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FC Dinamo City

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FC Dinamo City
Full nameFootball Club Dinamo City
Nickname(s)Dinamovitët
Blutë
Nëndetësja Blu
Founded3 March 1950; 74 years ago (3 March 1950)
GroundElbasan Arena, Tirana
Capacity12,800
PresidentArdian Bardhi
ManagerIlir Daja
LeagueKategoria Superiore
2023–24Kategoria Superiore, 7th
Websitehttp://fcdinamocity.al

Football Club Dinamo City, commonly referred to as Dinamo City and colloquially known as Dinamo, is an Albanian professional football club based out of Tirana. They compete in the Kategoria Superiore, the top tier of Albanian football. Founded in 1950, the club was historically affiliated to the Interior Ministry and having won 18 National Championships, it is considered to be the second most decorated club after local rivals KF Tirana.

History

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The club was officially founded on 3 March 1950 by the Interior Ministry of Albania during the communist regime under dictator Enver Hoxha. They won four consecutive championships from 1950 to 1953.[1] During this time, Dinamo recorded a hot streak of 25 consecutive wins, a record in Albanian football and 4th longest domestic winning streak in Europe.[1]

In 1967, Dinamo won its 9th championship by leaving Tirana, then 17 Nëntori, one point behind, who was expelled for the tournament three weeks before the end.[2] This championship is not officially recognised by UEFA, however.

In 1989, Dinamo eventually finished third in the league which was won by 17 Nëntori, which made eligible to play in European Cup Winners' Cup for the third time in their history.[3] In the preliminary round of the tournament the team faced Chernomorets Burgas, losing the first leg 1–3 (Demollari scoring the lone goal for Dinamo City) but winning the second 4–0 at home, thus recording its biggest win in a UEFA club competition.[4] The team then was eliminated in the first round by Dinamo București despite winning the first leg in Tirana 1–0. Dinamo București won the second leg 2–0.

In 1995, the team were renamed KS Olimpik Tirana to leave behind the "communist past", but the club returned to their original name two years later.[5]

Original Logo

After finishing third in the table in 2005–06 season, Dinamo City named Faruk Sejdini as their new coach. One of Albania's best teachers of footballing fundamentals, he had a spell at the club last term before being dismissed by president Besnik Sulaj. Having returned following a spell at Shkumbini, Sejdini said: "It's nice to be back." On 23 October 2006, he was fired.

At the start of the 2007–08 season, Agim Canaj took over as head coach, replacing Ilir Daja who led Dinamo towards the championship title, after a dramatic win against Partizani 2–1 in the final match, playing for 36 minutes with 9 players. In the summer of 2008, Ilir Daja moved into a position as director in order to make place for Marcelo Javier Zuleta from Argentina. The Argentinian coach also brought with him four Argentinian players; goalkeeper Daniel Bertoya, defender Alejandro Palladino, midfielder Agustín González, and striker Cristian Campozano. Zuleta only lasted for the first Champions League qualification match against Bosnians FK Modriča before he was replaced as coach by Artan Mërgjyshi, for only one match.

Together with Zuleta, the four Argentinian players also left the club. After Mërgjyshi left, Zlatko Dalić, the actual coach of Croatia, was appointed as new coach for Dinamo. He signed a two-year contract with the club. That deal was broken when Dinamo lost its second game in the re-beginning of the 2008–09 season against Partizani. Shkëlqim Muça was then appointed manager of the club five days after of Zlatko Dalić's leave. In the 2009–10 season, Dinamo won the championship again, registering its 18th success.[6]

In 2011–12 season, the club experienced its worst period of all time, finishing last in the league with 13 points from 26 matches, winning only 3 times. They were relegated to the Kategoria e Parë for the first time in their history.[7] Since the 2012–13 season, the club have played in the Kategoria e Parë and have risked relegation to the third tier several times.[8] After spending 9 seasons in the second division, Dinamo clinched the promotion to the Superiore, confirming first place in Group A following a 2–0 win against FK Vora.

On 25 August 2023, it was officially announced by president Bardhi that the club would rebrand to Dinamo City, ahead of the 2023–24 Kategoria Superiore season.

Stadium

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Dinamo City has historically played at Selman Stërmasi Stadium which was also known as Dinamo Stadium when it first opened. After a spell playing at Niko Dovana Stadium, Durrës, Dinamo rebranded in 2023 and now play at the Elbasan Arena in Elbasan.

Supporters

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The "Blue Boys" are an Ultras group for the Albanian football team, Dinamo City. The group were formed in 2008 and have gained 5,000 followers as of 2021. They organise meetings and trips to matches in Tirana and also away matches in Albania and even abroad. They promote Dinamo City to the local public and influence fans of the club in a number of ways.[9]

Honours

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Domestic

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Dinamo are the second most successful and decorated club in Albania, having won (18) league titles Kategoria Superiore .The club also holds the win Albanian Cups (13) and Albanian Supercups (2). The club's most recent trophy was the 2009–10 Kategoria Superiore won on 17 May 2010.

Type Competition Titles Seasons
Domestic Kategoria Superiore 18 1950, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1955, 1956, 1960, 1966–67, 1972–73, 1974–75, 1975–76, 1976–77, 1979–80, 1985–86, 1989–90, 2001–02, 2007–08, 2009–10
Kupa e Shqipërisë 13 1950, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1960, 1970–71, 1973–74, 1977–78, 1981–82, 1988–89, 1989–90, 2002–03
Superkupa e Shqipërisë 2 1989, 2008
Double 6 1950, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1960, 1989–90
Europe Balkans Cup RU 1969

Internationally, they lost a final in the Balkan Cup in 1969 against Beroe Stara Zagora. They won the first leg in Tirana 1–0 with a goal by Bahri Ishka, but in the return match they lost 3–0 by forfeit because during the regime of Enver Hoxha, travel wasn't allowed to Bulgaria.

FC Dinamo City in Europe

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Dinamo City have given good performances in Europe among Albanian squads, winning 3 ties in Europe.

Submarine blues In their European path, Dinamo have played against "big guns" such as: Ajax, Austria Wien, etc. Drawn against teams such as Sporting Lisbona, Beşiktaş, Dinamo București, Olympique Marseille, Brøndby, CSKA Sofia, Sheriff Tiraspol, CZ Jena, Aberdeen, etc. Dinamo has passed 3 rounds in the European cups, defeating opponents like Ħamrun Spartans, Chernomorets Burgas and Kaunas.

Season Competition Round Country Club Home Away Aggregate
1961–63 Balkans Cup Group B Romania FC Dinamo București 1–1 3–2
2nd
Bulgaria Levski Sofia 0–0 2–2
Turkey Fenerbahçe 3–2 0–1
1963–64 Balkans Cup Group A Turkey Beşiktaş 2–0 0–1
3rd
Romania Rapid București 1–1 1–2
Bulgaria Levski Sofia 1–1 1–1
1967–68 European Cup 1R West Germany Eintracht Braunschweig (w/o) (w/o) (w/o)
1969 Balkans Cup Group A Romania Universitatea Craiova 2–0 1–3
1st
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia OFK Bor 4–1 2–2
Final Bulgaria Beroe Stara Zagora 1–0 0–3 1–3
1971–72 European Cup Winners' Cup 1R Austria FK Austria Wien 1–1 0–1 1–2
1976 Balkans Cup Group B Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Dinamo Zagreb 1–2 1–2
2nd
Greece Ethnikos 2–0 3–4
1980–81 European Cup 1R Netherlands AFC Ajax 0–2 0–1 0–3
1981–82 UEFA Cup 1R East Germany FC Carl Zeiss Jena 1–0 0–4 1–4
1982–83 European Cup Winners' Cup 1R Scotland Aberdeen F.C. 0–0 0–1 0–1
1985–86 UEFA Cup 1R Malta Ħamrun Spartans 1–0 0–0 1–0
2R Portugal Sporting Clube de Portugal 0–0 0–1 0–1
1986–87 European Cup 1R Turkey Beşiktaş JK 0–1 0–2 0–3
1987–88 Balkans Cup Group B Turkey Eskişehirspor 3–1 0–4
3rd
Romania Corvinul Hunedoara 1–1 0–2
1989–90 European Cup Winners' Cup QR Bulgaria PFC Chernomorets Burgas 4–0 1–3 5–3
1R Romania FC Dinamo București 1–0 0–2 1–2
1990–91 European Cup 1R France Olympique Marseille 0–0 1–5 1–5
2001–02 UEFA Cup 1QR Romania FC Dinamo București 1–3 0–1 1–4
2002–03 UEFA Champions League 1QR Lithuania FBK Kaunas 0–0 3–2 3–2
2QR Denmark Brøndby IF 0–4 0–1 0–5
2003–04 UEFA Cup QR Belgium KSC Lokeren 0–4 1–3 1–7
2004–05 UEFA Cup 1QR Romania FC Oțelul Galați 1–4 0–4 1–8
2005 UEFA Intertoto Cup 1R Croatia NK Varteks 2–1 1–4 3–5
2006–07 UEFA Cup 1QR Bulgaria PFC CSKA Sofia 0–1 1–4 1–5
2008–09 UEFA Champions League 1QR Bosnia and Herzegovina FK Modriča 0–2 1–2 1–4
2009–10 UEFA Europa League 1QR Finland FC Lahti 2–0 1–4 3–4
2010–11 UEFA Champions League 2QR Moldova Sheriff Tiraspol 1–0 1–3 2–3
  • QR = Qualifying Round
  • 1R = 1st Round
  • 2R = 2nd Round
  • Clubs which ultimately won the tournament in that same season are indicated in bold

Europe

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Recent seasons

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Last Season of Dinamo in Kategoria Superiore

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Season Division Pos. Pl. W D L GS GA P Cup Supercup Europe Top Scorer
2000–01 Kampionati Shqiptar 3rd 26 15 7 4 43 21 52 SR — — — Albania Ilir Qorri 15
2001–02 Kampionati Shqiptar 1st 26 19 6 1 55 15 63 RU — UC 1QR Albania Daniel Xhafaj 10
Albania Klodian Asllani 10
2002–03 Kampionati Shqiptar 6th 26 10 8 8 29 24 39 W RU UCL 2QR Zambia January Zyambo 8
2003–04 Kategoria Superiore 2nd 36 21 8 7 68 39 71 RU RU UC 1QR Albania Ilir Qorri 15
2004–05 Kategoria Superiore 3rd 36 18 8 10 51 30 62 SR — UC 1QR Zambia January Zyambo 13
2005–06 Kategoria Superiore 3rd 36 17 10 9 53 35 61 SF — UIC 1QR Senegal El Hadji Goudjabi 15
2006–07 Kategoria Superiore 5th 33 14 5 14 41 39 57 QF — UC 1QR Croatia Pero Pejić 9
2007–08 Kategoria Superiore 1st 33 21 7 5 56 14 70 SF — — — Croatia Pero Pejić 18
2008–09 Kategoria Superiore 3rd 33 14 10 9 48 34 52 QF W UCL 1QR Albania Sebino Plaku 17
2009–10 Kategoria Superiore 1st 33 19 4 10 56 41 61 THR — UEL 1QR Albania Elis Bakaj 16
2010–11 Kategoria Superiore 10th 33 10 9 14 46 50 39 RU RU UCL 2QR Albania Emiljano Vila 13
2011–12 Kategoria Superiore ↓14th 33 3 7 16 25 47 13 SR — — — Albania Bekim Kuli 6
2021–22 Kategoria Superiore ↓9th 36 6 11 19 21 46 29 QF — — — North Macedonia Agim Ibraimi 8
2023–24 Kategoria Superiore 7th 36 13 8 15 42 43 47 QF — — — Albania Luis Kaçorri 9
2024–25 Kategoria Superiore — — —

Players

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Current squad

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As of 1 September 2024[10]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK Albania ALB Edmir Sali
3 DF Croatia CRO Mateo Mužek
4 DF North Macedonia MKD Agron Rufati
5 DF Albania ALB Rustem Hoxha
6 MF Albania ALB Adrian Doci
7 FW Kosovo KOS Baton Zabërgja
8 MF Senegal SEN Bakary Goudiaby
9 FW Nigeria NGA Itodo Mandela
10 MF Albania ALB Lorenco Vila
11 FW Albania ALB Dejvi Bregu
14 DF Kosovo KOS Bekim Maliqi
16 DF Albania ALB Irgen Hasanaj
17 MF The Gambia GAM Karamba Gassama
No. Pos. Nation Player
18 FW Portugal POR Tiago Nani
19 DF Albania ALB Jord Çelkupa
21 MF Albania ALB Klevi Qefalija
22 MF Albania ALB Bruno Dita (captain)
23 DF Albania ALB Jorgo Meksi
27 DF Albania ALB Naser Aliji
47 MF Brazil BRA Lorran Quintanilha
50 GK Albania ALB Rajan Guçi
55 DF Albania ALB Antonio Miço
70 FW Gabon GAB André-Jordy Ella
71 MF Albania ALB Ardit Toli
77 GK Albania ALB Aldo Teqja
99 MF Albania ALB Eridon Qardaku

On Loan

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Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
— MF Albania ALB Oresti Kasmollari (at Pogradeci)

Current staff

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Position Name
Head coach Albania Ilir Daja
Assistant coach Albania Fatjon Tafaj
Goalkeeping coach Albania Ilir Bozhiqi
Albania Blendi Baholli
Fitness coach Italy Korrado Sacone
Team manager Albania Ergi Kasmi
Physio Albania Gledi Rexha
Albania Ramiz Reçi
President Albania Adrian Bardhi
General director Albania Ermal Barushi
Sports director North Macedonia Haris Fakić

Top scorers (Golden Boot)

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Season Player Goals
1955 Albania Skënder Jareci 23
1958 Albania Skënder Jareci 14
1960 Albania Skënder Jareci 16
1970–71 Albania Ilir Përnaska 19
1971–72 Albania Ilir Përnaska 17
1972–73 Albania Ilir Përnaska 12
1973–74 Albania Ilir Përnaska 19
1974–75 Albania Ilir Përnaska 17
1975–76 Albania Ilir Përnaska 18

Notable players

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See also: Category:FC Dinamo City players

List of managers

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Managerial records

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Name Kategoria Superiore Albanian Cup Supercup Total
Albania Zihni Gjinali 6 — — 6
Albania Skënder Jareci 2 — — 2
Albania Durim Shehu 2 — — 2
Albania Shkëlqim Muça 1 — — 1
Albania Stavri Lubonja 1 — — 1
Albania Fatmir Frashëri 1 — — 1
Albania Bejkush Birçe 1 — — 1
Albania Faruk Sejdini 1 — — 1
Albania Ilir Daja 1 — — 1
Albania Sabri Peqini 1 — — 1
Albania Zyber Konçi 1 — — 1
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References

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  1. ^ a b "Europe's longest domestic winning streaks". UEFA.com. 14 January 2017. Archived from the original on 31 December 2017. Retrieved 30 December 2017.
  2. ^ Skifter Këlliçi (21 June 2012). "NJE KAMPIONE E DENUAR NGA DIKTATURA!." [A CHAMPION PUNISHED BY DICTATURE!..] (in Albanian). Tirana Observer. Archived from the original on 15 June 2017. Retrieved 23 June 2017.
  3. ^ "ALBANIAN FOOTBALL SEASON 1988–89". Giovanni Armillotta. Archived from the original on 14 February 2020. Retrieved 23 June 2017.
  4. ^ "Dinamo Tirana". UEFA.com. Archived from the original on 21 March 2018. Retrieved 23 June 2017.
  5. ^ "Dinamo...lavdia e sportit drejt zhdukjes!" [Dinamo...the glory of the sport towards extinction!] (in Albanian). Albanian Free Press. 28 May 2017. Archived from the original on 2 July 2017. Retrieved 23 June 2017.
  6. ^ "Dinamo kampione e Shqiperise per here te 18-te, dhe duke humbur" [Dinamo are Albanian champions for the 18th time, even losing] (in Albanian). Albania Soccer. 21 April 2010. Archived from the original on 7 November 2017. Retrieved 22 June 2017.
  7. ^ "Dinamo historia e nje legjende drejt nje renieje te paralajmeruar" [Dinamo, the history of a legend towards a warning decrease] (in Albanian). Shqipëria.com. 7 May 2012. Archived from the original on 16 May 2023. Retrieved 23 June 2017.
  8. ^ Drilon Xhepollari (7 May 2017). "Dinamo zyrtarisht qëndron në Kategorinë e Parë" [Dinamo officially stays in Albanian First Division] (in Albanian). Telesport.al. Archived from the original on 25 September 2017. Retrieved 23 June 2017.
  9. ^ Dinamo Tirana at Weltfussball.de Archived 2008-09-27 at the Wayback Machine
  10. ^ "Dinamo Tirana squad". Soccerway. Archived from the original on 28 January 2019. Retrieved 25 August 2023.
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