Astrit Hafizi

Astrit Hafizi
Personal information
Full name	Astrit Hafizi
Date of birth	15 September 1953 (age 68)
Place of birth	Shkodër, Albania
Position(s)	Midfielder
Senior career*
Years	Team
1968-1975	Shkëndija
1975-1984	Vllaznia
1976	→ Dinamo Tirana '(loan)'
1982-1983	→ 17 Nëntori '(loan)'
Teams managed
1985–1988	Vllaznia
1990–1995	Vllaznia
1996	Albania U-21
1997–1999	Albania
2001	Dinamo Tirana
2002	Vllaznia
2007–2008	Tirana
	* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Astrit Hafizi (born 15 September 1953) is an Albanian former footballer and coach of Vllaznia, as well as coach of Albania in a two years span (1997–1999).^[1]

Playing career[]

Club[]

Born in Shkodër, Hafizi was brought to Shkëndija Tiranë by Zyber Konçi,^[2] but was ordered back to Shkodër and played the remainder of his career with hometown club Vllaznia with whom he won two league titles in a team also featuring international player Luan Vukatana. In 1976 however, he was temporarily "loaned" to Dinamo Tirana to play for them in the Balkans Cup. He played both home games against Dinamo Zagreb and Ethnikos but was unexpectedly expelled from the team for the away matches and subsequently returned to Vllaznia. He later also played with Vukatana for 17 Nëntori in the Balkans Cup against Larissa.^[2]

Managerial career[]

When Vllaznia released him at only 31 years of age, because they wanted a new and younger team, the club persuaded him to become a coach and he became manager of the club a year later, replacing Ramazan Rragami.

In November 1987, Hafizi was suspended for two years by the communist regime for his role in a defection of Vllaznia players Lulëzim Bërshemi and Arvid Hoxha in Athens after a 1987–88 European Cup Winners' Cup match away against RoPS.^[3] He was, alongside club captain Ferid Rragami and two staff members, set to work in Pult as a school teacher and brought back to Shkodër 6 months later after the communist party leaders said he had "learned from his mistake".^[2] He was suspended by the authorities once more in 1991 for an incident in London with the Albania U-21 team.