Alban Xhaferi has not closed the debate after the punishment received by the Disciplinary and Ethics Commission. The President of Vllaznia has reacted publicly again, shifting the discussion from the incident that led to his suspension to a broader issue: the way in which sports justice is applied in Albanian football. The President of Vllaznia returns with another public reaction after the 15-match suspension. Xhaferi says he will respect the disciplinary decision, but demands that the responsibility and punishment be the same for all actors in Albanian football.
Xhaferi has been sentenced to a 15-match suspension from sporting activities, after hitting assistant referee Ergys Spahiu at the end of the Elbasani-Vllaznia match. The decision also prohibits him from entering stadiums where activities organized by the Albanian Football Association take place during the period of the suspension.
But the Shkodran president does not ask for this decision to be softened. On the contrary, he states that he accepts responsibility for his actions and that he will respect the disciplinary measure. What he asks is that the same principle be applied in cases where the center of debates are players, referees or other persons involved in the conduct of a match.
Xhaferi: I am not asking for privilege for Vllaznia
The essence of Xhaferi's response lies in the demand for a single standard. According to him, a reliable system cannot function with different measures depending on the person who causes the incident or the position they hold in football.
The Vllaznia president underlines that he has publicly admitted his mistake, has apologized and does not intend to relativize what happened in Elbasan. But precisely for this reason, he argues that he has the right to raise questions about other cases that, according to him, have not received the same disciplinary attention.
At this point, Xhaferi's message is not a request for special treatment of the Shkodran club. It is a request for equality in the way the system works.
The Gurishta–Aliev episode returns to the spotlight
In his reaction, Xhaferi recalls an episode that occurred a few months ago, in the Vllaznia–Egnatia Final Four match. At the center is the clash between Erdenis Gurishta and Egnatia player Aliev. According to the Vllaznia president, the elbow to Gurishta was a moment that required disciplinary intervention and that, in his view, could have affected the course of a match of great importance.
Xhaferi questions not only the decision of the main referee Enea Jorgji, but also the role of VAR in that episode. The question he raises is whether the standard required of clubs and managers should be equally strict when it comes to the decision-making of referees and structures that have the task of guaranteeing justice on the field.
From an incident to a debate about the system
This is also the point where Xhaferi's reaction takes on a broader dimension. The Vllaznia president no longer limits the discussion to the punishment he received. He uses this situation to raise a debate about the trust that clubs, players and fans have in the way the competition is administered.
In his logic, it is not enough to punish violent behavior after it occurs. In parallel, it is necessary to analyze the way incidents are managed within the field and whether the referees' decision-making is the same and reliable for everyone. It is an argument that shifts the debate from individual responsibility to institutional responsibility.
Xhaferi demands that “zero tolerance” towards violence not be a principle that is applied only in one direction. According to him, if Albanian football seeks to reduce tension and increase confidence in the competition, then it must simultaneously guarantee justice, transparency and responsibility for every actor.
Two questions about the AFF and Albanian football
At the end of his reaction, Xhaferi further elaborates on his position. He raises questions about the possibility of the referees involved in the episode he mentioned being re-appointed to Vllaznia matches and whether such a situation can guarantee the calm and trust necessary for the normal development of a match.
This part of the response is particularly important, as it directly touches on one of the most sensitive topics in football: the credibility of refereeing. In the end, Xhaferi returns to his main message. He says that he is not asking for a different standard for himself or for Vllaznia, but exactly the opposite.
A single standard for everyone.
And that makes his latest reaction more than just a protest against a disciplinary decision. It is an open challenge to the way justice is perceived in Albanian football and to the responsibility that every link in this system must bear.
