Kosovo's captain will not play until the federation's leadership changes. The team that eliminated Slovakia in March faces the Nations League

Kosovo national football team captain Amir Rrahmani announced on Friday, September 11, that he will not play for the national team as long as the Football Federation of Kosovo (FFK) is run by its current leadership. The Napoli defender stated in his announcement that he has been on the national team for ten years, seven of them as captain. On Instagram he wrote that instead of having players' problems solved, he received "constant, co-ordinated attacks" lasting more than two years "from those people who should have been protecting us". Football Italia ↗ Koha ↗

This is the team that eliminated Slovakia in the World Cup play-off semifinal on March 26, winning 4-3 at Tehelné pole. In the play-off final, Kosovo then lost 1-0 at home to Turkey. SME ↗ TASR ↗

The captain turned to judicial authorities

A few hours before Rrahmani's announcement, the Hodaj & Partners law office stated that it represents him in the matter of attacks, threats, insults and damage to reputation by "key and affiliated persons at the FFK". According to the office, it has already filed the first legal actions, backed by evidence, with the relevant judicial authorities against identified individuals, though it did not disclose their names. Koha ↗ Gazeta Sportal ↗

The office also stressed that this is not the end of his international career but a temporary withdrawal, through which Rrahmani wants to draw attention to protecting players' dignity and the need for change in Kosovo football. The Albanian daily Koha Jonë writes that the captain filed his complaint with the prosecutor's office, and that it is directed against senior officials of the federation led by Agim Ademi. Koha Jonë ↗

The office is led by Taulant Hodaj, who was previously the FFK's acting general secretary and legal counsel. On Sunday he wrote that the captain's departure "should be an alarm for everyone". He also accused the federation's leadership of obstructing people who demanded professionalism and of running social media campaigns against critics, paid for from the federation's budget. These are his claims, and we were unable to find independent confirmation of them. As of Sunday, the Kosovo daily Koha had not been able to reach anyone from the federation's leadership, and the FFK has not publicly commented on Rrahmani's decision. Koha ↗

On Monday, a letter emerged in which the FFK asks Napoli to release Rrahmani for the national team training camp. The captain is listed in it as part of the preliminary squad; the final decision on the call-up is due by September 18, and the camp begins on September 21. Newsport ↗

Reports of a boycott denied by both Muslija and Muric's father

On Sunday, reports emerged that six other players were following Rrahmani's lead, headed by Juventus's Edon Zhegrova. Also named were Vedat Muriqi, Milot Rashica, goalkeeper Arijanet Muric and Florent Muslija. Korrekt Press ↗

Freiburg midfielder Muslija, who scored one of the goals against Slovakia in March, told the daily Olle that he is injured, but that if he were healthy he would come to play for his country "as always, gladly". He called the reports of a boycott slander. Gazeta Sportal ↗ Balkanweb ↗

According to Korrekt Press, the father of Sassuolo goalkeeper Muric told the portal Telegrafi that the reports about his son are not true, and according to the same portal, Muric accepted the call-up for the Nations League matches. Korrekt Press ↗

We were unable to find direct statements from the other named players, either confirming or denying a boycott of their own, by Wednesday, September 16. The Albanian portal Timoni describes the boycott reports as unofficial and offers a different version regarding Zhegrova: according to it, coach Franco Foda left him out of the September squad for disciplinary reasons. Timoni ↗

Kosovo will play four matches in ten days

In the Nations League, Kosovo plays in Group B3 with Ireland, Austria and Israel. It will open the season at home against Ireland on September 24, play away in Austria on September 27, visit Israel on October 1, and host Austria on October 4. UEFA ↗ The Irish Times ↗

According to Korrekt Press, the team of German coach Franco Foda is aiming for at least second place in the group, which would secure it a spot in pot two for the December draw for EURO 2028 qualifying. It heads into that race unsure whether its captain will be available. Korrekt Press ↗

*Photo: Fadil Vokrri Stadium in Pristina during a match of the Kosovo under-19 national team in November 2024. Author: ManiacOfSport / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.*