UEFA was persuaded there will be no government interference in the upcoming elections of the Albanian Football Federation (FSHF), its President Aleksander Ceferin said for the Associated Press after his meeting with Prime Minister Edi Rama.
On Thursday, Ceferin was in Tirana where he met with Rama to discuss the inaugural Europa Conference League. The league, a third tier competition, will be holding its final in Tirana on May 25.
Ceferin’s visit coincided with a recent spat between the municipality of Tirana and the association over the FSHF’s leadership elections, prompting UEFA to discuss the issue with the Albanian government.
Last week, a FSHF spokesperson denounced Tirana Mayor Erion Veliaj, accusing him of pressuring assembly members ahead of a vote to elect the head of the regional football association of Tirana.
Meanwhile, Veliaj himself had accused FSHF president Armand Duka of corruption and vote rigging as Duka prepares to run for a sixth consecutive 4-year term in March. While Albanian prosecutors have launched an investigation into FSHF over a €1.3 million fund provided by UEFA, there have been no investigation into Duka’s conduct so far.
Shortly after the spat between Veliaj and Duka began, a device exploded outside Duka’s home with no injuries. Police arrested a person from the area as a suspect.
UEFA condemned what it considered “political interference in the running of the Albanian federation,” warning that the situation jeopardized the Europa Conference League’s final.
However, Ceferin said that he had received enough assurances from Rama that the FSHF will be allowed to hold fair elections without government interference.
“The final here is safe and we are looking forward [to it] because it’s the first final of [the] Europa Conference League in history,” Ceferin said.
Rama also tweeted that the meeting “could not have been better” regarding the league’s final and FSHF elections.
Despite all assurances, UEFA will be sending observers to monitor the March elections.
