Flamurtari FC

KS Flamurtari Vlorë
	Logo
Full name	Klubi Sportiv Flamurtari Vlorë
Nickname(s)	Flota Kuqezi (The Red and Black Fleet)
Founded	24 October 1923
Ground	Stadiumi Flamurtari, Vlorë, Albania
Capacity	9,500
Chairman	Shpëtim Gjika
Head Coach	Eqerem Memushi
League	Albanian Superliga
2008–09	6th
Home colours	Away colours

Klubi Sportiv Flamurtari Vlorë (KS Flamurtari Vlorë) is an Albanian football club based in Vlorë. They play in the Albanian Superliga, the top division in Albanian football. Their home ground is Stadiumi Flamurtari.

History

Pre-War period

KS Flamurtari Vlorë were founded on March 23rd 1923 as Shoqeria Sportive Vlorë. The first president of the club was Milto Korcari and the first secretary was Malo Ismaili. The club was created to make sports and especially football more organized and more popular. Its financial needs were covered by donations from the members or from different activities organized in the city of Vlorë. Shoqeria Sportive played their first football match against Jeronim de Rada Shoqeria Sportive, a local team created from students from Vlorë. The match ended in a 2–2 draw. The goals for Shoqeria Sportive were scored by Adem Gavani and Hazbi Tepelena. During the 20s the club played several friendlies with other Albanian and foreign teams. Interesting were the matches against Cernagore Cetinje and the football team of the Livorno Naval Institute which the Red and Black Fleet both won 1–0 and 3–2 respectively. Shoqeria Sportive Vlorë were a founder member of the Football Association of Albania and participated in the first championship. Its first official match was against KS Skenderbeu Korcë in Vlorë and ended with a 2–0 win. In 1935 the club changed its name to Shoqata Sportive Ismail Qemali. In the pre-war championships the club was always in the bottom half of the table and didn't have any achievement.

1945–1980

In November 1944, Shoqata Sportive Ismail Qemali was re-opened. The championship began on 16 September 1945 and the club was playing against Vllaznia. SH.S. Ismail Qemali lost 0–1. The 1945 season saw the team end in fourth place from six teams. The next championship would be better for The Fleet. On 22 June 1946, the club renamed itself Klubi Sportiv Flamurtari Vlorë. The 1946 season saw Flamurtari going to the championship final after winning First Division Group B. The final was played in two legs, one in Vlorë and one in Shkodër. Flamurtari lost both matches with an aggregated score of 5–0. In 1948, Flamurtari played once again in the final, still losing to KF Partizani Tirana, 6–2 in Qemal Stafa. In 1951 the club changed its name to Puna Vlorë, but in 1958 the club used once again the name Flamurtari. In 1954 Flamurtari participated in the Spartak Cup and won this cup after beating Vllaznia 6-0 and KS Teuta and Ylli i Kuq Pogradec 2–0. After reaching twice the championship final, in 1960 made it to the Albanian Cup final. In the first round playing against Ylli i Kuq Pogradec and beating them both at home and away matches. In the second round Flamurtari would play against KS Besa Kavaje.The teams drew both matches and had to go on extra time.After 90 minutes played in Kavaje and 135 minutes played in Vlorë the two teams were still equal. Flamurtari passed the second round thanks to the corners rule: the team that had more corners would qualify. These were 8 to 5 for Flamurtari. In the third round Flamurtari played against KS Skenderbeu Korce. The first match in Vlorë ended in a 3–0 win for the home side. In Korce, in the 2nd leg match, KS Skenderbeu Korce were leading 3–0 in half-time. In the second half Flamurtari made one of the greatest comebacks in the history of Albanian football winning 4–3 in the end of the 90 minutes. In the final the team played against KS Dinamo Tirana and they lost 1–0 after a hard-fought match. The next years were almost same for the team, placed always in mid-table.

The golden years

In the 80s Flamurtari would become once again a big name in Albanian football. With a well-prepared team Flamurtari would start the new decade with a new objective: the championship. Flamurtari played with heart their games but they were denied many times by FSHF and so they ended in the 8th place their 1980–81 season. Just a season later, Flamurtari would finish as runners-up to 17 Nentori. During the season Flamurtari remained unbeaten in all matches at home in all competitions. In 1981 Flamurtari would participate for the first time in an international cup, the Balkans Cup. They played AEK Athens but they lost 3–2 in the Olympic Stadium of Athens. They finished second in their group with two wins and two losses, achieving 7–8 goals in the process. In 1983–84 Flamurtari reached once again the Albanian Cup final but lost to 17 Nentori. Next season Flamurtari won the Albanian Cup defeating KF Partizani and thus claimed their first ever professional trophy. In 1985–86, Flamurtari finished second in the championship losing the trophy only by goal average to Dinamo Tirana. Finishing second in the championship, Flamurtari would play in the UEFA Cup. They were drawn against FC Barcelona. Flamurtari was eliminated after two draws (1–1 in Vlorë, 0–0 in Barcelona) thanks to the away goal rule. Flamurtari showed their strength by tying the first match in Barcelona and passing in front in the 26th minute in Vlorë, but FC Barcelona scored a late away goal to deny the Fleet's triumph. In that season Flamurtari managed once again to finish in the 2nd place and to reach the Albanian Cup final losing on aggregate 4–3 to Vllaznia. After a perfect season they gained the right to play for the 2nd consecutive year in the UEFA Cup. In the first round they had to play against Partizan Belgrade. After a 2–0 win in Vlorë, Flamurtari were playing at Narodna Armija Stadium on 30 September 1987. Partizan was leading 2–0 until the 76th minute when Sokol Kushta scored the goal that took Flamurtari in the next round. In the second round Flamurtari was drawn against Wismut Aue. In the first game in Aue, they were beaten 1–0 being denied many times by keeper Weisflog. But in the second leg there was nothing to do for Aue as Flamurtari defeated them 2–0. In the third round they were drawn once again against FC Barcelona. In the first game Flamurtari won thanks to a goal from Vasil Ruci. The enthusiasm was huge for this game, as the Stadiumi Flamurtari was crowded by an attendance of 18,500, more than doubling its normal capacity of 8,500. In the second leg, Flamurtari played at Camp Nou in front of 35,000 spectators on 25 November. Flamurtari went in front, but in the second half Barcelona equalised with a controversial goal. After the equaliser Flamurtari were shocked, conceding three goals in just five minutes. The match ended 4–1 for FC Barcelona, ending the longest European adventure of Flamurtari. In the same season Flamurtari went all the way to win the Albanian Cup, after beating KF Partizani 1–0, and securing their second cup title. In 1989 Flamurtari would play in the Cup Winners Cup against Lech Poznan. After two games Flamurtari was eliminated by losing both home and away matches, 4–2 on aggregate. In the Kategoria Superiore the team finished in the third place. Just a year after Flamurtari lifted for the first time in their history the Kategoria Superiore title. After some stunning results during the season (including beating runners-up Partizani 3-0 and third-place Vllaznia 5–2), they won the championship with a six point lead. In the same year they would win also the Albanian Supercup.

The 90's

After the fell of communism, Flamurtari had difficult moments. Many players left the club and went to play abroad. In the 1991–92 season the club started the championship with –6 points because of financial irregularities. Flamurtari finished the Kategoria e Pare in sixth place. In the next season the club faced a huge crisis finishing the season 13th out of 16 teams. But the team improved a lot and many new players from the Youth Academy were brought in. The 1993–94 season saw Flamurtari finishing 2nd and making Stadiumi Flamurtari a fortress, winning nine and drawing four out of 13 matches played home, but away from home the team had some horrible results culminating with a 5–0 away defeat to KF Laçi. The next two seasons Flamurtari would finish in fourth place. The 1996–97 would be the best season for Flamurtari after the fall of communism. The team had a great start in the season with eight wins in the first nine games. Finishing the 1st phase of the championship in the first place, Flamurtari started the second phase while Albania was suffering the 1997 riots. Flamurtari was leading until the week the championship was suspended and the Albanian Football Association decided to play all games after in Tirana, something Flamurtari couldn't afford because of the danger. So, the Albanian Football Association decided that the championship would go to KF Tirana while Flamurtari finished in third place. The next seasons would be the worst for the team in the last 30 years with the team having its best placement in the 1998–99 season finishing 11th out of 16 teams.

Colours and badge

KS Flamurtari's traditional colours are red and black. Since Vlore was the city where Ismail Qemali declared the Albanian Indipendence and often called the "City of the Flag", the founders of the club decided that the team's club should be those of the flag. Flamurtari's first crest was designed just before the start of the first match in the first Albanian Football Championship in 1930. The first team crest was quite similar to the Vlore City Council coat of arms. After the Second World War the team changed its crest into a new shield-shaped one with the initial F in black, in the middle of the shield surrounded by a red background.The current crest was designed in the 80s and started featuring in the team's uniforms in the 1987-1988 season.

Kits

The current kit of Flamurtari is black with red stripes, black shorts and black socks. The numbers on the back are written in a golden colour for the first time in the club's history as they have traditionally been in yellow. The sponsor in the kit is Banka Popullore and Bashkia Vlore. The first kit ever used from KS Flamurtari was a red one with horizontal black stripes, white shorts and black socks.Thiskits were manifactured in England and were brought in Albania thanks to Milto Korcari, one of the club's first officials. The same design was used until the start of the Albanian Football Championship after the Second World War ended. From 1946 until 1981 Flamurtari played in their former away kit. The new kit was white with a vertical black stripe and two red ones, all of them in the middle of the kit. This kit was re-established in the 2008-2009 season as the club's away kit. In 1981, the club introduced a new kit which would become the fans favorite kit. The kit was red with black stripes, red shorts and red socks. This kit was similar to the Albanian national team's kit and this was the reason why it was beloved from the fans. The current Flamurtari kit is similar to the 1981 design, with the difference that the shorts and the socks are black and that the current kit has a modern physionomy. Flamurtari's present time kit is manufactured by Italian manufacturer Legea.

Flamurtari kit in the 30s, used until 1946

Flamurtari kit from 1946 until 1981

Flamurtari kit used in the 80s

The current Flamurtari Kit

Stadium

Main article(s): Stadiumi Flamurtari

Before the construction of the Stadiumi Flamurtari, Flamurtari played their home games on a field known as "Varri i Halimit". The "Varri i Halimit" field was located in Uji i Ftohte where today is the team's training ground. The team moved in the new ground in 1961. Initially constructed with a capacity of 6500 the stadium was expanded in 1975 with a new capacity of 12000. However, during the club's golden era the stadium has attracted crowds of 15000. The maximum attendance ever recorded is when Flamurtari played FC Barcelona in the 1987-1988 season where there were 18500 spectators watching the game. In 2004 the stadium was redeveloped after an investment from both FSHF and Bashkia Vlore. It can now hold 8500 and it will soon turn into an all-seater stadium according to a new Bashkia Vlore project. The project will also install new floodlights so that the stadium can be used for the Albanian U-21 national team.

Supporters

KS Flamurtari fans are considered as the most passionate in Albania. This is related with the fact that there has not been other football team in Vlore. Usually, as mentioned in Petraq Hanxhari's book For you, Flamurtar!,^[1]from Monday to Thursday the fans used to talk in every pub about the team's last game and condition of the players. On Thursday, after the team's usual test match with any local side, the fans would talk about the next game. But nowadays, the support for Flamurtari has been going down. Even though the ticket sales and the number of season-ticket holders has increased rapidly since 1999 (the lowest average attendance in the entire Flamurtari's history), there are much fewer in comparison with the Communist era. The two fan clubs supporting Flamurtari are "Dragonjte Kuqezi" (English: Red and Black Dragons) and "Flamurtari Ultras". The latter usually stay in the East Stand, commonly known as "Tribuna C".

Honours

Major Honours

Albanian Superliga: 1

(1991)

Albanian Cup: 3

(1985, 1988, 2009)

Albanian Supercup: 2

(1990, 1991)

Spartak Cup: 1

(1954)

European Cups:

At the international level, they are best known for a series of good results obtained in the late 80's, being one of the most successful Albanian football team in the history of European cups. In 1986–87 UEFA Cup season they played against FC Barcelona. The Spanish giants managed to knock them out only with the help of a late away goal (1–1 in Vlorë and 0–0 in Barcelona). In the next season (1987–88) Flamurtari managed to knock-out Partizan Belgrade (Yugoslavia, 2–0 in Vlorë and 1–2 in Belgrade) and Wismut Aue (former GDR, 0–1 in Aue and 2–0 in Vlorë) before losing again to FC Barcelona (1–4 in Barcelona and 1–0 in Vlorë). This seems to be until today the best participation of an Albanian team in European Cups.

Minor Honours

Cup of Party of Labour of Albania:1

(1976)

Cup of Trade Unions of Albania:1

(1948)

Cup of Journal “Bashkimi”:3

(1962,1963,1987)

Norga Beer Trophy:1

(2007)

Rivalries

Flamurtari's main rival is Vllaznia. During the 70s both clubs used to play the most beautiful football in Albania and the matches between them were the most attended from the supporters. The relations between the two clubs are very good and supporters have never had troubles of violence. Other rivals include the capital teams: KS Dinamo Tirana, KF Tirana and FK Partizani. The rivalry with the capital teams comes from the 80s famous matches between the clubs and the fact that Vlorë was the first capital of Albania and later capital became Tirana. There is a lesser rivalry with KS Apolonia Fier and KS Teuta. The matches against KS Teuta are called the "coastal derbies".

KS Flamurtari in Europe

As of June 22, 2009.

Season	Competition	Round	Country	Club	Home	Away
1985–86	UEFA Cup Winners' Cup	1R		HJK Helsinki	1–2	2–3
1986–87	UEFA Cup	1R		FC Barcelona	1–1	0–0
1987–88	UEFA Cup	1R		FK Partizan Beograd	2–0	1–2
		2R		Wismut Aue	2–0	0–1
		3R		FC Barcelona	1–0	1–4
1988–89	UEFA Cup Winners' Cup	1R		Lech Poznań	2–3	0–1
1990–91	UEFA Cup Winners' Cup	1R		Olympiacos Piraeus	0–2	1–3
1991–92	UEFA European Cup	1R		IFK Göteborg	1–1	0–0
1996–97	UEFA Cup Winners' Cup	QR		Humenné	0–2	0–1
2009–10	UEFA Europa League	2QR	/	Motherwell / Llanelli

QR = Qualifying Round
1R = 1st Round
2R = 2nd Round
3R = 3rd Round

Current squad

As of June 2009.

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	Shpëtim Moçka
—	GK	ALB	Argjent Halili
27	GK	ALB	Klodian Xhelilaj *
—	DF	ALB	Halim Begaj
—	DF	ALB	Bledion Guga
—	DF	CRO	Jurica Puljiz
—	DF	ALB	Franc Veliu
—	DF	ALB	Orjand Beqiri
—	DF	ALB	Armando Myrtaj *
—	DF	ALB	Alvaro Bishaj *
—	DF	ALB	Eraldo Canaj *
—	DF	ALB	Renaldo Azizaj *
—	DF	ALB	Darling Banushi *
—	MF	CRO	Robert Alviz
—	MF	ALB	Orges Serjani


No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
—	MF	ALB	Ervis Shakaj *
—	MF	ALB	Besmir Arifaj
—	MF	ALB	Ermir Strati
—	MF	ALB	Hair Zeqiri
—	MF	ALB	Taulant Kuqi
—	MF	ALB	Eriol Merxha
—	MF	BRA	Flavio Beck Junior
—	MF	ALB	Odise Roshi
—	FW	ALB	Ardit Shehaj
—	FW	ALB	Elham Galica
—	FW	ALB	Marius Ngjela
—	FW	ALB	Devis Mema
—	FW	ALB	Hergert Gjondeda *
—	FW	ALB	Albano Caushaj *
—	FW	ALB	Andi Shabanaj *

(*) also in 'B' Team

Youth academy

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 Bifsha
4	DF	ALB	Andi Shabani
3	DF	ALB	Albano Caushaj
6	DF	ALB	Darling Banushi
5	MF	ALB	Renaldo Azizaj
—	FW	ALB	Ines Hajrullai
7	FW	ALB	Hektor Idrizaj
8	FW	ALB	Marcelo Hitaj
9	FW	ALB	Klaudio Myftari
10	MF	ALB	Ervis Shakaj
—	FW	ALB	Hergert Gjondeda
12	MF	ALB	Mario Shabani
18	MF	ALB	Felix Papanikolla