A state funeral was held in Pristina for Fadil Vokrri, the head of Kosovo’s Football Federation (KFF) and one of the nation’s most prominent sportsmen.
Vokrri was buried on June 10 during a ceremony that was attended by Kosovar and regional state officials, representatives of Kosovo and regional sports federations, and hundreds of citizens.
He passed away on June 9 in Pristina following a heart attack.
Earlier in the day, at a ceremony in the parliament building, Kosovar Assembly speaker Kadri Vesel said the football legend was “synonymous with our joys, synonymous with the beautiful things in our country.”
Vokrri played for local Kosovar teams FC Llapi and FC Pristina, before joining Belgrade’s FC Partizan in 1986 where he went on to win one league championship.
He also played for Yugoslavia’s national team from 1984-87 and was elected the country’s best player in 1987.
During his mandate as KFF president, Kosovo joined the Union of European Football Association, UEFA, and FIFA in 2016.
Vokrri "became an inspiration for many generations of Kosovo’s athletes," Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj wrote on his Facebook page after the announcement of his death.
President Hashim Thaci declared June 10 a day of national mourning.
