Ergys Kaçe (born 8 July 1993) is an Albanian professional
footballer
A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...
who plays as a
defensive midfielder
A midfielder is an outfield position in association football.
Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundari ...
for
Super League Greece club
Volos
Volos ( el, Βόλος ) is a coastal port city in Thessaly situated midway on the Greek mainland, about north of Athens and south of Thessaloniki. It is the sixth most populous city of Greece, and the capital of the Magnesia regional unit ...
. He has been described by the media as "a classic agile
defensive midfielder
A midfielder is an outfield position in association football.
Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundari ...
".
Club career
Early career
Kaçe was born in
Korçë
Korçë (; sq-definite, Korça) is the eighth most populous city of the Republic of Albania and the seat of Korçë County and Korçë Municipality. The total population is 75,994 (2011 census), in a total area of . It stands on a plateau som ...
, Albania, but moved to Greece at the age of three.
He started his youth career at Achilleas Triandrias, from where he was transferred to the youth academies of PAOK in 2005
and signed his first professional contract in December 2010.
PAOK
Kaçe made his league debut for PAOK on 5 January 2011 during an away game against
Panserraikos
Panserraikos Football Club ( el, Πανσερραϊκός 1964), the ''All-Serres Football Club'', is a Greece, Greek Association football, football club based in Serres in Central Macedonia, Greece. Panserraikos is one of the most important and ...
(1–1), coming as a substitute for
Stefanos Athanasiadis in the 68th minute. He didn't play another game for the first team during the
2010–11 season and instead he was featured in PAOK under-20's fixtures in order to maintain match fitness.
Loan to Anagennisi Epanomi
Kaçe was loaned out to
Football League side
Anagennisi Epanomi for the
2011–12 season. Soon enough, he was established in the starting eleven at Epanomi due to his consistent performances and finished the season with 19 league appearances and 1 goal to his name against
Panahaiki
Panachaiki F.C. (Greek: Παναχαϊκή ΓΕ ΠΑΕ ) is a Greek professional football club based in Patras, Greece and they play in Super League Greece 2, the second tier of greek football. Founded in 1891, they have reached the Greek Cup s ...
, in a home game which ended 6–1.
Return to PAOK
After his return to PAOK, the club's new manager
Giorgos Donis
Georgios Donis ( el, Γεώργιος Δώνης; born 22 October 1969) is a Greek former professional footballer who played as a midfielder and currently a manager. He is the current manager of Saudi Arabian club Al-Fateh. He was the first ev ...
seemed to trust him a place in the starting eleven, alongside other youngsters from the club's youth team.
Kaçe featured in both legs of the
2012–13 UEFA Europa League
The 2012–13 UEFA Europa League was the 42nd season of Europe's secondary club football tournament organised by UEFA, and the 4th season since it was renamed from the UEFA Cup to the UEFA Europa League.
The final was played at the Amsterdam Aren ...
third qualifying round
Third or 3rd may refer to:
Numbers
* 3rd, the ordinal form of the cardinal number 3
* , a fraction of one third
* 1⁄60 of a ''second'', or 1⁄3600 of a ''minute''
Places
* 3rd Street (disambiguation)
* Third Avenue (disambiguation)
* Hig ...
against
Bnei Yehuda,
as well as in both legs of the
play-off round
The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eithe ...
against
Rapid Wien
Sportklub Rapid Wien (), commonly known as Rapid Vienna, is an Austrian football club playing in the country's capital city of Vienna. Rapid has won the most Austrian championship titles (32), including the first title in the season 1911–12, ...
.
On 31 October, the player renewed his contract for a duration of four to five years. The new contract came as an award for the good appearances that he made. On 3 March he scored his first goal for the club with a long-distance shot from 33 yards out against
Panionios
Panionios G.S.S. Football Club (Greek: ΠΑΕ Πανιώνιος Γ.Σ.Σ.), the ''Pan- Ionian Gymnastics Club of Smyrna'' (Πανιώνιος Γυμναστικός Σύλλογος Σμύρνης, ''Panionios Gymnastikos Syllogos Smyrnis'') ...
in a 4–2 win. Kaçe had a good season with PAOK, providing two assists and a goal in twenty-seven appearances.
Kaçe began his second season with PAOK against
Schalke in both legs of the
UEFA Champions League play-off round and began the Super League against
Panetolikos
Panetolikos Football Club ( el, ΠΑΕ Παναιτωλικός), or with its full name Panetolikós Yimnastikós Filekpedeftikós Síllogos ( el, Παναιτωλικός Γυμναστικός Φιλεκπαιδευτικός Σύλλογος'' ...
.
The return
After serving his internal suspension, Kaçe returned to the team three months later. On 18 December 2013 he was included in the team for the match against
Atromitos and he was an unused substitute for the match. His first match after the suspension came on 9 January 2014 against
Iraklis for the
Greek Football Cup
The Greek Football Cup ( el, Κύπελλο Ελλάδος Ποδοσφαίρου), commonly known as the Greek Cup or Kypello Elladas is a Greek football competition, run by the Hellenic Football Federation.
The Greek Cup is the second most imp ...
where Kaçe came in as a substitute, taking the place of
Alexandros Tziolis
Alexandros Tziolis ( el, Αλέξανδρος Τζιόλης; born 13 February 1985) is a Greek former professional footballer who played as a defensive midfielder.
He was a Greek international from 2005 until his international retirement in 20 ...
on 76th minute.
In the league, after five consecutive matches at the bench, on 26 January 2014 he played his first league game after the suspension, against
Veria
Veria ( el, Βέροια or Βέρροια), officially transliterated Veroia, historically also spelled Berea or Berœa, is a city in Central Macedonia, in the geographic region of Macedonia, northern Greece, capital of the regional unit of ...
where he played for the full 90-minutes. The match resulted in a 4–1 victory. He returned playing on
2013–14 UEFA Europa League knockout phase
The knockout phase of the 2013–14 UEFA Europa League began on 20 February and concluded on 14 May 2014 with the final at Juventus Stadium in Turin, Italy. A total of 32 teams competed in the knockout phase.
Times up to 29 March 2014 (round of 16 ...
against
Benfica on 20 February 2014, a 0–1 loss, were Kaçe played for the full 90-minutes. Kaçe scored a goal in the victory 3–0 against
Panthrakikos
Panthrakikos Football Club ( el, Α.Π.Σ. Πανθρακικός) is a Greek football club based in Komotini, Thrace in North Eastern Greece founded in 1963. The club competed in Super League Greece during the 2008–09 season for the first tim ...
on 23 February 2014. Also he was voted as
Man of the match
In team sport, a player of the match or man of the match or woman of the match award is often given to the most outstanding player in a particular match. This can be a player from either team, although the player is generally chosen from the winn ...
.
Kaçe with PAOK advanced to the final of the Greek Cup, where they played against
Panathinaikos
Panathinaikos Athlitikos Omilos ( el, Παναθηναϊκός Αθλητικός Όμιλος, literally in English: "Panathenaic Athletic Club" or Panathinaikos A.C.), also known simply as Panathinaikós , is a major Greek multi-sport club ba ...
on 26 April 2014 and lost 1–4, with Kaçe playing full 90 minutes and receiving a yellow card.
At the end of 2014–15 season, the Albanian midfielder had attracted much interest from abroad and he seems to be weighing up his options as he was coy when asked about his contract renewal and his future in the Greek club.''“We have not talked about my contract extension. At the time being I'm a PAOK player but I don't know what happens next. We'll see. Only God knows,”'' Kace underlined.
Viktoria Plzeň
Kaçe was loaned out to Czech side
FC Viktoria Plzeň
Football Club Viktoria Plzeň () is a Czech professional football club based in Plzeň. They play in the Czech First League, the top division of football in the country.
As runners-up in the 1970–71 Czechoslovak Cup, the club gained the righ ...
.
On 30 November 2016, he mutually solved his contract with the club.
Return
On 30 April 2017 he scored against
Kerkyra
Corfu (, ) or Kerkyra ( el, Κέρκυρα, Kérkyra, , ; ; la, Corcyra.) is a Greek island in the Ionian Sea, of the Ionian Islands, and, including its small satellite islands, forms the margin of the northwestern frontier of Greece. The isl ...
in an easy win for PAOK.
Loan to Panathinaikos
On 31 January 2018, he was loaned to rivals
Panathinaikos
Panathinaikos Athlitikos Omilos ( el, Παναθηναϊκός Αθλητικός Όμιλος, literally in English: "Panathenaic Athletic Club" or Panathinaikos A.C.), also known simply as Panathinaikós , is a major Greek multi-sport club ba ...
for six months, with a purchase option at the end of the
2017-18 season. Eventually, due to player's effort,
PAOK after Panathinaikos' improved financial bid for the Albanian international agreed to extent his loan until the summer of
2018-19 season.
On 11 November 2018, Kace clipped the ball over
Andreas Bouchalakis
Andreas Bouchalakis ( el, Ανδρέας Μπουχαλάκης, born 5 April 1993) is a Greek professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder for Super League club Olympiacos and the Greece national team.
Club career
Ergotelis
Bou ...
and then fired an audacious volley past
José Sá
José Pedro Malheiro de Sá (; born 17 January 1993) is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Premier League club Wolverhampton Wanderers and the Portugal national team.
He started his career with Marítimo B, mak ...
, who got a hand to the ball but only succeeded in guiding the goal-bound effort in off the post, as the first
2018-19 season's derby ended in a 1–1 draw against
Panathinaikos
Panathinaikos Athlitikos Omilos ( el, Παναθηναϊκός Αθλητικός Όμιλος, literally in English: "Panathenaic Athletic Club" or Panathinaikos A.C.), also known simply as Panathinaikós , is a major Greek multi-sport club ba ...
in the
Karaiskakis Stadium
The Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium ( el, Στάδιο Γεώργιος Καραϊσκάκης), commonly referred to as the Karaiskakis Stadium ( el, Στάδιο Καραϊσκάκη, ), is a football stadium in Piraeus, Attica, Greece, and the ...
. It was his first goal with the club in all competitions.
Loan to AEL
On 31 August 2019, the last day of the 2019 summer transfer window, Kace joined
Superleague Greece side
AEL on loan for the season.
Aris
On 3 October 2020, he signed a two-year contract with
Aris Aris or ARIS may refer to:
People
* Aris (surname)
Given name
* Aris Alexandrou, Greek writer
* Aris Brimanis, ice hockey player
* Aris Christofellis, Greek male soprano
* Aris Gavelas, Greek sprinter
* Aris Howard, Former President of the Jama ...
, on a free transfer.
International career
Albania U21
Kaçe made four appearances for the
Albania national under-21 football team in a friendly tournament in Slovenia between 23 and 30 March 2011.
Albania senior team
In an interview to
Panorama Sport''Panorama Sport''is a newspaper published in Albania
Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and ...
, a major Albanian sports magazine, Kaçe said that he is looking forward to play for the Albanian senior team. In early 2013, he cast doubt on this claim by refusing to be called up for Albania's friendly against Georgia and applying for Greek naturalization, and stating that he wanted to play for
Greece
Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders ...
. In March 2013 he was contacted by the
FSHF
The Albanian Football Association ( sq, Federata Shqiptare e Futbollit; FSHF) is the governing body of football in Albania. The association is based in Tirana, Albania. It organises the national football leagues of the Albanian Superliga, the Fir ...
where he declared that was yet undecided for his national side choose. However, Albanian and Greek media outlets suggested that Kaçe has already accepted the invitation from
Gianni De Biasi
Giovanni "Gianni" De Biasi (, sq, Xhovani "Xhani" De Biazi), born 16 June 1956 is an Italian football coach and former player. He holds dual Italian and Albanian citizenship. De Biasi was the first coach of the Albania national team to lead t ...
, coach of the Albania national football team, to join the team for the upcoming game against
Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the ...
, in
Tirana
Tirana ( , ; aln, Tirona) is the capital and largest city of Albania. It is located in the centre of the country, enclosed by mountains and hills with Dajti rising to the east and a slight valley to the northwest overlooking the Adriatic Sea ...
on 7 June 2013.
Debut and the 2014 FIFA World cup qualification
He debuted for the first time with Albania senior team on 7 June 2013 against Norway for the
2014 FIFA World Cup qualification
The 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification was a series of tournaments organised by the six FIFA#Structure, FIFA confederations. The 2014 FIFA World Cup featured 32 teams, with one place reserved for the host nation, Brazil national football team, Bra ...
by coming on as a substitute in the 85th minute in place of
Emiljano Vila
Emiljano Vila (born 12 March 1988) is an Albanian professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Teuta Durrës in the Albanian Superliga and the Albania national football team.
Club career
Early career
Vila started his care ...
in a 1–1 draw.
On 14 August 2013, Kaçe scored his first goal for
Albania
Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares ...
in the 2–0 win of the
Friendly Match
An exhibition game (also known as a friendly, a scrimmage, a demonstration, a preseason game, a warmup match, or a preparation match, depending at least in part on the sport) is a sporting event whose prize money and impact on the player's or ...
against
Armenia
Armenia (), , group=pron officially the Republic of Armenia,, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of Western Asia.The UNbr>classification of world regions places Armenia in Western Asia; the CIA World Factbook , , and ' ...
in
Qemal Stafa Stadium
The Qemal Stafa Stadium ( sq, Stadiumi Qemal Stafa), named after Qemal Stafa (1920–1942), a World War II hero, was a national stadium and the largest football stadium in Tirana, Albania. Construction started in 1939 and the stadium was inaugu ...
, where his goal was the second in the 67th minute, 2 minutes after came in on the pitch in place of
Migjen Basha
Migjen Xhevat Basha (born 5 January 1987) is a former professional footballer who played as a defensive midfielder. Born in Switzerland, he represented that nation at youth international levels but played for Albania at senior level.
Early life ...
.
In the 4 remaining matches for the Group E of the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification in September and October 2013, Kaçe played every minute of all matches, as a
central midfielder
A midfielder is an outfield position in association football.
Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...
.
Temporary return at Albania youth U21
Kace wasn't included in the published list of called-up players by the coach Gianni De Biasi for a friendly match against
Belarus
Belarus,, , ; alternatively and formerly known as Byelorussia (from Russian ). officially the Republic of Belarus,; rus, Республика Беларусь, Respublika Belarus. is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by ...
on 15 November 2013, because he was called up once again with
Albania U-21 for the two matches against
Hungary U-21 and
Spain U-21 on 14 and 18 November 2013, valids for the
2015 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship qualification
The 2015 UEFA European Under-21 Championship started with a qualifying competition which began in March 2013 and finished in September 2014. The final tournament was held in the Czech Republic. The draw for the qualifying rounds was held on 31 Jan ...
. In the first match against
Hungary U-21 he was named the national team's
Captain and the match resulted as a successful 2–0 win for Albania in
Budapest
Budapest (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. It is the ninth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits and the second-largest city on the Danube river; the city has an estimated population ...
.
Kace then returned again with national senior side, as he received a call-up for the friendly match against
Malta
Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...
on 5 March 2014.
UEFA Euro 2016 qualification
In the opening match of the
UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying
The UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying tournament was a football competition that was played from September 2014 to November 2015 to determine the 23 UEFA member men's national teams joining the automatically qualified host team France in the UEFA Euro 2 ...
against
Portugal
Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...
, Kaçe played as a substitute coming on in the 66th minute in place of fellow Albanian central-midfielder
Burim Kukeli
Burim Nue Kukeli (born 16 January 1984) is an Albanian former professional footballer who played as a defensive midfielder. He is the current coach of Grasshopper Club Zürich U-21 squad.
A Zofingen product, Kukeli started his professional care ...
, in a match which Albania won 1–0. Also in the 3 other fixtures valids for the
UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying Group I
The UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying Group I was one of the nine groups to decide which teams would qualify for the UEFA Euro 2016 finals tournament. Group I consisted of five teams: Portugal, Denmark, Serbia, Armenia, and Albania, where they played ag ...
against
Denmark
)
, song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast")
, song_type = National and royal anthem
, image_map = EU-Denmark.svg
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark
, establish ...
and
Serbia
Serbia (, ; Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin and the Balkans. It shares land borders with Hungar ...
in October 2014 and
Armenia
Armenia (), , group=pron officially the Republic of Armenia,, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of Western Asia.The UNbr>classification of world regions places Armenia in Western Asia; the CIA World Factbook , , and ' ...
on 29 March 2015, Kaçe participated from on the bench as the coach Gianni De Biasi played in the starting eleven with other trio of central-midfielders, consisting Burim Kukeli,
Taulant Xhaka
Taulant Ragip Xhaka (born 28 March 1991) is a professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Swiss Super League club Basel. Born in Switzerland, he represented the Albania national team.
Early life
Xhaka was born in Basel, Swi ...
and
Amir Abrashi
Amir Malush Abrashi (born 27 March 1990) is an Albanian professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Swiss club Grasshoppers and the Albania national team.
Club career
Early career
Abrashi was born in Bischofszell, Switzerl ...
.
On 13 June 2015 Kaçe scored a free-kick goal to give Albania the 1–0 victory over
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
in a
Group I centralised friendly match. Being a friendly match, the coach Gianni De Biasi left out all 3 starting trio consisted of Kukeli-Xhaka-Abrashi and Kaçe gained the chance to play it as a starter among
Migjen Basha
Migjen Xhevat Basha (born 5 January 1987) is a former professional footballer who played as a defensive midfielder. Born in Switzerland, he represented that nation at youth international levels but played for Albania at senior level.
Early life ...
and
Andi Lila
Andi Lila (born 12 February 1986) is a former Albanian professional footballer who played as a defensive midfielder for the Albania national team. He was a versatile player, having played primarily as a right back early in his career as well as ...
to consist the central-midfielders trio and his goal were scored at the end of the first half in the 43rd minute.
Euro 2016
On 21 May 2016, Kaçe was named in Albania's preliminary 27-man squad for
UEFA Euro 2016
The 2016 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2016 (stylised as UEFA EURO 2016) or simply Euro 2016, was the 15th UEFA European Championship, the quadrennial international men's football championship of Europe ...
, and in Albania's final 23-man UEFA Euro 2016 squad on 31 May.
Kaçe played as a 62nd-minute substitute for
Taulant Xhaka
Taulant Ragip Xhaka (born 28 March 1991) is a professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Swiss Super League club Basel. Born in Switzerland, he represented the Albania national team.
Early life
Xhaka was born in Basel, Swi ...
against
Switzerland in a 0–1 loss and was an unused substitute in 2 next matches against hosts
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
where they lost 2–0 and against
Romania
Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Moldova to the east, and ...
in an Albania's historical 1–0 win with a goal scored by
Armando Sadiku
Armando Durim Sadiku (born 27 May 1991) is an Albanian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Spanish club FC Cartagena and the Albania national team.
Born in Cërrik, Elbasan, Sadiku started his career with a local club Fushë Mbr ...
. Albania finished the group in the third position with three points and with a goal difference –2, and was ranked last in the third-placed teams, which eventually eliminated them.
2018 FIFA World Cup qualification
Following some disagreement with coach Gianni De Biasi remained 8 months out of national team. He was returned to the national team for the
Friendly match
An exhibition game (also known as a friendly, a scrimmage, a demonstration, a preseason game, a warmup match, or a preparation match, depending at least in part on the sport) is a sporting event whose prize money and impact on the player's or ...
against
Luxembourg
Luxembourg ( ; lb, Lëtzebuerg ; french: link=no, Luxembourg; german: link=no, Luxemburg), officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, ; french: link=no, Grand-Duché de Luxembourg ; german: link=no, Großherzogtum Luxemburg is a small lan ...
on 4 June 2017 and the
2018 FIFA World Cup qualification
The 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification process was a series of tournaments organised by the six FIFA confederations to decide 31 of the 32 teams which would play in the 2018 FIFA World Cup, with Russia qualifying automatically as hosts. All 210 ...
match against
Israel
Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
on 11 June 2017.
Controversy
On 4 September 2013, Kaçe was involved in a political racist scandal after a photo of himself wearing a jersey with the symbol of the
Kosovo Liberation Army (
UÇK) was published on a
Facebook
Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin Mosk ...
page with his name. This sparked criticism in
Greece
Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders ...
and Kaçe came under fire in the media. Kaçe declared that he didn't know the meaning of the symbol having left Albania at the age of three. He also apologized. He was later criticised by the Greek neo-nazi party
Golden Dawn, which prompted a confrontation between PAOK fan clubs and GD, leading to a group of PAOK supporters to attack the headquarters of Golden Dawn. According to Albanian media sources,
UEFA
Union of European Football Associations (UEFA ; french: Union des associations européennes de football; german: Union der europäischen Fußballverbände) is one of six continental bodies of governance in association football. It governs f ...
stated: "Don't mess with the player cause this isn't in your jurisdiction",
whereas
Albania national football team
The Albania national football team ( sq, Kombëtarja e futbollit të Shqipërisë) represents Albania in men's international football, and is governed by the Albanian Football Association, the governing body for football in Albania.
Albania com ...
's
Gianni De Biasi
Giovanni "Gianni" De Biasi (, sq, Xhovani "Xhani" De Biazi), born 16 June 1956 is an Italian football coach and former player. He holds dual Italian and Albanian citizenship. De Biasi was the first coach of the Albania national team to lead t ...
spoke to
PAOK's chairman
Zisis Vryzas
Zisis Vryzas ( el, Ζήσης Βρύζας; born 9 November 1973) is a Greek former professional footballer who played as a forward for various teams in Greece and abroad, as well as for the Greece national football team, when they won the Euro ...
, whom he coached as manager of
Perugia
Perugia (, , ; lat, Perusia) is the capital city of Umbria in central Italy, crossed by the River Tiber, and of the province of Perugia.
The city is located about north of Rome and southeast of Florence. It covers a high hilltop and pa ...
, and asked to leave the player in peace, blaming a misunderstanding for the situation.
Sali Berisha
Sali Ram Berisha (; born 15 October 1944) is an Albanian conservative politician and former cardiologist who served as the second President of Albania from 1992 to 1997 and Prime Minister from 2005 to 2013.
He is also the current chairman of ...
, former Prime-Minister of
Albania
Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares ...
, also came to Kaçe's defense saying: "Kaçe is a victim of racist nationalism" while PAOK's manager
Huub Stevens accused the club of overreacting: "you're exaggerating much with that player". The head of the
Albanian Football Association
The Albanian Football Association ( sq, Federata Shqiptare e Futbollit; FSHF) is the governing body of football in Albania. The association is based in Tirana, Albania. It organises the national football leagues of the Albanian Superliga, the F ...
,
Armand Duka
Armand Duka (born 7 October 1962) is head of the Albanian Football Association
The Albanian Football Association ( sq, Federata Shqiptare e Futbollit; FSHF) is the governing body of football in Albania. The association is based in Tirana, Alba ...
, sent a letter to
UEFA
Union of European Football Associations (UEFA ; french: Union des associations européennes de football; german: Union der europäischen Fußballverbände) is one of six continental bodies of governance in association football. It governs f ...
president
Michel Platini
Michel François Platini (born 21 June 1955) is a French football administrator and former player and manager. Regarded as one of the greatest footballers of all time, Platini won the Ballon d'Or three times in a row, in 1983, 1984 and 1985, a ...
claiming that the situation had been exaggerated. Kaçe apologised to the club but remained suspended. After he served his suspension time Kaçe returned to training, among rumours that the club was looking to sell him during the winter transfer window.
Career statistics
Club
International
[Ergys Kaçe - national football team player]
EU-Football.info
International goals
:. ''Albania score listed first, score column indicates score after each Kaçe's goal.''
Honours
;PAOK
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Superleague Greece Runner-up:
2012–13
1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...
,
2015–16
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Greek Football Cup
The Greek Football Cup ( el, Κύπελλο Ελλάδος Ποδοσφαίρου), commonly known as the Greek Cup or Kypello Elladas is a Greek football competition, run by the Hellenic Football Federation.
The Greek Cup is the second most imp ...
:
2016–17,
2017–18 Runner-up:
2013–14
Individual
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Greek Superleague's Best Young Player: 2012–13
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PAOK FC MVP of Season: 2014–15
Kaçe, lojtari më i mirë i sezonit për tifozët e PAOK
Super Sport
References
External links
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Ergys Kaçe profile
at FSHF
The Albanian Football Association ( sq, Federata Shqiptare e Futbollit; FSHF) is the governing body of football in Albania. The association is based in Tirana, Albania. It organises the national football leagues of the Albanian Superliga, the Fir ...
.org
Ergys Kaçe – Euro 2016 profile
at FSHF
The Albanian Football Association ( sq, Federata Shqiptare e Futbollit; FSHF) is the governing body of football in Albania. The association is based in Tirana, Albania. It organises the national football leagues of the Albanian Superliga, the Fir ...
.org
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kace, Ergys
Living people
Footballers from Korçë
Albanian footballers
1993 births
Albanian emigrants to Greece
Association football midfielders
Super League Greece players
Football League (Greece) players
Czech First League players
PAOK FC players
Anagennisi Epanomi F.C. players
FC Viktoria Plzeň players
Panathinaikos F.C. players
Athlitiki Enosi Larissa F.C. players
Aris Thessaloniki F.C. players
Veria NFC players
FK Panevėžys players
Albania youth international footballers
Albania under-21 international footballers
Albania international footballers
UEFA Euro 2016 players
Albanian expatriate footballers
Albanian expatriate sportspeople in Greece
Albanian expatriate sportspeople in the Czech Republic
Expatriate footballers in Greece
Expatriate footballers in the Czech Republic