High salaries for football players, along with other financial obligations, have significantly increased the expenses of football clubs—reaching millions within a single competitive season. In Kosovan football, clubs fight for the league title, the Kosovo Cup, and qualification for European competitions. However, even when these objectives are achieved, they do not bring substantial financial benefits.
Llapi’s coach, Tahir Batatina, has pointed out that the rewards given by the Football Federation of Kosovo (FFK) are not enough to cover club expenses, especially when they represent the country in European competitions.
“The Football Federation allocates a certain amount for the team that becomes champion — around €50,000, for second place €30,000, and for third place €20,000. But I believe that for the level of European competition and the increasing budgets and expenses clubs are facing, the Ministry of Sports needs to do more in this regard. Besides the Sponsorship Law, which has helped Kosovan football a lot and is an extraordinary law, I think a dedicated budget should be allocated, because these teams represent Kosovo and are its best ambassadors,” said Batatina.
Former president of FC Prishtina, Remzi Ejupi, spoke about the time before Kosovo was accepted into UEFA and FIFA, recalling that club rewards were symbolic and that even today, support from the FFK remains minimal.
“All the rewards clubs receive—nothing comes from the federation itself—they receive only a modest reward. Until recently, before we were accepted into FIFA and UEFA, clubs were spending millions of euros throughout the year, and in the end, we received €50 just to keep football alive, hoping that one day better times would come. But we kept it going, we brought it this far, and now Kosovan football is being penalized by this current leadership (Football Federation of Kosovo)… Until 2017, before we were accepted, that’s all we got—a €50 reward. Now they receive from FIFA and UEFA, but very little comes from the federation,” said Ejupi.
Batatina has also called on the Ministry of Sports and municipal directorates to allocate specific budgets for clubs, emphasizing the risk of their collapse due to lack of financial support.
