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Qemal Stafa (stadium)
Encyclopedia
The Qemal Stafa Stadium named after Qemal Stafa
a World War II hero, is a national stadium
and the largest football
stadium in Tirana
, Albania
. Construction started in 1939 and the stadium was inaugurated in 1946 for the Balkan Cup
, which was won by the Albania national football team
. The stadium has been used for football matches of the Albanian Superliga and the national team, athletic events, and the six Albanian Spartakiads
. Although it was enlarged in 1974 to accommodate up to 35,000 spectators, in the 1990s it became an all-seater stadium
, and its capacity was reduced to the current 16,230.
Plans to demolish the current stadium and begin construction of a new one right after the Qualifiers for Euro 2012
have already been approved by the Football Association of Albania
and the Albanian government, which will divide the property rights of the stadium between them; the football association will hold 75% rights and the government 25%. A new stadium with a capacity of over 33,000 spectators will be built at a cost of €
60 million. The new stadium will be football-only; the athletics track will be removed. It will have the shape of the map of Albania, and its outside will be black and red, the colours of the Albanian flag. The outer shape will be rugged to harmonize with the mountainous skyline
of Tirana. The stadium is expected to meet the highest UEFA category.
shape, as idealized by Gerardo Bozio, a young fascist architect from Florence
, Italy
. Its planned capacity was 15,000; Tirana at that time had less than 60,000 inhabitants so the stadium would have been more than sufficient. The stadium was originally designed in an elliptical shape and was to have been completely clad in marble. Galeazzo Ciano
symbolically placed the first stone in August 1939. Construction lasted four years; work was interrupted in 1943 after the Capitulation of Italy. During the German invasion of Albania
the stadium was used by the occupying German forces to store vehicles and equipment. After World War II
, 400 workers and 150 daily volunteers finished construction of the stadium. The planned marble cladding was only installed on one stand.
The stadium was named after Qemal Stafa
, a Hero of Albania in World War II. The inauguration occurred when the Albania national football team
played in the stadium for the first time on 7 October 1946, when the Balkan Cup
was organized. The Cup was won by Albania; they overcame teams like Yugoslavia
, Bulgaria
, and Romania
in that competition. Afterwards the stadium was used for the Albanian Superliga matches, athletics events, and the six Albanian Spartakiads
.
The second football stadium in Tirana, the Selman Stërmasi stadium
, was built in 1959 but by the late 1960s and early 1970s, the stadium's capacity was still not sufficient to meet the growing needs of the Albanian Superliga. The Qemal Stafa stadium was thus enhanced for the 30th anniversary of the Liberation of Albania in 1974. One of the stands was extended from 10 to 28 rows, taking the capacity of the stadium to 35,000 (no seats were installed at that time). An electronic display purchased in Hungary
was also added. The enlargement of the stadium was celebrated in November 1974, on the occasion of the Third National Spartakiad.
After 1991, other modernization projects took place, including the installation of seats which reduced the capacity to today's 16,230. In 1996, Qemal Stafa had illumination for evening sports event for the first time, with the funding being a gift from UEFA
. In 2008 the stadium was revamped with new areas for anti-doping procedures and internet rooms were added for journalists.
The stadium is used by the Albania national football team
and for the home games of Tirana-based Albanian football clubs: KF Tirana, Partizani, and Dinamo. After its relegation from the Superliga to the Albanian First Division
, Partizani is no longer using the stadium.
declared that for the 100th anniversary of the Albanian Declaration of Independence
, which will occur in 2012, a new national stadium will be built in Tirana.
The new stadium, already approved by the Albanian Football Association and the government, will replace the existing one which will be demolished. The number of seats is expected to be more than 33,000. The total construction cost will be around €
60 million, and 75% of the property rights of the stadium will belong to the Albanian Football Association, and the remaining 25% to the Albanian government. The stadium's plans call for it to have an external shape that will mirror the map of Albania. The shape will be rugged in order to harmoniously blend with the skyline of Tirana and will have red and black, the colors of the Albanian flag. Once finished, the stadium is expected to be of category four, the highest UEFA category, and will potentially be able to host Champion League
final matches.
, an official request from the Partizani Tirana club and from the Albanian Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports
was addressed to the Albanian government for the stadium to be renamed after the famous footballer.
, were eclipsed by Albania in 2004, whereas teams like Sweden
, the Republic of Ireland
, Switzerland
, and Bulgaria had to settle for hotly-contested draws in an intimidating arena.
Qemal Stafa
Qemal Stafa was a founding member of the Albanian Communist Party, and the leader of its youth section. He was very active in the National Liberation Movement during World War II. He was killed in a house at the outskirts of Tirana by the Italian fascist forces, who had occupied Albania...
a World War II hero, is a national stadium
National stadium
Many countries have a national football stadium, which typically serves as the primary or exclusive home for one or more of a country's national representative sports teams. The term is most often used in reference to an association football stadium. Usually, a national stadium will be in or very...
and the largest football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
stadium in Tirana
Tirana
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...
, Albania
Albania
Albania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...
. Construction started in 1939 and the stadium was inaugurated in 1946 for the Balkan Cup
Balkan Cup 1946
The Balkans Cup 1946 was the 8th edition of this tournament. The Winner was the Albania national football team.-Table:...
, which was won by the Albania 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...
. The stadium has been used for football matches of the Albanian Superliga and the national team, athletic events, and the six Albanian Spartakiads
Spartakiad (Albania)
The Albanian Spartakiad was an event similar to the USSR Spartakiad and to the Czechoslovakian Spartakiad. Six such events had been held in Albania during Communist rule ....
. Although it was enlarged in 1974 to accommodate up to 35,000 spectators, in the 1990s it became an all-seater stadium
All-seater stadium
An all-seater stadium is a sports stadium in which every spectator has a seat. This is commonplace in football stadiums in nations such as the United Kingdom, Spain, and the Netherlands. Most soccer and American football stadiums in the United States and Canada are all-seaters, as are most baseball...
, and its capacity was reduced to the current 16,230.
Plans to demolish the current stadium and begin construction of a new one right after the Qualifiers for Euro 2012
UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying Group D
This page shows the standings and results for Group D of the UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying tournament.- Standings :- Results and fixtures :Group D fixtures were negotiated between the participants at a meeting in Luxembourg on 19 February 2010....
have already been approved by the Football Association of Albania
Football Association of Albania
The Albanian Football Association is the governing body of football in Albania. It organizes the national football's league Albanian Superliga, the Albania national football team, and the Albania national under-21 football team...
and the Albanian government, which will divide the property rights of the stadium between them; the football association will hold 75% rights and the government 25%. A new stadium with a capacity of over 33,000 spectators will be built at a cost of €
Euro
The euro is the official currency of the eurozone: 17 of the 27 member states of the European Union. It is also the currency used by the Institutions of the European Union. The eurozone consists of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg,...
60 million. The new stadium will be football-only; the athletics track will be removed. It will have the shape of the map of Albania, and its outside will be black and red, the colours of the Albanian flag. The outer shape will be rugged to harmonize with the mountainous skyline
Skyline
A skyline is the overall or partial view of a city's tall buildings and structures consisting of many skyscrapers in front of the sky in the background. It can also be described as the artificial horizon that a city's overall structure creates. Skylines serve as a kind of fingerprint of a city, as...
of Tirana. The stadium is expected to meet the highest UEFA category.
History
The original stadium was built in an Olympic StadiumOlympic Stadium
The Olympic Stadium is the name usually given to the big centrepiece stadium of the Summer Olympic Games. Traditionally, the opening and closing ceremonies and the track and field competitions are held in the Olympic Stadium. Many, though not all, of these venues actually contain the words Olympic...
shape, as idealized by Gerardo Bozio, a young fascist architect from Florence
Florence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
, 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...
. Its planned capacity was 15,000; Tirana at that time had less than 60,000 inhabitants so the stadium would have been more than sufficient. The stadium was originally designed in an elliptical shape and was to have been completely clad in marble. Galeazzo Ciano
Galeazzo Ciano
Gian Galeazzo Ciano, 2nd Count of Cortellazzo and Buccari was an Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Benito Mussolini's son-in-law. In early 1944 Count Ciano was shot by firing squad at the behest of his father-in-law, Mussolini under pressure from Nazi Germany.-Early life:Ciano was born in...
symbolically placed the first stone in August 1939. Construction lasted four years; work was interrupted in 1943 after the Capitulation of Italy. During the German invasion of Albania
Albania under Nazi Germany
The Albanian Kingdom existed as a de jure independent country, between 1943 and 1944. The usual de facto name in most of the historic German literature and documents is Großalbanien, sometimes Gross-Albanien...
the stadium was used by the occupying German forces to store vehicles and equipment. After World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, 400 workers and 150 daily volunteers finished construction of the stadium. The planned marble cladding was only installed on one stand.
The stadium was named after Qemal Stafa
Qemal Stafa
Qemal Stafa was a founding member of the Albanian Communist Party, and the leader of its youth section. He was very active in the National Liberation Movement during World War II. He was killed in a house at the outskirts of Tirana by the Italian fascist forces, who had occupied Albania...
, a Hero of Albania in World War II. The inauguration occurred when the Albania 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...
played in the stadium for the first time on 7 October 1946, when the Balkan Cup
Balkan Cup
The Balkan Cup was an international football tournament played on and off between 1929 and 1980 between countries from the Balkan region. The first tournament was played between Romania, Greece, Yugoslavia and Bulgaria over 3 years from 1929 to 1931....
was organized. The Cup was won by Albania; they overcame teams like Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia national football team
The Yugoslavia national football team represented the Kingdom of Yugoslavia and the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in association football. It enjoyed a modicum of success in international competition. In 1992, during the Yugoslav wars, the team was suspended from international...
, Bulgaria
Bulgaria national football team
The FIFA Bulgaria national football team is an association football team fielded by the Bulgarian Football Union, a member association of UEFA. The team's home ground is Vasil Levski in Sofia and Luboslav Penev is in charge manager after replacement of Lothar Matthäus...
, and Romania
Romania national football team
The Romania national football team is the national football team of Romania and is controlled by the Romanian Football Federation.Romania is one of only four national teams, the other three being Brazil, France, and Belgium, that took part in the first three World Cups.However, after that...
in that competition. Afterwards the stadium was used for the Albanian Superliga matches, athletics events, and the six Albanian Spartakiads
Spartakiad (Albania)
The Albanian Spartakiad was an event similar to the USSR Spartakiad and to the Czechoslovakian Spartakiad. Six such events had been held in Albania during Communist rule ....
.
The second football stadium in Tirana, the Selman Stërmasi stadium
Selman Stërmasi stadium
Selman Stërmasi Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Tirana, Albania. It is currently used mostly for football matches and is the home ground of KF Tirana. The stadium holds 12,500 people . It is named after Selman Stërmasi, one of KF Tirana's best players of all time. The stadium is also used...
, was built in 1959 but by the late 1960s and early 1970s, the stadium's capacity was still not sufficient to meet the growing needs of the Albanian Superliga. The Qemal Stafa stadium was thus enhanced for the 30th anniversary of the Liberation of Albania in 1974. One of the stands was extended from 10 to 28 rows, taking the capacity of the stadium to 35,000 (no seats were installed at that time). An electronic display purchased in Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
was also added. The enlargement of the stadium was celebrated in November 1974, on the occasion of the Third National Spartakiad.
After 1991, other modernization projects took place, including the installation of seats which reduced the capacity to today's 16,230. In 1996, Qemal Stafa had illumination for evening sports event for the first time, with the funding being a gift from UEFA
UEFA
The Union of European Football Associations , almost always referred to by its acronym UEFA is the administrative and controlling body for European association football, futsal and beach soccer....
. In 2008 the stadium was revamped with new areas for anti-doping procedures and internet rooms were added for journalists.
The stadium is used by the Albania 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...
and for the home games of Tirana-based Albanian football clubs: KF Tirana, Partizani, and Dinamo. After its relegation from the Superliga to the Albanian First Division
Albanian First Division
The Albanian First Division is the second level of association football in Albania. The league was first created with the name Kategoria e Dytë and has also been named Kategoria A2 in recent years....
, Partizani is no longer using the stadium.
Plans for demolition and reconstruction
In June 2010 the Albanian government put the stadium on a list of assets for sale. During the summer of 2010, there was a disagreement between the Albanian Football Association (FSHF) and the Albanian government as to the disposition of the stadium. FSHF, sponsorerd by UEFA, proposed that the stadium, rather than being sold, should be totally donated by the government to FSHF, under the condition that the stadium receive UEFA funding for its reconstruction. On 8 October 2010, Albania's Prime Minister Sali BerishaSali Berisha
Sali Ram Berisha is an Albanian politician and cardiologist, currently the Prime Minister of Albania and the leader of Democratic Party of Albania ....
declared that for the 100th anniversary of the Albanian Declaration of Independence
Albanian Declaration of Independence
The Albanian Declaration of Independence is the declaration of independence of the Albanian Vilayet from the Ottoman Empire. Albania was proclaimed independent in Vlorë on November 28, 1912.-Background:...
, which will occur in 2012, a new national stadium will be built in Tirana.
The new stadium, already approved by the Albanian Football Association and the government, will replace the existing one which will be demolished. The number of seats is expected to be more than 33,000. The total construction cost will be around €
Euro
The euro is the official currency of the eurozone: 17 of the 27 member states of the European Union. It is also the currency used by the Institutions of the European Union. The eurozone consists of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg,...
60 million, and 75% of the property rights of the stadium will belong to the Albanian Football Association, and the remaining 25% to the Albanian government. The stadium's plans call for it to have an external shape that will mirror the map of Albania. The shape will be rugged in order to harmoniously blend with the skyline of Tirana and will have red and black, the colors of the Albanian flag. Once finished, the stadium is expected to be of category four, the highest UEFA category, and will potentially be able to host Champion League
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
final matches.
Renaming
In January 2010, after the death of the notable Albanian player Panajot PanoPanajot Pano
Panajot Pano was an Albanian football player. He started his career as a goalkeeper in the SK Tirana youth academy, but he became the most prolific centre-forward of their arch-rivals, Partizani Tirana...
, an official request from the Partizani Tirana club and from the Albanian Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports
Ministry of Tourism, Cultural Affairs, Youth and Sports (Albania)
The Ministry of Tourism, Cultural Affairs, Youth and Sports is part of the Albanian government responsible for implementation of government tourism, cultural affairs, youth and sports policy. The current minister is Aldo Bumçi of the Democratic Party of Albania.-References:...
was addressed to the Albanian government for the stadium to be renamed after the famous footballer.
The Qemal Stafa "Curse"
During the early 2000s, the stadium was considered a "curse" for other national teams by the Albanian media, partly due to the fact that Albania rarely loses their home games. In a period from September 2001 to October 2004, Albania went undefeated at this ground. Illustrious national teams such as GreeceGreece national football team
The Greece national football team represents Greece in association football and is controlled by the Hellenic Football Federation, the governing body for football in Greece. Greece's home ground is Karaiskakis Stadium in Piraeus and their head coach is Fernando Santos...
, were eclipsed by Albania in 2004, whereas teams like Sweden
Sweden national football team
The Swedish national football team represents Sweden in association football and is controlled by the Swedish Football Association, the governing body for Football in Sweden. Sweden's home ground is Råsunda Stadium in Stockholms län and their head coach is Erik Hamrén. Sweden made their first...
, the Republic of Ireland
Republic of Ireland national football team
The Republic of Ireland national football team represents Ireland in association football. It is run by the Football Association of Ireland and currently plays home fixtures at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, which opened in May 2010....
, Switzerland
Switzerland national football team
The Swiss national football team is the national football team of Switzerland...
, and Bulgaria had to settle for hotly-contested draws in an intimidating arena.
External links
- Qemal Stafa Renovation (Albanian)
- Approved project