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| Armand Duka at the work table at the Albanian Football Federation |
Italy is one of our national team's rivals in "Euro 2024," and this has increased media interest. The President of the Albanian Football Federation, Armand Duka, gave an interview to "La Politica del Pallone," and the focus was on the clash with the reigning European champions, the European Championship itself, and then the changes made in Albania in infrastructure.
"For us, being in 'Euro 2024' is a great success. We performed very well in the qualifiers, finishing first in our group. Now the draw has placed us against Spain, Croatia, and Italy. We didn't really want to play against Italy because, as you also mentioned, we have good relations with Italy in football, not just in politics. Many young Albanians play in Italy, and if you don't know, they play as many Albanian children as in Albania," President Duka initially expressed, who then continued to talk about the duel with Italy.
"We have good relations, but we will be opponents, even if only for 90 minutes. We will try to do our best against the reigning champions of Europe. We know the strength of Italy, the players, the team, but we have also come here without anyone giving us anything. We won our group, and we will do our best to face this match," added the head of the Albanian Football Federation.
When asked if the match against Italy is like a World Cup final for Albania, Duka added: "All matches in the European Championship are tough. Our players must play this match like all others, just like against Poland and the Czech Republic in the qualifiers. We have to play the match against Italy like a normal match. Of course, it's an important match because if we do well, we can advance in the European Championship.
If not, we have to look at the matches with Croatia and Spain. Playing against the champions of Europe is a beautiful thing. The only problem is that all Albanians want tickets for that match. I hope the fans create a positive atmosphere, as we did in the friendly we played in Genoa."
Politicians in the Stadium
"The Albanian Prime Minister is sure to come. I don't think any politician will miss the match against Italy; they will all come. Prime Minister Rama is a football fan, a fan of the national team, and he will certainly be in the stadium for this match. I don't know about Meloni; I hope she comes."
Recipe for Victory
"To beat Italy is something very difficult, very difficult, but we will try to do it. We will play it like a normal match. Playing without pressure, it will be easier for us. Italy is a team with experience, with good players; they are the reigning champions of Europe, but they struggled a bit in the qualifiers."
Investments in Albania
"The infrastructure in Albania has changed a lot in recent years. We have the stadium in Tirana, where you saw the Conference League final. We have built a training center for the national team, which has all the conditions, not as big as Coverciano, but it has everything for the national teams. We have also reconstructed four other stadiums, not just in Tirana. Currently, we have been selected to organize the European Under-17 Championship in 2025. We have used all resources, with the help of the government and FIFA and UEFA projects. We have made significant strides forward."
Group in the European Championship
"We have the champions of Europe, world champions, and the finalist of the World Cup in our group. They are strong teams, among the strongest in Europe. In the European Championship, it is difficult to find weak teams. They are all strong teams. We may be among the weaker teams; we are in the European Championship for the second time. As I said at the beginning, no one has given us anything. We have come here with the work the players have done, with the results in the group. We will try to do our best. We will try to advance from the group; if we don't, we will be happy with the participation."
Prediction for the European Championship