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KF Besa Kavajë

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Klubi i Futbollit Besa Kavajë is an Albanian professional football club based in Kavajë. They are currently competing in Kategoria e Parë, the second tier of Albanian football. Their home ground is Besa Stadium.

Besa Kavajë
Full nameKlubi i Futbollit Besa Kavajë
Nickname(s)Verdhezinjtë
Founded25 October 1925; 99 years ago (1925-10-25)
as Shoqata Sportive Adriatiku
Adriatiku (1925–30)
SK Kavaja (1931–35)
Besa (1936–48)
Kavaja 1949–50)
Puna Kavajë (1951–57)
Besa (1958–present)
GroundStadiumi Besa
Capacity8,000
OwnerBashkia Kavajë
PresidentNexhat Bizhdili
ManagerEmiliano Cela
LeagueKategoria e Parë
2023–24Kategoria e Parë, 10th

History

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Early years (1925–44)

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Klubi Sportiv Besa was founded on 25 October 1925 as "Shoqata Kulturore Sportive Adriatiku", which was a multi-disciplinary sports club based in Kavajë, Albania. In 1930, the club changed its name to "Sport Klub Kavajë". That same year the football team played its first ever friendly at Mali i Robit, Golem, against an amateur team formed of students from the Albanian-American Institute of Agriculture. A short time later, SK Kavajë joined the newly formed Albanian Football Federation and participated in the 1930 second tier championship where they would repeat their participation for the next two seasons, before joining the top tier Kategoria e Parë in 1933. In their first top flight championship, SK Kavajë finished last in the 5 team league, losing 7 games and winning just one, a 2–1 victory over local rivals Teuta Durrës.[1]

In 1935, under the leadership of chairman Irfan Berati, the club became an organised entity. The vice-chairman was Fehmi Kazazi, its secretary was Dervish Cara, and the committee included members Sulejman Karkini and Reshat Asllani. Rasim Sulejmani served as clerk, while Dhori Fora managed the trade of craft. The following year, the club was renamed "Besa Kavajë", also known as "Besa Sport Klub", derived from the name Besa, the Albanian cultural precept meaning "to keep the promise" and "word of honour".

During World War II, many members of the club lost their lives as soldiers, including Mehmet Babamusta, Adil Alushi, Sami Karriqi and Millan Radosalja. The activities of the club became very limited and support came primarily from the local residents of the city. There were no official competitions held in Albania at this time.

Rise (1945–65)

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But between 1945 and 1950, the club experienced a revival which was due to young talented players coming through the ranks of the youth teams, including the likes of Qamil Teliti who went on to receive national success. During the 1945–46 season, the club won the unofficial Sports Federation President's Cup.

In 1958, the club achieved a second-place finish in the top tier Albanian Championship, narrowly losing out to Partizani Tirana for the title by one point.[2] During that same season, they reached the semi-final of the Albanian Cup, again losing out to eventual winners Partizani. The club would go on to reach the finals of the Albanian Cup in 1961, losing to Partizani once again and also the following season in 1962–63, where they lost on penalties to 17 Nëntori. In 1963, Besa won the unofficial cup competition held by "Sporti" newspaper, and in 1965 it won the "Bashkimi" newspaper competition.[3]

Golden generation (1965–75)

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Club logo used durung the 1970s

The period between 1965 and 1975 has been called the golden generation of football in Kavajë, due to the domestic achievements especially in the Albanian Cup which resulted in the club's first ever European games. In 1971, they finished as runners-up in the Albanian Cup after losing 2–0 in the finals to Dinamo Tirana. They repeated this feat the following year, losing on penalties in the cup final following a 2–2 draw with Vllaznia Shkodër, but as Vllaznia also won the league in that same year, this gave Besa the opportunity to participate in the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup in the 1972–73 season.

Their first European opponents were Danish side, Fremad Amager, who Besa managed to overcome on away goals following a 1–1 draw away in Copenhagen and a goalless draw at home. In the next round however they were beaten by Scottish side Hibernian, whom they lost to on aggregate 2–8, following a 1–7 away loss and a 1–1 draw at home. The end of the golden era was marked with the completion of the club's first purpose-built stadium, Besa Stadium. Construction was completed in 1974 with the new stadium having a capacity to seat 9,000 spectators.

Recent seasons

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Besa confirmed their place in the 2007–08 UEFA Cup after a 3–2 win against neighbours KS Teuta in the 2006–07 Albanian Cup final. They met Bežanija of Serbia in the first qualifying round, drawing 2–2 away and 0–0 at home to progress on away goals. In the second qualifying round, they fell 0–3 in each leg to Bulgarian side Litex Lovech. In 2008, they qualified for the Intertoto Cup due to their third-place finish in the league, drawing Ethnikos Achna 0–0 at home and 1–1 in Cyprus and continued on away goals. In the 2nd round of the Intertoto cup they were eliminated by Grasshopper Zürich from Switzerland.

Legacy

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Since its inception, many of the club's players have gone on to represent the Albania national team at all levels of international competition. Notably, Qamil Teliti scored the winning goal in the 1946 Balkan Cup final. The depth of talent emerging from Besa's youth system was evident in the 1956 derby between Dinamo and Partizani, which featured seven players deriving from the club's ranks, including legendary goalkeepers Qemal Vogli and Sulejman Maliqati.[4] Two-time league top scorer Dashnor Bajaziti scored a hat-trick to crown the U–21 national team Balkan champions in 1978.[5] Parid Xhihani would go on to score 7 goals in eight appearances for the same youth national team. Altin Rraklli was the national team's top scorer during the 1990s. Andi Lila and Sokol Cikalleshi represented Albania in its first ever qualification of a major international tournament, the UEFA Euro 2016.

At the youth level, Besa U–19 have been crowned national champions twice, during the 1992–93 and 2008–09 seasons, respectively. Besa U–17 earned its only championship title during the 2017–18 season.

Besa in European competitions

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As of October 2015

Season Competition Round Country Club Home Away Aggregate
1971 Balkans Cup Group A   Etar Veliko Tarnovo 2–1 0–2
1st
  FK Crvenka 1–0 2–2
Final   Panionios 1–1 1–2 2–3
1972–73 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup 1R   Fremad Amager 0–0 1–1 1–1
2R   Hibernian 1–1 1–7 2–8
1993–94 Balkans Cup SF   PAS Giannina 1–3 2–0 3–3
2007–08 UEFA Cup 1QR   Bežanija 0–0 2–2 2–2
2QR   Litex Lovech 0–3 0–3 0–6
2008–09 UEFA Intertoto Cup 1R   Ethnikos Achna 0–0 1–1 1–1
2R   Grasshopper Zürich 0–2 1–2 1–4
2010–11 UEFA Europa League 2R   Olympiacos 0–5 1–6 1–11
  • 1QR = 1st Qualifying Round
  • 2QR = 2nd Qualifying Round
  • 1R = 1st round
  • 2R = 2nd round
  • 3R = 3rd round

Current squad

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As of 1 April 2024

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK   ALB Jurgen Mehidri
2 DF   ALB Admir Bali
3 DF   ALB Skerdian Perja
4 MF   ALB Ersi Kapo
5 MF   RSA Mkhululi Ncube
7 MF   KOS Ermir Spahiu
9 FW   TUR Mert Kurt
10 MF   ALB Donald Mëllugja
11 FW   KOS Erduan Ibrahimi
12 GK   KOS Dorant Ahmetaj
13 DF   GHA Nurudeen Abdulai
14 DF   KOS Mentor Mazrekaj
15 FW   BRA Kanu
No. Pos. Nation Player
16 DF   ALB Nilsen Gjinaj
18 MF   BRA Ikaro Alexandre
19 DF   ALB Joni Nurja
20 FW   BRA Índio Oliveira
21 DF   ALB Myslim Ramili
24 FW   ALB Andri Stafa
29 DF   ALB Erlis Frashëri
34 DF   ALB Jurgen Goxha
— DF   ALB Bind Maxhuni
— MF   ALB Skerdi Puqja
— MF   KOS Erlir Bahtri
— MF   ALB Flavio Meçja
— FW   KOS Olt Zeqiraj

List of managers

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Honours

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Records

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  • Biggest Victories: 9–1 vs Ismail Qemali (1937); 12–0 vs Bashkimi Elbasanas (1945); 7–0 vs Shkumbini (17.02.1963); 11–0 vs Apolonia Fier (1965); 8–1 vs Poliçani (28.08.1991); 7–1 vs Tirana (1992)
  • Biggest Defeats: 1–9 vs Skënderbeu (16.04.1933); 0–6 vs Partizani (09.02.1975); 1–7 vs Tirana (12.09.2003)
  • Most points in a season: 56 (2007–08)
  • Fewest points in a season: 1 (1948)
  • Most ties in a season: 14 (1973–74, 1976–77, 1989–90)
  • Fewest ties in a season: 0 (1933)
  • Most losses in a season: 23 (2003–04)
  • Fewest losses in a season: 3 (1958)
  • Best Goal Differential: +27 (1937)
  • Worst Goal Differential: -43 (2003–04)

Sponsors

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  • Official kit sponsor: Porta Kavalja
  • Official Sponsor: Bashkia Kavajë

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Albania – Campionato 1933". Archived from the original on 2018-09-28. Retrieved 2014-01-25.
  2. ^ "Albanian Football Season 1958". Archived from the original on 2021-01-13. Retrieved 2014-01-25.
  3. ^ Fatmir Efica. "Besa e Kavajës: Një histori... 1925–1995"
  4. ^ Hoxha, Florent. "Albania – Championship Winning Teams". rsssf.org. Archived from the original on 6 October 2009. Retrieved 3 June 2024.
  5. ^ Zajmi, Uvil (5 August 2022). ""Kur Bajaziti shënoi golin me francezët në 'Qemal Stafa' nga një goditje dënimin, tifozët kavajas shpreheshin; 'Ime, kina dhe na Platina'…"". memorie.al. Archived from the original on 9 June 2024. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
  6. ^ Ramadan Shehu, trajneri i ri i Besës Archived 2019-10-29 at the Wayback Machine - Panorama (in Albanian)
  7. ^ Besa emëron trajner ish-futbollistin e njohur Archived 2018-11-29 at the Wayback Machine – Newsport (in Albanian)
  8. ^ Gentian Begeja, trajner i Besës për të tentuar Superioren – Supersport (in Albanian)
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