Arena Kombëtare

About

Arena Kombëtare (pronounced [aˈɾena ˌkɔmbəˈtaɾɛ]; known as the Air Albania Stadium for sponsorship reasons) is an all-seater, multi-purpose football stadium located in the Albanian capital city of Tirana which was built on the ground of the former Qemal Stafa Stadium. The stadium has a seating capacity of 22,500 constituting the largest stadium in Albania. The stadium is owned by the governing body of Albanian football, the Albanian Football Association (FSHF) and the Albanian State through Shoqëria Sportive Kuq e Zi Sh.A, a subsidiary established for the purpose of building, managing and maintaining the structure. Designed by Marco Casamonti of Archea Associati, the structure of the stadium is a peculiar multi-faceted form (an 8-faceted rectangle) so that each side allows access to distinct functions. At one corner of the stadium structure is an 112-metre tall tower (24 floors). Each facet accommodates different streams, thus identifying users of private areas, such as the hotel tower, shopping areas and stadium spectators. In May 2022, the stadium hosted the first ever Europa Conference League final between AS Roma and Feyenoord Rotterdam. It will host the 2027 UEFA European Under-21 Championship final.

The stadium is located in the city-centre of the capital city of Tirana. Precisely on the Italia Square which itself is alongside one of the two main squares of the city, the Mother Teresa Square, named after the Albanian-born Saint Teresa of Calcutta. Both squares are located at the southern end of the Dëshmorët e Kombit Boulevard, which on that side is confined to the University of Tirana building and the Grand Park of the city. The whole area, including the old Qemal Stafa Stadium, was conceived and built during the Kingdom of Albania and later during the Italian occupation by architects and urban planners Gherardo Bosio, Armando Brasini and Florestano Di Fausto. The stadium is surrounded by other public buildings such as the University of Tirana, the Palace of Congress, the Archaeological Museum, University of Arts, the Presidential palace, etc.

For more than 60 years since its construction, Qemal Stafa Stadium served as the main stadium in Albania, the home of the Albania national team, as well as the home of several athletic competitions and other events. After its degradation over the years, around 2010s the Albanian Football Association (FSHF) and the Albanian government began to discuss the possibility of renovating the facility or, if not possible, building a new stadium in the same location. The government and the FSHF came to an agreement to create a joint venture that would handle the tendering, construction and then management of the new stadium, with the condition that the destination of the sports facility would not be changed. Thus, on 26 March 2011, was established Qëndra Sportive Kuq e Zi Sh.A with 70% of shareholding belonging to the FSHF and 25% to the Albanian Government through the Ministry of Sports. On 19 October 2010, Albania's PM Sali Berisha after a meeting with the President of UEFA Michel Platini, declared that the government is seriously considering the construction of a new stadium. Soon after, at a meeting of the Council of Ministers on 2 February 2011, a decision was taken that for the 100th Anniversary of the Independence of Albania, which will occur in 2012, a new national stadium will be built in Tirana. Fenwick Iribarren Architects was commissioned to design the new stadium. The project envisioned the construction of a 33,000 all-seated stadium with an exterior facade representing Albanian state borders and its flag colours. But it never went ahead with the implementation of the project, considering it too expensive for the state budget which would cover most of the construction costs. In November 2013 the President of the FSHF, Armand Duka stated that UEFA will no longer allow European competitions such as the Champions League, UEFA Europa League and other international leagues to be played at Qemal Stafa Stadium or any other stadium in Albania because none of them met UEFA standards. Consequently, the Albania national team and the Albanian Superliga teams participating in international competitions risked playing their matches abroad. Soon after, FSHF in cooperation with the new government elected, took steps to finance the reconstruction of the Elbasan Arena stadium to avoid UEFA's penalties, thus giving time for the construction of a new national stadium in Tirana. Efforts were made again in 2015, but this time trying new forms of financing without burdening the state budget. The Italian company Serenissima Costruzioni in collaboration with MANICA Architecture and Progetto CMR as designer, presented its project for the stadium. The project envisioned the transfer of ownership of all non-sporting and commercial spaces in favour of the company, as well as the construction of a tower on one side of the stadium which would also be owned by the company. This attempt also failed during negotiations between the government and the investor because the company requested the government to provide bank guarantees for the loans that the company would obtain during construction. On 22 May 2016 after the stadium was previously excluded from UEFA due to non-compliance with the standards, the last match between FK Kukësi and KF Laçi valid for the Albanian Cup Final was played in the Qemal Stafa Stadium before its final closure until the new stadium begins to build.

Adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA). Photography via Wikimedia Commons.