Armand Duke: I don't want confronting Kosovo in the fight Play-off's

During the interview, President Duka shared details on the organisation of the match in Serbia, the Serbian federation's response to leaders after the end of the meeting, as well as clarified the yellow card's situation towards striker Ray Manaj.

The head of the Albanian football government stressed that victory over Serbia is an important moment for Albanian football, but added that the team should continue with maximum focus towards next matches, with the goal of securing the play-off phase and fighting to the end for the 2026 World Cup.

INT PLOSE ERVIS:

What did leaders of the Serbian Federation say at the end of the match? When you tell me that we're done with a chapter and we're in the race, it's like this was a very easy thing to do, and we're going to win with Serbia and have to think further. There are some who think we've won with Serbia and we don't want to go to the World. But, actually, we want to go to the world, we want to go very much. But even what they said, they said in emotional times. Now we must continue and look forward. I've talked to the leaders of the federation and to the former coach of Serbia, who told me that you deserved it and there's nothing to regret, because we didn't deserve to win. They were clear about what was presented in the field, that our team deserved three points in all perspectives. So football is.

What about the president of the Serbian Federation? He definitely got upset. I don't believe there's any fan who's not upset by those who support Serbia, much less a federal leader, or a legend of former Yugoslavia football.

Are you satisfied with hosting the match? We were created with optimum game conditions on our journey. We had no concern whatsoever. We had a very good reception since we arrived at the airport. Sometimes they let the bus come by the plane door. We had no traffic problems, no control. We didn't have any problems at the hotel, we had a fantastic boat. We had game conditions in the stadium. I think they've done their maximum to get the fight well. I thanked them for organizing after the game and thank them again publicly for all the better arrangements and conditions. There were undoubtedly calls to the stadium in their language that were distasteful to us, but an Federation cannot stop the mouths of spectators. The sentences are part of the discipline commissions. From an organizational point of view, I think it was a perfect organization. We had fantastic game conditions, football players felt good, had a good time and gave their best in the field. The Law Commission, of course, whistles at the visitor team's anthem are banned and penalised. Or whether any other calls, political calls or nationalist calls are criminalised.

Manaj's yellow card? ) No one gives you a yellow card for the way you celebrate, much more when you celebrate with your national symbols. This is a “idiocytist” that I've heard, because it's a happy, unusual situation, that Albania achieves an important victory and everyone now wants to get some kind of protagonism, even through nationalist terms. There's nothing to do with Manaj's celebration. The celebration was close to Serbia's pancaina and has been punished for that. The footballers themselves told me that Serbia's footballers behaved very correctly and did not move from the pancina. But going there creates some kind of incident.

Referee is one of the best. He has judged the finals of the League Champions, PSG Inter, or arbitrated even in “Air Albania” The final Conference League, Rome . The fight doesn't believe there was anything to be questionable. It was a fair, sport game, a very good behavior of both squad footballers. There were not many moments to discuss, there was no moment to intervene the VAR, so there was no question of arbitration.

Concerned by these comments, we have requested an interpretation of why the yellow card was given and we've been explained that the yellow card was given to the place where it was celebrated because it provokes football players of the other team. Our football players celebrate with eagles wherever they play and cannot penalise this symbol. There's no connection.

Did you believe in the positive result in Serbia? None of us can say that Albania, whenever it plays with Serbia, wins, or the side it loses. But today we have every opportunity. We have a happy-level team above average. At the same level is Serbia's team. All three results are in. We have had faith because we thought the Serbian team would have more pressure, because of the many situations there. That fight would be won by a team that was quieter, cleaner mentally, and I believe ours did better. After all, soccer takes some luck. If Serbia had marked a case that had in the first half, things could have gone differently. Or if Bajrami were to score, it would be 2-0.

The team checked the game against Serbia? ) We said after the match that we didn't decide the outcome. We managed very well, if you remember the minutes of the game. From 80th to 86th, the ball has been on the Serbian field and not on ours. Only in addition to the game has the ball come to our field, which may have created some action. Bajrami's case was fantastic for us. I told Bajrami not to worry, because this is football. Manaj said the same thing after he lost a penalty here. I've embraced it a lot, and not just me, but all of us who've been present in the dressing rooms because it gave us great joy. The stadium's got us a letter of all the damage we've done, is the ceiling. Yes, they have, we have, we have, and we are undoubtedly willing to get hurt.

Commenting on the president of Serbia that Albania has a very good team? I don't know how much Serbia's football president really understands. But if he said so, he was objective, because somehow he confirmed what I said, that we are more or less same teams, on the same level.

Serbia on paper was much stronger than we were? Yeah, it's true. There are some high-value cardboard footballers, but in a way, falling stars.

Is Albania on the rise? Why does the National seem to have no stability? I think we have stars. But it depends on what stars it's about. We super-stars like Messy, Ronaldo or Lamine Yamal don't have, but we do have stars. Football players playing in important competitions, playing in European competitions, the League Champions, Europe League. Almost 70-80% of our team are players playing in European competitions. We've got stars, we've got no supers. Everyone together makes a good team.

I think our advantage is the spirit of the group. But it's also the biggest link we have with our fan and our football players' greatest desire to play with the Nationals. All of our footballers look forward to the gathering date to being together and playing for the National, which is not happening in all European nationals.

Premio after the match with Serbia? In those moments of joy, there is nothing to discuss about money. But someone there was saying, “How much money will the team's premiere be? It was my answer that this joy we received is not rewarded with money. I told them I couldn't even repay you with my life. Premio, the National Team has it defined for each match. It is determined for the World's qualifications and for any outcome.

At special moments, according to the importance of the match, we place extra premieres. For the public, the fight against Latvia was easy, but it was a match that could move us to further and we promised the first double Premio team. If we qualify for the world, there will be an important premiere.

All governments in Europe promise in cases of important qualifications or victories. Ours so far is not, but I believe behind Serbia is. In other cases, Albanian governments in general have provided bonus for the National. We too hope for the future.

Fighting Jordan? It really is a friendly fight with Jordan against a team that has qualified worldwide. But national team matches are all important. First, because you wear the fan and represent the country, even in a friendly fight. Second, because the results of friendly matches account for the FIFA ranking, which affects future lots. It's a sporting matter.

Today friendly matches, organizationally speaking, are at just the same levels and conditions as official ones, with delegates from the U. EFA. It just doesn't have points and it's not qualification.

In addition, it is a good and beautiful match to be pursued, because it is the nearest day we can celebrate with the team what historic success it has made with victory over Serbia. Our team really won a big victory. Now it even seems to be an easy thing. But now there's a much harder way to go since the match with Andorra, where we need to get the three points.

If we take them, then I think we're mathematically on play-off, with two very strong teams. If Serbia will get a point in England and we win with Andorra, we mathematically secured the play-off. The odds are over 80% of us.

Do we have a chance with England, since it's almost qualified in Tirana? We have chances with every kind of team, always. Of course, not forgetting the difficulty coincidence that has an opponent like England, or Germany, or France. The odds are, football is that. It is not the same as many other sports, where the result is easily predictable.

That's a factor, that being qualified, maybe not the maximum commitment. But actually, England has huge quality and the probability is not too big to win the match. But it's a game to play with.

We're in the third play-off vase? I still can't tell which vase we're in. The play-off formula is somewhat complicated. Teams will be ranked according to the scores they will get in the qualifications, from the first to the 12th. The first six are waiting teams for play-off, six are traveling teams. We could be waiting, or traveling, depending on the results. It's going to be calculated by removing the scores he's won in fifth place, for group five squads, like us. So Andorra's points don't count us.

Probability over 90% is to be 8 points in the final ranking. It's two shots, not a rematch. If we're gonna be local, we're gonna play in Tirana, or we're gonna play out. The winners of the two semifinals will play a finale of lots for the site they will play.

Teams that could be potential opponents? All of Europe's sites make calculations, probability. There is a kind of probability that the first in the ranking to be Albania's opponent is Chechia, the second Poland, the third Hungary and Scotland. You don't know what's gonna happen.

They're all good teams. One of the teams to be ranked second place is Italy, it could be Turkey, but Kosovo. On each team we want to beat him, but Kosovo wants to face another opponent, so that both teams can be contenders.

You mean Albania in the World? I can't say we have any big odds. I said two playoff fights are really hard. As was the difficult match against Serbia. The global qualifications are always difficult because there are only 16 teams, but we have the opportunity to win any opponent. The odds are 50-50 with any kind of opponent from second countries, in my opinion.

The play-off phase takes place at the end of March? March 26th through 31st. We'll be emotional by then. This too is beautiful, because we could be out of the race today if we did not have a positive result in Serbia.

What did you tell Silvio after his victory? I couldn't actually say anything. Silvio was very excited. I tried to calm him and embrace him, to congratulate him for what we accomplished. He was very excited. And I know the coach's work is extremely difficult. When we won with Greece, I remember that journalists were looking for Briegel for the conference and we didn't find him anywhere. He was sitting in a corner of the old Kemal Bafa and he was confused, didn't know where he was.

Did you receive congratulations from politicians after winning Serbia? I have received congratulations from everyone, from all sides of politics, from the country's leaders. Of all areas of life, not just politics.

Last message? Now it remains difficult. We must continue to change and target. Let's wait for the match with Andorra once, let's do better there. We shouldn't think we're past it. He's a very difficult opponent. If you want to watch our group's matches, England has won 5-0 against Serbia, won 2-0 with us, while Andorra has had difficulties until Andorra scored autonomous. The last match equalled in Latvia. So first we have to cross Andorra, then we have to think about the others further. Andorra is the key that leads us to play-off.