Between the 3-0 defeat against Romania and the 4-0 win against Cyprus, Kosovo dropped three players from the squad - including ex-FCB player Edon Zhegrova.
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- Kosovo have played two games in the Nations League in the last few days. Three players were dropped between the first and second game - including ex-FCB player Edon Zhegrova.
- The three players are said to have stayed out late into the night in a nightclub and thus violated the internal rules.
- Zhegrova defended himself against the accusations on Instagram.
- Without the three supposedly important players, Kosovo won 4:0 away against Cyprus after clearly losing 3:0 to Romania in the first game.
In a short statement, also written on behalf of the once hapless FCZ coach Franco Foda, it is said that former Basel talent Edon Zhegrova (Lille), goalkeeper Arijanet Muric (Ipswich Town) and Florent Muslija (SC Freiburg) had "breached rules laid down by the association". They were therefore no longer in the squad for the Nations League match against Cyprus on Monday evening.
Kosovan media then uncovered what had allegedly happened. The three are said to have been in a nightclub until 2 a.m. on Saturday night.
Zhegrova and Muric? There was something ...
Zhegrova and Muric are no innocent lambs, they have already been suspended in the past. In spring, Zhegrova wrote in a public post that he was "a thorn in the side of many in the association". The statement was triggered by a dispute about the Kosovo star's call-up. Because he had not been cleared by his club Lille for one of three games, he was passed over by the association for the other two games. At least that's Zhegrova's version of events.
And Muric, who once trained as a GC youth player, made negative headlines in the fall of 2020. During the pandemic, he received unauthorized visits from ladies at the hotel. Six months later, he was dropped from the squad because he was said to have been on the edge during the get-together. Perhaps out of sheer loneliness? Because he already knew that visiting ladies doesn't go down well. And making the same mistake twice is really not an option.
Zhegrova defends himself publicly - and Kosovo celebrates a victory
And so, for the time being, the presumption of innocence, as they say, applies to everyone involved. Because at least Zhegrova, who once vandalized his grandfather's garden as a football-mad child, has since defended himself against the accusations in an Instagram story and reported that it was fake news. He wanted to give the answer on the pitch. Maybe it's all just a big misunderstanding after all.
The fact is: After the excitement surrounding the Trio Infernale, the Kosovan national team presented itself extremely calmly on Monday evening in Cyprus and recorded a commanding 4-0 victory. Donat Rrudhani from FC Lucerne shone with two assists.
