Fadil Avdullah Vokrri (23 July 1960 – 9 June 2018) was a Kosovan football administrator and former Yugoslav professional football player. He served as president of the Football Federation of Kosovo from 16 February 2008 until his death in 2018.
Vokrri played as a striker and began his youth career with his hometown club Llapi before establishing himself at Prishtina, where he made 172 league appearances and scored 55 goals between 1980 and 1986. He later played for Partizan, Nîmes, Fenerbahçe, Bourges, and Montluçon, accumulating 121 career goals in 363 club appearances.
At international level, Vokrri represented the Yugoslavia national team, earning 12 caps and scoring 6 goals between 1984 and 1987.
After retiring as a player, he became a football administrator and was elected president of the Football Federation of Kosovo in 2008, a position he held until his passing on 9 June 2018 in Pristina.
Early life Born in Podujevë, SFR Yugoslavia (modern Kosovo) to ethnic Albanian parents, Vokrri was known for his Diego Maradona-like approach with quick movement and strong shooting (where he established his strong shooting reputation at FC Prishtina). He won a number of international caps for the former Yugoslavia in the mid-1980s and was unlucky to not win more caps where he was one of Yugoslavia's favourite football talents. He played in a star-studded lineup that included Agim Cana, Edmond Rugova and Fadil Muriqi, as well as other Kosovan players who were part of the Golden Generation in the 1980s. Vokrri's FC Prishtina went on to beat Red Star Belgrade at the Red Star Stadium and record a historic away victory for the Kosovan team.
Club career Vokrri scored a total of 121 goals and had 363 club appearances, he began his career at the age of 16 years old at Llapi. He then moved to Prishtina in 1980 and played there until 1986, scoring 55 goals and making 172 appearances. Vokrri was very successful with Partizan from Belgrade where he scored 18 goals and had 55 appearances. He was key to both the team claiming the 1986–87 Yugoslav First League title, and their successful run in the 1988–89 Yugoslav Cup, notably scoring in the final as Partizan won 6–1 against Velež Mostar.
Juventus showed interest in signing Vokrri during the late 1980s. He could not join because "[he] hadn't completed the then-compulsory two years' military service". He also played for Nîmes Olympique, Fenerbahçe where he played for the successful coach Guus Hiddink. Vokrri was a favourite of Fenerbahçe fans but was not as productive as he was with FC Prishtina and Partizan because of his older age.
Post-retirement
After the Kosovo War ended, Vokrri returned to his country and became the sporting director of Prishtina. On 16 February 2008, he was elected as the president of the Football Federation of Kosovo for a four-year mandate.
Personal life Vokrri and his wife Edita had two sons, Gramozi and Albert, and a daughter named Albana. He had a degree in the Faculty of Management and Business. Apart from his native Albanian, he was also fluent in French, Serbian and Turkish. On 17 May 2018, he earned his Albanian passport.
Death
On 9 June 2018, Vokrri suffered a heart attack while he was exercising and died on his way to the emergency room. Later that day, the Prishtina City Stadium was renamed to the Fadil Vokrri Stadium in his honor.
Vokrri was given a state funeral on 10 June 2018 and was buried at the Pristina City Cemetery. President of Kosovo Hashim Thaçi marked the day as a national day of mourning, with all flags lowered at half mast across Kosovo, and at embassies all over the world.
Career statistics Club + Appearances and goals by club, season and competitionClubSeasonLeagueCupCup appearances are missingEuropeIncluding continental competitions, such as UEFA CupTotalDivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsPrishtina1980–81Yugoslav Second League25500—2551981–82271300—27131982–83321500—32151983–84Yugoslav First League31900—3191984–8530800—3081985–8627500—275Total1725500—17255Partizan1986–87Yugoslav First League28500203051987–8811600211371988–891671142209Total551811836321Nîmes1989–90French Division 2241300—2413Fenerbahçe1990–911.Lig21621422791991–922271000237Total431331425016Bourges1992–93French Division 2301000—3010Montluçon1993–94Championnat National 2261100—23111994–9513100—131Total391200—3912Career total36312142125379128
International + Appearances and goals by national team and yearNational teamYearAppsGoalsYugoslavia198432198562198600198732Total126
Scores and results list Yugoslavia's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Vokrri goal.
+ List of international goals scored by Fadil VokrriNo.DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition112 September 1984Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland1–01–6Friendly220 October 1984Zentralstadion, Leipzig, East Germany2–23–21986 FIFA World Cup qualification31 February 1985Maharaja's College Stadium, Kochi, India1–03–11985 Nehru Cup41 May 1985Stade Municipal, Luxembourg City, Luxembourg1–01–01986 FIFA World Cup qualification514 October 1987Grbavica Stadium, Sarajevo, SFR Yugoslavia1–03–0UEFA Euro 1988 qualifying62–0
Honors Partizan Yugoslav First League: 1986–87 Yugoslav Cup: 1988–89
References
External links Profile at Football Federation of Kosovo