Klubi i Futbollit Shkëndija (Macedonian: ФК Шкендија, romanized: FK Škendija) commonly known as Shkëndija, is a football club based in Tetovo, North Macedonia. Their home stadium is Ecolog Arena and they currently play in the Macedonian First League. [citation needed] In the 2010–11 season of the Macedonian First Football League, the club won its first major championship.
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| Full name | Klubi i Futbollit Shkëndija Фудбалски Клуб Шкендија | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Ballistët (The Ballists) | ||
| Founded | 27 August 1979 | ||
| Ground | Ecolog Arena | ||
| Capacity | 15,000 | ||
| Chairman | Zamir Dika | ||
| Manager | Ardian Nuhiu | ||
| League | Macedonian First League | ||
| 2022–23 | 3rd of 12 | ||
| Website | Club website | ||
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History edit
Yugoslav period edit
KF Shkëndija was formed on 27 August 1979 by ethnic Albanians from Tetovo.[1][2] The purpose of forming the club was so that the Albanians throughout Yugoslavia could unite in supporting a club for Albanians. FK Shkëndija was frowned upon by Yugoslav officials as it was thought the club would awaken nationalist feelings among the Albanians of Yugoslavia. Starting at the lowest division in Yugoslavia, the Municipal League, KF Shkëndija played their first match against FK Kosmos, winning 4–0.[3]
Shkëndija won the division in the 1979–1980 season, resulting in Shkëndija being promoted into the Third division.[4] After claiming the third division title in the 1980–1981 season, Shkëndija was then again promoted into the Second division. However, as the popularity of the club began to increase among the Albanian population of Yugoslavia, the ruling socialist government members disbanded the club, worried that the club would stoke ethnic tensions during a fragile period in SFRY.[4]
Re-establishment edit
After Macedonia declared independence from Yugoslavia, KF Shkëndija was re-established into the Macedonian Football League. It started at the Fourth division, eventually being promoted each season to the third, second and finally, to the First division.[4] In the 2010–11 season of the Macedonian First Football League the club won its first major championship with an unbeaten run of 16 games.[5] On 20 May 2012, Shkëndija handed FK Vardar its first loss of the season with a 1–0 victory.[6]
The Ecolog era edit
During the 2012–13 season, Shkëndija was embroiled in financial difficulties and as a result, many of its players left the club earlier in the summer. The Shkëndija supporters, the Ballistët, began a social media campaign requesting Ecolog to take over Shkëndija.[7] Albanian international, Lorik Cana and Swiss international, Xherdan Shaqiri also joined the campaign with the supporters.[7] On 31 July 2013, Lazim Destani, father of Ecolog founder and chairman, Nazif Destani, announced Ecolog International will take charge of Shkëndija.[7][8] Under the new administration, Shkëndija brought in over five new players to the squad, four days before the transfer season ended, as well as balancing the financial state of the club. The new season started averagely for Shkëndija, amassing five draws in a row. However, on 21 September 2013, Shkëndija comfortably defeated rivals FK Vardar in a 3–1 home game during the derby, displaying improvement of the club under Ecolog. However, for the next eight fixtures, Shkëndija were very inconsistent, drawing once, winning three and losing four. After losing 5–0 to FK Rabotnički, manager Gjore Jovanovski was relieved of his duties. Shpëtim Duro was named the manager Shkëndija just 15 hours after the sacking of Jovanovski. He was first hired as a temporary caretaker manager for the club's the remaining 3 games before the long winter break, but signed a contract with the club to be the manager for the remainder of the 2013–14 season.[9][10]
During the winter break, Shkëndija was the most active team in the Prva Liga during the transfer period, bringing in 9 new players, further revamping the football club in preparation for the second half of the season. The second half of the season saw drastic improvement for Shkëndija under Shpëtim Duro, moving them from 8th position near the relegation zone, to 4th position at the end of the season, winning their final seven games in a row.[11] Shkendija earned a spot in the 2014–15 first qualifying round of the UEFA Europa League.
Supporters edit
The supporters of Shkëndija are called the Ballistët, named after the fascist World War II Balli Kombëtar. When the club was formed in 1979, use of nationalism was strictly prohibited by the Yugoslav government. The supporting firm of Shkëndija called themselves BAL, using the first three letters of Balli Kombëtar. When Shkëndija was reinstated into the Macedonian Football League, the supporting firm was re-established as the Ballistët in 1992. When kick-off commences, the Ballistët always sing the national anthem of Albania. The ultras of Shkëndija are notorious for their hardline nationalistic rhetoric and pride in their Albanian heritage.
Rivalry edit
Being a club with a strong Albanian nationalist background, Shkëndija has rivalry with most of the Macedonian football clubs. However, the biggest rivalry are with FK Vardar and FK Teteks. The Shkëndija-Teteks rivalry is one of the biggest and most heated in North Macedonia. When Shkëndija play against Teteks, the majority of the Tetovo police are stationed at Ecolog Arena. Shkendija supporters are banned from attending Vardar-Shkendija matches in Skopje.[12]
Players edit
Current squad edit
- As of 12 February 2024
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Out on loan edit
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Personnel edit
Current technical staff edit
- As of 26 December 2023
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Manager | Ardian Nuhiu |
| Assistant manager | Muharem Bajrami |
| Goalkeeping coach | Salajdin Mustafi |
| Fitness coach | Ivan Jovanovski |
| Conditioning coach | Andi Kulli |
| Juniors coach U19 | Bekim Osmani |
| Cadets coach U18 | Taxhedin Kasami |
| Pioneers U17 | Agron Memedi |
| Youth Pioneers U16 | Ismail Ismaili |
| Coordinator | Festim Ademi |
Management edit
| Position | Staff |
|---|---|
| Owner | Lazim Destani |
| President | Zamir Dika |
| Administration Director | Lulzim Imeri |
| Operations Director | Dritan Musliu |
| Sporting Director | Ardian Cuculi |
| Secretary | Erblir Luma |
Honours edit
League edit
Cups edit
- Macedonian Football Cup:
- Macedonian Football Supercup:
- Winners (1): 2011[13]
Recent seasons edit
| Season | League | Cup | European competitions | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | P | W | D | L | F | A | Pts | Pos | ||||
| 1992–93 | OFL Tetovo | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | 1st ↑ | |||
| 1993–94 | 3. MFL North | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | 1st ↑ | |||
| 1994–95 | 2. MFL West | 32 | 16 | 6 | 10 | 61 | 38 | 54 | 4th | |||
| 1995–96 | 2. MFL West | 30 | 19 | 6 | 5 | 65 | 23 | 63 | 1st ↑ | |||
| 1996–97 | 1. MFL | 26 | 8 | 5 | 13 | 27 | 48 | 29 | 13th ↓ | R2 | ||
| 1997–98 | 2. MFL West | 30 | 11 | 7 | 12 | 32 | 36 | 40 | 9th | |||
| 1998–99 | 2. MFL West | 30 | 12 | 6 | 12 | 72 | 45 | 42 | 7th | |||
| 1999–00 | 2. MFL West | 34 | 24 | 5 | 5 | 97 | 21 | 78 | 1st ↑ | R1 | ||
| 2000–01 | 1. MFL | 26 | 9 | 1 | 16 | 34 | 49 | 28 | 12th ↓ | SF | ||
| 2001–02 | 2. MFL | did not participated | n/a | R1 | ||||||||
| 2002–03 | 2. MFL | 36 | 20 | 6 | 10 | 71 | 42 | 66 | 4th | PR | ||
| 2003–04 | 2. MFL | 32 | 19 | 5 | 8 | 69 | 44 | 62 | 2nd ↑ | R2 | ||
| 2004–05 | 1. MFL | 33 | 15 | 5 | 13 | 59 | 40 | 50 | 5th | R1 | ||
| 2005–06 | 1. MFL | 33 | 15 | 4 | 14 | 48 | 47 | 49 | 5th | RU | ||
| 2006–07 | 1. MFL | 33 | 10 | 8 | 15 | 39 | 63 | 38 | 10th | R2 | ||
| 2007–08 | 1. MFL | 33 | 7 | 5 | 21 | 26 | 58 | 26 | 11th ↓ | R2 | ||
| 2008–09 | 2. MFL | 29 | 15 | 10 | 4 | 67 | 29 | 55 | 3rd | SF | ||
| 2009–10 | 2. MFL | 26 | 20 | 3 | 3 | 57 | 15 | 57(−6) | 1st ↑ | PR | ||
| 2010–11 | 1. MFL | 33 | 21 | 9 | 3 | 65 | 23 | 72 | 1st | R1 | ||
| 2011–12 | 1. MFL | 33 | 20 | 6 | 7 | 53 | 28 | 66 | 3rd | R2 | Champions League | QR2 |
| 2012–13 | 1. MFL | 33 | 13 | 8 | 12 | 52 | 49 | 44(−3) | 5th | RU | Europa League | QR1 |
| 2013–14 | 1. MFL | 33 | 16 | 9 | 8 | 53 | 32 | 57 | 4th | QF | ||
| 2014–15 | 1. MFL | 32 | 18 | 5 | 9 | 58 | 31 | 59 | 3rd | R2 | Europa League | QR1 |
| 2015–16 | 1. MFL | 32 | 23 | 6 | 3 | 74 | 24 | 75 | 2nd | W | Europa League | QR1 |
| 2016–17 | 1. MFL | 36 | 20 | 10 | 6 | 71 | 39 | 70 | 2nd | RU | Europa League | PO |
| 2017–18 | 1. MFL | 36 | 28 | 4 | 3 | 101 | 27 | 91 | 1st | W | Europa League | PO |
| 2018–19 | 1. MFL | 36 | 24 | 7 | 5 | 80 | 29 | 79 | 1st | QF | Champions League Europa League |
QR3 PO |
| 2019–201 | 1. MFL | 23 | 10 | 5 | 8 | 38 | 20 | 35 | 3rd | N/A | Champions League Europa League |
QR1 QR2 |
| 2020–21 | 1. MFL | 33 | 22 | 9 | 2 | 69 | 26 | 75 | 1st | QF | Europa League | QR3 |
| 2021–22 | 1. MFL | 33 | 16 | 13 | 4 | 49 | 25 | 61 | 3rd | QF | Champions League Conference League |
QR1 QR2 |
| 2022–23 | 1. MFL | 30 | 16 | 9 | 5 | 43 | 23 | 57 | 3rd | SF | Conference League | QR3 |
1The 2019–20 season was abandoned due to the COVID-19 pandemic in North Macedonia.[14]
Shkëndija in Europe edit
- Accurate as of 13 July 2023
Overview edit
| Competition | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Win% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UEFA Champions League | 12 | 3 | 1 | 8 | 8 | 21 | −13 | 25.00 |
| UEFA Europa League | 27 | 10 | 6 | 11 | 32 | 33 | −1 | 37.04 |
| UEFA Europa Conference League | 9 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 12 | 9 | +3 | 44.44 |
| Total | 48 | 17 | 10 | 21 | 52 | 63 | −11 | 35.42 |
Matches edit
- Notes
- 1QR: First qualifying round
- 2QR: Second qualifying round
- 3QR: Third qualifying round
- PO: Play-off round
UEFA club coefficient ranking edit
As of 4.09.2021, Source: [1]
| Rank | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 113 |  Dundalk FC |
9.500 |
| 114 |  Fenerbahçe SK |
9.500 |
| 115 |  KF Shkëndija |
9.000 |
| 116 |  RSC Anderlecht |
9.000 |
| 117 |  OGC Nice |
9.000 |
Top goalscorers in Europe edit
As of 13.07.2023, Source: kfshkendija.com
| Rank | Name | Shkëndija Career | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Besart Ibraimi | 2015–2021 | 16 |
| 2 | Ferhan Hasani | 2007–2012, 2015–2018, 2022–2023 | 7 |
| 3 | Stênio Júnior | 2014–2019 | 5 |
| 4 | Agim Ibraimi | 2005–2006, 2019–2020 | 4 |
| 5 | Ljupcho Doriev | 2020–2023 | 3 |
| 6 | Sindrit Guri | 2021–2022 | 2 |
| Valmir Nafiu | 2010–2011, 2018–2023 | ||
| Marjan Radeski | 2015–2020 | ||
| Adenis Shala | 2021– | ||
| 10 | Armend Alimi | 2014–2021 | 1 |
| Egzon Bejtulai | 2013–2019, 2020–2023 | ||
| Ivan Čeliković | 2017 | ||
| Ardian Cuculi | 2006–2014, 2015–2018, 2022–2023 | ||
| Izair Emini | 2007–2012, 2017–2019 | ||
| Hristijan Kirovski | 2014–2015 | ||
| Ivan Mitrov | 2014–2015 | ||
| Florent Ramadani | 2019– | ||
| Bojan Vručina | 2014–2016 | ||
| Arbin Zejnullai | 2016–2021 |
Historical list of coaches edit
Zoran Smileski (Jul 1992 – Jun 1995)
Ajet Shosholli (1995 – 1996)
Edmond Miha (1999)- Zoran Smileski (Jul 1999 – Jun 2000)
- Idriz Sulejmani (2000 – 2001)
- Zoran Smileski (2001)
Medin Zhega (2002)- Buran Beadini (2003 – 2004)
- Iskender Junuzi (Jul 2004 – Nov 2004)
- Nexhat Huseini (28 Nov 2004 – Jun 2006)
- Edmond Miha (2006 – Apr 2007)
- Ibrahim Ljuma (14 Apr 2007 – Jun 2007)
- Qatip Osmani (Jul 2007 – Oct 2007)
- Zoran Smileski (28 Oct 2007 – Mar 2008)
- Borce Hristov (21 Mar 2008 – 1 May 2008)
- Ejup Sulejmani (2 May 2008 – )
- Zoran Stratev (Jan 2009 – Jun 2009)
- Qatip Osmani (Jul 2009 – Sep 2010)
- Edmond Miha (16 Sep 2010 – 1 Nov 2010)
- Qatip Osmani (6 Nov 2010 – 30 Sep 2011)
- Erhan Salimi (interim) (Oct 2011)
- Nexat Shabani (11 Oct 2011 – 20 Mar 2012)
- Qatip Osmani (21 Mar 2012 - 31 Jul 2012)
- Ibrahim Luma (interim) (Aug 2012)
- Artim Shaqiri (22 Aug 2012 – 4 Jul 2013)
- Gjore Jovanovski (1 Aug 2013 - 24 Nov 2013)
- Shpëtim Duro (24 Nov 2013 – 24 May 2014)
Roy Ferenčina (6 Jun 2014 - 31 Aug 2014)- Jeton Beqiri (interim) (Sep 2014)
- Ardian Kozniku (4 Sep 2014 – 27 Mar 2015)
- Jeton Beqiri (27 Mar 2015 - 25 May 2015)
- Shpëtim Duro (12 Jun 2015 - 22 Dec 2015)
Bruno Akrapović (22 Dec 2015 – 27 Oct 2016)- Jeton Beqiri (interim) (28 Oct 2016 - 31 Dec 2016)
Thomas Brdarić (7 Jan 2017 - 10 May 2017)- Erhan Salimi (interim) (May 2017)
- Qatip Osmani (Jun 2017 – Sep 2019)
- Erhan Salimi (interim) (Sep 2019 - Oct 2019)
- Ernest Gjoka (10 Oct 2019 – Aug 2021)
- Bruno Akrapović (2 Aug 2021 – 4 Apr 2022)
- Artim Shaqiri (Jun 2022 – Sep 2022)
- Qatip Osmani (Sep 2022 – May 2023)
- Ardian Nuhiu (Jun 2023 – present)
References edit
- ^ D. Nikolić. "Predstavljamo Škendiju, prvog Partizanovog rivala". Archived from the original on 23 June 2011. Retrieved 24 June 2011.
- ^ "Škendija, šampion Makedonije". 20 June 2011. Archived from the original on 5 November 2012. Retrieved 24 June 2011.
- ^ "Historiku". Archived from the original on 3 May 2020. Retrieved 14 May 2020.
- ^ a b c "Official KF Shkendija Thread". Archived from the original on 29 September 2011. Retrieved 5 July 2011.
- ^ "Shkendija Tetovo wins the Macedonian First League". Archived from the original on 30 November 2011. Retrieved 14 May 2011.
- ^ "Macedonian First League – Round 32". Archived from the original on 22 November 2012. Retrieved 14 May 2012.
- ^ a b c "Ecolog takes over Shkendija". Archived from the original on 10 March 2014. Retrieved 1 August 2013.
- ^ "Ecolog" shpëton Shkëndijën, tha po" (in Albanian). Archived from the original on 2 August 2013. Retrieved 1 August 2013.
- ^ "Shpëtim Duro to caretake Shkendija". Archived from the original on 2 April 2014. Retrieved 18 May 2014.
- ^ "Shpëtim Duro, trajneri i Shkëndijës së Tetovës". Archived from the original on 29 November 2018. Retrieved 18 May 2014.
- ^ "Shpëtim Duro leaves Shkendija". macedonianfootball.com. macedonianfootball. 25 May 2014. Archived from the original on 25 May 2014. Retrieved 25 May 2014.
- ^ Filip Zdraveski. "Preview: Macedonian First League – Round 9". Archived from the original on 4 February 2012. Retrieved 30 September 2011.
- ^ Emil Gasevski. "Skendija lift Macedonian Super Cup". Archived from the original on 16 July 2018. Retrieved 25 July 2011.
- ^ "Вонредна седница на Управен одбор на Фудбалска федерација на Македонија: Прекин на натпреварувачката сезона 2019/2020". Фудбалска Федерација на Македонија. 4 June 2020. Archived from the original on 4 June 2020. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
External links edit
- Official website (in Albanian)
- Fan Website (in Albanian)
- KF Shkëndija on Facebook
- Club info at MacedonianFootball (in English)
- Supporters Website (in Albanian)
- Football Federation of Macedonia (in Macedonian)