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Full name | Football Club Dinamo City | ||
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Nickname(s) | Dinamovitët Blutë Nëndetësja Blu | ||
Founded | 3 March 1950; 75 years ago (3 March 1950) | ||
Ground | Elbasan Arena,Tirana | ||
Capacity | 12,800 | ||
President | Ardian Bardhi | ||
Manager | Ilir Daja | ||
League | Kategoria Superiore | ||
2023–24 | Kategoria Superiore, 7th | ||
Website | fcdinamocity | ||
Football Club Dinamo City, commonly referred to asDinamo City and colloquially known asDinamo, is an Albanian professionalfootball club based out ofTirana. They compete in theKategoria Superiore, the top tier ofAlbanian football. Founded in 1950, the club was historically affiliated to theInterior Ministry and having won 18National Championships, it is considered to be the second most decorated club after local rivalsKF Tirana.
The club was officially founded on 3 March 1950 by theInterior Ministry of Albania during the communist regime under dictatorEnver Hoxha. They won four consecutive championships from 1950 to 1953.[1] During this time, Dinamo recorded a hot streak of 25 consecutive wins, a record in Albanian football and 4th longest domestic winning streak in Europe.[1]
In 1967, Dinamo won its 9th championship by leavingTirana, then 17 Nëntori, one point behind, who was expelled for the tournament three weeks before the end.[2] This championship is not officially recognised byUEFA, however.
In 1989, Dinamo eventually finished third in the league which was won by 17 Nëntori, which made eligible to play inEuropean Cup Winners' Cup for the third time in their history.[3] In thepreliminary round of the tournament the team facedChernomorets Burgas, losing the first leg 1–3 (Demollari scoring the lone goal for Dinamo City) but winning the second 4–0 at home, thus recording its biggest win in a UEFA club competition.[4] The team then was eliminated in the first round byDinamo București despite winning the first leg in Tirana 1–0.Dinamo București won the second leg 2–0.
In 1995, the team were renamed KS Olimpik Tirana to leave behind the "communist past", but the club returned to their original name two years later.[5]
After finishing third in the table in 2005–06 season, Dinamo City named Faruk Sejdini as their new coach. One of Albania's best teachers of footballing fundamentals, he had a spell at the club last term before being dismissed by president Besnik Sulaj. Having returned following a spell atShkumbini, Sejdini said: "It's nice to be back." On 23 October 2006, he was fired.
At the start of the 2007–08 season,Agim Canaj took over as head coach, replacingIlir Daja who led Dinamo towards the championship title, after a dramatic win againstPartizani 2–1 in the final match, playing for 36 minutes with 9 players. In the summer of 2008, Ilir Daja moved into a position as director in order to make place forMarcelo Javier Zuleta from Argentina. The Argentinian coach also brought with him four Argentinian players; goalkeeper Daniel Bertoya, defender Alejandro Palladino, midfielderAgustín González, and striker Cristian Campozano. Zuleta only lasted for the firstChampions League qualification match against BosniansFK Modriča before he was replaced as coach byArtan Mërgjyshi, for only one match.
Together with Zuleta, the four Argentinian players also left the club. After Mërgjyshi left,Zlatko Dalić, the actual coach of Croatia, was appointed as new coach for Dinamo. He signed a two-year contract with the club. That deal was broken when Dinamo lost its second game in the re-beginning of the2008–09 season against Partizani.Shkëlqim Muça was then appointed manager of the club five days after ofZlatko Dalić's leave. In the 2009–10 season, Dinamo won the championship again, registering its 18th success.[6]
In 2011–12 season, the club experienced its worst period of all time, finishing last in the league with 13 points from 26 matches, winning only 3 times. They were relegated to theKategoria e Parë for the first time in their history.[7] Since the 2012–13 season, the club have played in the Kategoria e Parë and have risked relegation to thethird tier several times.[8]After spending 9 seasons in the second division, Dinamo clinched the promotion to the Superiore, confirming first place in Group A following a 2–0 win againstFK Vora.
On 25 August 2023, it was officially announced by president Bardhi that the club would rebrand to Dinamo City, ahead of the2023–24 Kategoria Superiore season.
Dinamo City has historically played atSelman Stërmasi Stadium which was also known as Dinamo Stadium when it first opened. After a spell playing atNiko Dovana Stadium,Durrës, Dinamo rebranded in 2023 and now play at theElbasan Arena inElbasan.
The "Blue Boys" are an Ultras group for the Albanian football team, Dinamo City. The group were formed in 2008 and have gained 5,000 followers as of 2021. They organise meetings and trips to matches inTirana and also away matches in Albania and even abroad. They promote Dinamo City to the local public and influence fans of the club in a number of ways.[9]
Dinamo are the second most successful and decorated club in Albania, having won (18) league titlesKategoria Superiore .The club also holds the winAlbanian Cups (13) andAlbanian Supercups (2). The club's most recent trophy was the2009–10 Kategoria Superiore won on 17 May 2010.
Type | Competition | Titles | Seasons |
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Domestic | ![]() | 18 | 1950,1951,1952,1953,1955,1956,1960,1966–67,1972–73,1974–75,1975–76,1976–77,1979–80,1985–86,1989–90,2001–02,2007–08,2009–10 |
![]() | 13 | 1950,1951,1952,1953,1954,1960,1970–71,1973–74,1977–78,1981–82,1988–89,1989–90,2002–03 | |
Superkupa e Shqipërisë | 2 | 1989,2008 | |
Double | 6 | 1950,1951,1952,1953,1960,1989–90 | |
Europe | Balkans Cup | RU | 1969 |
Internationally, they lost a final in the Balkan Cup in 1969 againstBeroe Stara Zagora. They won the first leg inTirana 1–0 with a goal byBahri Ishka, but in the return match they lost 3–0 by forfeit because during the regime ofEnver Hoxha, travel wasn't allowed to Bulgaria.
Dinamo City have given good performances in Europe among Albanian squads, winning 3 ties in Europe.
Submarine blues In their European path, Dinamo have played against "big guns" such as:Ajax,Austria Wien, etc. Drawn against teams such asSporting Lisbona,Beşiktaş,Dinamo București,Olympique Marseille,Brøndby,CSKA Sofia,Sheriff Tiraspol,CZ Jena,Aberdeen, etc.Dinamo has passed 3 rounds in the European cups, defeating opponents likeĦamrun Spartans,Chernomorets Burgas andKaunas.
Season | Division | Pos. | Pl. | W | D | L | GS | GA | P | Cup | Supercup | Europe | Top Scorer | |
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2000–01 | Kampionati Shqiptar | 3rd | 26 | 15 | 7 | 4 | 43 | 21 | 52 | SR | — | — | — | ![]() |
2001–02 | Kampionati Shqiptar | 1st | 26 | 19 | 6 | 1 | 55 | 15 | 63 | RU | — | UC | 1QR | ![]() ![]() |
2002–03 | Kampionati Shqiptar | 6th | 26 | 10 | 8 | 8 | 29 | 24 | 39 | W | RU | UCL | 2QR | ![]() |
2003–04 | Kategoria Superiore | 2nd | 36 | 21 | 8 | 7 | 68 | 39 | 71 | RU | RU | UC | 1QR | ![]() |
2004–05 | Kategoria Superiore | 3rd | 36 | 18 | 8 | 10 | 51 | 30 | 62 | SR | — | UC | 1QR | ![]() |
2005–06 | Kategoria Superiore | 3rd | 36 | 17 | 10 | 9 | 53 | 35 | 61 | SF | — | UIC | 1QR | ![]() |
2006–07 | Kategoria Superiore | 5th | 33 | 14 | 5 | 14 | 41 | 39 | 57 | QF | — | UC | 1QR | ![]() |
2007–08 | Kategoria Superiore | 1st | 33 | 21 | 7 | 5 | 56 | 14 | 70 | SF | — | — | — | ![]() |
2008–09 | Kategoria Superiore | 3rd | 33 | 14 | 10 | 9 | 48 | 34 | 52 | QF | W | UCL | 1QR | ![]() |
2009–10 | Kategoria Superiore | 1st | 33 | 19 | 4 | 10 | 56 | 41 | 61 | THR | — | UEL | 1QR | ![]() |
2010–11 | Kategoria Superiore | 10th | 33 | 10 | 9 | 14 | 46 | 50 | 39 | RU | RU | UCL | 2QR | ![]() |
2011–12 | Kategoria Superiore | ↓14th | 33 | 3 | 7 | 16 | 25 | 47 | 13 | SR | — | — | — | ![]() |
2021–22 | Kategoria Superiore | ↓9th | 36 | 6 | 11 | 19 | 21 | 46 | 29 | QF | — | — | — | ![]() |
2023–24 | Kategoria Superiore | 7th | 36 | 13 | 8 | 15 | 42 | 43 | 47 | QF | — | — | — | ![]() |
2024–25 | Kategoria Superiore | — | — | — |
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Position | Name |
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Head coach | ![]() |
Assistant coach | ![]() |
Goalkeeping coach | ![]() |
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Fitness coach | ![]() |
Team manager | ![]() |
Physio | ![]() |
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President | ![]() |
General director | ![]() |
Sports director | ![]() |
Name | Kategoria Superiore | Albanian Cup | Supercup | Total |
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![]() | 6 | — | — | 6 |
![]() | 2 | — | — | 2 |
![]() | 2 | — | — | 2 |
![]() | 1 | — | — | 1 |
![]() | 1 | — | — | 1 |
![]() | 1 | — | — | 1 |
![]() | 1 | — | — | 1 |
![]() | 1 | — | — | 1 |
![]() | 1 | — | — | 1 |
![]() | 1 | — | — | 1 |
![]() | 1 | — | — | 1 |