Albanian coach honoured by the German Football Federation, also congratulated by Angela Merkel (Photo)

Sport is one of the events where diaspora Albanians are most successful. Coach Mergim Ramadani, who has been honoured by Germany's Football Federation as the best coach to have worked on integrating nationals, comes in. German Chancellor Angela Merkel has also congratulated her on a reception. His picture is also in the German museum of Dortmund. In an exclusive confession to albinfo. ch, Migration tells of the prize won and its importance.

Merkel congratulating Ramadan with gratitude in her hands

Ramadani has been very happy to represent the Albanian people at that event. This happened in February 2012 in Berlin, where I was chosen as the best coach with VfL Fontana Finthen e.V. We won the tournament “Integrity 2011”. The team won the prize after working hard on integrating many nationals. The award was awarded by the German Football Federation and Mercedes Benz. It was the 5th anniversary of the tournament, and the guest was Angela Merkel, who wished me for the prize. I was very happy that I as an Albanian represented my people in that very important activity”, Ramadani says of Albinfo.ch.

His picture, at the Dortmund Museum

The exile is too modest and does not speak of itself willingly. But the numerous German media have written about it, about the hard work of integration into Germany, but also the hard work it does. They have mentioned his background from Kosovo, telling his story as well. The picture of Mergim is also in the football museum at Dortmund. “A year and a half after the event mentioned, Germany's Football Federation had decided to put my photo of them all at the Museum “Deutsches Fu Stigballmuseum in Dortmund”. The reason why the federation has contacted me is that I have worked hard on integrating and training many nationalities, like Germans, Turks, Croats, etc.”, has added to Mergim Ramadani.

Ramadan pose before his photograph at Dortmund Museum

 

You don't let your studies down.

Besides coaching in Germany, he also studies. I was born on February 25, 1994, in Mainz, Germany. My family is from Pristina, from the muhajare neighborhood. I currently study “International Business and Engineering”, he adds further. The prize that Mergim Ramadani won had made headlines in German media. Many wrote about his history, since the football club, for helping to integrate in Germany, for photography at the museum, or even for his story from a child immigrant whose family had left shortly before the war in Kosovo began.

Mergim Ramadani, first from left