How Albanian giants Skenderbeu earned UEFA’s longest-ever ban (10 years!!!)
The Sweeper - A World Football PodcastShow Notes
Almost a decade ago, a scandal shook Albanian football as Skenderbeu were found guilty of match-fixing on an unprecedented scale and banned by UEFA for 10 years.
It is the longest ban in European football history, but Albania’s eight-time national champions could return to the continental stage next season if they finish high enough this term.
So what exactly did Skenderbeu do to make Manchester City look like absolute saints? How has their conduct impacted Albanian football’s reputation? And which other European club equalled their record only to have their ban reduced by three years on appeal?
Plus, we pay a visit to the beautiful Air Albania Stadium to take in a fiery Tirana derby, and we announce The Sweeper's partnership with Futbology which played a crucial role in planning the trip!
Join us on Patreon for a deep dive into the newly announced AFC Nations League, which is set to launch in 2030 and will reshape Asia’s World Cup qualification process, and a look at the Millwall player who became a star for Indonesia in their ASEAN Cup success.
You can download Futbology here.
Chapters:
00:00 – Intro
00:54 – Skenderbeu’s 10-year ban
04:46 – Albania’s Flamingo Revolution and corruption problems
08:53 – Albania’s unusual league format
11:43 – Futbology’s continental badges
15:25 – Tirana derby live report
26:22 – Tourist highlights from Albania Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
More from The Sweeper - A World Football Podcast
UEFA has not added to its 55 members in a decade – the longest time between new additions since San Marino joined in 1988 – though it has not been for a lack of trying.
By 2030, half of CONMEBOL’s 10 members will have hosted a World Cup match. But the likes of Bolivia, Ecuador and Peru are unlikely to ever follow suit – in large part due to altitude.
Real Sociedad were in action in Vigo last weekend – not in La Liga but in La Liga 2, in what is currently the only fixture between two B-teams in Spain’s second tier.
Relations on the Caribbean island of Hispaniola, which is shared by Haiti in the west and the Dominican Republic in the east, are already fraught enough.
With a combined 2.9 billion inhabitants, India and China are the world’s largest countries. Yet both of them underachieve spectacularly when it comes to international football.