Kosovo’s national football team was rocked by controversy on Sunday after three of its players, including a Premier League goalkeeper, were banned from their country for allegedly breaking team rules.
The three players were charged with attending a nightclub during an international match after Kosovo’s 3-0 defeat to Romania on Friday afternoon.
The players reportedly stayed at the club until 2am, prompting swift disciplinary action by the Football Federation of Kosovo (FFK).
FFK issued a statement confirming the dismissal of the players, explaining that the decision was taken jointly by the team’s coach, Franco Foda, and the association’s management.
One of the players at the centre of the scandal was Ipswich Town goalkeeper Arijanet Muric, who was dropped from the squad along with Edon Zhegrova and Florent Muslija.
Kosovo’s national football team was rocked by controversy on Sunday after three of its players were expelled from the squad.
Goalkeeper Arijanet Muric, winger Edon Zhegrova and midfielder Florent Muslija have been charged with attending a discotheque during an international match.
“By joint decision of coach Franco Foda and the association, three players were excluded: Arijanet Muric, Edon Zhegrova and Florent Muslija, because they violated the rules of the national team set by the coach and the association,” the statement said.
In addition, the federation announced that FC Drita goalkeeper Faton Maloku will be called up as a substitute for the team and wrote: “The FFK Executive Committee will decide on further measures to be taken against the affected footballers. In the meantime, FC Drita goalkeeper Faton Maloku, who was on the waiting list, will join the team.”
The incident has attracted considerable attention, with reports circulating that videos of the players at the nightclub have appeared on social media, adding fuel to the fire.
Despite the controversy, the players appeared to show little remorse. Zhegrova took to Instagram to dismiss the reports as “fake news,” while Muric allegedly claimed his presence at the club was only for eating, not partying.
He continued: “The decision for us was not fair at all and the rumours circulating are not true at all.”
All three players have enjoyed relatively successful careers at their respective clubs, and their absence will undoubtedly be felt in Kosovo’s Euro 2024 qualifying campaign.
Muric, who joined Ipswich Town from Burnley this summer for £15million, earned his 39th cap as Kosovo were beaten 3-0 by Romania in Pristina on Friday.
The players reportedly stayed at the nightclub until 2am, prompting swift disciplinary action by the Football Federation of Kosovo (FFK).
All three players have enjoyed relatively successful careers at their respective clubs, and their absence will undoubtedly be felt in Kosovo’s Euro 2024 qualifying campaign.
Muric made just 10 Premier League appearances last season as the Clarets were relegated to the Championship under Manchester City legend Vincent Kompany.
Muric’s absence will be felt in the Kosovo squad given his impressive performances during the 2022-23 season that helped Burnley secure promotion to the Premier League.
However, Muric made just 10 Premier League appearances last season as the Clarets were relegated to the Championship under Manchester City legend Vincent Kompany.
However, Muric has enjoyed a successful start to his Ipswich career after being nominated for August’s Save of the Month award after denying Erling Haaland from close range.
Meanwhile, Zhegrova has been a rising star in Ligue 1, contributing regularly for Lille since joining the French club. Furthermore, Muslija, who is 26 and plays in Germany’s top flight, has been a consistent performer for SC Freiburg, who currently sit 10th in the Bundesliga this season.