Kosovo failed to achieve expected results in basketball during 2019

The year 2019 was packed with numerous activities for the Kosovo Basketball Federation, and many important events took place.

One of the main events was the development of the European Championship, the U20 Women's B Division in Pristina.

The organisation was on an extraordinary level, and for that, the FBK was praised by FIBA, while the world basketball house also entrusted with organising the European Championship, the U16 Men's C Division, to be held over the next year in Pristina.

Also an important event was the visit of FIBA Europe President Turgay Demirel in August, which was his first visit as president of this organisation to Kosovo.

He commended the FBK leaders for their work, especially with the new generations, until he offered his assistance in Kosovo basketball.

During the summer, Kosovo's six new representatives -- U20, U18 and U16 in both competitions -- were presented at European Championships, Division B. And for the first time, the U14 League of Women was formed with FIBA support.

The chairman of the Kosovo Basketball Federation, Arben Fetah, said that 2019 could be named positive for the federation, but not with the results achieved.

For the Basketball Federation, I think it's been a good year as far as basketball development is concerned. It's been a year of challenges, a lot of trouble for the FBK, for its members, but also for its representations, which she has organized, but it's been a year that has given us experience and will guide us for those we'll do in 2020 and beyond. It's been successful in understanding the development of the federation itself, the work that we've done with new representations and representation A, but it's been a year that has left a lot to yearn for, in terms of results, whether A or new representatives. I'm really calling it 2019 has been a reflection year, and it should serve as a year of reflection for the work ahead of us in 2020”, Fetah said.

As for local basketball, Fetahu claims that the second half of the year has been full of innovation, where Peja's return itself has aroused the interest of fans in watching the Superleague games closely.

The “has been a year of change, if we take the year as a whole, then for the first part of the year belonging to last season, it has been a season, where Sigal Pristina is prominent, and Rahoveci as the two main teams, but with significant impulses, even very good matches by the star, Union and Prizren. And for the second half of this year and the current season with Peja's return to where she belongs and with her consolidation as a team, I think a new impulse has been given to the basketball Superglia, where we have better vision, we have a closer race and we have not had a team without a loss of<1>, Fetah says.

The first of the FBK also indicated that next year this federation will hold new elections and that it is expected to run again for the mayor's post.

Yes, of course, there will be elections in the federation. The elections will be held after the Olympics and before the end of 2020, under our statute. You know I got the mandate in April 2018 and I just completed the mandate that was left behind by former Mayor Beeleg, who was until the Olympics or until 2020... I think it's too early to think about it, but the plans I have are not related to deadlines... I have an idea to be longer in Kosovo basketball, longer than two years and I have ideas that these projects and plans that we've initiated, I'm alive”, Fetah said.

While FBK Secretary General Elvira Dushku named this very important year, considering the numerous activities the federation organised during 2019.

The “has been a full year of activity, where of local competitions that are the Superleague of Kosovo, the Women's Superleague, the First League of Women, the leagues of new categories in women's competitions, and in both races, so we've had about 320 matches in the Senate category, and about 732 games we've had in the new categories, which means that you're spending over 1,000 matches on the local level. The championship resources have been as expected, competition has been between Rahovec and Pristina, I'm talking about the 2018/2019 season. We have had increased fan viewing thanks to the renovation of the gym “Mizahir Isma” in Rahovec”, Dushku said.

Dushku also named it bad in 2019, in the performance of Kosovo representatives, claiming that expectations have not been achieved which the board of this federation had assigned to him in early 2019.

“While at the level of representatives we cannot be satisfied, because we haven't achieved the goal we have had, to qualify for Eurobasket 2021 qualifications with representative A, after that we are not satisfied with the results of the new representatives, we can say freely that after accession in 2015, despite the greatest investments in all representatives, budgets have been larger, we haven't achieved the best position. The decline of U16 at a division below” is well shown, Dusk claimed.

We remember that during this year the Pristina basketball club in women's competition, the first Kosovo team to take part in international competitions, but without much success.

Pristina girls were eliminated in the group phase, failing to enjoy any victory during this adventure in Europe.

In 2020, Kosovo's basketball representative will play qualifying matches for the world championship, while another important event is expected to be European Division C for Mendra U16 in Pristina.

This is the third time FIBA Europe is trusting the Kosovo Basketball Federation to organise a European championship.