Another football talent from Albania has decided to represent Kosovo. The player in question is Lutfi Dalipi, who has now officially chosen to wear the Kosovo jersey, ending the race between the two federations to convince him to play at senior international level.
Although it had been rumoured a week earlier that Dalipi would choose Albania, the situation has taken a different direction. The Football Federation of Kosovo has managed to persuade the player, securing the services of another promising talent for the future.
Signals about this choice had been given earlier by Kosovo’s coach, Franco Foda, who had said they were expecting Dalipi in the Kosovo national team. Meanwhile, the FFK published a social media post at the moment Albania were playing against Finland, confirming developments around the player.
In this story, FFK president Agim Ademi appears to have moved at the right time to secure the talent. Dalipi was part of Switzerland’s U-21 national team, while in the Swiss state there had been concerns about Albania’s interest. However, in the end it was Kosovo that managed to convince the player about his international future.
For the FSHF, this is another case where a player with potential chooses Kosovo. Earlier, Enis Rexhepi had also moved away from Albania’s age-group teams to join the Kosovo national team. Meanwhile, on the pitch, Albania recorded a 2-0 win over Finland, keeping first place in Group C1 of the UEFA Nations League.