Football in Kosovo

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Football in Kosovo is governed by the

Yugoslav Football Association. Prishtina, is the club from Kosovo with most participations in the Yugoslav First League
. Football is the most popular sport in Kosovo.

The Football Superleague of Kosovo is the top division of football in Kosovo. The division was set up in 1945 as a regional league within the Yugoslav football league system.

In 2008,

NF Board, which represents non-FIFA territories, including unrepresented cultural groups and unrecognized states. Some football clubs, especially from North Kosovo, refuse to enter the Republic of Kosovo's institutions and continue to be part of the Football Association of Serbia
. On 3 May 2016, Kosovo became the 55th member of UEFA after a 28-24 vote in their favour, and on 13 May 2016, Kosovo gained FIFA membership after a 141-23 vote in their favour.

History

The first football match ever played in Kosovo took place in Prizren in 1912 between two Austro-Hungarian teams.[1]

The first football clubs in Kosovo were formed after the First World War and they competed in the Belgrade Football Subassociation provincial leagues within the Yugoslav football league system.

During the

Albanian championship. Two Kosovar Albanian players made headlines in Italian Serie A, Riza Lushta and Naim Kryeziu.[2]

In 1945, Kosovo was reintegrated into Serbia and Yugoslavia. Football Federation of Kosovo was founded in 1946 and in 1948 was co-founder of ex-FF of Yugoslavia with equal rights and duties until 1991. FC Prishtina and KF Trepça made it to the Yugoslav First League. In 1992 SFR Yugoslavia became FR Yugoslavia. In that period, all Albanian football players abandoned the Yugoslavian league and were part of the Independent League of Kosovo (1991) and first played match was Flamurtari - Prishtina(13 September 1991). First goal of Independent league was scored by Eroll Salihu, actually General Secretary of FFK.

During this Yugoslav period most of the best players from Kosovo, regardless if Serb or Albanian, usually continued their career in stronger Yugoslav clubs. Examples are Gorani

Marko Perović, Darko Spalević, Nenad Vanić, Milan Biševac, Miloš Krasić and others. While all Kosovar Serbian and most Kosovar Albanian players represented Yugoslavia internationally, some opted to represent Albania, like Besnik Hasi or Mehmet Dragusha
.

Three football players that were born in Kosovo (

1960 Summer Olympics and the silver medal at the 1960 European Championship

After the

Fatos Beqiraj, Jovan Tanasijević for Montenegro, Ardian Gashi for Norway, Emir Bajrami and Erton Fejzullahu for Sweden, Valon Behrami, Albert Bunjaku, Milaim Rama, Xherdan Shaqiri and Granit Xhaka
for Switzerland

The

World Cup qualifier
.

League system (2020–21)

Men's

Level Leagues/Divisions
1 Kosovo Superleague
(10 clubs)
2 Kosovo First League – Group A
(10 clubs) 		Kosovo First League – Group B
(10 clubs)
3 Kosovo Second League
(16 clubs)
4 Kosovo Third League – Group A
(16 clubs) 		Kosovo Third League – Group B
(18 clubs)
Dukagjini Plain's Group A
(8 clubs) 		Kosovo Plain's Group A
(8 clubs) 		Dukagjini Plain's Group B
(10 clubs) 		Kosovo Plain's Group B
(8 clubs)

Women's

Level Leagues/Divisions
1 Kosovo Superleague
(Various by season, currently 8)
2 Kosovo First League
(Various by season, currently 5)

Kosovar footballers

The "Fadil Vokrri" Stadium, the biggest stadium in Pristina

There are several ethnic

Galatasaray S.K., is naturalized as a citizen of Turkey. Xherdan Shaqiri is an ethnic Albanians born in Kosovo who plays for the Swiss national team and Premier League side Liverpool, Granit Xhaka is a Switzerland-born footballer who plays for the Swiss national team and Premier League side Arsenal, originally from Kosovo of Albanian
descent.

The most famous player in women's football from Kosovo is the former

Paris Saint-Germain, she is married to Enis Alushi, a former Kosovo international
.

References

  1. ISBN 978-1-84162-199-9
    .
  2. ^ SERIE A 1940-41 at enciclopediadelcalcio.it
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