‘I Feel Completely Albanian’ – Switzerland’s Granit Xhaka Admits To Intentionally Botching Goal-Scoring Chance Against Albania

Chris Wright

12th, September 2012

17 Comments

By Chris Wright

Highly-rated young Swiss midfielder Granit Xkaha’s international future has been thrown into doubt this morning after the 19-year old used his Facebook account to fess up to purposefully spurning a goal-scoring chance against Albania in a World Cup qualifier last night while suffering from a identity crisis in front of goal.

Xhaka, who moved from Basel to Borussia Monchengladbach this summer, was born in Kosovo to Albanian parents after the family was uprooted during the Yugoslavian civil war of the 1990s, with the family again moving on and settling in Switzerland while Granit and his elder brother Taulant (who currently plays for Grasshopper Zurich) were very young – though he obviously still feels his heritage to be staunchly Albanian.

Xhaka posted the following on Facebook…

Now it’s all well and good feeling strongly about one’s roots, though why anyone chooses to take immense pride in an accident of birth is beyond Pies. Perhaps a civil war-less childhood has bought on that kind of apathy in us.

Anyway, it’s quite another thing to corrupt a sporting contest on such grounds. It wasn’t an overly heinous crime and Xhaka didn’t throw the match as such (he hasn’t made any material gain), plus he’s to be commended for publicly admitting his wobble directly afterwards – but we’d wager that he may never play for Switzerland again, especially as he obviously doesn’t feel that he’s able to represent the shirt on his back without feeling disingenuous.

It’s certainly a toughy for the Swiss FA.

(Via 101GG)

Posted in FAIL, International football, Videos

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17 Comments

  1. Bof says:

    Sorry to say, but you’re very likely to be barking up the wrong tree with this story. Your source is, as far as I can tell, not the official Facebook site of Granit Xhaka: awful English, and a weird way to spell the name. None of the Swiss media made much of the story, even though the live commentator implies that Xhaka “didn’t really want to score”. The situation only got two tame lines in all the media coverage of the game. Also, Xhaka was born in Basel, Switzerland, although the English Wikipedia site says something else. If you switch to German or French, you get the correct information.

  2. Florian Raz says:

    I really don’t think, this is Xhakas official Facebook account (although the terrible english is result of an internet translation – the original text is in albanian).

    As far as I know Granit, he’d never be so stupid, to write such a thing. The albanian-swiss-story was in the papers for weeks now in Switzerland, so he knows exactly, what reactions such a quote would evoce.

  3. cheriff says:

    No matter what he says, the footage tells it all. This is disgrace. Be a man, take sides, otherwise you’re a pussy. A sportsman can not act like that.

  4. Robert says:

    Granite Jaca? Not Albanian name, it is Granit Xhaka and the FB profile is fore sure fake. Shame on you publishing fake stories!

  5. […] Here’s something you probably shouldn’t admit on social media if you’re a player. // WAATP […]

  6. Lukass says:

    It’s also worth noting that four other Swiss players who played last night(Valon Behrami, Admir Mehmedi, Blerim Xhemaili and Xherdan Shaqiri, who even scored the first goal and celebrated it, although rather tamely) were also of Albanian origins. Also Xhaka had a good shot from distance in the first half which went close to goal, and I don’t think he missed that on purpose.

  7. Toti says:

    This is the most stu-pid article I’ve ever read. The spelling of the name is not right on that facebook screen shot (so this is not his real account) and I don’t see where he admits that he didn’t want to score. Being a professional I trust him that underpression and under emotions he couldn’t control that ball. I hate when so called jurnalists are trying to make something out of nothing.

  8. Gen says:

    “When the heart speaks, the mind finds it indecent to object.”
    ― Milan Kundera

    Granit just made himself to a football great. We’re stuff of mercenaries who see through the stocks of money teams put in front of them to make them move.

    He pressed his love to the jersey he loves, the flag he’d die for,the anthem which is the only “song” he could deign to learn from start to finish. He just couldn’t let him feel what he would feel if he had scored.

    Now, that is the commitment to a cause I’d love to inject to everyone. Abstract the environment, commit to the jersey. Remember, the way he plays for Switzerland against other 199 Fifa teams, he’s indispensable.

    Albanians are becoming a football treasure. As good as football is, it’s becoming even better.

  9. Heyaaaa says:

    Out of all the Albanian – Swiss players I think Granit was really wanting to honor his Albanian heritage. I hope he figures it out, he’s a great footballer.

  10. Albania says:

    This is not the official Facebook account of Granit Xhaka. He would never use the spelling (name) “Granite Jaca” in his offical account, his real name is Granit Xhaka even in his T-shirt his surname is spelled with “Xhaka” and not “Jaca”.

  11. Milkchew says:

    Erm, if he feels “Completely Albanian” then why is he not reprensenting Albania? Bit of knob head if you ask me.

  12. albanian baller says:

    to all you swiss chess nation there not playing for albania because swiss team will cry wait till kosova gets a team say good buy to all your players they will play for kosova which i hope kosova never gets a team they all should play for albania but since albania ffsh is corrupt i say all the players from albania should play for kosova team then lets see albania smarten up long live greater albania

  13. Miri says:

    To all whom it may concerned and a especially FIFA, we admit our team isn’t to the highest standard as some teams are in Europe but we don’t have the worst 1 either and if it wasn’t for Greece and swiss taking our players we would b a real contender, these players don’t have a choice they have been told that if they don’t play for these countries their families would be deported so they have to look at their families priority first hence why they not playing for Albania, but the least these countries should do is offer them the choice not to play when they are against Albania apart from behrami n dzemaili I respect all the other players and they would always have my support as fellow country man. FIFA should also notice the awful decisions that are taken against Albania in every match that we play the referees always take the wrong decisions against us, so much for the fair play it’s not just 3 million Albanians we are 10 million that are always looked down on when it comes to football.

  14. Dorian says:

    In reality he is Albanian, he is not swiss. The swiss team is mainly composed of immigrants, who by the way they hate in switzerland. Why do they force them to play for their country if they dont even want them there? To me that is hypocritical. Many of these young players are totally forced to play for the swiss national team, if they dont, they risk consequences, like getting kicked out of their clubs or even having their documents revoked.
    having 6 players of albanian heritage, first generation albanians in your national team, doesnt make that much of a swiss national team now does it. Why dont you get your own players of your own heritage?
    If he feels albanian, its because he is one.

  15. XYZZZ says:

    Switzerland is Albania B team now anyway

  16. greater albania says:

    hey swiss find your own players they feel albanian period if swiss was living in albania we would never make them albanian thats there choice how they feel as for swiss your just like hittler we are albanians it dont matter where we live thats who we are you cant take out our blood and make us something diffrent long live albania and albanian nation

  17. kurreh says:

    First off, if he was born in Kosovo he isn’t Albanian. Could be of Albanian heritage, but if his family is from Kosovo for generations, then that’s where he’s from.
    Secondly, if it is true that there are stipulations for players to remain in the country and if there is a risk that families can be deported if they don’t play for Switzerland, then there is something there for human rights courts to review.
    And what is he suppose to feel about Albania??? or Kosovo??? He’s started playing in Switzerland, brought up through their football schooling levels and therefore his knowledge and abilities to some degree, have to be atributed to that nation and its school of football. Why would you feel anything about a corrupt country that like many other Balkan nations struggles to fight abuse and poverty by the mafia that have surfaced after the corrupt communist regimes fell. I could realize you feel something if you remember better days there. But this guy probably doesn’t know any albanians in Albania and therefore he’s just being patriotic “on paper” for the sake of who knows what….something all we immigrants get caught up in till we realize who’s taking care of us, who schools us and who hopes for us to repay them for all it’s given us.

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