Klubi i Futbollit Besa Kavajë is an Albanian professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

club based in

Kavajë Kavajë ( , sq-definite, Kavaja) is a city and municipality centrally located in the Western Lowlands region of Albania, in Tirana County. It borders Durrës to the north , Tirana, Tiranë to the east and Rrogozhinë to the south . To the west ...

. They are currently competing in

Kategoria e Parë Kategoria e Parë is the second tier of professional football in Albania Albania ( ; or ), officially the Republic of Albania (), is a country in Southeast Europe. It is located in the Balkans, on the Adriatic Sea, Adriatic and Ionian Se ...

, the second tier of Albanian football. Their home ground is

Besa Stadium Besa Stadium () is a football stadium in Kavajë, Albania. It is the home ground of Besa Kavajë. The stadium has a full seating capacity Seating capacity is the number of people who can be seated in a specific space, in terms of both the physi ...

History

Early years (1925–44)

Klubi Sportiv Besa was founded on 25 October 1925 as "Shoqata Kulturore Sportive Adriatiku", which was a multi-disciplinary sports club based in

Albania Albania ( ; or ), officially the Republic of Albania (), is a country in Southeast Europe. It is located in the Balkans, on the Adriatic Sea, Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea, and shares land borders with Montenegro to ...

. In 1930, the club changed its name to "Sport Klub Kavajë". That same year the football team played its first ever friendly at Mali i Robit,

Golem A golem ( ; ) is an animated Anthropomorphism, anthropomorphic being in Jewish folklore, which is created entirely from inanimate matter, usually clay or mud. The most famous golem narrative involves Judah Loew ben Bezalel, the late 16th-century ...

, against an amateur team formed of students from the Albanian-American Institute of Agriculture. A short time later, SK Kavajë joined the newly formed

Albanian Football Federation The Albanian Football Federation (; FSHF) is the governing body of football in Albania. Headquartered in Tirana, it organises the national football leagues of Kategoria Superiore, Kategoria e Parë, Kategoria e Dytë, Kategoria e Tretë, Albania ...

and participated in the 1930 second tier championship where they would repeat their participation for the next two seasons, before joining the top tier

in 1933. In their first top flight championship, SK Kavajë finished last in the 5 team league, losing 7 games and winning just one, a 2–1 victory over local rivals

Teuta Durrës Klubi i Futbollit Teuta, commonly referred to as ''Teuta'', is an Albanian professional football club based in Durrës. The club competes in the Kategoria Superiore, the top tier of Albanian football. Their home ground is the Niko Dovana Stadiu ...

. In 1935, under the leadership of chairman Irfan Berati, the club became an organised entity. The vice-chairman was Fehmi Kazazi, its secretary was Dervish Cara, and the committee included members Sulejman Karkini and Reshat Asllani. Rasim Sulejmani served as clerk, while Dhori Fora managed the trade of craft. The following year, the club was renamed "Besa Kavajë", also known as "Besa Sport Klub", derived from the name Besa, the Albanian cultural precept meaning "to keep the promise" and "word of honour". During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, many members of the club lost their lives as soldiers, including Mehmet Babamusta, Adil Alushi, Sami Karriqi and Millan Radosalja. The activities of the club became very limited and support came primarily from the local residents of the city. There were no official competitions held in Albania at this time.

Rise (1945–65)

But between 1945 and 1950, the club experienced a revival which was due to young talented players coming through the ranks of the youth teams, including the likes of

Qamil Teliti Qamil Teliti (9 July 1922 – 7 December 1977), nicknamed ''Tarzani'', was an Albanian footballer known for being one of the most important players of the Albania team that won the Balkan Cup in 1946. Along with Loro Boriçi he was one of the art ...

who went on to receive national success. During the 1945–46 season, the club won the unofficial Sports Federation President's Cup. In 1958, the club achieved a second-place finish in the top tier Albanian Championship, narrowly losing out to

Partizani Tirana Futboll Klub Partizani is an Albanian professional football club based in Tirana, that competes in the Kategoria Superiore. Founded in 1946, the club was historically affiliated to the Albanian army. Partizani's home ground is the newly built sta ...

for the title by one point. During that same season, they reached the semi-final of the

Albanian Cup The Albanian Cup () is the main "knockout" competition in Albanian football. The competition started in 1939 as Kupa e Mbretit ( English:"The King's Cup"). The cup was suspended for the next eight years as the Second World War started. It start ...

, again losing out to eventual winners Partizani. The club would go on to reach the finals of the Albanian Cup in 1961, losing to Partizani once again and also the following season in 1962–63, where they lost on penalties to 17 Nëntori. In 1963, Besa won the unofficial cup competition held by "Sporti" newspaper, and in 1965 it won the "Bashkimi" newspaper competition.

Golden generation (1965–75)

The period between 1965 and 1975 has been called the golden generation of football in Kavajë, due to the domestic achievements especially in the Albanian Cup which resulted in the club's first ever European games. In 1971, they finished as runners-up in the Albanian Cup after losing 2–0 in the finals to

Dinamo Tirana 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 i ...

. They repeated this feat the following year, losing on penalties in the cup final following a 2–2 draw with Vllaznia Shkodër, but as Vllaznia also won the league in that same year, this gave Besa the opportunity to participate in the

UEFA Cup Winners' Cup The UEFA Cup Winners' Cup was a European association football, football club competition contested annually by the winners of domestic cup competitions. The competition's official name was originally the European Cup Winners' Cup; it was renam ...

in the 1972–73 season. Their first European opponents were Danish side,

Fremad Amager Boldklubben Fremad Amager (meaning in English: The Ball Club Forward Amager; abbreviated Fremad A) is a Danish professional football club based in the district of Amager Vest, Copenhagen. As of the 2024–25 season, the club's senior men's team ...

, who Besa managed to overcome on away goals following a 1–1 draw away in

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...

and a goalless draw at home. In the next round however they were beaten by Scottish side Hibernian, whom they lost to on aggregate 2–8, following a 1–7 away loss and a 1–1 draw at home. The end of the golden era was marked with the completion of the club's first purpose-built stadium,

. Construction was completed in 1974 with the new stadium having a capacity to seat 9,000 spectators.

Recent seasons

Besa confirmed their place in the

2007–08 UEFA Cup The 2007–08 UEFA Cup was the 37th edition of the UEFA Europa League, UEFA Cup, UEFA's former second-tier club association football, football tournament. The 2008 UEFA Cup Final, final was played at the City of Manchester Stadium, Manchester, E ...

after a 3–2 win against neighbours

KS Teuta Klubi i Futbollit Teuta, commonly referred to as ''Teuta'', is an Albanian professional football club based in Durrës. The club competes in the Kategoria Superiore, the top tier of Albanian football. Their home ground is the Niko Dovana Stadium ...

in the 2006–07 Albanian Cup final. They met

Bežanija Bežanija ( sr-Cyrl, Бежанија, ) is an urban neighborhood of Belgrade, Serbia. It is located in Belgrade's municipality of Novi Beograd, in the Syrmia region. Location Bežanija is located west of the downtown Belgrade, across the Sa ...

of Serbia in the first qualifying round, drawing 2–2 away and 0–0 at home to progress on away goals. In the second qualifying round, they fell 0–3 in each leg to Bulgarian side

Litex Lovech FC Lovech (; formerly Litex Lovech) is a Bulgarian professional association football, football club based in Lovech, that competes in the Second Professional Football League (Bulgaria), Second League. The club was founded in 1921 as Hisarya Spor ...

. In 2008, they qualified for the

Intertoto Cup The UEFA Intertoto Cup (from , "between" and , " betting pool"),Most precisely, from (football pool); cf. originally called the International Football Cup, was a summer football competition between European clubs. The competition was discon ...

due to their third-place finish in the league, drawing

Ethnikos Achna Ethnikos Achna Football Club (), commonly known as Ethnikos Achna, or simply Ethnikos, is a Cyprus, Cypriot professional Association football, football club based in the village of Dasaki Achnas. Founded in 1968, the club currently plays in the ...

0–0 at home and 1–1 in

Cyprus Cyprus (), officially the Republic of Cyprus, is an island country in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Situated in West Asia, its cultural identity and geopolitical orientation are overwhelmingly Southeast European. Cyprus is the List of isl ...

and continued on away goals. In the 2nd round of the Intertoto cup they were eliminated by

Grasshopper Zürich Grasshopper Club Zurich (GCZ), commonly referred to as Grasshopper Club or simply just GC, is a professional multisports club based in Zurich, Switzerland. They are nicknamed the ''Grasshoppers'' or sometimes just ''Hoppers''. The oldest and b ...

from Switzerland.

Legacy

Since its inception, many of the club's players have gone on to represent the Albania national team at all levels of international competition. Notably,

scored the winning goal in the

1946 Balkan Cup The 1946 Balkan Cup was the 8th edition of this tournament. The participanting teams were Yugoslavia, Bulgaria, Romania and for the first time ever, Albania, who ended up winning the tournament in their first try. Squads *The four men's nationa ...

final. The depth of talent emerging from Besa's youth system was evident in the 1956 derby between

Dinamo A dynamo is a magnetic device originally used as an electric generator. Dynamo or Dinamo may also refer to: Places * Dinamo (Moscow Metro), a station of the Moscow Metro, Moscow, Russia * Dinamo (Yekaterinburg Metro), a station of the Yekaterinb ...

and Partizani, which featured seven players deriving from the club's ranks, including legendary goalkeepers

Qemal Vogli Qemal Vogli (29 September 1929 – 4 July 2004) was a famous Albanian footballer who played most of his professional career as goalkeeper for Dinamo Tirana football club. Vogli is widely considered as the greatest goalkeeper in the history of ...

and

Sulejman Maliqati Sulejman Maliqati (1 August 1928 – 5 October 2022) was an Albanian footballer who played as a goalkeeper, most notably for Partizani Tirana.

. Two-time league top scorer

Dashnor Bajaziti Dashnor Bajaziti (born 4 January 1955) is a former Albanian footballer who played as a striker for Besa Kavajë and the Albania National Football Team. He was a two-time top scorer of the Albanian Superliga. International career He made his debu ...

scored a hat-trick to crown the U–21 national team Balkan champions in 1978. Parid Xhihani would go on to score 7 goals in eight appearances for the same youth national team.

Altin Rraklli Altin Rraklli (born 17 July 1970) is an Albanian football coach and former player who played as a forward. Most of his professional career was spent in Germany, where he played for five clubs in both major levels of football, mainly SC Freibu ...

was the national team's top scorer during the 1990s. Andi Lila and

Sokol Cikalleshi Sokol Cikalleshi (; born 27 July 1990) is an Albanian professional footballer who plays as forward for Turkish club Adanaspor and the Albania national team. He made his professional debut in 2007 as a 17-year-old with his hometown club Besa, ...

represented Albania in its first ever qualification of a major international tournament, the

UEFA Euro 2016 The 2016 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2016 (stylised as UEFA EURO 2016) or simply Euro 2016, was the 15th UEFA European Championship, the quadrennial international men's association football, football ch ...

. At the youth level, Besa U–19 have been crowned national champions twice, during the 1992–93 and 2008–09 seasons, respectively. Besa U–17 earned its only championship title during the 2017–18 season.

Besa in European competitions

''As of October 2015'' * 1QR = 1st Qualifying Round * 2QR = 2nd Qualifying Round * 1R = 1st round * 2R = 2nd round * 3R = 3rd round

Current squad

List of managers

Rexhep Spahiu Rexhep Spahiu (21 January 1923 – 12 January 1993) was an Albanian football player and coach. Nicknamed ''Xhepi'', he spent his playing career with Sportklub Tiranë and Partizani Tirana, before becoming the head coach of Partizani, Apolonia ...

(1960–1971) *

Muhamet Vila Muhamet Vila (7 March 1928 – 18 January 2002) was an Albanian footballer who played his entire professional career as defender for Dinamo Tirana football club. Playing career Club Paired with Xhevdet Shaqiri he formed the backbone of the defen ...

(1971–1973) * Fatmir Frashëri (1981–1982) *

(1985–1988) * Bajram Hushi (1990–1991) * Fisnik Kosova (1992–1993) *

Zihni Gjinali Zihni Gjinali (5 May 1926 – 19 July 2005) was an Albanian footballer who played his professional career for Besa, Dinamo Tirana and Partizani Tirana football clubs. He was the captain and head coach of the Dinamo Dynasty of the 1950s. Gji ...

(1994) * Fisnik Kosova (1994) * Haki Arkaxhiu (1995) *

Azem Mullaliu Azem Mullaliu (born in Kavajë) is a retired Albanian footballer who played as a defender for Besa Kavajë in the Albanian Superliga during the 1970s. He was called up and played in several unofficial matches for the Albania national football team ...

(1995–1996) * Artan Lilamani (1996) * Bujar Pagria (1997) *

Edmond Gëzdari Edmond may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Edmond'' (play), a 1982 play by David Mamet ** ''Edmond'' (film), a 2005 film based on the 1982 play * '' E.d.M.O.N.D'', a 2013 EP by Edmond Leung * ''Edmond'', a 2016 play by Alexis Michalik ** ''E ...

(1997–1998) * Naim Hushi (1998) *

Shkëlqim Muça Shkëlqim Muça (born 19 March 1960) is an Albanian football coach and former player. Playing career Club He created the attacking trio Muça- Minga-Kola at Nëntori Tirana that was probably the best and most prolific attacking trio in the Alb ...

(1998–1999) * Ilir Gjyla (1999–2000) *

Ramadan Shehu Ramadan Shehu (born 14 July 1948) is an Albanian football coach and director, whose last role in football was as the technical director of Kukësi in the Albanian Superliga Kategoria Superiore (), also known as Abissnet Superiore for sponsor ...

(2001) * Faruk Sejdini (2001) *

(2001) * Haxhi Arkaxhiu (2002) *

(2002) * Abdyl Kuriu (2002) *

(2002) * Astrit Sejdini (2003) * Ilir Gjyla (2003) *

Ilir Duro Ilir Duro (born 25 July 1966) is an Albanian football manager and former player. He played as a forward for Besa Kavajë, Dinamo Tirana and Freiburger FC. He served as head coach of Besa Kavajë in the Albanian Superliga Kategoria Superiore ( ...

(4 Jan 2005 – 28 Aug 2005) * Agim Canaj (28 Aug 2005 – 3 Dec 2005) * Ilir Shulku (3 Dec 2005 – 05 Apr 2006) * Përparim Daiu (05 Apr 2006 – 30 Jun 2006) * Hasan Lika (Jul 2006 – 25 Sep 2006) * Përparim Daiu (25 Sep 2006 – 20 Nov 2006) * Vasil Bici (20 Nov 2006 – 14 May 2007) * Ylli Teliti (14 May 2007 – Jun 2007) * Silviu Dumitrescu (Jul 2007 – 29 Nov 2007) * Iljaz Haxhiaj (29 Nov 2007 – 3 Dec Jun 2007) *

Sulejman Starova Sulejman Starova (born 12 December 1955) is an Albanian football coach and retired player. Managerial career As a manager, he has been in charge of his previous club Partizani Tirana as well as KF Tirana, Besa Kavajë and Teuta Durrës. He ha ...

(3 Dec 2007 – 6 Apr 2008) * Iljaz Haxhiaj (6 Apr 2008 – 16 Sep 2008) *

Ilir Daja Ilir Daja (born 20 October 1966) is an Albanian professional football coach and former player. He is the current manager of Dinamo City. He has won the Albanian League as a coach with three clubs: Elbasani, Dinamo Tirana and Skënderbeu. He a ...

(16 Sep 2008 – 22 Feb 2009) * Ilir Biturku (22 Feb 2009 - Jun 2009) *

Shpëtim Duro Shpëtim Duro (born 24 December 1959) is an Albanian professional football coach. Managerial career Duro won his first major title as coach of KF Besa Kavajë when his team beat KF Vllaznia in the 2010 Albanian Cup final. He won the 2010–11 ...

(Jul 2009 - 20 Sep 2010) * Përparim Daiu (20 Sep 2010 – 3 Nov 2010) * Gerd Haxhiu (3 Nov 2010 – Jun 2011) *

Gugash Magani Gugash Magani (born 14 March 1965) is an Albanian Association football, football coach and a former player. Club career Magani played the majority of his 22-year professional career with Shkumbini Peqin, while also having stints at other Albania ...

(Jul 2011 – Jun 2012) *

(Jul 2012 - Feb 2013) * Përparim Daiu (Feb 2013 – May 2013) *

(Jul 2013 – Aug 2013) *

Artan Mërgjyshi Artan Mërgjyshi (born 6 May 1968) is an Albanian professional football coach and former player. During his playing career, he enjoyed his best years with Partizani, while also having stints with Dinamo Tirana, Erzeni, Besa and Apolonia. He ...

(Aug 2013 - 14 Nov 2014) * Bledar Sinella (14 Nov 2014 - Apr 2015) *

Dorjan Bubeqi Dorjan Bubeqi (born 26 October 1978) is an Albanian football manager and a former player who serves as manager of Kastrioti in the Albanian First Division. Club career Bubeqi began his playing career in Besa Kavajë's youth system as a centre-f ...

(Apr 2015 – Nov 2015) * Ilir Gjyla (Mar 2016 - May 2016) *

Bekim Kuli Bekim Kuli (born 19 September 1982 in Kavajë) is an Albanian retired footballer who has played for several teams in the Albanian Superliga. Club career Early career Kuli began his career with the Tropikal Durrës youth team, where he played for ...

(28 Jul 2016 – ?) *

Ndriçim Kashami Ndriçim is a masculine Albanian given name. Notable people with the name include: *Ndriçim Ademaj, Albanian-speaking poet and writer *Ndriçim Babasi, Albanian politician *Ndriçim Shtubina (born 1987), Albanian footballer *Ndriçim Xhepa (born 1 ...

(Sep 2016 – Oct 2016) * Julian Ahmataj (Oct 2016 – May 2017) *

Artion Poçi Artion Poçi (born 23 July 1977 in Fier) is a retired Albanian football player. Playing career International He made his debut for Albania as a second-half substitute for Fatmir Vata in an April 2001 friendly match against Turkey in Gaziantep, h ...

(Aug 2017 – Sep 2017) * Bledar Sinella (Sep 2017 - May 2018) * Gentian Begeja (26 Jun 2018 - Dec 2018)Gentian Begeja, trajner i Besës për të tentuar Superioren
– Supersport *

(Jan 2019 – Feb 2020 ) * Ndricim Kashami (Feb 2020 – Nov 2020) *

(Nov 2020 - Apr 2021) * Ndricim Kashami (Apr 2021 – Oct 2021) *

(Oct 2021 – May 2022) *

(Jun 2022 – Jun 2023) * Lorenc Pashja (Jun 2023 – Feb 2024) * Fidaim Haxhiu (Feb 2024 – Mar 2024) *

(Mar 2024 – May 2024) *

Mirel Josa Mirel Josa (born 1 June 1963) is an Albanian football coach and a former player. As a player, he played in the Greek Alpha Ethniki for Nea Kavala and Aris, as well as making 27 international appearances for the Albania national football team bet ...

(5 Jun 2024 – 25 Dec 2024) * Emiliano Cela (26 Dec 2024 – )

Honours

Kategoria Superiore Kategoria Superiore (), also known as Abissnet Superiore for sponsorship reasons with internet service provider, Abissnet, is a professional league for men's association football clubs in Albania. At the top of the Albanian football league syste ...

**Runners-up (2):

1958 Events January * January 1 – The European Economic Community (EEC) comes into being. * January 3 – The West Indies Federation is formed. * January 4 ** Edmund Hillary's Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition completes the thir ...

, 2009–10 *

**Winners (3):

1932 Events January * January 4 – The British authorities in India arrest and intern Mahatma Gandhi and Vallabhbhai Patel. * January 9 – Sakuradamon Incident (1932), Sakuradamon Incident: Korean nationalist Lee Bong-chang fails in his effort ...

, 1977–78, 1985–86 **Runners-up (3): 1999–2000, 2001–02, 2004–05 *

**Winners (2): 2006–07, 2009–10 **Runners-up (6):

1961 Events January * January 1 – Monetary reform in the Soviet Union, 1961, Monetary reform in the Soviet Union. * January 3 ** United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower announces that the United States has severed diplomatic and cons ...

, 1962–63, 1970–71, 1971–72, 1981–82, 1991–92 *

Albanian Supercup The Albanian Supercup is a single match usually at the beginning of the season between the winners of the Kategoria Superiore and Albanian Cup. Prior to 2000, Supercup final was not played when the champion team won the Double. However, after the ...

**Winners (1):

2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...

**Runners-up (1):

2007 2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year. Events January * January 1 **Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...

Records

* Biggest Victories: 9–1 vs

Ismail Qemali Ismail Qemali, or Ismail Kemal, (; 16 January 184426 January 1919), was an Albanian politician and statesman who is regarded as the founder of modern Independent Albania, Albania. He served as the first Prime Minister of Albania, prime minister o ...

(1937); 12–0 vs Bashkimi Elbasanas (1945); 7–0 vs

Shkumbini The Shkumbin (; ), also known as Shkembi, is a river in Albania. It is long and its drainage basin is . Its average discharge is . Etymology It derives from Latin ''Scampinus'' (recorded alternatively as ), which replaced the Illyrian name o ...

(17.02.1963); 11–0 vs

Apolonia Fier Futboll Klub Apolonia Fier is an Albanian football club based in Fier. The club was founded on 17 June 1925 and took its name from the nearby ruins of the ancient city of Apollonia. The club currently competes in Kategoria e Parë, the secon ...

(1965); 8–1 vs Poliçani (28.08.1991); 7–1 vs

Tirana Tirana ( , ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in Albania, largest city of Albania. It is located in the centre of the country, enclosed by mountains and hills, with Dajti rising to the east and a slight valley to the northwest ov ...

(1992) * Biggest Defeats: 1–9 vs

Skënderbeu Gjergj Kastrioti (17 January 1468), commonly known as Skanderbeg, was an Albanian feudal lord and military commander who led a rebellion against the Ottoman Empire in what is today Albania, North Macedonia, Greece, Kosovo, Montenegro, and Serb ...

(16.04.1933); 0–6 vs Partizani (09.02.1975); 1–7 vs

(12.09.2003) * Most points in a season: 56 (2007–08) * Fewest points in a season: 1 (1948) * Most ties in a season: 14 (1973–74, 1976–77, 1989–90) * Fewest ties in a season: 0 (1933) * Most losses in a season: 23 (2003–04) * Fewest losses in a season: 3 (1958) * Best Goal Differential: +27 (1937) * Worst Goal Differential: -43 (2003–04)

References

External links

KF Besa Kavajë
at

UEFA The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA ; ; ) is one of six continental bodies of governance in association football. It governs football, futsal and beach soccer, beach football in Europe and the List of transcontinental countries#A ...

.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Besa Football clubs in Kavajë Football clubs in Albania Association football clubs established in 1925 1925 establishments in Albania