KF Luftëtari (), also known as Luftëtari FC or simply Luftëtari was an

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 The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the ...

n football club based in

Gjirokastër Gjirokastër (, sq-definite, Gjirokastra) is a city in the Republic of Albania and the seat of Gjirokastër County and Gjirokastër Municipality. It is located in a valley between the Gjerë mountains and the Drino, at 300 metres above sea ...

, southern

. The club was founded on 1926 as Shqiponja Gjirokastër and has played at its home ground, the

Gjirokastra Stadium Gjirokastra Stadium ( sq, Stadiumi Gjirokastra) is a multi-use stadium in Gjirokastër, Albania. It is used mostly for football matches and is the home ground of KS Luftëtari Gjirokastër. The stadium has a capacity of 8,400 people. This is the ...

, since 1973. They last competed in the

Kategoria Superiore 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 ...

, the first tier of football in the country.

History

Early history

The club was founded in 1926 under the name ''Shqiponja Gjirokastër''. It underwent many subsequent name changes over the years: ''Gjirokastër'' (1949), ''Puna Gjirokastër'' (1951), ''Luftëtari Gjirokastër'' (1958), ''Shqiponja Gjirokastër'' (1992) and to its current name ''Luftëtari Gjirokastër'' in 2002. During the

Communist Albania The People's Socialist Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika Popullore Socialiste e Shqipërisë, links=no) was the Marxist–Leninist one party state that existed in Albania from 1946 to 1992 (the official name of the country was the People's R ...

Luftetari was deemed to have a good football academy, which provided for several national team players, such as Theodhori Kalluci,

Sefedin Braho Sefedin Braho (born 18 August 1953) is an Albanian retired footballer who played as a centre forward for Luftëtari and Partizani in Albania. International career He made his debut for Albania in a May 1973 FIFA World Cup qualification matc ...

, Lefter Millo,

Arjan Xhumba Arjan Xhumba (born 9 July 1968) is an Albanian retired footballer of Greek origin. Club career He made his senior debut for local side Luftëtari in 1987 and left the country after the fall of communism in 1992 to have an extended career in Gr ...

Arjan Bellaj Arjan Bellaj (born 1 February 1971) is an Albanian former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. Club career Bellaj played for PAS Giannina, Kalamata F.C., Apollon Athens F.C., Ethnikos Piraeus F.C. and Panionios F.C. in the Greek ...

, Altin Haxhi, and Gjergji Kalluci. Luftëtari finished as the league runner-up in the 1977–78 season, their highest achievement ever.

Final years and collapse

On 2 July 2015 Mustafa Hysi was appointed as the club's head coach Gentian Nora as general sport director of the 2015–16

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 ...

season, with the aim of achieving promotion back to the

. Luftëtari were promoted back to Albanian Superliga after a three-year absence as they defeated

Apolonia Fier KF Apolonia is an Albanian football club based in Fier. The club was founded on 17 June 1925 and took its name from the nearby ruins of the ancient city of Apollonia. The club currently compete in the Kategoria e Parë and they play their hom ...

on the last matchday of the regular season in Group B of the

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 countr ...

. They then faced Group A winners Korabi Peshkopi in the championship final at the

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 inau ...

on 19 May 2016, where they clinched their 8th First Division title as they won 11–10 in a penalty shootout that saw 24 penalties being taken following a goalless draw and extra time. Making a surprise performance in 2016-2017 season Luftetari finished in 4th Position after more than 20 years with Mladen Milinkovic as Head coach and Gentian Nora as General and Sport Director By finishing third in the Albanian Superliga 2017–18 season with Hasan Lika as Head coach and Gentian Nora as Sport Director, they will make its debut in the 2018-19 UEFA Europa League season. The club collapsed in 2020 due to financial mismanagement and players were leaving the club to pursue careers elsewhere. A new team was established and named

AF Luftëtari AF, af, Af, etc. may refer to: Arts and entertainment *A-F Records, an independent record label in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, US, founded by the band Anti-Flag *'' Almost Family'' episode titles tend to be "'' djective' AF" Businesses and organiza ...

which had to start at the third tier of Albanian football.

Stadium

The club plays its home games at the

, which was built in 1973 and is located near the centre of Gjirokastër and holds 8,400 spectators. Following Luftëtari's promotion back to the

in 2016, the stadium required a complete renovation in order to meet the necessary requirements to host home games in the top flight. Work on the stadium began in August 2016 and the surface was to be replaced and plastic seats were to be installed throughout the stadium. The first stage of the reconstruction was completed in November 2016, which meant that the stadium was able to host

games once again. The first stage consisted of replacing the playing surface, the installation of 300 plastic seats in the main stand, the installation of CCTV as well as the refurbishment of the changing room for both players and officials. The cost of the work carried out totalled 15,000,000

Albanian lek The lek (; indefinite singular ''lek'', definite plural ''lekët'', indefinite plural ''lekë''; sign: Lekë in Albanian or Lek in English, sometimes L; code: ALL) is the currency of Albania. Historically, it was subdivided 100 ''qintars'' (; ...

, around €110,000 at the time, and it was a joint investment by the Municipality of Gjirokastër, the Albanian Football Association as well as the club's owner Grigor Tavo. The first game of the 2016–17 season to take place at the stadium came against Partizani which ended 1–1 with around 7,000 fans in attendance.

Honours

Major trophies

;League

* Runners-up (1): 1977–78

Kategoria e Parë Kategoria e Parë is the second level of professional football in Albania, behind the Kategoria Superiore and above the Kategoria e Dytë. Format Kategoria e Parë was founded in 1930. It is made up of 14 teams. The 2 best ranked teams gain pr ...

(Tier 2) * Winners (8): 1934, 1962–63, 1965–66, 1974–75, 1988–89, 1993–94, 1998–99, 2015–16 * Runners-up (2): 1954, 1960

Minor trophies

Zëri i Popullit Cup * Winners (1): 1977 Bashkimi Cup * Winners (1): 1983 Zëri i Rinisë Cup * Winners (1): 1982 Shtypi Popullor Shqiptar Cup * Winners (1): 1977 50th Anniversary of Football in Albania Cup * Winners (1): 1963

European record

''As of 12 July 2018'' ;Notes * QR: Qualifying round

Current squad

Other players under contract

Out on loan

Historical list of coaches

Adem Karapici Adem Karapici (born 1912) was an Albanian football player and coach who played for Sportklub Tiranë in the 1930s where he won six National Championships. Managerial career As a coach, he was in charge of Albania national team for five games b ...

Bahri Ishka Bahri Ishka (27 June 1944 - 9 January 2007) was an Albanian football player and coach. Playing career Club Born in Tirana, Ishka played his entire career for 17 Nëntori Tirana and won 4 league titles with them under manager Myslym Alla and ...

* Hito Hitaj (1978-1991)Kohë të Shkuara por të Paharruara të Futbollit Gjirokastrit me Trajner Hito Hitaj!
- Gjirokastra Online * Dhori Kalluci (1993-1994) * Hito Hitaj (1994-1995) * Mustafa Hysi (1995-1996) *

Kristaq Ciko Kristaq is an Albanian language, Albanian masculine given name. People named Kristaq include: *Kristaq Antoniu (1907–1979) (aka Cristache Antoniu), Romanian operetta tenor, baritone, and actor *Kristaq Dhamo (1933–2022), Albanian actor and film ...

(1997) * Mustafa Hysi (1997-1999) * Faruk Sejdini (1999-2000) *

Hysen Dedja Hysen Dedja (born 16 October 1960) is an Albanian association football, football manager and former player. Playing career A former defender and captain of his hometown club KF Vllaznia Shkodër, Vllaznia Shkodër, he made his debut for them on ...

(2000) * Mustafa Hysi (2001) *

Mihal Çoni Mihal or Mihál is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Dzianis Mihal (born 1985), Belarusian rower * Joe Mihal (1916–1979), American football player *Jozef Mihál Jozef Mihál (born 18 March 1965) is a Slovakia, Slovak politic ...

(2001) * Ruzhdi Lamaj (2001-2002) * Andrea Marko (2002) *

Mihal Çabi Mihal or Mihál is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Dzianis Mihal (born 1985), Belarusian rower * Joe Mihal (1916–1979), American football player *Jozef Mihál Jozef Mihál (born 18 March 1965) is a Slovakia, Slovak politic ...

(2002-2003) *

Andrea Çulli Andrea is a given name which is common worldwide for both males and females, cognate to Andreas, Andrej and Andrew. Origin of the name The name derives from the Greek word ἀνήρ (''anēr''), genitive ἀνδρός (''andrós''), that ...

(2002-2003) *

Arben Kumbulla Arben is an Albanian masculine given name that refers to the first Albanian entity during the Middle Ages: Principality of Arbanon ( sq, Principata e Arbënit). *Arben Arbëri (born 1964), Albanian football player *Arben Biba (born 1976), Kosovar ...

(2003-2004) * Mustafa Hysi ( – 30 Aug 2006) *

Ilir Spahiu Ilir is an Albanian language, Albanian masculine given name, derived from ''i lirë'', which means "free"., and is primarily a male name of Albanian origin that means Illyrian. People bearing the name include: *Ilir Azemi (born 1992), Kosovar foo ...

(30 Aug 2006 – 12 Mar 2007) * Mustafa Hysi (12 Mar 2007 – 8 Apr 2007) * Edi Martini (8 Apr 2007 – Jun 2007) *

(2007 - 2008) * Mustafa Hysi (Jul 2011 – 31 Dec 2011) *

Nevil Dede Nevil Thanas Dede (born 10 January 1975) is an Albanian professional football coach and former player. A centre-back, Dede spent most of his club career with his hometown club Tirana, winning a string of trophies, including 8 championships, bein ...

(1 Jan 2012 – 28 Oct 2012) * Edi Martini (28 Oct 2012 - 1 Apr 2013) *

(1 Apr 2013 – Oct 2013) * Petraq Bifsha (2013 - 2014) *

Bledar Devolli Bledar Devolli (born 15 January 1978) is an Albanian professional football coach and former player. Club career He was released by the Flamurtari chairman Shpëtim Gjika on 19 July 2011, along with three other main players, Daniel Xhafaj, Sebino ...

(8 Jul 2014 - 8 Feb 2015) * Vladimir Gjoni (Mar 2015 - May 2015) * Mustafa Hysi (Aug 2015 - 29 Feb 2016) *

Gerd Haxhiu Gerd Haxhiu (born 11 October 1972) is an Albanian football coach who has managed Apolonia Fier, Bylis Ballsh, Skënderbeu Korçë, Besa Kavajë Besa or BESA may refer to: Arts & entertainment * ''Besa'' (newspaper), a newspaper published in Al ...

(29 Feb 2016 – May 2016) *

Mladen Milinković Mladen Milinković (Serbian Cyrillic alphabet, Serbian Cyrillic: Младен Милинковић; born 14 May 1968) is a Serbian Association football, football coach and former player. He played as midfielder for FK Loznica, FK Mačva Šabac, F ...

(Jul 2016 - Jun 2017) * Daniel Fernández (Aug 2017 - Oct 2017) *

Hasan Lika Hasan Lika (born 1 January 1960) is an Albanian professional football coach and former player. Club career Lika spent his playing career representing Partizani Tirana from 1978 to 1984. International career Lika won his first and only cap on 20 ...

(Oct 2017 - May 2018) *

Miloš Kostić Miloš Kostić (born 23 November 1971) is a Slovenian professional football manager and former player. He was most recently the manager of Belgian First Division A club Sint-Truiden. Honours Player Gorica * Slovenian PrvaLiga: 1995–96 *Slov ...

(1 Jul 2018 - 19 Sep 2018) * Gentian Mezani (19 Sep 2018 - 28 Jan 2019) *

Julian Ahmataj Julian Ahmataj (born 24 May 1979 in Elbasan) is a former Albanian football player and current head coach. He usually played on the left side of the defence or the midfield but could also play in the centre as both a defender and a midfielder. F ...

(29 Jan 2019 - 1 June 2019) *

Klodian Duro Klodian Duro (; born 21 December 1977) is an Albanian retired professional football and current coach of Lushnja of the Kategoria e parë. He was a versatile midfielder who usually played in an attacking role. His brother Albert Duro was also ...

(3 June 2019 - 23 Sep 2019 ) *

Georgios Marantas Georgios Marantas ( el, Γεώργιος Μαραντάς; born 5 August 1973) is a Greek football manager. References 1973 births Living people Greek football managers PAS Lamia 1964 managers Makedonikos F.C. managers Panachaiki ...

(24 Sep 2019 - 14 Dec 2019 ) *

Neritan Novi Neritan Novi (born 3 September 1970) is an Albanian 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 ...

(15 Dec 2019 - 5 Jan 2020 ) *

Nikolin Çoçlli Nikolin Çoçlli (born 17 October 1968) is an Albanian 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 footbal ...

(6 Jan 2020 - )

Presidents

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Luftetari Gjirokaster Gjirokastër Defunct football clubs in Albania Association football clubs established in 1929 Association football clubs disestablished in 2020 1929 establishments in Albania 2020 disestablishments in Albania Luftëtari Gjirokastër