2015–16 Albanian Superliga

Albanian Superliga

Season	2015–16
Champions	Skënderbeu
Relegated	Bylis Tërbuni
Champions League	Skënderbeu[note 1] Partizani
Europa League	Partizani
Matches played	180
Goals scored	395 (2.19 per match)
Top goalscorer	Hamdi Salihi (27 goals)
Best goalkeeper	Alban Hoxha (19 clean sheets)
Biggest home win	Flamurtari 7–0 Tërbuni (4 October 2015) Skënderbeu 6–1 Laçi (4 May 2016)
Biggest away win	Tërbuni 0–4 Vllaznia (9 March 2016)
Highest scoring	Flamurtari 7–0 Tërbuni (4 October 2015)
Longest winning run	9 games Partizani
Longest unbeaten run	16 games Partizani
Longest winless run	14 games Tërbuni
Longest losing run	5 games Tërbuni Flamurtari
← 2014–15 2016–17 → All statistics correct as of 24 November 2016.

The 2015–16 Albanian Superliga was the 77th season of the Albanian Superliga, the top Albanian professional league for association football clubs, since its establishment in 1930. It was organised by the Albanian Football Association and it was the 13th season under the name Kategoria Superiore, which took over from the Albanian National Championship in 2003. The season began on 21 August 2015 and concluded on 18 May 2016.

Skënderbeu began the season as defending champions of the 2014–15 season. Bylis and Tërbuni entered as the two promoted teams from the 2014–15 Albanian First Division, but they were both relegated at the end of the season. Skënderbeu won an Albanian record sixth consecutive league title, finishing five points ahead of their closest rivals Partizani who had not finished in the top two since the 2007–08 season.

Hamdi Salihi of Skënderbeu won the scoring title with 27 goals in 30 games. Alban Hoxha of Partizani led the league with 19 clean sheets in 32 games. Gugash Magani of Flamurtari and then Teuta won the Manager of the Season award.

Teams

Changes

KF Bylis Ballsh, the 2014–15 First Division champion, returns to the top level after just one year of absence.

Locations

Bylis

Flamurtari

Kukësi

Laçi

Partizani

Skënderbeu

Teuta

Tërbuni

Tirana

Vllaznia

2016–17 Albanian Superliga teams.

Team	Home city	Stadium	Capacity	2014–15 season
Bylis	Ballsh	Adush Muça Stadium	5,200	First Division
Flamurtari	Vlorë	Flamurtari Stadium	8,200	6th
Kukësi	Kukës	Zeqir Ymeri Stadium	5,000	2nd
Laçi	Laç	Laçi Stadium	2,300	5th
Skënderbeu	Korçë	Skënderbeu Stadium	5,724	Champions
Partizani	Tiranë	Qemal Stafa Stadium	12,800	3rd
Tërbuni	Pukë	Ismail Xhemali Stadium	1,950	First Division
Teuta	Durrës	Niko Dovana Stadium	12,040	8th
Tirana	Tiranë	Selman Stërmasi Stadium	9,600	4th
Vllaznia	Shkodër	Reshit Rusi Stadium^(2)	1,200	7th

• (2) Vllaznia played the majority of their their 2015–16 home games at the Reshit Rusi Stadium in Shkodër. The club's normal home ground, the Loro Boriçi Stadium was undergoing reconstruction.

Stadiums

Bylis	Flamurtari	Kukësi	Laçi	Skënderbeu
Adush Muça Stadium	Flamurtari Stadium	Zeqir Ymeri Stadium	Laçi Stadium	Skënderbeu Stadium
Capacity: 5,200	Capacity: 8,200	Capacity: 5,000	Capacity: 2,300	Capacity: 5,724
Partizani	Teuta	Tirana	Tërbuni	Vllaznia
Qemal Stafa Stadium	Niko Dovana Stadium	Selman Stërmasi Stadium	Ismail Xhemali Stadium	Reshit Rusi Stadium
Capacity: 19,700	Capacity: 12,040	Capacity: 9,600	Capacity: 1,950	Capacity: 1,200

Personnel and kits

Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players and Managers may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

Team	President	Manager	Captain	Kit manufacturer	Shirt sponsor
Bylis Ballsh	Agron Kapllanaj	Adnan Zildžović	Maringlen Shoshi	Nike	—
Flamurtari Vlorë	Sinan Idrizi	Zekirija Ramadani	Bruno Telushi	Nike	TRK/Atlasjet
KF Laçi	Pashk Laska	Ramadan Ndreu	Stipe Buljan	Nike	Top Sport
Partizani Tirana	Gazment Demi	Andrea Agostinelli	Alban Hoxha	Nike	—
Skënderbeu Korçë	Ardian Takaj	Mirel Josa	Bledi Shkëmbi	Nike	Ama Cafè
Teuta Durrës	Edmond Hasanbelliu	Gugash Magani	Bledjan Rizvani	Nike	Caffè Pascucci
KF Tirana	Refik Halili	Ilir Daja	Ervin Bulku	Nike	–
Tërbuni Pukë	Grand Frroku	Viktor Gjoni	Abaz Karakaçi	Nike	AML Leonard
Vllaznia Shkodër	Bashkia Shkodër	Armando Cungu	Ndriçim Shtubina	Nike	–
Kukësi	Safet Gjici	Klodian Duro	Rrahman Hallaçi	Nike	Kevin Construction

Managerial changes

Team	Outgoing manager	Manner of departure	Date of vacancy	Position in table	Incoming manager	Date of appointment
Partizani Tirana	Shpëtim Duro	End of contract	29 May 2015	Pre-season	Sulejman Starova	30 May 2015
KF Tirana	Ndubuisi Egbo	End of tenure as a caretaker	30 May 2015		Shkëlqim Muça	30 May 2015
Teuta Durrës	Gentian Begeja	End of contract	31 May 2015		Gugash Magani	1 June 2015
Bylis Ballsh	Roland Nenaj	End of contract	31 May 2015		Agim Canaj	28 July 2015
Flamurtari Vlorë	Ernestino Ramella	Mutual consent	31 May 2015		Stanislav Levý	6 July 2015
FK Kukësi	Miodrag Radanović	Mutual consent	14 June 2015		Marcello Troisi	15 June 2015
Tërbuni Pukë	Elvis Plori	End of contract	14 June 2015		Samuel Nikaj	11 July 2015

League table

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification or relegation
1	Skënderbeu Korçë[lower-alpha 1] (C)	36	25	4	7	73	27	+46	79
2	Partizani Tirana	36	21	11	4	51	21	+30	74	Qualification to Champions League second qualifying round
3	Kukësi	36	18	9	9	41	25	+16	63[lower-alpha 2]	Qualification to Europa League first qualifying round[lower-alpha 3]
4	Teuta Durrës	36	18	9	9	43	28	+15	63[lower-alpha 2]
5	Tirana	36	13	14	9	37	25	+12	53
6	Vllaznia Shkodër	36	11	6	19	36	42	−6	39
7	Laçi	36	8	12	16	30	48	−18	36
8	Flamurtari Vlorë[lower-alpha 4]	36	9	11	16	34	44	−10	35
9	Bylis Ballsh (R)	36	8	8	20	27	53	−26	32	Relegation to Albanian First Division
10	Tërbuni Pukë (R)	36	4	6	26	22	81	−59	18

Source: Albanian Football Association, Soccerway
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Head-to-head points; 3) Head-to-head goal difference; 4) Head-to-head goals scored; 5) Goal difference; 6) Goals scored; 7) Draw.^[4]
(C) Champion; (R) Relegated.
Notes:

1. Skënderbeu Korçë would have qualified for the Champions League second qualifying round, but were excluded from participating in the 2016–17 European competitions by UEFA for match-fixing.^[1][2]
2. Kukësi ahead of Teuta Durrës on head-to-head record; Kukësi–Teuta Durrës 3–0, Teuta Durrës–Kukësi 1–0, Kukësi–Teuta Durrës 2–2, Teuta Durrës–Kukësi 0–0.
3. Kukësi qualified for the Europa League first qualifying round by winning the 2015–16 Albanian Cup.
4. Flamurtari Vlorë were deducted three points.^[3]

Results

Each team plays every opponent four times, twice at home and twice away, for a total of 36 games.

First half of season Home ╲ Away BYL FLA KUK LAÇ PAR SKË TËR TEU TIR VLL Bylis Ballsh 2–3 1–1 1–0 1–2 1–4 0–2 2–1 0–1 3–1 Flamurtari Vlorë 0–0 0–1 0–0 0–0 3–1 7–0 0–1 0–2 2–0 Kukësi 2–0 1–0 1–0 0–1 2–1 1–0 3–0 0–1 1–0 Laçi 3–1 2–1 1–1 2–3 0–3 4–0 2–2 1–1 2–0 Partizani Tirana 1–1 2–1 2–0 1–1 2–1 4–0 0–1 1–0 1–0 Skënderbeu Korçë 4–0 2–0 1–0 4–0 1–0 4–0 2–2 2–1 3–1 Tërbuni Pukë 4–2 1–0 1–1 1–1 1–2 0–2 0–1 1–2 0–3 Teuta Durrës 3–0 3–1 1–0 0–1 0–1 0–1 3–1 0–0 2–0 Tirana 0–0 1–1 2–1 0–0 0–0 1–2 3–0 2–0 0–0 Vllaznia Shkodër 3–2 4–0 1–1 0–1 1–2 0–1 2–0 0–1 1–1 Updated to games played on 19 March 2016. Source: 1 ^^ The home team is listed in the left-hand column. Colours: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

Second half of season Home ╲ Away BYL FLA KUK LAÇ PAR SKË TËR TEU TIR VLL Bylis Ballsh 0–0 0–2 1–0 0–2 1–1 4–0 0–1 0–0 0–1 Flamurtari Vlorë 0–0 0–1 0–1 1–1 0–2 1–1 1–0 2–1 2–0 Kukësi 3–0 4–0 1–0 0–1 1–0 1–0 2–2 2–1 0–0 Laçi 0–1 1–2 1–1 0–0 0–2 0–0 1–2 0–3 3–2 Partizani Tirana 1–2 1–1 1–0 2–0 1–1 4–0 1–2 2–0 3–0 Skënderbeu Korçë 3–0 5–1 3–1 6–1 0–1 2–3 1–0 1–0 2–1 Tërbuni Pukë 0–1 0–2 1–2 1–1 0–0 1–3 1–4 1–3 0–4 Teuta Durrës 1–0 1–1 0–0 3–0 0–2 1–1 2–1 0–0 1–0 Tirana 2–0 0–0 1–1 1–0 2–2 0–1 3–0 0–0 1–0 Vllaznia Shkodër 1–0 2–1 1–2 0–0 1–1 1–0 2–0 0–2 3–1 Updated to games played on 18 May 2016. Source: 1 ^^ The home team is listed in the left-hand column. Colours: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

Season statistics

Scoring

Top scorers

As of matches played on 21 May 2016.^[5]

Rank	Player	Club	Goals
1	Hamdi Salihi	Skënderbeu Korçë	27
2	Xhevahir Sukaj	Partizani Tirana	21
3	James Adeniyi	Laçi/Skënderbeu Korçë	15
4	Elis Bakaj	Tirana	14
5	Peter Olayinka	Skënderbeu Korçë	10
	Izair Emini	Kukësi
7	Artur Magani	Teuta Durrës	9
7	Mateus Lima	Kukësi	7
	Emiljano Musta	Teuta Durrës
	Ardit Hoxhaj	Bylis Ballsh
10	Eraldo Çinari	Vllaznia Shkodër	6
	Erick Flores	Kukësi
	Valdan Nimani	Laçi
	Stevan Račić	Partizani Tirana
	Ndriçim Shtubina	Vllaznia Shkodër
	Bruno Telushi	Flamurtari Vlorë

Hat-tricks

Player	For	Against	Result	Date	Ref
Salihi, HamdiHamdi Salihi	Skënderbeu Korçë	Flamurtari Vlorë	5–2	20 March 2016	[6]
Bakaj, ElisElis Bakaj	Tirana	Tërbuni Pukë	3–0	3 April 2016	[7]
Sukaj, XhevahirXhevahir Sukaj	Partizani Tirana	Tërbuni Pukë	4–0	30 April 2016	[8]

Clean sheets

As of matches played on 21 May 2016.^[5]

Rank	Player	Club	Clean sheets
1	Alban Hoxha	Partizani Tirana	19
2	Edvan Bakaj	Tirana	17
3	Orges Shehi	Skënderbeu Korçë	16
4	Shpëtim Moçka	Teuta Durrës	15
5	Ervis Koçi	Kukësi	10
	Andrija Dragojević	Vllaznia Shkodër
7	Stivi Frashëri	Tirana/Bylis Ballsh	9
8	Argjent Halili	Flamurtari Vlorë	8
9	Enea Koliqi	Kukësi	7

Discipline

As of 21 May 2016

Player

• Most yellow cards: 12^[5]
  • Orgest Gava (Bylis Ballsh)
  • Kristi Vangjeli (Skënderbeu Korçë)

• Most red cards: 3^[5]
  • Bruno Telushi (Flamurtari Vlorë)

Club

• Most yellow cards: 97^[5]
  • Bylis Ballsh

• Most red cards: 6^[5]
  • Flamurtari Vlorë

Attendances

Club	Lowest attendance	Highest attendance	Average attendance
Partizani Tirana	1,000	10,031	3,009
KF Tirana	2,000	7,000	2,993
Skënderbeu Korçë	500	4,200	2,731
FK Kukësi	531	5,110	1,957
Flamurtari Vlorë	70	3,000	1,215
Teuta Durrës	150	1,700	940
Vllaznia Shkodër	2,500	8,000	5,550
KF Laçi	300	1,800	828
Bylis Ballsh	300	1,800	828
Tërbuni Pukë	300	1,800	828

Notes

1. Partizani were transferred to the 2016–17 UEFA Champions League second qualifying round following the exclusion of Skënderbeu Korçë by UEFA for match-fixing.

References

1. "UEFA pezullon padrejtësisht Skëndërbeun nga Europa për sezonin 2016- 2017" [UEFA unfairly suspending Skënderbeu from Europe for the 2016–2017 season]. kfskenderbeu.al. Skënderbeu Korçë. 6 June 2016. Retrieved 7 June 2016.
2. "Albania's KF Skenderbeu banned from Europe for match-fixing". espnfc.com. ESPN FC. 6 June 2016. Retrieved 7 June 2016.
3. "Pagoi me vonesë borxhin ndaj Toni Pezos, FIFA i heq 3 pikë" [Paid the delayed debt to Toni Pezos, FIFA removes 3 points]. Panorama Sport. 17 January 2016. Retrieved 5 February 2016.
4. "Superliga 2015/2016 - Season rules". Scoresway. Retrieved 29 July 2015.
5. "Summary - Superliga - Albania - Results, fixtures, tables and news". Soccerway. Retrieved 7 May 2016.
6. Sotir Kora (20 March 2016). "Super Salihi, Skënderbeu shkatërron Flamurtarin" (in Albanian). Super Sport Albania. Retrieved 20 March 2016.
7. Erald Kodheli (3 April 2016). "Tirana thyen 3-0 Tërbunin, tre gola nga Elis Bakaj" (in Albanian). Super Sport Albania. Retrieved 3 April 2016.
8. Adi Metaliu (30 April 2016). "Partizani nuk gabon, 4 gola Tërbunit" (in Albanian). Super Sport Albania. Retrieved 1 May 2016.

External links

• Official website (Albanian)
• Superliga at uefa.com
• Livescore