The rise of Kosovo: Europe’s next footballing superpower?

After years of struggle fighting to be approved a FIFA member Kosovo stand inches away from qualification to the European Championships next summer.

In 2016 on a warm September day, about two thousand Kosovan fans packed into the tight and open arena of Finland’s Veritas Stadion. The loud and passionate crowd witnessed history that night. For 90 minutes they had forgotten about the terrible tragedy of their history, the atrocities of war and the malignant politics which had wreaked their homeland, Kosovo.

After years and years of persistent rejection by FIFA since Kosovo’s declaration of independence in 2008, the fans finally got to see their nation lining up to play their first competitive fixture.

The days leading up to the game had been frantic. Applications, files and phone calls back and forth with FIFA officials in order to ensure the eligibility of the Kosovan players. One such player was Valon Berisha. A midfielder born in Malmo, Sweden, to Kosovan refugees who had emigrated to Norway later. Prior to committing for Kosovo, Berisha represented the Norway national team on 20 occasions. He had only been given clearance to play for Kosovo on the day of the match against Finland.

It is Berisha who holds the historic record of scoring Kosovo’s first ever competitive international goal.

In the 59th minute of the game, his namesake Bernard Berisha, a diminutive player, dazzled the Finish centre back Lam with his close control and lured the player to commit a foul against him in the box.

The referee didn’t have a choice but to award Kosovo a penalty kick.

Valon Berisha stepped up. He may have played 20 caps for Norway but he was yet to score at international level. There were nerves of course. A whole nation of 1.89 million were watching with their hands in their mouth.

But Berisha is a character of strong mettle.

He smashed the ball into the top corner of the net and wheeled away in jubilation. There was unbridled joy in the stands and on the field, players ran screaming to hug Berisha and fans bounced up and down jubilantly cheering ecstatically from the top of their lungs.

Back in Kosovo people were cheering in bars, on the streets and on sofas around the country. It was a momentous occasion. One to savour and to never forget. Most importantly it was a memory finally of joy and not of horror and disappointment which has haunted them over long decades.

Kosovo is a nation of extremely proud supporters. It is a nation built on tragedy and loss. During the 1990s and the Yugoslavian wars, the nation were annihilated by Serbian forces and massacred.

The United Nations had to intervene in the terrible war which ensued, but by then it was already too late. Around 2000 civilians had lost their lives and many hundreds of thousands had fled the country.

To this day Serbia refuses to acknowledge Kosovo’s status as a country. The Kosovan people still feel persecuted and the conflict is far from resolved or mellowed.

The dark politics continues and the poverty and mistreatment of Kosovan people is persistent. Everyday life in Kosovo is excruciatingly hard. It is a fight for survival, a fight for acceptance and the persistent toiling never-ending pursuit for a better quality of living.

To a nation facing such dismay and poverty, football is a great source of escape. When the international weeks come rolling by Kosovo is thrown into football frenzy. The country’s 1.8 million people watch their youthful squad made largely of players who had been born to refugees or were refugees themselves during the wretched conflict with Serbia, and they cheer them on with unbridled joy.

Each time Kosovo plays in the European Qualifiers it’s a proof to the Kosovan people of their nation’s legitimacy and existence. It’s a statement that Kosovo exists and it matters.

A country with such passion, such ferocity, the players are given a metaphorical rocket boost every time they don the blue and yellow colours of Kosovo thanks to the passionate support behind them.

And they have not disappointed. Since that draw against Finland on that warm 2016 September evening, Kosovo have gone on a two-year unbeaten run between 2017-2019 and are now close to securing qualification to the 2020 European Championships.

The feat of their achievement is unprecedented. Their squad is one of the youngest in Europe.  The average age is usually around 25 or under in the squads selected by veteran Swiss coach Bernard Challandes.

Challandes himself is a character who has largely spent his life as a scout and youth coach, but since his appointment in 2018 as Kosovo’s head coach he has inspired a spirited approach with his heavy pressing style and enthusiastic personality which is imbued onto the team when they are on the pitch.

Kosovo are blessed with talent too, Milot Rashica, Arber Zeneli, Valon Berisha and Vedat Muriqi may not be household footballing names, but they are smart and clever talents who play in some of Europe’s top leagues.

More importantly they are all players with incredible backgrounds and stories of fleeing their beloved country amidst the terror and poverty. They have lived their lives as underdogs fighting for acceptance and persevering in the hope to achieve their dreams. They have a great hunger for the game and the desire to win at all costs.

It’s that spirit which Kosovo play in and their never say die attitude which has often come out on trumps during their unbeaten period. Often the side came back from trailing to secure a victory. Recently against the Czech Republic Kosovo turned over a 1-0 deficit to win 2-1 and in the game prior against Bulgaria Kosovo came back to win 3-2 from being 2-1 down.

Ultimately their unbeaten record was ended by a strong England side. It was however a spirited defeat in which Kosovo never showed signs of giving up even despite being 5-1 down and fought England to the very last minute. The ultimate score line of 5-3 seemed a more just ending to the game, but even so Kosovo came away feeling a sense of missed opportunity.

Their place is already assured in the play offs for Euro 2020 thanks to their excellent Nations League campaign, however with only one point behind the Czech Republic in Group A and with three games still to play, Kosovo will have high hopes to secure automatic qualification to the tournament next summer.

Even if they do not, with their remarkable story and unbridled determination, and their exuberant youthful side, it is only a matter of time until we see Kosovo on one of the main stages of world football.

They are a nation to watch and a nation to inspire. Despite the odds, despite the hurdles and trials and tribulations, they have overcome and surely nothing will hold them back.