Tefik Osmani (born 8 June 1985) is an Albanian professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

official and a former

centre-back In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield position whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Centre-backs are usually positioned in pairs, with one full-back on either s ...

. He is the sporting director for Albanian club

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 ...

Club career

Early career

Osmani started his career with his local club

Skënderbeu Korçë , reign = 28 November 1443 – 17 January 1468 , predecessor = Gjon Kastrioti , successor = Gjon Kastrioti II , spouse = Donika Arianiti , issue = Gjon Kastrioti II , royal house = Kastrioti , father ...

as a teenager where he worked his way through the youth ranks and joined the first team prior to the 2002–03 season, where the club was competing in the

Albanian Second Division Albanian may refer to: *Pertaining to Albania in Southeast Europe; in particular: **Albanians, an ethnic group native to the Balkans **Albanian language **Albanian culture **Demographics of Albania, includes other ethnic groups within the country ...

, the third tier of Albanian football. He left the team after one season and joined

Albanian First Division Albanian may refer to: *Pertaining to Albania in Southeast Europe; in particular: **Albanians, an ethnic group native to the Balkans **Albanian language ** Albanian culture ** Demographics of Albania, includes other ethnic groups within the count ...

side

Tomori Berat KF Tomori is an Albanian football club based in the city of Berat. The club's home ground is the Tomori Stadium and they currently participate in the Kategoria e Parë. History The sport of football was introduced to the city of Berat in the ear ...

where he would stay for one year before leaving at the end of the season to join

Albanian Superliga The Kategoria Superiore, officially known as Abissnet Superiore for sponsorship reasons, is a professional league for men's association football clubs. At the top of the Albanian football league system, it is the country's primary football compet ...

side

Elbasani Elbasan ( ; sq-definite, Elbasani ) is the fourth most populous city of Albania and seat of Elbasan County and Elbasan Municipality. It lies to the north of the river Shkumbin between the Skanderbeg Mountains and the Myzeqe Plain in central A ...

. Upon joining the club he became a key member of the squad and made 36 league appearances and scored twice to help the club finish as runners up in the league behind

. Following a decent second season with

, he was given offers from other clubs in Albania and abroad. Most notably two unnamed clubs from

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

, both in the top flight. However he needed to talk to his manager and the owner of KF Tirana

Refik Halili Refik Halili is the chairman and main sponsor of KF Tirana. Since 2003, Halili had been one of the sponsors of the club. His duty as Chairman of KF Tirana started on May 29, 2008. He is a businessman and founder and owner of one of Albania's leading ...

to sort out his current contract with the club.

Teuta Durrës

On 23 July 2011 he joined

Teuta Durrës Teuta ( Illyrian: *''Teutana'', 'mistress of the people, queen'; grc, Τεύτα; lat, Teuta) was the queen regent of the Ardiaei tribe in Illyria, who reigned approximately from 231 BC to 228/227 BC. Following the death of her spouse Agro ...

on a one-year contract.

Vllaznia Shkodër

Osmani signed for Vllaznia Shkodër on 16 July 2012 and was presented to the media in the very same day. He was part of the team only in the first part of 2012–13 season, collecting 13 league matches and scoring one goal. Osmani left the club during the winter transfer window in controversial fashion.

Teuta Durrës return

In January 2013, he returned to Teuta Durrës for the second part of 2012–13 season. He made his return debut on 10 February in the matchday 14 against

Shkumbini Peqin KF Shkumbini is an Albanian football club based in the city of Peqin. The club's home ground is the Shkumbini Stadium and they compete in the Kategoria e Dytë. History Football was first introduced to the city of Peqin in the early 1920s after ...

, netting his side second goal in an eventual 3–0 home win.

Skënderbeu Korçë

On 29 May 2014, Osmani signed a one-year contract with his boyhood club

; he was presented along with

Bernard Berisha Bernard Berisha (born 24 October 1991) is a Kosovar professional footballer who plays as a left winger or attacking midfielder for Russian club Akhmat Grozny and the Kosovo national team. Club career Skënderbeu Korçë Berisha followed Fatjon ...

, and was handed squad number 17. Shortly after, he traveled with the team in

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

for the preparation phase ahead of

UEFA Champions League The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL, or sometimes, UEFA CL) is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competit ...

tie against

BATE Borisov FC BATE Borisov (russian: link=no, ФК БАТЭ Борисов, ''FK BATE Borisov'' ; be, ФК БАТЭ Барысаў, ''BATE Barysaw,'' ) is a professional Belarusian football team from the city of Barysaw. The club competes in the Belarusi ...

. Osmani was included in the

Mirel Josa Mirel Josa (born 1 June 1963) is an Albanian former football player and current coach of Vllaznia in the Kategoria Superiore. As a player, he played in the Greek Alpha Ethniki for Nea Kavala and Aris, as well as making 27 international appearan ...

's squad list. On 15 July, in the first leg of the second qualifying round, Osmani made an overall good performance, helping Skënderbeu Korçë to get a clean sheet at

Borisov Arena Borisov Arena ( be, Барысаў-Арэна, ''Barysaw-Arena''; russian: Борисов-Арена, link=no) is a football-specific stadium in Barysaw, Belarus and is the home stadium of FC BATE Borisov and the Belarus national football team. Th ...

. In the returning leg one week later, Osmani was again in the starting lineup, with Skënderbeu who didn't get more than a 1–1 draw at home, eliminated thus from the competition due to away goal rule. Osmani started the domestic season by winning his first silverware with the club, the

Albanian Supercup The Albanian Supercup is a single match usually at the beginning of the season between the winners of the Kategoria Superiore and Albanian Cup. Supercup final was not played in the occasions when the champion team won the Double (association foot ...

, as Skënderbeu Korçë defeated

Flamurtari Vlorë Flamurtari FC is a professional football club based in Vlorë, Albania. The club plays in the Kategoria e Parë, which is the second tier of football in the country. Founded in 1923, the club is one of the oldest in Albania, and it is also one ...

Qemal Stafa Stadium The Qemal Stafa Stadium ( sq, Stadiumi Qemal Stafa), named after Qemal Stafa (1920–1942), a Albanian Resistance of World War II, World War II hero, was a national stadium and the largest football (soccer), football stadium in Tirana, Albania. ...

thanks to a

Bakary Nimaga Bakary Nimaga (born 6 December 1994) is a Malian professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder playing for Radnički Niš in the Serbian SuperLiga.

winner. On 23 February 2015, during the league match against Kukësi, Osmani suffered an injury and was substituted in the 15th minute for

Leonit Abazi Leonit Abazi (born 5 July 1993) is a Kosovar professional footballer who plays as a left back for Football Superleague of Kosovo club Ballkani the Kosovo national team. Club career Skënderbeu Korçë Born in Gjilan, in modern-day Kosovo, Aba ...

, with the match finishing 1–1. Following the match, it was reported that he had suffered a strain injury in his right thigh that kept him outside the field for one month. He returned in action on 13 April by playing the full-90 minutes during the 5–2 thrashing of

Partizani Tirana Futboll Klub Partizani, or FK Partizani for short, is an Albanian professional football club based in Tirana, that competes in the Kategoria Superiore. Founded in 1946, the club was historically affiliated to the Albanian army. Partizani's curren ...

Skënderbeu Stadium Stadiumi Skënderbeu ( al, Stadiumi Skënderbeu, en, Skenderbeu Stadium) is a multi-purpose stadium in Korçë, Albania. The ground is currently the home of Skënderbeu. It has a seating capacity of 12,343 people all seater. History The stadiu ...

. On 8 July 2015, Osmani agreed a contract extension with Skënderbeu Korçë, signing a contract until June 2016. He renewed the contract in the airplane while he was traveling back 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 ...

with the rest of the squad, becoming the first player in history to do so. During 2016–17 season, Osmani made 26 league appearances, including 5 cup appearances and one in

where the team was defeated by Kukësi. On 20 May 2017, during the decisive match against Kukësi for the championship, Osmani along with other teammates were included in a massive brawl with referee Enea Jorgji which sent him off for

unsportsmanlike conduct Unsportsmanlike conduct (also called untrustworthy behaviour or ungentlemanly fraudulent or bad sportsmanship or poor sportsmanship or anti fair-play) is a foul or offense in many sports that violates the sport's generally accepted rules of sport ...

. Everything started in the 59th minute when the referee didn't give a clear penalty to Skënderbeu after a foul inside the zone on Liridon Latifi, instead booking him for diving. Skënderbeu eventually were defeated 2–0 at Zeqir Ymeri Stadium, meaning that they have failed to win the championship for the first time in six years. Disciplinary Committee of AFA handed him an eight-game ban for all domestic competitions.

Second Teuta Durrës return

On 4 August 2018, after weeks of speculation about his future, Osmani decided to return to Teuta Durrës by signing a one-year contract. The manager

Bledi Shkëmbi Bledi Shkëmbi (born 13 August 1979) is an Albanian professional Association football, football coach and former player. A former Albania national football team, Albanian international, he has previously played for Ethnikos Asteras in Greece, HN ...

, who was also his former teammate at Skënderbeu and Partizani, decided to make Osmani the team captain for the 2018–19 season. Osmani begun the season on 19 August by playing full-90 minutes and helping the team get a clean-sheet in the goalless draw against

. Osmani left Teuta in July 2019 after his side was eliminated from

2019–20 UEFA Europa League The 2019–20 UEFA Europa League was the 49th season of Europe's secondary club football tournament organised by UEFA, and the 11th season since it was renamed from the UEFA Cup to the UEFA Europa League. Sevilla defeated Inter Milan in the fina ...

first qualifying round by

Ventspils Ventspils (; german: Windau, ; see other names) is a state city in northwestern Latvia in the historical Courland region of Latvia, and is the sixth largest city in the country. At the beginning of 2020, Ventspils had a population of 33,906. It ...

Tirana return

On 20 July 2019, Tirana announced to have signed Osmani on a deal until 2020, with the player marking his return to the capital side for the first time since 2011.

International career

Osmani has represented Albania national team in 12 occasions, making his debut in a February 2005

FIFA World Cup qualification The FIFA World Cup qualification is a competitive match that a national association football team takes in order to qualify for one of the available berths at the final tournament of the (men's) FIFA World Cup. Qualifying tournaments are hel ...

match against

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...

. His final international was a June 2013 World Cup qualification match 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 t ...

Style of play

Osmani main position is

. Since the beginning of 2017, under manager

Ilir Daja Ilir Daja (born 20 October 1966 in Tirana) is an Albanian professional football coach and former player who is the current manager of the Ballkani. Club career Daja spent his youth career with 17 Nëntori, before playing for Dinamo Tirana for te ...

, Osmani begun utilised 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 boundarie ...

Career statistics

Club

International

Honours

Elbasani *

: 2005–06 Tirana *

: 2008–09, 2019–20 *

Albanian Cup The Albanian Cup ( sq, Kupa e Shqipërisë) is the main "knockout" competition in Albanian football. The competition started in 1939 as Kupa e Mbretit (English:"The King's Cup"). Just after a year the cup was suspended as the Second World War st ...

2010–11 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 ...

Skënderbeu Korçë *

: 2014–15, 2015–16, 2017–18 *

: 2017–18 *

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Osmani, Tefik 1985 births Living people Footballers from Korçë Albanian men's footballers Men's association football central defenders Albania men's international footballers Albania men's under-21 international footballers Albania men's youth international footballers KF Skënderbeu Korçë players KF Tomori players KF Elbasani players FC Metalurh Zaporizhzhia players FK Partizani Tirana players KF Tirana players KF Teuta Durrës players KF Vllaznia Shkodër players Kategoria e Parë players Kategoria Superiore players Ukrainian Premier League players Albanian expatriate men's footballers Expatriate men's footballers in Ukraine Albanian expatriate sportspeople in Ukraine Albanian football managers KF Tirana managers Kategoria Superiore managers