KF Besa Pejë
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| Full name | Klubi Futbollistik Besa Pejë | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Shqiponjat (The Eagles) | ||
| Founded |
1923 as Behari I Ri | ||
| Ground |
Shahin Haxhiislami Stadium, Pejë, Kosovo | ||
| Capacity | 8,500 | ||
| Owner | Pejë Municipality | ||
| Head coach | Arbnor Morina | ||
| League | Raiffeisen Superleague | ||
| 2014–15 | Raiffeisen Superleague, 2nd | ||
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Klubi Futbollistik Besa Pejë is a football club based in Pejë, Kosovo.[a] Their home ground is the Shahin Haxhiislami Stadium and they compete in the Raiffeisen Superleague.
History
Early history (1923–1945)
The current club is considered to be the successor of a number of different football and sports clubs that had been active in the city of Pejë since 1923, with the first being Behari I Ri who were the original club that today's KF Besa Pejë is based on. In 1924 another club named Gajret Pejë was formed, but due to the Yugoslav powers at the time being intolerant of Albanian nationalism the club was forcefully disbanded by the authorities. Other clubs that were also formed in Pejë at the time were Zeleni Venac in 1925, Tarabosh in 1927, Dukagjini Pejë in 1928, Radnički Peć in 1930, Budućnost Peć in 1935 and Ardhmëria Pejë who were active between 1941 and 1945. Between 1923 and World War II, the different clubs representing the city of Pejë competed only in friendly tournaments as none of the clubs were members of regular leagues. A club representing the city competed in the 1942 Albanian Superliga, but the war period championships that were held in Albania are not recognised by the Albanian Football Association.[1]
Development of football (1945–1991)
Following the end of World War II, football in Pejë and the rest of the Kosovo region became more prominent and this was in no part due to the rise in tournaments and championships that were held regularly. The most dominant club of the post war era was Yugoslav backed FK Budućnost Peć, but other clubs were also active including Përparimi Pejë, who only functioned between 1949 and 1951, as they were disbanded much like Gajret Pejë had been in 1920s, due to the Yugoslav regime's stance on Albanian nationalism. Other clubs active after World War II included Kombinati i Drurit, Klubi Kristal, who were active between 1973 and 1990. Another club that was formed in the 1970s was Klubi Kombinatit Bujqësor Industrial, a club heavily involved in the agricultural business at the time. In 1974 the first club to be called Besa was formed, which is where the current name of the club comes from, which is an Albanian cultural precept meaning "faith" and "to keep a promise". Other clubs were formed to represent the different professions in the city at the time, including Klubi Fabrikës së Autopjesëve of the automobile parts factory, Klubi Kombinatit të Lëkur-Këpucëve of the leather and footwear factory and Kosovatransi Klubi Ndërrmarjes Transportuese Të Udhëtarëve of the shipyard passenger transport profession.
End of Yugoslavia (1991–1998)
There was widespread ethnic tension in Yugoslavia in the daly 1990s. The three main clubs that were left in Pejë at the time were Besa, Budućnost and Kristal held a joint assembly early in 1991 and decided to merge the clubs in order to create what is now known as KF Besa Pejë that was to compete in the independent League of Kosovo that was organised by the Football Federation of Kosovo, which was out of the Yugoslav football league system. This parallel competitions were of poor standard and were limited to matches played in remote villages on fields rather since the stadiums were still property of the clubs which were competing in the Yugoslav leagues. Until 1996 the Kosovo Superleague was held in four different groups, who's winners would then face each other in a playoff to determine the champions, but in 1996 the original league format was restored. The 1997–98 Kosovo Superleague was interrupted due to the start of the Kosovo War while KF Besa was top of the league.
Post war rebuilding (1999–2003)
The Kosovo War devastated the country, including Pejë, and sports activities were put on hold until the country was able to rebuild itself following the end of the war. Football, much like most things in Kosovo, had to restart once again and the development of KF Besa Pejë was slow as the club began to rebuild from 1999. The club relied on donors from the city, and the main donor of the post war period was Birra Peja and the brewery, who became the club's main financier in July 2003.
Honours
- Champions (8): 1961–62, 1965–66, 1977–78, 1988–89, 1997–98, 2004–05, 2005–06, 2006–07
- Winners (2): 2004–05, 2010–11,2014
Kosovar Supercup
- Winners (1): 2004–05
Players
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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For the list of all current and former players with Wikipedia article, please see: Category:KF Besa players.
Notes
| a. | ^ Kosovo is the subject of a territorial dispute between the Republic of Kosovo and the Republic of Serbia. The Republic of Kosovo unilaterally declared independence on 17 February 2008, but Serbia continues to claim it as part of its own sovereign territory. The two governments began to normalise relations in 2013, as part of the Brussels Agreement. Kosovo has been recognised as an independent state by 108 out of 193 United Nations member states. |
References
External links
- (Albanian) KF Besa official website