Besnik Duli is one of the former players of Naftëtari, who experienced the popular revolt in Kuçovë, on June 5, 1988, after the match with “Dinamo” of Tirana. Duli did not play in that match, as he was suspended, but remained on the bench and in the locker room. In an exclusive account, Duli recounts what happened in Kuçovë and the risk that fans could set fire to the locker room building. A few years ago, when he was the coach of “Veleçik” (Koplik of Malesia e Madhe), we met with him and he told us that a week after that match with “Dinamo”, he had his wedding, while in those hours of terror, he recounts the anxieties and panic he felt.
Duli, on June 5 of this year, more than three and a half decades passed since the revolt that erupted in Kuçova after the match “Naftëtari” - “Dinamo”. You were part of the Kuçova team at that time. How did “Naftëtari” reach that extra match and were you on the field in that match?
In that year, “Naftëtari” was undergoing a total renovation. The previous generation, where Prifti, Koroveshi, Hazizi and Gega stood out, had left football. Only Koçi was left from the old generation, while the rest of us were all 25, 26 or 27 years old. Voda, Fraholli, Makashi and Meta were even younger, 21, 22 years old. It was a promising team.
In the regulations of the Albanian Football Association, it was stated that the top two teams in the Second Category, “Traktori” of Lushnja and “Naftëtari”, would be promoted to the First. Initially, in the first match between “Traktori” and “Naftëtari”, the Lushnja team won, 3-0. In that match, the coach of Kuçovari, Fatbardh Deliallisi, made many changes to the formation and the team on the field did not respond.
In the championship, they played with a different formation, and in that match many changes were made that also led to the defeat. Later we find out that there would be a “play-off” match with “Dinamo”. In that match I was not on the field, as I was suspended, but I stayed on the bench, as at that time it was allowed to stay on the bench.
Was there tension before the start of the match?
During the entire week before the match, everyone in Kuçova was saying, “either victory with 'Dinamo', or scandal”. The fans were very suspicious, suspecting that the Dynamo team would be favored. The tension was artificially created by the large police forces that arrived in Kuçova on Saturday, the day before the match.
They further aggravated the situation in that city. During the whole week, everyone knew that the referee would be Arsen Hoxha, along with Plarent Kotherje and Dhori Prifti, who were the best referees of the time. But, surprisingly, before the match, Besnik Kaimi appeared and there we learned that that match would be judged by that referee.
How did the game start and do you remember any special moments in the first half?
I remember teasing my friend, Ilir Bozhiqi, who played goalkeeper for “Dinamo”. I would go behind his goal and tease him, because in that match he saved his team from 3-4 flagrant chances. In the first half, “Dinamo” was non-existent on the field, while the refereeing was correct.
One of the commanders of the Republican Guard who knew me asked me to sit on the bench, while Bozhiqi was not bothered by what I said, as I was a friend of his and we stayed for a long time after the match. The first half ended 0-0.
What happened in the second half?
It must be said that everything was normal in the stadium. In the second half, referee Besnik Kaimi began to slow down the pace of the game a lot with the interventions he made. In fact, when I met him later as an observer during the matches, I said to him: “You didn’t do anything great. You did what every referee does in big matches”. He slowed down the pace of “Naftetari” with the fouls he awarded, which in most cases were unfounded.
"Naftetari" continued to press in the second half. In a counterattack by "Dinamo", newly introduced Ben Vila scored a "euro goal" from a long distance, where the ball, flat on the ground, ended up in the net. That's where everything died for "Naftetari". However, before the capital team scored, news broke that a fan had been injured.
In the last minutes, the policemen passed from inside the field, who were among the fans. The game was interrupted 2-3 times. There were still 3-4 minutes of play, while the referee Kaimi blew the whistle, signaling the end of the match, with the idea of avoiding the revolt that seemed to be about to erupt.
What was the spark that ignited the revolt at the end of the match?
It was something very fast. The head of the Berat Internal Affairs Branch at the time, Bardhosh Lamçe, was hit with stones by fans that made his upper lip bleed. Stones were pouring in from all sides, while the forces of order began to intervene.
Fans flooded the field, while all the players entered the locker rooms. I remember that 2-3 players of “Naftetari” who were on the field went to the referee. And we all entered the locker rooms.
What happened inside them and when did you get out of there?
We were all in the locker rooms and I remember staying with Agim Canaj, Topçi, Rudi Vata, etc. Inside the rooms there was a lot of fear and panic. We heard that the fans were going to set the entire building on fire. Everyone was irritated.
Did you feel afraid for your life in those hours?
Of course, I was very scared. This was compounded by the fact that exactly one week later, I had my wedding. In fact, on the dressing room table, I even had the wedding invitations that I was going to distribute. In fact, that day before the match, I had transported the clothes and some other things from the bride's house to mine.
I was preparing for the celebration of the most important day of my life. At those moments in the room, hundreds of thoughts were running through my head. We left the dressing rooms at 11 o'clock at night. When we saw the road full of stones and cars with broken and overturned windows, we were surprised.
Then, at midnight, the police action began, where about 100 people, who were the most active during the revolt, were escorted to the police station. The police even arrested three "Naftëtari" players, Koçi, Makashi and Meta.
There is a lot of discussion about whether it was a planned revolt against the system or did it happen on the spot? In your perception, what was it like?
Looking at the atmosphere and the chants during the match, I think everything was spontaneous on the spot and had nothing to do with politics. The fans erupted against the injustices of the referee and the favoritism that was being shown to “Dinamo”. I think no one believed that the revolt would reach such proportions.
We escaped peacefully from the whole story that could have ended in tragedy for us that day at the Kuçova stadium. Since that match, "Naftëtari" has not managed to rise to high levels. The absence of the goalkeeper and mine in that match, I believe, have had an impact, knowing that we were formation players. / Memorie.al
