UEFA Boss Vows to Boost Kosovo Football Infrastructure

With its stadiums not meeting UEFA requirements, Kosovo's national team embarrassingly has been forced to play World Cup Qualification host matches in neighbouring Albania.

However, on his first visit to Kosovo since his September election as UEFA's new president, Aleksandar Ceferin on Thursday offered a helping hand while observing the renovation works at Pristina City Stadium.

Officials from the Kosovo Football Federation, FFK, told BIRN that the arena will not be ready until April 2018. "We expect it to be ready for football matches by next April. Some works still need to be done," Eroll Salihu, the FFK Secretary General, said.

In his opinion, the political stalemate that has halted work in Kosovo institutions since the June 11 parliamentary snap elections has caused extra delays to the works.

"Some additional funds need to be allocated by the government - but they cannot be done without a new government in place," he observed.

Kosovo's national team started the international qualifications campaign in Finland, with a draw against Finland in September 2016.

Since then, Kosovo has lost all five matches in a row.

But Ceferin, who referred to FFK President Fadil Vokrri as a "great friend", lauded Kosovo's passion for the sport and said UEFA would help out.

"I am sure you have a bright football future … and of course UEFA will help you as much as it can, mainly in infrastructure, because the infrastructure in Kosovo is not good enough at this moment," the 49-year-old Slovenian lawyer-turned-football administrator said.

At a press conference in Pristina, he downplayed the possibility of starting a regional football league, citing both sporting and political reasons.

"At this...

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