The champions of Albania are from Korça, but Skënderbeu doesn't exist. What a shame!

Just two days ago, the news that the “Sotir Gora” school, specifically, the girls’ basketball team had been crowned champions of Albania spread like wildfire. So much has been said about these girls, seen in the photo below, that they have made the entire city of Korça genuinely proud.

Congratulations poured in from all sides. Everyone, young and old, offered their praise, including the Mayor of Korça, Sotiraq Filo. Many public figures and institution leaders congratulated them, even the Minister of Education. But everyone forgot what is most important.

In this southeastern city, the women’s basketball team of Skënderbeu has been defunct for years. We’ve stated it many times in past articles: the great Skënderbeu team wasn’t just disbanded. it was deliberately made to no longer exist.

The first person who bears responsibility for this vanished Skënderbeu is the Mayor, Sotiraq Filo, who was quick to congratulate these newly crowned champions.

Do you feel any responsibility, Mr. Filo? Why don’t you come out and admit the disgrace of letting the great Skënderbeu team, the team of Pandi Balli, Edmond Dushku, Anesti Mano, Arjan Kostani, Emil Papa, Zamira Koleci, Kozeta Damo, Vasilika Miço, Lida Shehu, Silvana Terezi, Zamira Qeramixhiu, Florenca Sulenji, Gerta Ropi, Aida Nakolli, Alma Gegolli, Migena Plasa?

To go further, we had Ornela Lalaj, Marina Pëllumbi (still part of the national team), the Papa sisters, Eda Llazar, Jahollari, Haris, Doja, and many, many others.

We’ve surely forgotten many other names who contributed to basketball, and we ask for their forgiveness, but today, all of them feel insulted, because Skënderbeu’s women’s basketball team no longer exists. What a shame!

And yet today, we are proud of these girls who have just been crowned champions. You filled our hearts with pride, girls. You filled our hearts with pride, coaches Emil Papa and Reinaldo Kacori. But where is the great Skënderbeu, even though we have champions standing before us? It’s gone…

Let this be a call to institutions that proudly boast about successes they had nothing to do with, while remaining silent about the legacy of the great women’s basketball team of Skënderbeu.

Shame!

“KORÇA BOOM”