New edition/ From the academy to the VAR system, these are the innovations

2025-08-09 15:10:00, Sport CNA

Albanian football is getting ready to raise the curtain of the new edition. On August 19, the “Abissnet Superiore” championship begins, while on August 26, the new “First Category” season begins. Preparations have begun not only by the participating clubs, but also by the referees who will establish justice on the field.

In an interview for fshf.org, the head of the Refereeing Sector, Sokol Jareci, spoke about the intensive preparations that are being made on the eve of the start of the season. "We are in the final meters of the competition, which will begin on August 15th, where we will start with the physical testing of the First Category. We will also make a presentation to all the clubs of the First Category and the "Abissnet Superiore" about the changes to the game regulations and some of the problems that occurred last season regarding the referees' decisions and the VAR system."

The novelty of this season is the latest investment of the Albanian Football Association, the construction of a new VAR system center in the House of Football. "The icing on the cake of this new season is the latest investment of the Albanian Football Association, which will always come to the aid of clubs, the construction of a new VAR system center that is located in the premises of the Albanian Football Association. With this new investment, the Albanian Football Association ranks alongside the best federations in Europe, which have implemented the VAR system in the premises of their Federations" - says Sokol Jareci for FSHF.org.

The Head of the Arbitration Sector indicates that the training of arbitrators starts next week while there is also an invitation for all boys and girls to join this field – "Next week we start the process of training arbitrators of the "Abissnet Superiore" and First Categories. Testing will begin in the new premises because the infrastructure is all new.

We always take the opportunity to call on all young girls and boys who are part of football to attend the Refereeing Academy. We are not very satisfied with the numbers, especially in the district collegiums. Tirana holds the record, also because of the population. We need to reach the numbers to cover all the football activity that the Albanian Football Federation offers”, – underlines Jareci.

For several years now, there has been no shortage of Albanian referees in the international arena. Even in the qualifying matches for boys and girls in European competitions, several referees have judged matches. The novelty was Albert Doda in the role of AVAR for the first time in a European match.

"All UEFA activities for boys and girls have started. Florian Lata was part of the first round. Even for girls, we were present in the first round of the Champions League with Eglantina Pjetrushaj. For girls this year, a new activity is added, such as the Europa League, which means that the number of participation for our referees also increases.

"Enea Jorgji was part of the third round of the Europa League together with assistants Rexha and Çokaj. The novelty was that for the first time he participated in UEFA events, in the role of VAR assistant, Albert Doda. In addition to the referees on the field and assistants, UEFA is also entrusting our officials with the role of the VAR and AVAR system," concluded Sokol Jareci.