Ireland's next opponents and how Kosovo built a national team from scratch

Ahead of the Republic of Ireland's UEFA Nations League opener in Pristina, former Kosovo manager Albert Bunjaki speaks to Raf Diallo.

The current head of academy at Swedish club IF Karlstad Fotboll served as head coach of his birth nation between 2009 and 2017 and shares an insight into his role in helping to build the national team from the ground up before they became official members of FIFA and UEFA ten years ago and in their first World Cup qualifying campaign.

TIMESTAMPS

01:00 Bunjaki discusses his early experiences growing up in Pristina and the role football played at a time when Kosovo was part of Yugoslavia.

03:00 Bunjaki explains the circumstances which led him to leave Kosovo for Sweden in 1991 and his years in exile while facing a 20-year sentence imposed in absentia for not accepting conscription into the Yugoslav army.

06:00 Working his way up the Swedish football coaching ladder and the road towards being appointed Kosovo manager.

11:00 The importance of late former Kosovo FA president and Yugoslavia international footballer Fadil Vokrri and putting the building blocks in place for a national team that was still seeking international recognition.

16:00 How Bunjaki began scouting players abroad who would be eligible to represent Kosovo in the future, the dilemma faced by the likes of Swiss greats Granit Xhaka and Xherdan Shaqiri, and the important support he received from mentor and close friend, Tord Grip, who previously served as a long-time assistant to the late Sven Goran Eriksson.

28:00 How Bunjaki prepared for and put together a team for a milestone 2014 friendly against Haiti in Mitrovica after FIFA gave the green light for Kosovo to start playing its members in non-competitive games.

36:00 Kosovo admission into FIFA and UEFA in 2016 and the challenge in being ready for the 2018 World Cup qualifying campaign, including earning a draw against Finland away in their first game despite not knowing if key players could feature just hours before kick-off.

44:00 Bunjaki reflects on how Kosovo have built on his early work to almost qualify for the 2026 World Cup, beating Sweden - the country he has called home since 1991 - twice during the campaign.

46:00 The rapid growth of Kosovan football at club level and what the Republic of Ireland can expect against the national team on Thursday, 24 September and what Irish fans can look forward to in Pristina.

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