By Uvil Zajmi
-This writing is published as a tribute after the passing away a few days ago of the former goalkeeper of the Tirana team, Mihal Konomi-
Memorie.al / Everyone knew him by the name Llaqi, but in reality his name is Mihal. Mihal Konomi or Llaq Konomi, and immediately the tall goalkeeper of “17 Nëntori” of the 70s come to mind. He hasn’t changed, it’s the same physical stature, and he speaks little, very simple and quite modest. Very little has been said and told about him, although his story is special…!
In Delvina, there his career begins
A career that began in the 60s with the youth of Tirana. A special and modern construct for the time, he soon moves up to the first team, trains alongside Ilir Elini, but without playing official matches. For the match with “Kilmarnock” (Scotland), for the Champions Cup, in 1964, he is gathered but does not travel, as he is very young, 16-17 years old, has no experience, and “17 Nëntori” takes Mikel Janku of “Partizani” as reinforcement. While the cycle of the youth closes, where respect and consideration is very special for the work of Xhavit Demneri, Konomi, who has just finished the Physical Education Technical School in Tirana, receives an appointment in Delvina, as a Physical Education teacher at the “10 Korriku” high school.
He plays one year with the “Bistrica” team in the second category. Then another transfer, now to the far end, in Kukës, but to complete the two-year mandatory military service. The first year he plays with “Përparimi,” while in the second he is activated in Tropoja with “Valbona,” where he also finishes the army. He returns to Tirana and is in the attention of “Dinamo” and “Partizani,” but a suggestion from the former youth coach, Xike Bulku, for Lym Alla, makes him immediately start training with “17 Nëntori.”
The documents, Hyka’s intervention
January 1970. Llaqi is ready to play, but his education documents have remained in Delvina and it is a problem, because without them and without a job, federation is not possible, a rule set by the Albanian Football Federation. Meanwhile, the club makes a provisional employment for him: It registers him on the payroll as a field worker, and together with the veteran Sevdulla, they take care of the field of “Qyteti i nxënësve.” In this way of finding, Llaqi could be activated in the championship, but this did not last long. He continues to train quietly, and together with Bujar Tafaj, under the care of Met Metani, the former goalkeeper of Tirana. Llaq Konomi’s first match with “17 Nëntori” is the one in Durrës against “Lokomotiva,” with the late Kujtim Kika in goal.
Then the other matches continue, to come to the match in Vlora in the next challenge against “Flamurtari.” “Roburi,” the club’s traditional bus with driver Safeti, was climbing the neck of Koshovica as soon as it passed Fier, when Skënder Hyka, whom he never forgets, approaches Llaqi and tells him: “We have a good chance to solve the documents problem, since on the bus with the team is also Manol Muçka, the head of the education section in the Executive Committee of Tirana, who accompanies the squad.” Without hesitating, Hyka approaches and speaks to Muçka about Konomi’s problem. And without delay, the following Tuesday, Llaqi receives an appointment at the “Naim Frashëri” eight-year school in Tirana.
From the top of the pyramid to the Achilles’ heel
This is how Llaq Konomi defines that period. “The confrontation against ‘Ajax’ has been the match of my life,” he says. The squad was gathered at the “Butrinti” hotel in Plazh, to do the first phase of preparation, a 15-day period that was usually spent on the coast, then 15 days in the Dajti Mountain. While no one could drink even a glass of beer, as it was not allowed by the coaches, precisely on the day of the draw, Llaqi takes the road on foot, from the hotel to “Plepat,” to secretly and alone drink a glass of beer, but more to hear and get information about the drawing of the Champions Cup.
Information was received only from the radio, as there was no TV. It was the time of the evening news, and after them, they spoke about sports. When the announcer says that after the draw held in Zurich, the opponent of “17 Nëntori” will be “Ajax” of Amsterdam, without drinking the sip of beer, Llaqi has started running to the hotel, to give the news to his friends. A run from Plepat to “Butrinti” like Leonidas of Thermopylae. The first he meets is Kazanxhiu, and then the others. About “Ajax,” no one knew more than the dramatic 4-1 loss that “Milan” had caused them a year earlier. It was a team in formation, with a philosophy whose fruits would come later.
Near the challenge, gathering at “Donika”
The story of the match against “Ajax” is very special. The squad gathered at the “Donika” hotel in Tirana and stayed for more than 1 month. Three training sessions were held per day: morning gymnastics at the Lake, then 90 minutes of training at “Qyteti i nxënësve,” and as usual, the midday training. The last two weeks, the midday training was held at the “Dinamo” stadium, because it had a grass field and not like that of “Qyteti i nxënësve,” where it was done on dry ground. A few days before the match, three analyses were organized. In the first, a party leader also participated, in the second, Manush Myftiu was present (he recalls that his conversation was normal, without setting party conditions that were current for the time), while in the Monday training, at the “Dinamo” stadium, Beqir Balluku, Minister of Defense, comes.
He meets the squad and tells them: “I have faith in you, you will produce a good match with a positive result.” While on the day of the match, Lym Alla did not make a special analysis. Not having much information about “Ajax,” he built the tactical scheme based on the strength of the team, the individual abilities of the players, collective play, tradition, sacrifice, etc. About “Ajax,” no one knew more than the dramatic 4-1 loss that “Milan” had caused them a year earlier, a match followed on the few televisions of the time. “We went to ‘Qemal Stafa’ to follow their training, one day before the match.
“More handsome boys, with long hair, I had not seen. When I approached Hulshof, he seemed to me like a big cloud that covered me,” recalls Konomi. “It was a team in formation, with a special philosophy whose fruits would come later. There was talk of a young man named Johan Cruyff. We saw him only in training, catching the balls behind the goal. That night – continues Konomi – gathered in Niko Xhaçka’s room, we all had great emotion. We stayed without sleep until two after midnight, listening from a tape recorder to the songs of the Beatles and Rolling Stones, sleep would not come to us. I drank four Luminal, but it was impossible to sleep.”
Those who came as reinforcement
For the match against “Ajax,” three footballers from “Dinamo” had come to “17 Nëntori” as reinforcement: Çeço, Zhega, and Xhafa. For the nature, character, and philosophy of Alla, everyone knew that he was not for taking players from other teams. If Lym Alla were to choose, he had appreciation for two footballers: Pano and Ilir Përnaska. “With these two players – he said – I win even the Champions Cup.” However, Alla did not refuse the intervention of the AFF for taking them, as all three were known players, at the peak of their form and starters at their club but also in the national team. Even in this match, they were decisive.
The moldy jerseys
Meanwhile, even today, Llaq Konomi does not know why the team decided to play with the blue jersey, and not with the white-blue vertical stripes. Perhaps the nostalgic leaders of the club oriented the blue color, as the traditional one over the years. “There is no other reason – recalls Konomi. They were jerseys that were taken out of the warehouses and smelled of mold from old age and non-use.” Before the match, great heat, only a few words in the dressing rooms, while with Llaqi, Lymi was very indifferent. No comment, no conversation, but without forgetting the moment of going out on the field.
He approaches and tells him: “Listen Konom, even if you concede 20 goals, doesn’t worry.” Lymi wanted to protect me psychologically, that’s why he acted that way. Then comes the shoe check, where like Kazanxhiu, who was not allowed to play, almost all of us had (few footballers had shoes with plastic heels, others with flat heels). Llaqi managed to escape the check, by mixing in with the spectators who were on the track.
The match, the goals, the substitution
The match had two faces. The beginning, when everyone was numb and for 5-6 minutes unable to catch the ball circulated by “Ajax.” Then comes their first goal. “I recall the Hulshof-Neskens and Surbier passes, that after 50 meters of running I see it a little diagonal to my left. His shot I still have in my memory. I touched the ball with my finger, but without being able to deflect it.” At halftime, coach Alla gives courage says that results have been overturned by “17 Nëntori,” they must fight to the end. The second half has another appearance, although Surbier strikes again, scoring, after that calibrated shot from afar. And coach Alla has substituted Konomi with Durim Hatibi.
Meanwhile, in the game, Kazanxhi is fouled, who only a few minutes after the Dutch goal has scored the first goal with his head, to come to the historic goal of the 2-2 equalizer: It was a typical Dutch combination Kasmi – Mema – Hyka (the ball untouched by the Dutch) and Zhega who finalizes. After the match, furious, in the dressing rooms of “Ajax,” the screaming of coach Rinus Michels against his players could be heard. While the “Robur” bus with the Tirana footballers needed an hour to return to the “Donika” hotel, as the road was full and from enthusiasm people had blocked the central boulevard.
The gifts and the photographers’ interest
From the match with “Ajax,” no memory has remained for him. “Two or three photos, as the Dutch photographers photographed me continuously because my tall construct made an impression on them. But also a club flag and a small mini-football, which were given before the match by the Dutch footballers, but before the game started, an order was given to return them back, as they were produced in a capitalist country like Hong Kong (some did not hand them over).” The only memory that has remained to Llaqi is the small flag of “Ajax,” which he keeps with much nostalgia.
The gloves that amazed Stuy
“One detail before the match was also my gloves. I recall that I had ordered them at the leather workshop, then I took two ping-pong paddles, removed the porous rubber, and glued it to the gloves, but I did not use them in the match. I did not use them because when I was shaking hands before the match with goalkeeper Stuy, he with a jersey all sponge and with modern gloves, when he saw me, without speaking but with a questioning look, addressed me: ‘Where are the gloves’ you have’? After this, from shame, I did not use those that I had prepared at the leather workshop.”
The return match without Konomi
In the return match, after two weeks, Llaq Konomi did not travel, but in his place played Koço Dinella. “I felt that I would not travel, as they did not take my passport. And the cause was three anonymous letters that came to the Party Committee, to the club, and one to the “Donika” hotel. Even today I do not know what was written about me in them. I was sure they were biography motives. But also the second coach Enver Shehu, as well as the masseur Osman Metani, for the same reasons did not travel to Amsterdam.”
The end of the career
Llaqi played two more seasons with “17 Nëntori,” but killed and psychologically fallen. Meanwhile, the famous generation of “17 Nëntori” has now left and been replaced by the generation of Tit Dibra, etc. Along with them, Llaqi has also left the team, but to wear for three years the jersey of the “Dajti” club, which competes in the second category, and which is led by the known coach Robert Jashari.
As soon as it was declared champion, Jashari ordered from Italy the jerseys with the white-black colors like those of “Juventus,” with which the team would now play in the first category. But the order comes that “Dajti” will not participate in this category, as there are many teams from the capital, such as “Dinamo,” “Partizani,” “17 Nëntori,” and “Shkëndia,” that participate in this category. This was the reason that “Dajti” was left again in the second.
Where does he live today, what does Llaq Konomi do?
Since 1992, he lives in Greece, in Piraeus. Married and with two children, a boy and a girl now grown up, but neither of them in the father’s footsteps or connected with football. He spends part of the year in the neighboring country, while for other months he comes to Tirana. Even though a giant goalkeeper for the time, he was never gathered with the national team. He has memories and does not forget a derby match: “With ‘Partizani,’ the last minutes were being played and the result was 1-0 with a goal scored by the Vlora native Shemsi Zilja. But Ben Çela, finding himself at the limits of the 16 meters, sees Muhedini who had come out of the goal and with a parabola equalizes the result.”
But his old passion and hobby, and also of the family, remains cycling. He races every day, in Greece and Albania. As an idol, he has the Russian Yevgeny Berzin, while he has also raced with the Italian Kiapuci, the Spaniard Olana, with whom he has an early friendship. In Tirana, he maintains friendships with the former footballers of the team, but more he is connected with the known former cyclists with whom he travels on the roads of Albania. He has just described Tirana-Elbasan-Tirana, but this time from the newly inaugurated tunnel.
Regarding today’s football, he states: “Today there is a lot of democracy in football and the player is free in spirit and does not have the former anxiety. The national team plays in attack and not as it appeared when we played in defense and very inferior.” And to close, he recalls: “From that match, a double memory has remained to me: Against Ajax, for me, it has been and remains the only international match in my career, so the first and the last. And secondly, it was that match that made me a fan of the Netherlands and Dutch football, where the basis of the national team was precisely the players of Ajax.” / Memorie.al
