Speech of Prime Minister Edi Rama during the reception ceremony held at COD to welcome the National Football Team:
Dear red-and-black brothers!
Dear Gianni!
Dear President of the Albanian Football Federation!
It is a tremendous privilege for me to welcome you back, along with the veterans of the red-and-black shirt over the years who are here present, and with the greatest gratitude for this memorable return home after your mission in France, where you left behind, thanks also to the 12th player of this National team and the fantastic red-and-black fans, the beautiful image of an Albania that is courageous, combatant, proud and European in its spiritual belonging and civic behaviour.
The 12th player would fit today neither in this room nor in a stadium, while I believe that you will allow me to greet here and applaud every fan of the National Team that was there to support you in Lens, Marseille and Lyon.
The applause of the guys of the National Team, who are used to be applauded but not to applause, was for each of the tens of thousands of Albanians, old and young, men, boys, women, girls and children who, in order to be next to you in the fields of your toughest duels, travelled to France from Albania, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, the Presevo Valley and every other European country, and even beyond the borders of our continent.
In this first European championship of our history, we had a real team and a fantastic audience who, with their enthusiasm, colours, their civic behaviour, made France change in a few days its perennial perception, not so positive about Albanians. The red-and-black audience enriched the great festivity of the European football with thousands of beautiful images that circled the globe. And, the icing on the cake, the girl who got more likes in the beauty pageant of social networks in the stands of France, was a red-and-black fan.
I thank from the heart to all of them!
But first, thank you, warriors of the red-and-black mission in France! Without the inspiring example of your indomitable spirit of competition in the green field, our 12th player would not have been so wonderfully brilliant. No matter how many times I repeat here for you the word “thank you”, it will never be enough. What you gave in this European Championship for Albania and the Albanians, wherever they live, goes far beyond football. Although we know very well that none of you is and perhaps will not be pleased for a long time with the final verdict that Albania was given in the match field.
I know very well that you keep recalling in your minds every moment of the matches, since the goal scored against us in the overloaded minutes in the beginning of the match with Switzerland, when the tension of the first debut in history was at its climax, to the two chances we had to score in the same match, to the merciless ending of the heroic match with France, and that “infamous” second goal that was as heavy as a mountain when the goalavarage was counted; to the chances to double the result with Romania, and to the second goal by Turkey, which reduced our hopes, or the pole that Hungary hit yesterday, thus closing definitely our road to continue further.
But as President Duka told after the elimination, who among you, among us, would not have accepted with the greatest joy, before heading to France, these memories that you have today along with the pain for being disqualified?
And, forgive me, but to be totally honest, thank god we didn’t think that you could be as extraordinary as you were, and that Albania’s participation could be as fantastic as it was, because who knows how much high would have been the premium that you would have received even prior to leaving for France, and Kaçe would have come back from France by car.
Therefore guys, no regret about the fact that you came back because of 1 score difference, but only pride because we made our country rejoice and made our nation and our people be proud of this team that was equal among equals in every match.
“Now I can say, that’s my team”, Gianni said after the match with Romania. And then he added that this team is ready to face the toughest group of the world cup.
Thank you, dear Gianni, our dearest friend!
You are a real “azzurro” in the field where you go first of all with the intent not to receive any goal, and a real “red-and-black” in the heart, – an Albanian, not a Milanista – for you find the strength even when it seems that the last drop of blood has been sucked out of the veins.
I am, we are grateful to you, because you created a real team, and you did with your team, with our team, a success story that for Albania and Albanians is an inspiring example of what we can do with the people of this country, if we find inside us the strength of the right vision, the courage of the leadership, the team spirit and above all, the strength to stand up again together, when we fall along the difficult road towards a dream.
I will always regret for not having taken you with my i-Phone when you delivered your speech to the team in the locker room, after the match with Serbia in Elbasan. I feel bad every time I think about it, because of that reluctance, the history of the Albanian football will not have in the archive of its memory that speech that you gave with a hoarse voice and tears in your eyes, a speech that would be useful to every university, business, organization, as a leadership lesson, as an inspiration and faith in facing a terribly tough moment. It was the speech that kick-started the recovery that pave the way to this fantastic European championship, where your role now belongs to the brightest page in the history of our football.
We are proud of you, of the great Tramezzani, and the entire team and your collaborators!
Thanks Lorik, now the legendary captain of the great Albania of football!
I know my brother, how badly you experienced that red card that prevented you from entering the field of your second home in Marseille, as captain of the Albanians against the French. But believe me, your total commitment to the team, the way you looked at it from the bench in the third game, was worth a thousand words for your leadership in this team, which you joined in the field with such a great passion in the match with Romania, that seemed it was the first match of your life. You will remain always the captain, both in bad and good days for the national team. You were the great strength of example, of the total devotion to the red-and-black shirt, and the force of attraction to the red-and-black shirt for the others, young talented people who, instead of Germany, Switzerland, Sweden, chose Albania. Always proud of you, Lorik!
Thank you red-and-black brothers, each and every one of you, from the defence giants to the midfield fighters and to the tireless attackers. From my dear Berisha to the blessed Armando who scored the first goal in our history in the finals of a European cup, and up to all the players in the bench who, whether they entered the field or not, are an integral part of the success of this team. Always proud of you!
An applause for Elsi Hysa, the father to be, who chose to be near the mother of his child on this day.
Thanks also to the other Armando, the Armando of the first qualification in the history of the Albanian football, the President of the Federation of our football! Excellent work, Mr President, and don’t look back. I know you’re convinced that we could beat Wells, hadn’t you been back today because of one goal difference, but be convinced that nothing can reduce the terrific dimension of this beautiful success story which is, without the slightest discussion, your success story as well.
My friends!
We have started building the National Arena, and I promise you that you will have here at home one of the most beautiful stadiums in Europe, to continue making the Albanians happy, to inspire them on your path which, just like Gianni, I am convinced will certainly give us other satisfactions.
A plaque with the names of all of you will be placed at the entrance to the National Arena, and it will be written that this Arena is dedicated to the Euro 2016 Red-and-Black National Team.
Those who used to tell us “what do we need the stadiums for?, we don’t have food” when we built “Elbasan Arena” in a record time for the qualifiers of this European Cup, so that the national team played its home matches at home and not in emigration, have received today the answer more clearly than ever. Thank you!
I feel sorry for those who haven’t understood the answer yet, or grab us by the neck every time we have a new project for sport, but they cannot have my understanding. Investing in sport means investing in health, physical culture and in the culture of social coexistence at the same time. While, when it comes especially to football, in addition to this, it means also investing in the spiritual and economic empowerment of a community and of a country.
I received an e-mail today, before going to the airport.
“Hello Mr Prime Minister. I would like to share with you a very short but interesting story that happened to me. I have been trying for a few months now to contact a German company, which is very renowned in the area where I have my business. I sent some emails to request cooperation, and explained who we are and what we do, but I wouldn’t get any response. At my great surprise, they replied to my last email and scheduled a conference call for today. I asked them if they know or have ever heard about Albania, or if they have ever visited it. Do you know what they said? No, but saw Albania in its three matches, and we saw its people in the stadiums and in the streets, and we have gotten Albania, therefore we are ready to visit your country, and willing to invest. It was very clear to me, Mr Prime Minister, throughout the conference call, that the reason why they agreed to communicate and cooperate after almost 6 months of silence to my e-mails, was simply the image they got from this European cup. Hadn’t it been so, I would be still looking for other companies. Thank you, and eternal gratitude to the guys of the national team.” She has signed Manjola, and she is not digital.
We will continue investing in sport, and will continue to move resolutely side by side with the Federation, side by side with the president, on the path of creating partnerships with private enterprises, as we are doing with the National Arena, and as it has been actually done for all the renovated stadiums in France.
What have invested in just 33 months in relation to the past is enormous, but what we have spent in relation to this invaluable gift, and with all the uncountable positive effects that the National team brought to our country with this gift, is more than the minimum.
I thanks all the guests of honour at this ceremony, and the red-and-black veterans for being here. They have all my respect for everything they have given on the path of the tradition of this National Team that did not come out of nowhere.
An applause for them as well!
And to conclude, a fully deserved thank you to the “reserves” of the 12th Player of France, the red-and-black fans in the streets of Albania, Kosovo, Macedonia, in clubs and homes, here and around the world, who sent to the national team, although at distance, all the positive energy of an entire nation.
I want to close with an applause this welcoming ceremony, to allow you to switch to the most beautiful part of this memorable afternoon for all of us, and join the 12th player in the square “Mother Teresa”.
Forever grateful, and forever proud of you! Many thanks.
