Qemal Omari (born 1928) was a Turkish football player, manager and referee of Albanian heritage. He was a founding member of İstanbulspor A.Ş. in 1926 and he played for the club before retiring and becoming a referee and the general secretary of the

Istanbul Football League The Istanbul Football League ( tr, İstanbul Futbol Ligi) was founded as a regional football league under the name Constantinople Football Association League by James La Fontaine and Henry Pears in Istanbul, the capital of the former Ottoman Emp ...

. in 1932 he notably refereed the game between

Galatasaray Galatasaray Spor Kulübü (, ''Galatasaray Sports Club'') is a Turkish sports club based on the European side of the city of Istanbul in Turkey. Most notable for its association football department, the club also consists of various other de ...

and Fenerbahçe before moving to

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 ...

to become the manager of Skënderbeu Korçë.

Skënderbeu

In the early 1930s,

King Zog King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the t ...

had wanted foreign players and coaches to come to the country in order to raise the profile of football and to increase the standards, and Omari was invited by representatives of King Zog to Albania along with Servet Teufik Agaj, both of whom were

Ethnic Albanian The Albanians (; sq, Shqiptarët ) are an ethnic group and nation native to the Balkan Peninsula who share a common Albanian ancestry, culture, history and language. They primarily live in Albania, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbi ...

s living in

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula in ...

. Both Omari and Agaj were to head to

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 ...

to join the Skënderbeu. It is not known why they chose Skënderbeu, but some have suggested that Omari's parents may have originally been from Korçë, but had emigrated to Turkey during the

Ottoman era The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

. Agaj was born in Gora, Korçë but had been living in Turkey for a number of years before returning in 1931, one year before himself and Omari joined Skënderbeu. It has been suggested that Omari chose to go to Korçë on the recommendation of Agaj. Omari won the 1933 Albanian Championship with Skënderbeu after finishing fourth in his first season. In the title winning season Servet Teufik Agaj scored seven league goals and was named the top scorer. Both the player and coach remained at the club until 1938, when they returned to Turkey.

References

Year of death missing Turkish people of Albanian descent Turkish footballers İstanbulspor footballers Turkish football managers KF Skënderbeu Korçë managers Turkish expatriate football managers Turkish expatriate sportspeople in Albania Expatriate football managers in Albania Association football midfielders 1928 births {{Turkey-footy-bio-stub