FK Partizani Tirana
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| Full name | Futboll Klub Partizani | ||
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| Nickname(s) | Demat e kuq | ||
| Founded | February 4, 1946 | ||
| Ground | Qemal Stafa Stadium, Tirana, Albania | ||
| Capacity | 19,700 | ||
| Chairman | Gazment Demi | ||
| Coach | Andrea Agostinelli | ||
| League | Albanian Superliga | ||
| 2014–15 | Albanian Superliga 3rd | ||
| Website | Club home page | ||
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| Active branches of Partizani Tirana | ||
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| Football | Basketball | |
FK Partizani Tirana is an Albanian professional football club based in the capital city Tirana. The club's home ground is the Qemal Stafa Stadium and they currently compete in the Albanian Superliga, which is the highest tier of Albanian football.
The club was founded in 1946 and they first competed in an official competition a year later where they won the 1947 Albania National Championship, thus being crowned the champions of Albania in their debut season as well as the following two seasons.[1] In total the club have been national champions on 15 occasions between 1947 and 1993, which is the last time the club won the Albanian Superliga. They have won 18 other officially recognised domestic honours, including 15 Albanian Cups as well as Second Division. They are also the only Albanian club side to have won an international football competition through their 1970 Balkans Cup campaign in which they beat Bulgarian side Beroe Stara Zagora in the final.
Contents
History
Foundation
The club was official founded on 4 February 1946 by the Albanian National Liberation Army soon after the end of World War II and the liberation of Albania. However, one year earlier in 1945, there had been two military division teams competing in the first National Championship following the end of World War II. The teams were called Ylli Shkodër and Liria Korçë, and they were both dissolved as clubs at the end of the season, with their best players moving to Tiranë to join Ushtria, which literally translates to The Army. Ushtria played their first friendly game on 13 January 1946 against the reigning champions of Albania Vllaznia Shkodër, in a game that ended in a goalless draw in Tiranë that was played during heavy rainfall. The team played their first ever match in distinctive red shirts with each player's initials on their chests. The club's first ever lineup was Alfred Bonati, Luga, Tepelia, Xhavit Shyqyri Demneri, Besim Fagu, Rexhepi, Lutfi Hoxha, Qamil Teliti, Kavaja, Hamdi Bakalli and Bylyku. The following month, on 4 February, Ushtria was developed into an organised sports club which was to be named in honour of the Albanian Partisans who had fought for the liberation of the country. In the early history of the club they recruited players from the Scanderbeg Military High School and Albanian Military Academy, as well as players from other clubs who were ordered by the ruling Communists to play for Partizani.
On 7 April the club played their first official match under the name Partizani, which was against another team from the same city 17 Nëntori Tirana. Partizani won the match 2–0 through the goals of Osman Pengili and Qamil Teliti, with a lineup consisting of Çobani, Tepeli, Muhamet Dibra, Besim Fagu, Kavaja, Osman Pengili, Lutfi Hoxha, Hivzi Sakiqi, Bylyku and Xhavit Shyqyri Demneri. As the club did not participate in the 1946 National Championship, they instead toured Albania playing friendly games against some of the biggest clubs at the time, and ended their 9 match tour with 26 goals scored and 9 against, and Qamil Teliti scoring 11 goals to make him the tour's top goalscorer.
Early history
The club first competed in a national competition in 1947, where they were enrolled into the top flight of Albanian football in their debut season. They played 16 games in their first season, winning 14, drawing 1 and losing 1, which led to them being crowned champions of Albania for the first time. Partizani finished with a goal difference of 41, after scoring 56 goals and conceding just 16, to finish with 29 points, just on ahead of Vllaznia Shkodër. The championship winning team was managed by Sllave Llambi, and was made up of Abdulla Stermasi, Kamberi, Ramazan Njala, Besim Fagu, Medo Cuciqi, Sulejman Vathi, Xhavit Shyqyri Demneri, Hivzi Sakiqi, Isuf Pelingu, Tafil Baci, Lutfi Hoxha, Osman Pengili, Hamdi Tafmizi, Zihni Gjinali, Zef Gavoci, Eqrem Dauti, Zyber Lisi, Alush Merhori and Hamdi Bakalli, who was also the league's top goalscorer with 7 goals.[2] The following season the Albanian Football Association decided to change the format of the championship and divided teams into two groups based on geographical location, with Group A being a northern conference and Group B being a southern conference. Partizani were placed in Group A where they finished top of the group level on points with Vllaznia Shkodër, and due to possessing a better goal difference Partizani were the group winners and reached the championship final on 25 August 1947 against Flamurtari Vlorë. The final was played in Tiranë and Partizani won with an emphatic 6–2 scoreline, following goals from Vasif Biçaku, Xhevdet Shaqiri and four goals from Zihni Gjinali to give Partizani their second consecutive title. Gjinali was also the league's top goalscorer for the campaign, after finishing level on 11 goals with Flamurtari Vlorë forward Tish Daija, who also scored in the championship final.[3]
In over 60 years Partizani have earned fame in Kosovo by becoming a legendary club. They have won 15 League titles, 15 Cups and 1 Supercups. Another great achievement is the two silver medals won in Leipzig and Hanoi against well known teams from Eastern Europe.
Partizani are also the only Albanian team to have won a trophy abroad. In 1970 they won the prestigious Balkans Cup by overcoming PFC Beroe Stara Zagora in the final matches; the first leg was a 1–1 draw in Tirana and a 3–0 win was awarded for the second leg, as Beroe withdrew from the second leg. They are still the only Albanian club to have ever lifted an international trophy.
Partizani and their talented players have long been the base for the national team as well. Hundreds of Partizani players have worn on the national team jersey. Many players from Partizani have received medals in Albania and have also played abroad in Italy, Germany, Romania, Greece, Turkey, Switzerland etc.
The club are also considered by many to have one of the largest fan bases in Albania. This is not only in Tirana, but throughout the whole country.
Partizani have gone through hard times after the fall of communism in Albania in 1990 and they only managed to win the League once in 1993 and the Cup on 4 occasions, 1991, 1993, 1997 and 2004. The club was taken over by Albert Xhani in 1994 and a few years later were relegated for the first time in their history to the second division in 1998. Partizani earned promotion immediately by also winning the second level division trophy. However, Albert Xhani who had been in charge for 11 years, has only won one Cup trophy. The closest they got to winning the league was in the 2007–08 season when the team, under coach Hasan Lika, couldn’t win the last match of the season against rivals Dinamo Tirana, which would have brought home the title.
The following season was one of the worst. The bad financial situation brought poor results and Shpetim Duro took over the team. He managed to motivate the team and they had a far more positive season than expected by reaching the play-outs, but they couldn’t overcome KS Kastrioti in a much contested play-out match. So Partizani were again relegated for the second time.
The 2009/10 season was another bad one. President Albert Xhani declared that there would be no salaries for the players this season. However, there were a few well known players that decided to join the team like Skerdi Bejzade, Klodian Asllani, Arjan Sheta and Sokol Ishka. Eduard Zhupa was the coach initially, but after 6 matches through the season, striker Bejzade also took over the coaching position. Before the start of the second half of the season there were two new shareholders, Paro Laci with 40% of the shares and Lulezim Sallaku with 10%, while Xhani retained the remaining 50%. However it was Laci who was paying the salaries now and he took charge of the club. Partizani thrived by getting consecutive wins, but Laci decides to fire coach Bejzade, Xhani's favorite, and bring in Gerti Haxhiu, a more experienced head coach. After the season 2010–11, team relegated for the first time from Albanian First Division to Albanian Second Division. This was the lowest point in KF Partizani history. Next season, however, they managed to gain promotion back to Albanian First Division and, despite all difficulties faced, are still trying to finally promote to Superliga.
After relegation to the Albanian First Division, Partizani plays at the Selman Stërmasi stadium. Before that, they played at the national stadium Qemal Stafa.
In January 2013 Gazment Demi bought out 50% of the shares of the club from Lulëzim Sallaku, which made them co-owners and co-financiers of the club.[4] The club achieved promotion back into the Albanian Superliga in 2013 following a four-year absence and Gazment Demi took over as president following the departure of Lulëzim Sallaku from the post.[5][6]
Supporters
Ultras Guerrils
| Ultras Guerrils | |
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| Established | 2008 |
| Type | Football Supporters Trust |
| Club | Partizani Tirana |
| Motto | Perjet me ty Partizan (Forever with you Partizan) |
| Headquarters | Tirana,  Albania |
| Affiliations | Tifozat Kuq e Zi |
| Website | www.ultrasguerrils.com |
Partizani Tirana's current main supporters group is called Ultras Guerrils 08–09, who were founded following the merger of two other supports groups, Brigada e Kuqe 08 and Komandos Ultras. They are one of the most loyal supporters in Albania, attending Partizani even where they were in Albanian Second Division. They regularly attend the Albanian national football team matches.A other ultras group is Ultras Garda.
Rivalries
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The club's biggest rivalry is with KF Tirana also known as 'Viktimat e sistemit mendor' which is referred to as the original Tirana derby; Partizani being the team of the Republic, whereas KF Tirana a local one. KF Tirana is the most successful Albanian club, with Partizani in third place behind Dinamo Tirana, but Partizani have a record of 59 wins, 42 draws and 41 losses, thus giving them the upper hand. Their other main rivalry is with Dinamo Tirana, who were historically linked to the Ministry of Interior Affairs and as Partizani were linked to the National Liberation Army this fixture is often derogatorily referred to as "the communist derby".
Honours
Domestic
- Winners (15): 1947, 1948, 1949, 1954, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1961, 1962–63, 1963–64, 1970–71, 1978–79, 1980–81, 1986–87, 1992–93
- Runners-up (19): 1950, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1955, 1956, 1960, 1964–65, 1965–66, 1968, 1969–70, 1972–73, 1973–74, 1982–83, 1988–89, 1989–90, 1990–91, 1991–92, 2007–08
- Winners (1): 2000–01
- Runners-up (1): 2012–13
- Runners-up (1): 2011–12
- Winners (15): 1948, 1949, 1957, 1958, 1961, 1964, 1966, 1968, 1970, 1973, 1980, 1991, 1993, 1997, 2004
- Winners (1): 2004
European
- Winners (1): 1970
FK Partizani in Europe
As of June 2015
- QR = Qualifying Round
- 1R = 1st Round
- 2R = 2nd Round
Squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Current youth players with first-team experience
- As of 23 November 2015[A]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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International players
Out on loan
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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B team
Current squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Managers
Managerial record
| Coach | from | until | Major Titles | |
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| Sllave Llambi |
1946 | 1949 | 5 | National Championships (3), Republic Cup (2) |
| Myslym Alla |
1954 | 1956 | 2 | National Championship, Republic Cup |
| Rexhep Spahiu |
1956 | 1962 | 7 | National Championships (4), Republic Cup (3) |
| Loro Boriçi |
1962 | 1971 | 5 | National Championships (3), Republic Cup (2) |
| Bejkush Birçe |
1971 | 1974 | ||
| Ilia Shuke |
1974 | 1977 | 0 | |
| Bejkush Birçe |
1977 | 198x | 2 | National Championship (2) |
| Neptun Bajko |
1986 | 1988 | 1 | National Championship |
| Kolec Kraja |
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| Hasan Lika |
1991 | 1992 | ||
| Sulejman Starova |
1992 | 1994 | ||
 Jerry Suaréz |
1 Jan 2002 | 1 March 2002 | ||
| Neptun Bajko |
1 July 2005 | 30 Sept 2005 | ||
| Hasan Lika |
1 Aug 2007 | 31 Oct 2008 | ||
| Skerdi Bejzade |
2009 | 2010 | ||
| Gerd Haxhiu |
12 March 2010 | 7 Sept 2010 | ||
| Neptun Bajko |
16 July 2010 | 4 April 2011 | ||
| Ylli Shehu |
5 April 2011 | 30 June 2011 | ||
| Shpëtim Duro |
23 Jan 2013 | 3 March 2013 | ||
| Hasan Lika |
4 March 2013 | 8 Feb 2014 | ||
| Genc Tomorri |
9 Feb 2014 | 15 Feb 2014 | ||
 Márcio Sampaio |
16 Feb 2014 | 5 May 2014 | ||
| Genc Tomori |
5 May 2014 | 26 May 2014 | ||
| Shpëtim Duro |
27 May 2014 | 29 May 2015 | ||
| Sulejman Starova |
29 May 2015 | |||
