Footballers join anti-smoking campaign

New Elbasan Arena stadium ready ahead of Denmark match, as worries over violence in next week’s match against Serbia lead to disagreements between the two national federations.
ELBASAN, Oct. 8 – Albania’s national football team has joined the efforts of health authorities to lower the rate of smoking in the country.
Albanian health authorities recently a wide anti-smoking campaign, following the implementation of a tougher new law in September than bans smoking in public areas and the announcement that the government is planning to further increase taxes on cigarettes.
In addition to stronger law enforcement and levying fines on public institutions, private companies and individuals, authorities also started an intensive public campaign countrywide to focus on the health dangers of smoking.
As part of the campaign, football players from Albania’s national gathered in Elbasan, where they are to play their next match against Denmark, and were joined by Health Minister Ilir Beqaj promoting the Albania Says No to Smoking Initiative.
Key members of the national team spoke to media and took photos with anti-smoking banners.
Beqaj said that lowering the rate of smoking in Albania is a serious and main challenge for the country’s health system, adding that promoting sport among the youngsters was also part the wider efforts for a healthier population.
New Elbasan Arena stadium ready for Denmark match
This week also marked the inauguration of Elbasan Arena, a new stadium build to UEFA specifications in the central Albanian city, which is to host all the matches of the Albanian national team while Tirana’s Qemal Stafa Stadium is demolished and reconstructed.
The new Elbasan stadium meets all the requirements set by Europe’s football governing body, and tries to provide a commercial anchor in that part of Elbasan, authorities said.
Albania will play its first official match in the stadium against Denmark on Saturday.
Disagreements with Serbia ahead of qualifier
Albania plays the next match in Belgrade on Oct. 14 for its European qualifier, but the match has caused some friction between the two national soccer federations.
The two have not reached a compromise over the presence of the Albanian fans in the stadium, due to Serbia’s fears of violence between rival fan groups.
Ethnic Albanians and Serbs have a long history of conflict that boiled over during the Kosovo War in 1999.
Belgrade first asked that Albania waive its right to have fans in the stadium, fearing there would be violence.
When the Albanian Football Federation refused, its Serb counterpart asked that it be provided with personal data for all Albanian fans that would travel to Belgrade. That request was also turned down by Tirana saying that it was not a normal request and it had never been done before.
Belgrade’s football authorities want only Albanian passport holders resident in Albania to visit, because they are worried about ethnic Albanians from Kosovo and Macedonia fighting with Serb fans. Ethnic Albanians from the former Yugoslavia are some of Albania’s most ardent supporters abroad.