As England ready to host Kosovo at the Euro 2020 Qualifier of Tuesday, we take a look at the’Brazil of the Balkans’ emergence as a country and they turned into the side of Europe.
A nation’s emergence
Kosovo, which has a population of 1.8m people, had to campaign for almost a decade until they were declared as FIFA and UEFA associates at 2016 following their declaration of independence from Serbia in February 2008.
Some countries, such as Serbia do not reevaluate sovereignty and the problem continues to rear its head.
Officials said authorities in Kosovo detained eight European fans that were planning to fly a drone with an banner that was pro-Serbia throughout Saturday’s Euro 2020 Qualifier between the 2 sides. Six men and two women were arrested near the capital of Pristina and police seized a drone, with a Serbian flag and a banner which read”Kosovo is Serbia,” and also fireworks along with a knife.
Having played friendlies because 2010, Kosovo started playing FIFA members in friendlies at 2014, with their first official match a goalless draw with Haiti.
Kosovo played their first competitive global soccer game in September 2016 – a 1-1 draw against Finland and have since taken part in now and the UEFA Nations League Euro 2020 qualification.
Head coach
Bernard Challandes may have been a household name until this news conference, but he’s got the golden touch when it comes to handling Kosovo.
The 68-year-old also has turned consequences around and has been given the reins at 2018. He had no playing career to speak of, playing at the Swiss lower leagues, but has experienced a managerial profession that is protracted.
He also has handled Armenia but resigned to meet the requirements for Euro 2016, has taken charge of the U21s of Switzerland and has been in charge of a range of Korean teams, such as Young Boys.
He won the league with FC Zurich in 2009 and the club made their debut the season. The Korean Cup was won by him with Sion.
Recent form
Challandes’ arrival as the successor in 2018 of Albert Bunjaki has turned Kosovo’s fortunes . They’re unbeaten winning 10 of these, and so are in with a real chance of making next summer’s finals, with all enthusiasts dubbing them the’Brazil of the Balkans’.
Their form enabled them to high their own Nations League team, which means they are guaranteed a spot, and they are also horses in the Group A of England, with beaten Bulgaria and the Czech Republic.
A 2-1 home victory over the Czech Republic at the weekend made it 15 games unbeaten, the longest such run in Europe.
They are currently 120th from the FIFA world rankings, Bulgaria are 60th and while, for context, Czech Republic are 43rd.
Star participant
One of the titles is that of Sheffield Wednesday striker Atdhe Nuhiu, who’s a goal man with strength along with his 6ft height.
Bersant Celina will also be a familiar face. He plays for Championship side Swansea having begun in Manchester City.
Reporter’s view – Mark McAdam along with Kaveh Solhekol
Sky Sports News reporter Kaveh Solhekol was Bernard Challandes’ pre-match news conference: Below are his thoughts…
Kosovo playing England’s importance cannot be overestimated. There is a special bond between the states ever since NATO bombing against targets in 1999 contributed to independence for Kosovo.
Former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair is a respected figure there and Tonibler and Tony were some of their most well-known names for baby boys in Kosovo.
He only wanted to talk about soccer although manager Bernard Challandes was requested regarding the special bond between Kosovo and the UK. He is hoping his game program will”upset” England and he believes his players will not be underestimated with their competitors.
There ought to be no danger of that. Gareth Southgate is expecting this to be his side’s toughest test so far in qualifying. Kosovo haven’t lost for almost two years and their 15-match unbeaten run would be the greatest in European soccer.
Whatever the result, spare a thought for the man who will sit next to Challandes again to translate his words. English is spoken by challandes so much and so fast that his translator has to frequently stop him to be able to have a chance to interpret his words. Let us hope England’s defenders have a night in St. Mary’s.
Sky Sports News reporter Mark McAdam also talked to Kosovo players Bersant Celina and Elbasan Rashani to receive their thoughts before the England clash…
Three decades back, a Kosovo side wasn’t there is. And boy have they declared themselves to the world. Unbeaten in 15 games over a couple of decades, their rise over the worldwide stage is just short of awesome. Up next a game the players describe as their”largest ever” – England.
They’ll be facing a team filled with star players that they see every week at the Premier League. Daunted? No. Worried? No. Excited? Yes. However, for them this is just one more game.
I met two of the stars, Bersant Celina a participant dubbed his roommate Elbasan Rashani, along with the mind of the Kosovo team, called Elba, currently acting in Norway.
They were relaxed and focused on the task in hand. As though it was school assignments their notes for the match from the manager featured diagrams into the side. You wouldn’t have believed off from playing at the biggest game in their own lives they had been 24 hours.
We chatted about everything from household life to their charismatic manager and club football, as he’s in the dressing area, that they say is the exact same in the front of the media. Passionate is an understatement. Who’d dare to argue with him at this time? He is masterminding the unthinkable.
When their English isn’t quite as good as they think that it should be, the two lads smile with each response they joke with each other, but they could hold their own. They know more about the history of their nation, they’ve seen the films, listened to the tales, relived the moments by using their grandparents.
The loved ones arguably gain more from the victory of the team, seeing their kids and grandparents playing to the country they were made to flee. The players take all this into their stride. They are completely aware, respectful and modest of what this signifies. However, for them it is simply one more game.
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