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Futboll Klub Kukësi is an Albanian professional football club based in the city of
Kukës Kukës (; sq-definite, Kukësi) is a city in Albania. The city is the capital of the surrounding municipality of Kukës and county of Kukës County, Kukës, one of 12 constituent Counties of Albania, counties of the republic. It spans and had a ...
. The club plays its home games at the Kukës Arena and currently competes in the Kategoria e Parë, the second highest division of Albanian football. The club played in the lower divisions for most of its history since 1930, before being promoted to the Kategoria Superiore in 2012, where it has won the title once and finished runner-up six times.


History


Early years

The club was founded on March 4, 1930, in
Kukës Kukës (; sq-definite, Kukësi) is a city in Albania. The city is the capital of the surrounding municipality of Kukës and county of Kukës County, Kukës, one of 12 constituent Counties of Albania, counties of the republic. It spans and had a ...
under the name ''Shoqëria Sportive Kosova'', at a time when football was gaining popularity in Albania. The club initially consisted of young men from Has, Lumë and
Gorë Gorë is a former municipality in the Korçë County, southeastern Albania. At the 2015 local government reform it became a subdivision of the municipality Maliq. The population at the 2011 census was 1,565. The municipal unit consists of the vil ...
, who competed in sports such as athletics and wrestling in addition to football, which quickly became the most popular sport in the city. The club's first match was played on April 20, 1930, against Internati Krumë, which ended in a 0–0 draw. On July 13, the club lost for the first time against Dibra in
Peshkopi Peshkopi (; sq-definite, Peshkopia) is a town located in the mountainous regions of northeastern Albania, in Dibër County. It is the capital of both the county () and the district () of Dibër, and is the only county regional capital in Albania ...
, in a match that ended 4–1 in favour of the opponent. In August 1931, the club participated in a local tournament, where they played against Kallabaku ( Borje), Shkëlzeni (
Tropojë Tropojë (; sq-definite, Tropoja) is a municipality in Kukës County, northeastern Albania, within the historical ethnographic region of the Gjakova Highlands. The municipality consists of the administrative units of Bajram Curri, Bujan, By ...
), Internati ( Krumë) and military teams. With the establishment of the
Albanian Football Association The Albanian Football Federation (; FSHF) is the governing body of football in Albania. Headquartered in Tirana, it organises the national football leagues of Kategoria Superiore, Kategoria e Parë, Kategoria e Dytë, Kategoria e Tretë, Alba ...
in 1932, Shoqëria Sportive Kosova was registered under the name Sport Klub Kosova. However, they did not participate in any of the national championships held at that time. In 1949, after the end of
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, the Albanian Football Federation resumed its championships. In 1953, Shoqëria Sportive Kosova participated in a national competition for the first time, competing in the regional leagues.


Përparimi

In 1958, the club was promoted to the Kategoria e Parë for the first time and changed its name to ''Klubi Sportiv Përparimi''. The club's first major trophy came in 1967, when they won the Kategoria e Dytë title and were promoted back to the Kategoria e Parë. They remained in the league for a decade until 1977, when they won the title, the club's greatest achievement since its founding in 1930 at the time. Despite a quick relegation, the club won the third division again in 1982 and was promoted back to Albania's second division. The late 1970s and early 1980s are considered by many to be the club's golden era. With the
fall of communism The revolutions of 1989, also known as the Fall of Communism, were a revolutionary wave of liberal democracy movements that resulted in the collapse of most Marxist–Leninist governments in the Eastern Bloc and other parts of the world. Th ...
in Albania in 1991, the club experienced huge financial problems as they had relied on state funding to run the club for many years. The municipality of Kukës along with local businessmen began to fund the team after the end of Albania's communist regime, but due to the lack of funds, the club did not experience any success for nearly two decades after communism.


Kukësi

In 2010, the club underwent a complete overhaul, changing its name for the third time to ''Futboll Klub Kukësi''. The Kukës representative in the
Parliament of Albania The Parliament of Albania () or Kuvendi is the unicameral representative body of the citizens of the Republic of Albania; it is Albania's legislature. The Parliament is composed of no less than 140 members elected to a four-year term on the b ...
and member of the
Democratic Party of Albania The Democratic Party of Albania (, PDSH), also known as the Democratic Party (, PD), is a Conservatism, conservative political party in Albania. It has been the largest opposition party in the country since 2013 and has dominated the Albanian ...
, Fatos Hoxha, was elected president of the club. FK Kukësi aimed to reach the
Kategoria Superiore Kategoria Superiore (), also known as Abissnet Superiore for sponsorship reasons with internet service provider, Abissnet, is a professional league for men's association football clubs in Albania. At the top of the Albanian football league syste ...
for the first time in its history, and invested heavily for the 2010–11 season in order to achieve promotion from the second division. Fatos Hoxha and the municipality of Kukës hired Shahin Berberi as the club's manager and gave him the financial backing to make many signings in order to achieve promotion. Berberi did just that, and FK Kukësi were crowned champions of the Kategoria e Dytë at the end of the 2010–11 season. The following season, the club once again invested heavily, this time to achieve their goal of playing in the top flight, a goal that was achieved at the end of the 2011–12 season, when FK Kukësi finished second in the table and received automatic promotion to the Kategoria Superiore for the 2012-13 season.


Kategoria Superiore

;2012–13 The club's first top-flight match was against newly promoted Luftëtari Gjirokastër at the Zeqir Ymeri Stadium on August 26, 2012, and ended in a goalless draw in front of just over 2,500 fans. They went unbeaten in their first ten league games, including an away win over Albania's most decorated team,
KF Tirana Klubi i Futbollit Tirana is an Albanian professional football club based in the country's capital city, Tirana, that competes in the Kategoria Superiore, the top tier of Albanian football. The men's football club is part of the multi-discipli ...
. Their unbeaten start to life in Kategoria Superiore came to an end on November 17 with a 2–0 loss to Flamurtari Vlorë. They finished the season in second place behind Skënderbeu Korçë, whom they defeated 4–3 on the last day of the season. FK Kukësi's season was considered a tremendous success considering the club's modest history, which did not stop them from collecting memorable victories throughout the season, including a 6–1 win over Flamurtari Vlorë and a 5–1 win over Shkumbini Peqin. They were considered the surprise package of
UEFA The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA ; ; ) is one of six continental bodies of governance in association football. It governs football, futsal and beach soccer, beach football in Europe and the List of transcontinental countries#A ...
, as they were the only team to finish the season unbeaten at home, and their second-place finish earned them a place in the UEFA Europa League first qualifying round. They finished the season with a record of 15 wins, 7 draws and 4 losses, with 52 points and a positive goal difference of 24. ;2013–14 FK Kukësi's first European game was played on 4 July 2013 and it ended in a 1–1 draw away at
Estonia Estonia, officially the Republic of Estonia, is a country in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, and to the east by Ru ...
n side Flora Tallinn, with midfielder Gerhard Progni scoring a 79th-minute equaliser. The return leg was played at the Qemal Stafa Stadium in
Tirana Tirana ( , ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in Albania, 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 ov ...
and it ended in goalless draw which meant that FK Kukësi progressed to the second qualifying round of the Europa League on the away goal rule. In the next round FK Kukësi met Bosnian side
FK Sarajevo Fudbalski klub Sarajevo ( sh-Cyrl, Фудбалски клуб Сарајево; , English language, English: Sarajevo Football Club), is a professional Association football, football Sports club, club based in Sarajevo, the capital city of Bosn ...
, whom they defeated 3–2 at the Qemal Stafa Stadium in the first leg, thanks to goals from Yll Hoxha, Lazar Popović and Igli Allmuça. In the second leg played at the
Asim Ferhatović Hase Stadium Asim or ASIM may refer to: *Meaning in Arabic , man who has lots of wives and does not like work'' *Aseem, a male given name of Indian origin, often spelled ''Asim'' meaning ''Man with smelly feet'' * Asem, a male given name ...
, the match ended goalless which meant FK Kukësi progressed to the third and final qualifying round of the competition. They faced Metalurh Donetsk from
Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...
in the next round and they shocked the Ukrainians with a 2–0 win in Tirana, courtesy of goals from Lucas Malacarne and Renato Malota. FK Kukësi experienced their first European defeat in their sixth fixture at the hands of Metalurh Donetsk in the away leg of the tie, but still progressed through to the play-off round as they won 2–1 on aggregate over the two games. In the play-offs they were drawn against a far larger club in the shape of Turkish side
Trabzonspor Trabzonspor Kulübü is a Turkish professional sports club located in the city of Trabzon, located in Black Sea region, northeastern Turkey. Established in 1967 through the merger of several local clubs, Trabzonspor is one of the most prominent A ...
, who they faced at home in the first leg which ended in a predictable 2–0 loss. At the Hüseyin Avni Aker Stadium in the second leg FK Kukësi managed to open the scoring through Lazar Popović in the 11th minute, before conceding three times to lose 5–1 on aggregate. The club's European run was widely reported both in Albania and in the region, and the players were considered heroes for overcoming their underdog status both domestically and continentally. They began the 2013–14 season in poor form, losing their opening game to newly promoted side
KF Lushnja Klubi Sportiv Lushnja is an Albanian football club based in the city of Lushnjë in the County of Fier. Their home ground is the Abdurrahman Roza Haxhiu Stadium and they currently compete in the Kategoria e Parë. History Early years Th ...
before being comprehensively beaten 3–0 at home by Vllaznia Shkodër, leaving them in the relegation zone and second from bottom after two games played. However, they quickly bounced back to beat the reigning champions Skënderbeu Korçë 3–1, before drawing to Teuta Durrës and beating Kastrioti Krujë to lift them out of the relegation zone. They lost their following game against Partizani Tirana which resulted in the head coach Armando Cungu being replaced by Naci Şensoy, whose reign at FK Kukësi began with two draws and a loss that landed the club back in the relegation zone. From week 10 however, they went on a four match winning streak which was ended by a 1–1 draw with Skënderbeu Korçë. However, the head coach Şensoy was under pressure from both the fans and the president Safet Gjici, and after winning just once in his next four league games he resigned immediately after a goalless draw at home against Bylis Ballsh. The club's technical director Sulejman Starova took over as head coach until the end of the season, having last managed in 2010 while he was in charge of
KF Tirana Klubi i Futbollit Tirana is an Albanian professional football club based in the country's capital city, Tirana, that competes in the Kategoria Superiore, the top tier of Albanian football. The men's football club is part of the multi-discipli ...
. Starova began with a disappointing 2–0 loss to relegation bound Besa Kavajë, before beating Flamurtari Vlorë and
KF Laçi Klubi i Futbollit Laçi is an Albanian professional football club based in Laç. The club competes in the Kategoria e Parë, the second tier of Albanian football. Their home ground is Laçi Stadium, which has a seating capacity of 2,271. Un ...
consecutively to regain some momentum for a late title push. Hopes of winning the title dampened following a 3–1 defeat by KF Tirana in week 22, despite losing just once in their last eleven games, which saw them win seven times, to finish comfortably in second place, four points behind Skënderbeu Korçë and three points ahead of KF Laçi who finished first and third respectively. They also had a strong Albanian Cup run, as they eliminated Naftëtari Kuçovë, Apolonia Fier, Bylis Ballsh and Teuta Durrës to reach the final with Flamurtari Vlorë which they eventually lost 1–0 to an Arbër Abilaliaj goal.


Stadium

Kukësi's home venue is the Zeqir Ymeri Stadium, which is a 9,500-seater stadium located near the centre of
Kukës Kukës (; sq-definite, Kukësi) is a city in Albania. The city is the capital of the surrounding municipality of Kukës and county of Kukës County, Kukës, one of 12 constituent Counties of Albania, counties of the republic. It spans and had a ...
. The stadium was completed in 2012. The club had previously played on a field the stadium was later built over. The previous ground was named the Përparimi Stadium until 2010, after the club's name at the time which was Përparimi Kukës. The ground previously consisted of a playing field surrounded by grass where fans would watch games from, as the club has spent the vast majority of its history in the lower leagues of Albanian football thus there was no requirement to build a stadium for a small local club. In July 2010 work began to start building the stadium, which was funded jointly by the
Albanian Football Association The Albanian Football Federation (; FSHF) is the governing body of football in Albania. Headquartered in Tirana, it organises the national football leagues of Kategoria Superiore, Kategoria e Parë, Kategoria e Dytë, Kategoria e Tretë, Alba ...
, Municipality of Kukës and
UEFA The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA ; ; ) is one of six continental bodies of governance in association football. It governs football, futsal and beach soccer, beach football in Europe and the List of transcontinental countries#A ...
, who invested the €800,000 needed to begin work on the stadium. The ground was given the name Zeqir Ymeri in honour of a former footballer for the club, and the opening of the stadium was on 30 November 2010, where a friendly was played against Partizani Tirana, which FK Kukësi won 1–0. Once the club achieved promotion to
Kategoria Superiore Kategoria Superiore (), also known as Abissnet Superiore for sponsorship reasons with internet service provider, Abissnet, is a professional league for men's association football clubs in Albania. At the top of the Albanian football league syste ...
in 2012 the stadium did not meet the requirements needed to compete in the top flight, which led to further investment on the ground, which resulted in an intensive reconstruction program during the summer of 2012 in order to get the stadium ready for the 2012–13 season. The stadium was given a seated capacity of over 9,000 spectators and all the required amenities were added in order to meet the league requirements, and the it was reopened on 1 October 2012 with a total reconstruction cost of €1.076,000.


Supporters

The club is well supported in the local community of
Kukës Kukës (; sq-definite, Kukësi) is a city in Albania. The city is the capital of the surrounding municipality of Kukës and county of Kukës County, Kukës, one of 12 constituent Counties of Albania, counties of the republic. It spans and had a ...
as well as the surrounding regions in the north-east, and the main ultras group is called the Armata e Veriut, which translates to the Army of the North. The supporters have been known for some negative behaviour, which included a top of the table clash with Luftëtari Gjirokastër on 6 May 2012 in the Albanian First Division, where the FK Kukësi fans were seen throwing object onto the field which resulted in the referee Lorenc Jemini having to pause the game. The game eventually restarted, but the club was punished by the
Albanian Football Association The Albanian Football Federation (; FSHF) is the governing body of football in Albania. Headquartered in Tirana, it organises the national football leagues of Kategoria Superiore, Kategoria e Parë, Kategoria e Dytë, Kategoria e Tretë, Alba ...
with a six match stadium ban, meaning they had to play their next six home games behind closed doors. The club was fined a total of €27,000 for the behaviour of its supporters during their Europa League run in the summer of 2013, as they threw bottles and flares onto the field of their home games against
Sarajevo Sarajevo ( ), ; ''see Names of European cities in different languages (Q–T)#S, names in other languages'' is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 2 ...
and Metalurh Donetsk. FK Kukësi's main rivalries have been with small local clubs such as Pashtriku Has, which is considered the Kukës country derby; a derby which FK Kukësi has typically dominated. The club's other rivalries are with Korabi Peshkopi and Tërbuni Pukë, which are the north-east derbies. More recently however, the club has seen a rivalry grow with
Kategoria Superiore Kategoria Superiore (), also known as Abissnet Superiore for sponsorship reasons with internet service provider, Abissnet, is a professional league for men's association football clubs in Albania. At the top of the Albanian football league syste ...
's biggest clubs, which especially includes Skënderbeu Korçë whom they finished runners-up in the leaguer to in three consequeitve season; the 2012–13, 2013–14 and 2014–15 campaigns respectively.


European competitions


Overview


Matches

;Notes * 1Q: First qualifying round * 2Q: Second qualifying round * 3Q: Third qualifying round * PO: Play-off Round


Honours


League titles

*
Kategoria Superiore Kategoria Superiore (), also known as Abissnet Superiore for sponsorship reasons with internet service provider, Abissnet, is a professional league for men's association football clubs in Albania. At the top of the Albanian football league syste ...
**Winners (1): 2016–17 * Kategoria e Dytë **Winners (4): 1966–67, 1976–77, 1981–82, 2010–11


Cups

* Albanian Cup **Winners (2): 2015–16, 2018–19 * Albanian Supercup **Winners (1):
2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...
* Independence Cup **Winners (1):
2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...


Recent seasons


World & European Rankings


UEFA club coefficient ranking


Players


Current squad

-


Out on loan


Personnel


List of managers

* Shahin Berberi (1 July 2010 - 1 July 2012) * Armando Cungu (1 July 2012 - 2 October 2013) * Naci Şensoy (3 October 2013 - 10 February 2014) * Sulejman Starova (11 February 2014 - 31 May 2014) * Agim Canaj (2 June 2014 - 20 July 2014) * Artim Šakiri (10 August 2014 - 27 April 2015) * Miodrag Radanović (28 April 2015 - 14 June 2015) * Marcello Troisi (15 June 2015 - 23 November 2015) * Klodian Duro (24 November 2015 - 31 May 2016) * Hasan Lika (6 June 2016 -22 July 2016) * Ernest Gjoka (22 July 2016 – 29 July 2017) * Mladen Milinković (30 July 2017 – 22 December 2017) * Peter Pacult (3 January 2018 - 13 July 2018) * Armando Cungu (13 Jul 2018 - 13 March 2019) * Ramadan Shehu (19 March 2019 - 6 April 2019) * Ernest Gjoka (7 April 2019 - 19 July 2019) * Shpëtim Duro (25 July 2019 - 29 February 2020) * Orges Shehi (2 March 2020 - 30 July 2020) * Skënder Gega (30 July 2020 - 27 December 2020) * Rrahman Hallaçi (28 December 2020 - 25 January 2021) * Mirel Josa (25 January 2021 – 5 June 2021) * Diego Longo (6 June 2021 - 26 May 2022) * Skënder Gega (28 May 2022 - 9 September 2022) * Enkeleid Dobi (9 September 2022 - 11 December 2022) * Rrahman Hallaçi (11 December 2022 - 3 September 2023) * Stavri Nica (4 September 2023 - 30 January 2024) * Emiliano Cela (31 January 2024 - 17 February 2024) *
Bledar Devolli Bledar Devolli (born 15 January 1978) is an Albanian professional Association football, football coach and former player. Club career Devolli was released by the Flamurtari chairman Shpëtim Gjika on 19 July 2011, along with three other main pla ...
(18 February 2024 - 4 June 2024) * Ilir Spahiu (20 July 2024- 9 September 2024) * Emiliano Cela (10 September 2024 - 26 December 2024) * Alfred Allamani (4 January 2025 - 2 March 2025) * Asuel Dervishaj (2 March 2025 - 5 March 2025) * Fatjon Tafaj (6 March 2025 -)


External links


FK Kukësi
on UEFA.com


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kukesi Football clubs in Albania 1930 establishments in Albania Association football clubs established in 1930 Kukës