The president of the Swiss Football Association, Peter Knabel, has said that they have done everything to keep midfielder Leon Avdullahu and defender Albian Hajdari. The two Hoffenheim players decided to join Kosovo rather than Switzerland.
Avdullah and Hajdar's decision to play for Kosovo at the senior level had caused a stir.
"We tried everything. I even visited Leon Avdullah in Hoffenheim, together with Murat Yakin, but he had already made his decision," Knabel said in an interview given to Swiss media outlet SRF on Thursday.
Before joining Kosovo in September, 21-year-old Avdullahu, born in Solothurn, had played for the Swiss youth team and was expected to be called up to Switzerland A. But he decided to go for Kosovo. Hajdari also played for Kosovo in October.
The 22-year-old Hajdari was born and raised in Switzerland. He has played for all of Switzerland's youth age groups and has made one appearance for Switzerland's senior team. But he has decided to play for Kosovo from now on.
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In Switzerland, they also fear the departure of Albian Hajdari
Hajdari and Avdullahu are two of the many players who, due to their Albanian parents, have the opportunity to obtain a Kosovo or Albanian passport.
And, in Switzerland, Knabel says 70 percent of young people have dual citizenship.
"This has shown us once again how important this issue is. 70 percent of our young players have dual citizenship. Competition between federations is constantly increasing and other countries also have to face this challenge. In England, for example, 77 percent of players in the U17 national team have dual passports," he said.
The number of Albanian footballers playing for clubs in Switzerland and other countries in Europe is large. It is much larger among the younger generations.
Adrien Llukes played brilliantly for Switzerland in the 1/8 finals of the U17 World Cup.
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The 17-year-old center forward, Llukes, has Swiss and Kosovo citizenship, and for this reason, the media in Switzerland have expressed "fear" that they may lose him.
Erblin Sadikaj, Miran Sinani, Nico Lazri and Leonit Ibraimov are also playing for Switzerland U17 in this World Cup.
Knabel was asked, "Should players choose a seat early?"
"It would be good if the decision were made earlier, especially for the players themselves. Then they would not have the issue constantly in their minds and could focus on their education. However, I find it difficult to set a specific date," the head of the Swiss football house responded.
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Arrivals of the year
Kosovo and Switzerland were in the same group for the 2026 World Cup qualification. Switzerland secured the World Cup in the USA, Mexico and Canada as the first team in the group, while Kosovo will appear in the 2026 World Cup qualifying playoff.
In the semi-finals, they will face Slovakia in Bratislava. The match will take place on March 26 next year.
