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Albania’s leading club accused of match fixing like nobody has done before

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    Albania’s leading club accused of match fixing like nobody has done before

    https://www.theguardian.com/sport/20...efa-report-ban

    I know a little of the history of match fixing in Albania - most clubs saw a European fixture as a means of paying for the season's costs by manipulating the result. I don't know anyone at Skenderbeu, but it doersn't surprise me - there are lots of extremely unsavoury characters owning and running clubs.

    #2
    If only C.B. Fry had accepted the offer of the Albanian crown . . .

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      #3
      If he had, the Albanians would be spot fixing in cricket (and the long-jump) instead?

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        #4
        This would make for a better story

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          #5
          In the 2000s I used to do a lot of Albanian football as it tied in with the utterly mental railways out there at the time.

          The subsequent rise of Skenderbeu has always intrigued me as Korce is such an out of the way place.

          I did it in 20?? and it was the one a day train to Pogradec where we got a lift from someone in an English plated VW Passat who's brother had somehow made it to Basildon and had brought back a car for him. For those that have never been to Albania, a good 20% of cars have English number plates.

          Anyway, the place was very strange, being quite a large city but away from the major population, certainly by the route we had travelled. It seem massively influenced by the Greeks, for which the border is much closer than any other Albanian city.

          Anyway, the ground itself was a dirt track athletics stadium with a small stand and the rest was a mixture of crumbling terracing or broken bench seating. Have no idea who the opposition were or the score. This was largely due to the city being home of the largest brewery in Albania, which was the main reason we visited and who's product we heavily imbibed in.

          Anyway, to then see them lording it in the Albanian leagues was suspect to say the least.

          I'm on the train home now so I'll dig out some photos from the day.

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            #6
            I say anyway a lot.

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              #7
              Have now got home and checking the somewhat sketchy records it appears to be as late as January 2008 when I attended. The perils of being spread over two abodes means I've got my train pictures but not the football.

              Never missing an opportunity to hi-jack a thread with details of a train journey, Looking through them, it was an eventful day. We'd (I was with my mate Ciaran) come in from Montenegro the day before, afternoon train down from Skoda to Tirana, then an evening move across to Durres for the night.

              A morning start with the Communist era information system on the right somewhat restricted by only three destinations now being served.


              The station posters had some very familiar traction


              Passing the strategic reserve of steam locos:-


              And then bricked by the local youths.


              However, approaching Qukës, we were flagged down by a group of blokes, who it turned out were railway workers, to tell us the river bridge ahead was in iminent danger of collapse.


              In a slight diversion to normal operating practices, those that feared for their lives were told to go and thumb a lift on the adjacent road.


              Whilst eventually, we carried on our way. We'd chosen to risk it mostly because we wanted to see the loco dump at Prrenjas.


              Which contained one of the ex German DB Warships which Hoxha had purloined.


              Eventually arriving, six hours later, at journey's end at Pogradec, or more accurately, an abandoned zinc mine outside the city.


              This is where we got the lift to Korçë from. Ciaran, the mate I was with, has a Flickr site so I'll see if he has the ground photos.
              Last edited by Big Boobs and FIRE!; 19-03-2018, 22:34.

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                #8
                Skenderbeu's visit to Crusaders in the 2015/16 CL R2 was a tad rum- they were 4-1 and 2-1 up before basically throwing a couple in the last 5 minutes (Crues also hit a post and had one disallowed in injury time)

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                  #9
                  Originally posted by Duncan Gardner View Post
                  Skenderbeu's visit to Crusaders in the 2015/16 CL R2 was a tad rum- they were 4-1 and 2-1 up before basically throwing a couple in the last 5 minutes (Crues also hit a post and had one disallowed in injury time)
                  That's one of the games in question. BB&F - you should have called in - I lived in Tirana for four years from 2000.

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