Albanian Football Fans to Boycott Matches in Protest

The Red and Blacks, the largest group of supporters of the Albanian national football team, has announced a total boycott all the matches played in the country in response to what they call police intimidation and violence.

Albi Lamaj, Tirana representative of the group that has more than 5,000 registered members, told BIRN that they will soon forward their demands to the police, insisting that they treat them with more respect while attending football matches.

They accuse the police of over-stepping their powers while trying to keep security at matches played in the country.

"Police pressure and violence against us and all Albanian fans started in September 2015 when Portugal was playing Albania. Now we are fed up, enough is enough," he said.

The Red and Blacks, who also have branches in Kosovo, Macedonia and Montenegro, announced the boycott of Albanian stadiums on Tuesday after a match with Israel at which police took unprecedented security measures following rumours of possible terrorist attacks.

"We invite the state police together with their Kalashnikovs and other guns to act like fans in the stadium," the group wrote on Facebook, drawing likes and greetings from thousands of other fans.

The main organiser of the football matches in Albania, the Albanian Football Federation, FSHF, shares responsibility with the police for security issues, following FIFA regulations on what is and is not allowed for fans in the stadium.

But Lamaj told BIRN that the police had gone beyond every FIFA regulation when it came to measures taken in the name of security.

"Instead of supporting the Federation, the police have taken everything under their own control. They have told fans to remove shirts with national heroes stamped on...