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By:
Faton Polisi
- 28 October 2025 11:00
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Jasmin Zhuta is a well-known name in Sweden, especially in Gothenburg, his hometown. But he proudly says he is from Struga. He is also very proud to have started working in Kosovo.
"I have been in talks with Kosovo for a long time. Now the opportunity has come and it is a great pleasure for me to help the Albanians. I cannot help North Macedonia now, but here, since we are Albanians in Kosovo, it is a pleasure for me," says the handball coach, who speaks the Gheg dialect.
Language is not the only thing Zhuta has inherited from his Albanian family. He has also inherited a love for the sport of handball.
He says he has been playing handball since he was 5 years old.
"My father was 7 years old when he went to Sweden. There weren't many Albanians there, like there are now. But we had a good life," says the 43-year-old.
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He says he took his first steps from his father. Jasmin's two uncles also played handball.
His career as a handball player did not last long. He retired when he was 23 years old.
"Handball became a natural choice. My dad, my two uncles, played handball as well. I was lucky enough to play in the first league of Sweden. I was 22 or 23 years old when I chose the path of coaching and I have been in the coaching profession for 20 years now," says Zhuta.
The idea of becoming a coach came to him while he was still an active player. As a senior, he played for the team with the most titles in Sweden, 20, Redbergslids. He currently works as a coach at this club.
"The opportunity to become a coach came by chance. In high school I worked with the youth, but the team was left without a coach and they trusted me."
He started his first job as an assistant at Warta, and as a head coach at Heim. He has also worked at other teams.
Zhuta says he now has the experience to teach others.
"It makes me laugh when I remember the beginning, because it wasn't good at first. But now I'm used to it. It's been 20 years and with age you learn things. I thought it would be easier at first."
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Starting his job as a coach in Kosovo is also not easy for Zhuta. He is confident that Kosovo will soon make great progress.
Zhuta is an assistant to the new Kosovo coach, Swedish Jesper Ostlund. The two coaches were introduced in early September and started working with the national team on Sunday. But the Kosovo Handball Federation has sought to hire the Albanian from Sweden many years ago.
"I was asked earlier to start working in Kosovo, but I didn't have enough time then. I was the first team coach. But now that Jesper became the coach, he contacted me and I decided. It was a natural choice for me," said Zhuta.
In Sweden, a country with a highly developed handball system, Zhuta is best known for his individual work with players.
Even in Kosovo, there is a role to help handball players advance in the individual aspect.
"There are things we can fix or teach the players. I have been more in terms of individual coaching. In Sweden I also have my own company for working with coaches and younger players. I believe we can do good work in Kosovo," he says.
Zhuta strongly believes that the combination of the Albanian mentality with that of the Swedish coach will translate into success for Kosovo.
"I don't know how far we will go, but with this work we have started, a little bit of me with the Albanian mentality, and Jesper with the Swedish mentality, we will join forces to push Kosovo forward."
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The first test for Ostlund and Zhuta will be on Wednesday in Derby against Great Britain.
Zhuta is easily overcoming the language barrier, which has been a challenge for her since she decided to join Kosovo. She hopes to easily overcome the sporting challenges as a very important part of the Kosovo handball team.
