KF Tirana is getting closer to winning the championship in Albania.
The team is one of the most known clubs in the country, and yet they are also an evergreen underdog that has a long history of suffering.
In 2017, KF Tirana reached a new rock bottom, as the club was relegated to the second division for the first time. Four days later, they won the Albanian Cup, but it didn't improve the atmosphere in the club. They promoted back quickly after one year, but this season wasn't different from their past times.
KF Tirana was the leading club in Albania in the pre-World War II era, but things have changed. Since 1945, Albania became a communist republic ruled by Enver Hoxha, who was known for his radical attitude. In these times, the club was forced to change its name to 17 Nëntori, in memory of November 17, 1944, the liberation day of Albania. KF Tirana was least favored by the Politburo, which preferred to support Partizani, who was backed by the Albanian Army, and Dinamo, who was backed by the police.
After the fall of the communism, KF Tirana retianed their old dominance. They won 10 titles in 15 seasons and broke the Albanian record as the club with the most championships. Alongside 27 championships, KF Tirana also won 16 cups. Since their last championship in 2009, KF Tirana began a series of failures. Bad management decisions, poor results, and years in the bottom of the league have resulted in a 2017 relegation.
Their return to the top tier didn't bring new hope, but something unusual happened. After sacking two coaches since the beginning of the season, KF Tirana appointed the inexperienced Ndubuisi Egbo as their new manager. As a player, Egbo made 12 international caps for Nigeria. Egbo also played in KF Tirana and made 157 league appearances for the club. Since 2014 he is the club's goalkeeping coach, but it wouldn't be the manager that you might expect to lead the club to success.
During Egbo's spell, KF Tirana made an unbelievable run. They won 14 matches, made another draw, and lost only once - in 16 games. A short look in the squad will make it even more surprising. The 40-year-old goalkeeper, Ilion Lika, made more than 500 league appearances in his career, but his only championship was in 2003. The team's top scorer, Idriz Batha, is making a double-digit scoring season for the first time. Their most famous Albanian player is Andi Lila, who was part of the Albanian squad for the Euro 2016.
With six matches to go, KF Tirana is getting closer to finish a drought of more than a decade without a championship. It might be the first step in gaining their place on the top of Albanian football. As their past shows, even that doesn’t promise them staying there for a long time.
Thumbnail photo by KF Tirana official Facebook page
