Foda ahead of Kosovo debut

Big goals with the small country

Kosovo instead of ÖFB - Franco Foda celebrates his Balkan debut on Friday.(Bild: Mario Urbantschitsch)

After leaving FC Zurich in September 2022, Franco Foda is back on the coaching bench. The 57-year-old German, who led Austria to the last European Championship finals, will make his debut as Kosovo team boss on Friday in a friendly against Armenia. The former Sturm Graz coach talks about his first few weeks in the Balkans and his goals with the small country.  

Krone: Mr. Foda, you have been team manager of Kosovo since 17 February. How were the first few weeks in your new job?
Franco Foda: I've been traveling a lot with my coaching staff around Thomas Kristl and Robert Ibertsberger, we've watched legionnaires in Spain, Germany, France, Turkey and Switzerland.

In addition to Valon Berisha from LASK, Edon Zhegrova is also part of your first team squad for Friday's friendly against Armenia. He scored a magical goal in Lille's 3-0 win over Sturm in Graz in the Conference League.
I know Kosovo has a lot of very good footballers, we currently have a pool of around 40 to 50 players. Now we have to develop the team further. We have to believe in ourselves, play with confidence and get our game on the pitch.

LASK professional Valon Berisha is part of Franco Foda's first Kosovo team squad.(Bild: GEPA pictures)

What does your everyday life actually look like, do you now often commute back and forth between Graz and the capital Pristina?
I've recently spent most of my time in Pristina, I have an apartment near our training center and my office is in the new headquarters of the association. I've also taken a look at the Kosovo League, which also has some interesting players. I also keep in touch with the coaches of the U21 and U19 teams. In short, there is a lot to do, but I really enjoy my work here.

In the first international match under your direction, Armenia are the 94th-ranked team in the FIFA world rankings, while Kosovo are 102nd. What do you want to see on your debut?
Not too much was possible in the short preparation period. The main focus in these two or three days was to communicate my game plan and my system to the team. I want to see a high tempo, good intensity and aggression.

Things will then get serious in September with the Nations League C.
Yes, we definitely want to achieve promotion. The big goal is still to qualify for a major event.