The Chameria national football team (Albanian: Përfaqësuesja e futbollit së Çamërisë) represents Cham Albanians of Chameria, a coastal part of Epirus, Greece. It is not affiliated with FIFA or UEFA and therefore cannot compete for the FIFA World Cup or the UEFA European Championship.
| Association | Federata e Futbollit të Republikës së Çamërisë (FFRÇ) | |
|---|---|---|
| Confederation | CONIFA | |
| Head coach | Arben Kasolli | |
| ||
| First international | ||
 Chameria 6–0 Kurdistan Region  (The Hague, Netherlands; 17 June 2017) | ||
| Biggest win | ||
| Chameria 6–0 Kurdistan Region (The Hague, Netherlands; 17 June 2017) | ||
| Biggest defeat | ||
 Abkhazia 3–1 Chameria (Askeran, Republic of Artsakh; 2 June 2019) | ||
| CONIFA European Football Cup | ||
| Appearances | 1 (first in 2019) | |
| Best result | 4th, (2019) | |
History
editFirst match
editThe Chameria national football team was formed during mid-2017 and has played a number of friendly matches. On 17 June 2017, the first one that was simultaneously also the first biggest win and the first-ever competitive win was against Kurdistan Region in the framework of the 2017 Unrepresented Nations Cup and the match ended with a 6–0 home win.[1][2]
Membership in CONIFA
editOn 24 May 2018, Chameria was accepted in CONIFA and would now play in the various tournaments and individual matches against other national teams.[3]
On 2 June 2019, Chameria played its first international match after the membership in CONIFA against Abkhazia in the framework of the 2019 CONIFA European Football Cup and the match ended in a 3–1 defeat, that was simultaneously also the biggest defeat and the first defeat of Chameria.[4]
In 2023, Chameria participated in the 2024 CONIFA World Cup Qualification. They were placed in Group C with Sekler Land and Two Sicilies. Chameria ended up losing 3-2 to Sekler Land, but bounced back and beat Two Sicilies 3-1, which qualified them through to the main tournament.
Competitive record
editCONIFA World Football Cup
edit| CONIFA World Football Cup record | Qualifying record | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Round | Pos | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | Squad | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | |
 2014
|
Team did not exist | |||||||||||||||
| 2016
| ||||||||||||||||
 2018
|
Not a CONIFA member | |||||||||||||||
 2020
|
Cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic | |||||||||||||||
| 2024
|
Qualified | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 4 | |||||||||
| Total | — | 1/5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 4 | |
UNPO World Cup
edit| UNPO World Cup record | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Round | Pos | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | Squad |
 2017
|
Champion | 1st | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 3 | |
| Total | — | 1/1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 3 | — |
CONIFA European Football Cup
editOn 20 February 2019, in Krakow, it was decided that Chameria should be part of Group 2 of the 2019 CONIFA European Football Cup, together with Abkhazia and County of Nice.[5] On 22 May 2019, CONIFA announced that County of Nice was withdrawing from competition and Chameria's group would include Sápmi and the host country Artsakh, as well as Abkhazia.[6] On 2 June 2019, Chameria debuted at the CONIFA European Football Cup with an away match, losing to Abkhazia 3–1.[4]
| CONIFA European Football Cup record | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Round | Pos | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | Squad |
 2015 to  2017
|
Team did not exist | ||||||||
 2019
|
Fourth place | 4th | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 9 | 4 | Squad |
| Total | — | 1/3 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 9 | 4 | — |
Fixtures and results
edit2017
edit| 17 June 2017 UNPO World Cup | Chameria | 6–0 | Kurdistan Region | The Hague, Netherlands |
| 11:30 | Stadium: Sportpark De Verademing |
| 17 June 2017 UNPO World Cup | Chameria | 3–1 |  Ambazonia | The Hague, Netherlands |
| 13:30 | Stadium: Sportpark De Verademing |
| 17 June 2017 UNPO World Cup | Chameria | 3–2 |  FC Umubano | The Hague, Netherlands |
| 15:30 | Stadium: Sportpark De Verademing |
2019
edit| 2 June 2019 CONIFA European Cup group stage | Abkhazia | 3–1 | Chameria | Askeran, Republic of Artsakh |
| 16:00 | Maskayev  48'Logua 49', 74' |
Report | Prendi 30' |
Stadium: Askeran City Stadium Attendance: 500 Referee: Ahmed Sabah Radha Ahmed (Kurdistan Region) |
| 3 June 2019 CONIFA European Cup group stage | Chameria | 4–1 | Artsakh | Martuni, Republic of Artsakh |
| 18:00 | Çema 58', 90+3' Mziu 85'Gjoka 90+5' |
Report | Sargsyan 83' |
Stadium: Avakyan Arena Attendance: 1,080 Referee: Ivan Mrkalj (Germany) |
| 4 June 2019 CONIFA European Cup group stage | Chameria | 4–0 | Sápmi | Martakert, Republic of Artsakh |
| 18:00 | Mziu 5' Hoxha 22', 45'Çema 78' |
Report | Stadium: Vigen Shirinyan Stadium Attendance: 2,300 Referee: Ivan Mrkalj (Germany) |
| 6 June 2019 CONIFA European Cup semi-final | South Ossetia  | 0–0 (6–5 p) | Chameria | Askeran, Republic of Artsakh |
| 16:00 | Report | Stadium: Askeran City Stadium Attendance: 500 Referee: Ahmed Sabah Radha Ahmed (Kurdistan Region) |
| 8 June 2019 CONIFA European Cup third place | Abkhazia | 0–0 (5–4 p) | Chameria | Stepanakert, Republic of Artsakh |
| Report | Stadium: Stepanakert Republican Stadium Attendance: 6,200 Referee: Dmytro Zhukov (Donetsk People's Republic) |
2023
edit| 30 June 2024 CONIFA World Cup qualification | Székely Land | 3–2 | Chameria | Miercurea Ciuc, Romania |
| 19:00 (CEST) | Magyari Veres Kovács |
Sejdini Gjeci |
Stadium: Eross Zsolt Stadium |
| 1 July 2024 CONIFA World Cup qualification | Chameria | 3–1 |  Two Sicilies | Miercurea Ciuc, Romania |
| 19:00 (CEST) | Sejdini Gjoka ?', ?' |
Mendil |
Stadium: Eross Zsolt Stadium |
Players
editCurrent squad
editThe following players have been called up for the 2019 CONIFA European Football Cup.[7]
| No. | Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GK | Fatjon Çollari | 2 April 1999 |  Elbasani
|
| 2 | DF | Xhorxhian Boçi | 14 February 1994 | Dinamo Tirana
|
| 3 | MF | Jurgen Vogli | 12 June 1993 | Egnatia
|
| 4 | DF | Feliks Cane | 28 October 1990 | Devolli
|
| 5 | MF | Rei Zaimi | 30 October 1998 | Apolonia Fier
|
| 6 | DF | Flavio Prendi | 12 October 1995 | Dinamo Tirana
|
| 7 | MF | Klajdi Kryemadhi | 9 December 1998 | Elbasani
|
| 8 | MF | Kevis Gjeçi | 26 August 1996 |  Espaly
|
| 9 | FW | Marko Çema | 16 January 1998 | Partizani Tirana B
|
| 10 | FW | Samet Gjoka | 9 January 1990 | Shkumbini
|
| 11 | MF | Tedi Baholli | 24 January 1990 | Shkumbini
|
| 19 | FW | Vilson Mziu | 15 July 1991 | Sopoti
|
| 20 | MF | Shyqyri Hasa | 17 October 1996 | Luzi 2008
|
| 21 | MF | Anxhelo Isaraj | 25 December 1991 | Tërbuni
|
| 22 | FW | Edmond Hoxha | 16 May 1997 | Besëlidhja Lezhë
|
Head-to-head records against other countries
edit- As of 8 June 2019
| Opponent | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abkhazia
|
2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | −2 | 0.00 |
| Ambazonia
|
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | +2 | 100.00 |
| Artsakh
|
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | +3 | 100.00 |
| Kurdistan Region
|
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | +6 | 100.00 |
| Sápmi
|
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | +4 | 100.00 |
| South Ossetia
|
1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | +0 | 0.00 |
| 6 Countries | 7 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 18 | 5 | +13 | 57.14 |
Managers
edit| Manager | Period | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 100.0 | |
| 2018 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 40.0 | |
| Arben Kasolli
|
2019– | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 40.0 |
| Totals | 13 | 7 | 2 | 4 | 53.84 | |
References
edit- ^ "Chameria vs Kurdistan". Football Federation of the Republic of Chameria. 17 June 2017. Archived from the original on 11 July 2019. Retrieved 11 July 2019.
As part of the Unrepresented Nations Cup
- ^ "Chameria wins international tournament". Football Federation of the Republic of Chameria. 17 June 2017. Archived from the original on 11 July 2019. Retrieved 11 July 2019.
On Saturday 17 June 2017 an international football tournament was held in The Hague, the Netherlands. The event brought together eight teams from various nationalities who played for the World Cup of unrecognised nations. Teams from West Papua, Kurdistan, Chameria, Southern Cameroons and others played against each other in the tournament. Many of the players came from far away. There were also many supporters who showed their excitement for their team and nation through song and dance and traditional cuisine. Chameria won its group matches and subsequently went to the final, which they won with three to two
- ^ "Chameria joins World Football Federation CONIFA". Football Federation of the Republic of Chameria. 24 May 2018. Archived from the original on 11 July 2019. Retrieved 11 July 2019.
- ^ a b "Abkhazia 3–1 Chameria". CONIFA. 2 June 2019. Archived from the original on 9 June 2021. Retrieved 11 July 2019.
- ^ "Sportsbet.io sponsors the 2019 CONIFA European Football Cup". Sportsbet.io. 20 February 2019. Archived from the original on 28 February 2019. Retrieved 11 July 2019.
Looking at the draw, Group 2 is already being dubbed the "Group of Death", featuring as it does two former CONIFA World Football Cup Champions in the form of Abkhazia (winners in front of a home crowd in 2016) and the County of Nice, which one the inaugural tournament in 2014. The teams are drawn alongside Chameria, which is making its debut at the competition
- ^ "Match schedule: CONIFA Sportsbet.io European Football Cup 2019". CONIFA. 22 May 2019. Archived from the original on 25 May 2019. Retrieved 11 July 2019.
After the unfortunate late withdrawal of Sardinia, County of Nice, Donetsk and Luhansk, the previous four groups were merged into two, entitled A and B, and are as follows. Group A: Artsakh, Sápmi, Abkhazia, Chameria
- ^ "Chameria squad" (PDF). CONIFA. May 2019.
External links
edit- Official website (in English)