Albanian commentator shows why he chose to be Serbian team fan

The renowned TV commentator in Albania, Costa Grillo, is a declared Balkan football fan, even if it comes to Serbia. Also known as a supporter and fan of Crvena Zvezda, Grello has become a character interviewed in Serbian media in recent days.

On the eve of Zvezda's visit to Albania, Grill explains in an interview for “Panorama Sport” on which team to typhoon on Tuesday, as you await the qualifications, what you suggest of whitelus as a fan and good connoisseur of the Serbian team.

Grello, how do you expect the confrontation between Tirana and Crvena Zvezda?

For the sake of truth, I think Crvena Ziesda is a very experienced team, playing every year in Champs, and regularly passes qualifying tours to groups. But Zvezda is no longer the former “goggle”, that big and impassable team. Actually, it's a good team, but Tirana in Tbilisi has surprised me. He just played well there and with a rational football

How do you split the odds of qualifications?

For me, there are 50 with 50 chances of moving to the next tour. I say that because it's played in Tirana. It's an extra plus for our team.

Why do you think Tirana can win?

Tirana is a team that had not participated in European Cups for years. In my opinion, there is more hunger than Zvezda. I think they'll be more scared in front of Tirana than white people in front of Ziesda. Tirana has nothing to lose, since in the end, it comes back to play in Evil Europe and I have also heard from its leaders, which is the target phase of the groups there. Because, even if it passes the Zuseda, reaching up to the Champions Group, in my opinion, is an impossible mission.

You are a good connoisseur of Serbian football, but specifically of Zvezda as its supporter. What do we expect their strength?

Zvezda's name. It has the experience of participating in European Cups. It is a relatively large team in Europe, despite the fact that we may have our objections to the Serbian team or to Zvezda having a fan named anti-Albanian and racist. Me and we don't have anything to do with politics, and since we comment and talk about sports, football, and let's just stay in this context. Because, if we were to deal with who the Zvezda fans and its sponsors were, we wouldn't see soccer at all.

How did you become a fan of Ziesda?

Many of the generation of young people, who are of the past nine years, have not lived through the isolation period that I or my peers did. During the isolation period in Albania, we had only two windows. We had Italians and Slavic television. Whether we want it or not, for us it was a reality present. I think there's a lot of people who as followers of the former Yugoslavia Championship, which was one of the strongest in that period, are supporters of these teams and this football. It was not only Zvezda, it was Dinamo in Zagreb, it was Hajduk, it was Belgrade's Partizan, it was Radnicki, Buduchnosti, Vardar, Pristina and many quality teams. Entirely powerful football, wonderful football, and we had it as a chance to be connected to former Yugoslav football.

Who was your childhood idol?

Zvezda has been a prominent assailant, Dusan Savic. Very good, offensive who can compare it to Agustin Kola in Albania. He played very well in the air, just like Augustine. But in Tirana I grew up with Petrit Debar. It was one of my childhood idols, as we called it “Doctor” at the time.

I read an interview given by you in the Serbian media. You stick to those statements?

I have to explain, since my word has been so distorted. I have said that at the top of the occasion that I am a fan of Tirana at this match and I want Tirana to qualify as a grown man with the former November 17th. I was a fan who followed this team from behind. I've accepted it, and I don't hide that I'm Zvezda's fan. But for this confrontation I have been clear, I am in favour of Tirana and in favour of crossing it to the next tour. I said I want Tirana's qualifications because it will be a big adrenaline for this team and Albanian football. I say that, because for Ziesda it's a routine to pass the qualifying tours to Europe.

You've said something about Tirana fans being anti-Rama...

Let me explain what I said about this. I have said that, as in Serbia, there is a debt between Belgrade's Partizan and Crvena Zvezda, in our country the same debt between Tirana and Partizan. And I've said literally, that since at Partizan director is Olsi Rama, the prime minister's brother in our country, then Tirana's fans are anti-Rama. But they were only interested in this phrase and treated it in such a way as to make their own fuss.

Can you consider the proserb for the sympathy expressed toward them?

Before the Serbs, I am a fan of Liverpool and English football. I have expressed it to Serbian football, as I said I was a supporter of Balkan teams. I put it in the studio on the World Championship threshold. I have expressed myself with teams like Croatia and Serbia. I have also said that Kosovo will be much better than Albania, which, my words were confirmed after 2018. I was also with Turkey when it was in the world championships. So, I'm a Balkan football fan. Also, I'm one of Besiktas' fans.

How can Tirana win this match?

I'm not a coach, but I speak as a fan or as a commentator. Tirana must gain it very calmly and cautiously. I think if in the first 20 minutes there's not going to be a goal, just like Dinamo of Tbilisi, then all the emotions or all the fear, panic will begin a little by little to catch up with the Swiss players. This, because I said Zvezda, as a name is great, but as a player, it's not the Zvezda of past years anymore, it's not scary. I also remember Dinamon of Tbilisi, a frightening team with very good physical preparation, but we saw Tirana playing quiet.

He preserved the defence, failed to achieve and scored a goal at the end of the first part. Panic moved to the other side, where Dinamo's defense began to tremble and Tirana took heart. This is Egbo's main weapon. In my opinion, to wait very carefully and slightly from Tirana to molest. Silence, patience and surprise can be Tirana's weapons. As Stankovic's arrival, the game has changed. The attack rests on foreign players. They also have a Portuguese, dangerous player. I point out it's not the old Zvezda. Zvezda's weakness will be to play in our field, Albania.