FK Kukesi

Early history

The club was founded on March 4, 1930 in Kukës under the name Shoqëria Sportive Kosova, around the same time that football was gaining popularity in Albania. The club initially consisted of young men from Has, Lumë and Gorë, who competed in sports such as athletics and wrestling in addition to football, which quickly became the most popular sport in the city. The club's first match was played on April 20, 1930 against Internati Krumë, which ended in a 0-0 draw. On July 13, the club lost for the first time against Dibra in Peshkopi, in a match that ended 4-1 in favor of the opponent. In August 1931, the club participated in a local tournament, where they played against Kallabaku (Borje), Shkëlzeni (Tropojë), Internati (Krumë) and military teams. With the establishment of the Albanian Football Association in 1932, Shoqëria Sportive Kosova was registered under the name Sport Klub Kosova. However, they did not participate in any of the national championships held at that time. In 1949, after the end of World War II, the Albanian Football Federation resumed its championships. In 1953, Shoqëria Sportive Kosova participated in a national competition for the first time, competing in the regional leagues.

Përparimi

In 1958, the club was promoted to the Kategoria e Parë for the first time and changed its name to Klubi Sportiv Përparimi. The club's first major trophy came in 1967, when they won the Kategoria e Dytë title and were promoted back to the Kategoria e Parë.

They remained in the league for a decade until 1977, when they won the title, the club's greatest achievement since its founding in 1930 at the time. Despite a quick relegation, the club won the third division again in 1982 and was promoted back to Albania's second division. The late 1970s and early 1980s are considered by many to be the club's golden era.

With the fall of communism in Albania in 1991, the club experienced huge financial problems as they had relied on state funding to run the club for many years. The municipality of Kukës along with local businessmen began to fund the team after the end of Albania's communist regime, but due to the lack of funds, the club did not experience any success for nearly two decades after communism.

Kukësi

In 2010, the club underwent a complete overhaul, changing its name for the third time to Futboll Klub Kukësi. The Kukës representative in the Parliament of Albania and member of the Democratic Party of Albania, Fatos Hoxha, was elected president of the club. FK Kukësi aimed to reach the Kategoria Superiore for the first time in its history, and invested heavily for the 2010-11 season in order to achieve promotion from the second division. Fatos Hoxha and the municipality of Kukës hired Shahin Berberi as the club's manager and gave him the financial backing to make many signings in order to achieve promotion. Berberi did just that, and FK Kukësi were crowned champions of the Kategoria e Dytë at the end of the 2010-11 season. The following season, the club once again invested heavily, this time to achieve their goal of playing in the top flight, a goal that was achieved at the end of the 2011-12 season, when FK Kukësi finished second in the table and received automatic promotion to the Kategoria Superiore for the 2012-13 season.

Kategoria Superiore era

2012–13

The club's first top-flight match was against newly promoted Luftëtari Gjirokastër at the Zeqir Ymeri Stadium on August 26, 2012, and ended in a goalless draw in front of just over 2,500 fans. They went unbeaten in their first ten league games, including an away win over Albania's most decorated team, KF Tirana. Their unbeaten start to life in Kategoria Superiore came to an end on November 17th with a 2-0 loss to Flamurtari Vlorë. They finished the season in second place behind Skënderbeu Korçë, whom they defeated 4-3 on the last day of the season. FK Kukësi's season was considered a tremendous success considering the club's modest history, which did not stop them from collecting memorable victories throughout the season, including a 6-1 win over Flamurtari Vlorë and a 5-1 win over Shkumbini Peqin. They were considered the surprise package of UEFA, as they were the only team to finish the season unbeaten at home, and their second-place finish earned them a place in the UEFA Europa League first qualifying round. They finished the season with a record of 15 wins, 7 draws and 4 losses, with 52 points and a positive goal difference of 24.

2013–14

FK Kukësi's first European game was played on 4 July 2013 and it ended in a 1–1 draw away at Estonian side Flora Tallinn, with midfielder Gerhard Progni scoring a 79th-minute equaliser. The return leg was played at the Qemal Stafa Stadium in Tiranë and it ended in goalless draw which meant that FK Kukësi progressed to the second qualifying round of the Europa League on the away goal rule. In the next round FK Kukësi met Bosnian side FK Sarajevo, whom they defeated 3–2 at the Qemal Stafa Stadium in the first leg, thanks to goals from Yll Hoxha, Lazar Popović and Igli Allmuça. In the second leg played at the Asim Ferhatović Hase Stadium, the match ended goalless which meant FK Kukësi progressed to the third and final qualifying round of the competition. They faced Metalurh Donetsk from Ukraine in the next round and they shocked the Ukrainians with a 2–0 win in Tiranë, courtesy of goals from Lucas Malacarne and Renato Malota. FK Kukësi experienced their first European defeat in their sixth fixture at the hands of Metalurh Donetsk in the away leg of the tie, but still progressed through to the play-off round as they won 2–1 on aggregate over the two games. In the play-offs they were drawn against a far larger club in the shape of Turkish side Trabzonspor, who they faced at home in the first leg which ended in a predictable 2–0 loss. At the Hüseyin Avni Aker Stadium in the second leg FK Kukësi managed to open the scoring through Lazar Popović in the 11th minute, before conceding three times to lose 5–1 on aggregate. The club's European run was widely reported both in Albania and in the region, and the players were considered heroes for overcoming their underdog status both domestically and continentally.

They began the 2013–14 season in poor form, losing their opening game to newly promoted side KF Lushnja before being comprehensively beaten 3–0 at home by Vllaznia Shkodër, leaving them in the relegation zone and second from bottom after two games played. However, they quickly bounced back to beat the reigning champions Skënderbeu Korçë 3–1, before drawing to Teuta Durrës and beating Kastrioti Krujë to lift them out of the relegation zone. They lost their following game against Partizani Tirana which resulted in the head coach Armando Cungu being replaced by Naci Şensoy, whose reign at FK Kukësi began with two draws and a loss that landed the club back in the relegation zone. From week 10 however, they went on a four match winning streak which was ended by a 1–1 draw with Skënderbeu Korçë. However, the head coach Şensoy was under pressure from both the fans and the president Safet Gjici, and after winning just once in his next four league games he resigned immediately after a goalless draw at home against Bylis Ballsh. The club's technical director Sulejman Starova took over as head coach until the end of the season, having last managed in 2010 while he was in charge of KF Tirana. Starova began with a disappointing 2–0 loss to relegation bound Besa Kavajë, before beating Flamurtari Vlorë and KF Laçi consecutively to regain some momentum for a late title push. Hopes of winning the title dampened following a 3–1 defeat by KF Tirana in week 22, despite losing just once in their last eleven games, which saw them win seven times, to finish comfortably in second place, four points behind Skënderbeu Korçë and three points ahead of KF Laçi who finished first and third respectively. They also had a strong Albanian Cup run, as they eliminated Naftëtari Kuçovë, Apolonia Fier, Bylis Ballsh and Teuta Durrës to reach the final with Flamurtari Vlorë which they eventually lost 1–0 to an Arbër Abilaliaj goal.