TIRANA, Feb. 8 – With few weeks to go before Albania and Italy face each other for the first time in an official competition, Albania’s Italian coach Gianni De Biasi has been honored with an Italian presidential order of merit for promoting football and friendly relations between the two neighbouring countries.
De Biasi, who has been Albania’s coach for the past five years and managed to take Albania’s to a first-ever major competition such as the Euro 2016 in France, was awarded the Order of the Star of Italy, an Italian presidential honor given to personalities contributing to the promotion of Italian prestige abroad and friendly relations.
Speaking at a ceremony in Tirana on Tuesday, Italian ambassador to Albania Alberto Cutillo said De Biasi was awarded the presidential knighthood order “for his contribution to Albanian-Italian relations, promoting Albania’s image abroad and reflecting Italy’s political engagement for Albania’s EU integration through football.”
“It’s an honor awarded not only for sports achievements, but above all human merits. De Biasi managed to take Albania to Europe before politics,” said the Italian ambassador, recalling Albania’s historic Euro 2016 debut.
Coach De Biasi, who has also earlier obtained Albanian citizenship, said he was happy to receive such a great honour and proud to have created a linking bridge between the two countries “separated by the sea, but united through the same mentality.”
Back in 2016, De Biasi was given the Special Golden Bench award by the Italian Football Association for his historic achievement of taking Albania to the Euro 2016 and promoting the Italian football school.
The 60-year-old former Torino and Udinese club coach turned into a national hero for Albania in late 2015 after a historic direct qualification in a European championship in a tough group stage that also featured reigning European champions Portugal, Denmark and Serbia. De Biasi was also rumored to take over Italy following the Euro 2016, but remained loyal to Albania although he did not hide his ambition to train a big national side.
World Cup campaign
After its historic direct qualification for the Euro 2016 and failing to make it as the third-best team at the knockout stage only on goal difference, Albania and coach De Biasi have been facing some tough times in their Russia 2018 World Cup qualifying bid.
Albania’s hopes for a third place and a possible play-off opportunity in the World Cup qualifiers received a severe blow in late 2016 following losses to Spain and Israel in the last two qualifiers. The national side earlier beat Macedonia 2-1 and won 2-0 against modest Liechtenstein in the first two qualifiers.
With six other qualifiers to go, Albania now see themselves fourth with 6 points, trailing Israel by 3 points and group leaders Spain and Italy by four points.
Although mathematically Albania can still remain hopeful for a miracle second place which would award them a play-off opportunity, their qualifying bid looks like a mission impossible now as former World Champions Italy and Spain seem unrivaled in the fight for the group’s first two places.
The Italy qualifier
The Red & Blacks will travel to Italy on March 24 to conclude the first round of group matches for the Russia 2018 World Cup qualifiers in a historic fixture that sees the two national sides face each other for the first time in an official competition.
Coach De Biasi says Albania will face a tough match against the four-time world champions who rival Spain for direct qualification in Group G of the qualifiers.
“The Albanian players in Italy are extra motivated for this challenge. We will face an extraordinary team who are seeking to qualify for the World Cup,” De Biasi has said.
Napoli fullback Elseid Hysaj, Pescara captain Ledian Memushaj and Atalanta goalkeeper Etrit Berisha are Albania’s most popular players at Italy’s Serie A top league.
“We will have only four days available to prepare for this match, which is a short time, but we will do our best. I would be more than happy if we play well and decently and let’s leave the result to the pitch performance,” adds De Biasi.
The two national sides will play in Palermo, southern Italy, in the second encounter after a previous 2014 friendly in Genoa which Italy narrowly won 1-0. The match is expected to attract great interest, especially from about half a million Albanians who live and work in Italy, turning it into a ‘local derby,’ also considering thousands of Italy supporters in Albania.
Coach Giampiero Ventura has described the Albania fixture as Italy’s toughest test in the qualifying campaign.
“We expect the most difficult match of the group and the most important of the two-year campaign. If we don’t beat Albania, it would become very difficult to win the group – not even winning in Spain would be enough,” the 68-year-old Italian coach has earlier told the FIFA portal.
Italy currently rank second in Group G of the qualifiers with 10 points on poorer goal difference compared to leaders Spain.
Albania will travel to Israel on June 11 and play home to modest Liechtenstein on Sept. 2 before facing Macedonia three days later. The national side will conclude their qualification campaign in October 2017 with two tough fixtures against former world champions Spain and Italy.
