Qemal Vogli (29 September 1929 – 4 July 2004) was a famous Albanian

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...

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 Albanian football.

Club career

Born on either 29 September or 15 March 1929 in

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

, Vogli made his senior debut in 1946 for hometown club Besa.

Escape from and return to Albania

Since the communist regime of

Enver Hoxha Enver Halil Hoxha ( , ; 16 October 190811 April 1985) was an Albanian communist politician who was the authoritarian ruler of Albania from 1944 until his death in 1985. He was First Secretary of the Party of Labour of Albania from 1941 unt ...

had deemed the Vogli family as enemies of the state due to alleged links to the nazis, Vogli was forced to join Ministry of Interior club Dinamo Tirana and to spy on people for the regime. He finally escaped the country in West Berlin on 3 September 1956, only to be brought back to Albania shortly afterwards by the

Sigurimi The Directorate of State Security (), commonly called the ''Sigurimi'', was the state security, intelligence and secret police service of the People's Socialist Republic of Albania. Its proclaimed goal was maintaining state security of Albania, ...

and the

Stasi The Ministry for State Security, commonly known as the (),An abbreviation of . was the state security service of the East Germany from 1950 to 1990. The Stasi's function was similar to the KGB, serving as a means of maintaining state author ...

. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison, but was released after five years. He was however never allowed to play football again and was kept under constant surveillance by the Sigurimi until the collapse of communism. It was claimed Minister of Interior

Kadri Hazbiu Kadri Hazbiu (15 July 1922 – 10 September 1983) was an Albanian politician of the Albanian Party of Labour (PPSh). Biography Early life Kadri Hazbiu was born in Mavrovë, Vlorë District, on 15 July 1922. He was the son of Hasbi Cano Dautaj, a ...

was a big fan of Vogli and allowed him to play in Berlin against communist rules, because of Vogli having two brothers in prison. he was called: the black cat.

International career

At the age of 17 he became the youngest goalkeeper ever to wear the

Albania national football team The Albania national football team ( sq, Kombëtarja e futbollit të Shqipërisë) represents Albania in men's international association football, football, and is governed by the Albanian Football Association, the governing body for football in ...

kit, making his debut in a May

1947 Balkan Cup The 1947 Balkan Cup, officially called the Balkan and Central European Championship, was played between May and October 1947 between Albania, Romania, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia and Hungary. It was Hungary's first participation in the tournament (hence t ...

match against

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Moldova to the east, a ...

. He earned a total of 11 caps, scoring no goals. His final international was a November 1953

friendly match An exhibition game (also known as a friendly, a scrimmage, a demonstration, a preseason game, a warmup match, or a preparation match, depending at least in part on the sport) is a sporting event whose prize money and impact on the player's or ...

against

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, , is a country in Central Europe. Poland is divided into Voivodeships of Poland, sixteen voivodeships and is the fifth most populous member state of the European Union (EU), with over 38 mill ...

Personal life

After leaving prison, Vogli worked at the automobile park and was allowed to train goalkeepers. After the fall of communism he was honoured for his contribution to Albanian football. Hospital records claimed he died from diabetes in July 2004, his health had worsened after he was injured in a car accident the month before. He was survived by his wife Liri and their children.

Honours

Albanian Superliga The Kategoria Superiore, officially known as Abissnet Superiore for sponsorship reasons, is a professional league for men's association football clubs. At the top of the Albanian football league system, it is the country's primary football compet ...

: 4 ::

1950 Events January * January 1 – The International Police Association (IPA) – the largest police organization in the world – is formed. * January 5 – Sverdlovsk plane crash: ''Aeroflot'' Lisunov Li-2 crashes in a snowstorm. All 19 ...

1951 Events January * January 4 – Korean War: Third Battle of Seoul – Chinese and North Korean forces capture Seoul for the second time (having lost the Second Battle of Seoul in September 1950). * January 9 – The Government of the Uni ...

1955 Events January * January 3 – José Ramón Guizado becomes president of Panama. * January 17 – , the first nuclear-powered submarine, puts to sea for the first time, from Groton, Connecticut. * January 18– 20 – Battle of Yiji ...

1956 Events January * January 1 – The Anglo-Egyptian Condominium ends in Sudan. * January 8 – Operation Auca: Five U.S. evangelical Christian missionaries, Nate Saint, Roger Youderian, Ed McCully, Jim Elliot and Pete Fleming, are kille ...

Albania - Championship Winning Teams
- RSSSF

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vogli, Qemal 1929 births 2004 deaths Footballers from Kavajë Albanian footballers Association football goalkeepers Albania international footballers Besa Kavajë players KF Teuta Durrës players FK Dinamo Tirana players Kategoria Superiore players Albanian defectors