albanian women's football championship and competed in the 2014–15 UEFA Women's Champions League. Vllaznia was the first Albanian team draw or win a match when they beat Faroes side KI 2–1. UEFA considers them as a successor team and credits Ada's results to them. ^[18]

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to KS Vllaznia Shkodër.

• Official website