The President of the Albanian Football Federation (FSHF), Armand Duka, has revealed that several talented players across Europe have not responded positively to invitations to join the Albanian national team. Among those mentioned by Duka are Brajan Gruda, Rocco Vata, Luis Hasa, and Arijon Ibrahimović, with the president admitting that attempts to bring them into the squad have been unsuccessful.
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“Our policy is to approach every footballer of Albanian descent, even though sometimes this puts us at odds with the Kosovo Federation. We have an open-door policy for every Albanian footballer, regardless of where they live or have lived. Many players offer themselves at different stages of their careers to play for the national team, but there are also a few whom we actively try to convince to join us.
One of these players is Brajan Gruda, who has represented Germany’s youth teams. We have reached out to him to join Albania, but at this moment, we have not received a positive response. However, we remain open to him becoming part of the national team in the future. The same applies to Rocco Vata, Luis Hasa, and Arijon Ibrahimović, all of whom have the quality to be part of our squad.
Unfortunately, we have not been successful in securing these players. We have personally contacted them—myself, the administrative and technical staff, including Silvinho—but without success. There are, however, younger players who have joined our ranks. One outstanding talent in my view is Yll Gashi, who plays for Bayern Munich’s youth teams and is a potential future star for Albania.
In all my meetings with parents and players, I have conveyed the same message: If you decide to play for Albania, you will be making the right choice. And I say this not just as the president of the federation, but also as a father,” Duka stated in an interview with A2 CNN.