Qazim Dervishi
Encyclopedia
Qazim Dervishi was the first Albanian
international referee and a talented athlete and footballer. He was born in 1908 in the city of Shkodër
in a noble family of the time. In his honour the sports arena of Shkodër is now called Qazim Dervishi Sports Arena.
. The motto of the school at that time was "If we rest we rust" . After finishing school he started teaching basketball
and he started training a team in Shkodër. He is known as the "man who brought basketball from Technical School" because of the popularity he gave the sport in his native city. In 1930 he was named headmaster of the "Malet Tona" campus in Shkodër. In 1939 he was transferred to the city of Pogradec
to work as a teacher but came back to Shkodër in 1942. Just three years after he was named president of the sportive society KS Vllaznia. In the years 1946-1947 he transferred to Gjirokastër
where he taught the local youths the sport of basketball
for the first time. During 1947 he worked in the Peqin
-Kavaje
railway as an instructor on physical education. That is where he was arrested by the communist government because of his sympathy to ex-King of Albanians Ahmet Zogu. This was influenced from the fact that he had studied in the "Harry Fultz" Technical School where most of the dissidents of the communist regime had studied. A 22-month investigation was made from the "Sigurimi" that "found enough proofs" to declare him guilty of propaganda against the communist regime. He was punished with a sentence of 18 years but he served only until 1954 because of very bad health conditions. He was paralyzed and he managed to get a paralysis financial assistance. From 1955 and until the fell of the communist regime he used to work in difficult works even though he was an intellectual. In 1993 he was given the title "The Nation's Teacher" for his contribution in sports. He died in January 1994 in the age of 86 years old, honoured from the Albanian people
.
, football, etc. It should be mentioned that in an interview of Master Irfan Tershana, it is stated that Qazim was also one of the best baseball
players of the Technical School.
, pole vault
and triple jump
where he became national champion. In 1929 he was invited to join his hometown club, Bashkimi Shkodran
for the first athletics championship in Albania. The team from Shkodër became national champions, having even Qazim's help.
and Vangjel Qirio in basketball
. Dervishi had success in football in the right wing as a right wing attacker. In 1929 he was called from SK Durrës
football club to play in an international friendly match versus US Bari, of Italy
, in that time a Serie A
team. For the next ten years, until 1939, he would play with Bashkimi Shkodran
and would become a key member of the team. He is also the scorer of the first goal ever in the Kategoria e Pare e Topkembes, scored against SK Tirana
. After ending his career he started training youths in Shkodër and learning them to play football. To finalise his work with the youths of Shkodër he organized for the first time in Shkodër the local youths championship with kids coming from the city's schools. In this championship were discovered football talents that would later give Vllaznia
the title. Some of the players discovered were Muhamet Dibra, Pal Mirashi, Bahri Kavaja, Hamdi Bakalli, and Xhevdet Shaqiri.
match in Albania was played on March 2, 1928 between the Technical School and the "Malet Tona" campus. For the Technical School captain was Qazim Dervishi. The match was won from the boys of the Technical School with the result of 32-14. In 1929 he is named headmaster in the "Malet Tona" campus in Shkodër. Even here along with the headmaster duties, Dervishi gave a primary importance to the sports practising. After a year of training, on June 27, 1930 was held the first basketball match in the city of Shkodër between the local team of the "Malet Tona" campus and the "Naim Frasheri" club from Tirana. The match was played in a regular size field and for the first time in Shkodër were put the baskets. Dervishi was the referee for this game, which ended in a tie. In the years 1933-1934, in the Perash elementary school where he was working (the only mixed school at that time) he started the women's basketball which became also popular.
. He also was the only Albanian referee in the 1946 Balkan Games
where the Albanian national football team
won the championship. He presided a match as the main referee (Yugoslavia
-Bulgaria
, 2-1) and another one as a linesman (Albania-Romania
, 1-0).
Albanians
Albanians are a nation and ethnic group native to Albania and neighbouring countries. They speak the Albanian language. More than half of all Albanians live in Albania and Kosovo...
international referee and a talented athlete and footballer. He was born in 1908 in the city of Shkodër
Shkodër
Shkodër , is a city located on Lake of Shkoder in northwestern Albania in the District of Shkodër, of which it is the capital. It is one of the oldest and most historic towns in Albania, as well as an important cultural and economic centre. Shkodër's estimated population is 90,000; if the...
in a noble family of the time. In his honour the sports arena of Shkodër is now called Qazim Dervishi Sports Arena.
Life
Dervishi was born in Shkodër, on June 10, 1908. Since his childhood he had a passion for all kinds of sports and he practiced football and basketball during his teenage years. In 1924 he entered the "Harry Fultz" Technical School in TiranaTirana
Tirana is the capital and the largest city of Albania. Modern Tirana was founded as an Ottoman town in 1614 by Sulejman Bargjini, a local ruler from Mullet, although the area has been continuously inhabited since antiquity. Tirana became Albania's capital city in 1920 and has a population of over...
. The motto of the school at that time was "If we rest we rust" . After finishing school he started teaching basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
and he started training a team in Shkodër. He is known as the "man who brought basketball from Technical School" because of the popularity he gave the sport in his native city. In 1930 he was named headmaster of the "Malet Tona" campus in Shkodër. In 1939 he was transferred to the city of Pogradec
Pogradec
Pogradec is a city in southeastern Albania, situated on the shores of Ohrid lake. It is the capital of the District of Pogradec, in the County of Korçë, located at 40.87°N and 20.70°E with a population of around 30,000 . The total area of the district is 725 km². Pogradec alone occupies about...
to work as a teacher but came back to Shkodër in 1942. Just three years after he was named president of the sportive society KS Vllaznia. In the years 1946-1947 he transferred to Gjirokastër
Gjirokastër
Gjirokastër is a city in southern Albania with a population of 43,000. Lying in the historical region of Epirus, it is the capital of both the Gjirokastër District and the larger Gjirokastër County...
where he taught the local youths the sport of basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
for the first time. During 1947 he worked in the Peqin
Peqin
Peqin is the capital of the Peqin District in central Albania. The town has a population of 10,000.The ancient name of Peqin was Claudiana. The city's modern name derives from the Ottoman form Bekleyin, which means a place of hospitality. During Ottoman rule Peqin belonged to the Sanjak of Elbasan...
-Kavaje
Kavajë
Kavajë or Kavaja, capital of Kavajë District, Tirana County is a city situated on the western inlands, just a few kilometers off the Adriatic Sea, in Central Albania.The District of Kavajë has a population of 82,921 inhabitants as of January 1, 2010....
railway as an instructor on physical education. That is where he was arrested by the communist government because of his sympathy to ex-King of Albanians Ahmet Zogu. This was influenced from the fact that he had studied in the "Harry Fultz" Technical School where most of the dissidents of the communist regime had studied. A 22-month investigation was made from the "Sigurimi" that "found enough proofs" to declare him guilty of propaganda against the communist regime. He was punished with a sentence of 18 years but he served only until 1954 because of very bad health conditions. He was paralyzed and he managed to get a paralysis financial assistance. From 1955 and until the fell of the communist regime he used to work in difficult works even though he was an intellectual. In 1993 he was given the title "The Nation's Teacher" for his contribution in sports. He died in January 1994 in the age of 86 years old, honoured from the Albanian people
Albanians
Albanians are a nation and ethnic group native to Albania and neighbouring countries. They speak the Albanian language. More than half of all Albanians live in Albania and Kosovo...
.
Sporting activities
As soon as Dervishi went for studies in Tirana, he started taking part in the sportive activities that were held in the school and often was named among the excellent students in sports. He practised and contributed in athletics, basketballBasketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
, football, etc. It should be mentioned that in an interview of Master Irfan Tershana, it is stated that Qazim was also one of the best baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
players of the Technical School.
Athletics
His athletics career started when he entered the Technical School in Tirana. From 1924 to 1928 he took some first and second prizes in the annual Olympic Games that were held in Tirana. He had his best results in high jumpHigh jump
The high jump is a track and field athletics event in which competitors must jump over a horizontal bar placed at measured heights without the aid of certain devices in its modern most practiced format; auxiliary weights and mounds have been used for assistance; rules have changed over the years....
, pole vault
Pole vault
Pole vaulting is a track and field event in which a person uses a long, flexible pole as an aid to leap over a bar. Pole jumping competitions were known to the ancient Greeks, as well as the Cretans and Celts...
and triple jump
Triple jump
The triple jump is a track and field sport, similar to the long jump, but involving a “hop, bound and jump” routine, whereby the competitor runs down the track and performs a hop, a bound and then a jump into the sand pit.The triple jump has its origins in the Ancient Olympics and has been a...
where he became national champion. In 1929 he was invited to join his hometown club, Bashkimi Shkodran
KS Vllaznia Shkodër
Klub Futboll Vllaznia Shkodër is an Albanian football club based in Shkodër. KF Vllaznia have been Albanian champions nine times and won the National Cup six times, the last success coming at the end of the 2007–08 season, after a long 21 year drought in the competition...
for the first athletics championship in Albania. The team from Shkodër became national champions, having even Qazim's help.
Football
Even though Dervishi was a multiple champion in athletics, he had great success as a footballer. In fact, the school's vice-director Williams B. Juillirat chose him as a permanent advisor in football along with Spiro Kristo in baseballBaseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
and Vangjel Qirio in basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
. Dervishi had success in football in the right wing as a right wing attacker. In 1929 he was called from SK Durrës
KS Teuta Durrës
Klubi Sportiv Teuta Durrës or KS Teuta is an Albanian football team, with its base in the city of Durrës. The club was founded in 1925 with the name of "KS Urani". In 1927, the club renamed themselves to "SK Durrës", in 1930, "KS Teuta Durrës", in 1946 "Ylli i Kuq Durrës" , in 1950 "SK Durrës", in...
football club to play in an international friendly match versus US Bari, of Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, in that time a Serie A
Serie A
Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
team. For the next ten years, until 1939, he would play with Bashkimi Shkodran
KS Vllaznia Shkodër
Klub Futboll Vllaznia Shkodër is an Albanian football club based in Shkodër. KF Vllaznia have been Albanian champions nine times and won the National Cup six times, the last success coming at the end of the 2007–08 season, after a long 21 year drought in the competition...
and would become a key member of the team. He is also the scorer of the first goal ever in the Kategoria e Pare e Topkembes, scored against SK Tirana
SK Tirana
KF Tirana is the most successful Albanian football club earning 47 major trophies in the country and is branch of Multiple Sport Klub of Tirana . KF Tirana is the most popular football club in the country with a considerable number of supporters...
. After ending his career he started training youths in Shkodër and learning them to play football. To finalise his work with the youths of Shkodër he organized for the first time in Shkodër the local youths championship with kids coming from the city's schools. In this championship were discovered football talents that would later give Vllaznia
KS Vllaznia Shkodër
Klub Futboll Vllaznia Shkodër is an Albanian football club based in Shkodër. KF Vllaznia have been Albanian champions nine times and won the National Cup six times, the last success coming at the end of the 2007–08 season, after a long 21 year drought in the competition...
the title. Some of the players discovered were Muhamet Dibra, Pal Mirashi, Bahri Kavaja, Hamdi Bakalli, and Xhevdet Shaqiri.
Basketball
The first ever official basketballBasketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
match in Albania was played on March 2, 1928 between the Technical School and the "Malet Tona" campus. For the Technical School captain was Qazim Dervishi. The match was won from the boys of the Technical School with the result of 32-14. In 1929 he is named headmaster in the "Malet Tona" campus in Shkodër. Even here along with the headmaster duties, Dervishi gave a primary importance to the sports practising. After a year of training, on June 27, 1930 was held the first basketball match in the city of Shkodër between the local team of the "Malet Tona" campus and the "Naim Frasheri" club from Tirana. The match was played in a regular size field and for the first time in Shkodër were put the baskets. Dervishi was the referee for this game, which ended in a tie. In the years 1933-1934, in the Perash elementary school where he was working (the only mixed school at that time) he started the women's basketball which became also popular.
Career as a referee
After 1939, Dervishi took another direction, that of a referee and of the director of the physical education. In this year he finishes a 3-months training to classify himself as a referee. On February 22, 1946 he presided the first ever international match between Albania and MontenegroMontenegro
Montenegro Montenegrin: Crna Gora Црна Гора , meaning "Black Mountain") is a country located in Southeastern Europe. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea to the south-west and is bordered by Croatia to the west, Bosnia and Herzegovina to the northwest, Serbia to the northeast and Albania to the...
. He also was the only Albanian referee in the 1946 Balkan Games
Balkan Games
The Balkan Games are a regional multi-sport event held between nations from the Balkans. The first Games were held in Athens in 1929, and the most recent LXV Games were held in Larisa in 2010.-Organization:...
where the Albanian national football team
Albania national football team
The Albania national association football team is the national association football team of Albania and is controlled by the Football Association of Albania...
won the championship. He presided a match as the main referee (Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
-Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
, 2-1) and another one as a linesman (Albania-Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
, 1-0).