Emir Sahiti has denied rumors of a conflict with Kosovo coach Franco Foda. The Hamburg striker, who missed Kosovo’s last two qualifying matches for the 2026 World Cup, has clarified that the decision not to join the national team was his personal one.
Sahiti, who sat on the bench for 90 minutes in Hamburg’s 5-0 defeat to Bayern Munich this weekend – his first appearance in seven months – stressed that he has no problems with his teammates or the Kosovo coaching staff.
“The truth is that I was invited, but it was my decision not to gather. There are no problems between me and my national team mates. We are all friends,” he told MOPO.
Emir Sahiti in action with Kosovo
However, the 26-year-old expressed dissatisfaction with some of Foda’s lineup choices, highlighting that some players do not play for their clubs, but do for Kosovo.
“Some players are in the starting lineup even though they haven’t played for months with their clubs. I play for Hamburg, a big club, and I feel good. It’s not a problem if I’m not a starter for sporting reasons, but when I deserve it, I want to play. That’s why I told the director that I wouldn’t come this time,” added Sahiti.
He underlined that the decision was made in collaboration with Samir Ujkanin, and that there was no direct conversation with Foda before the publication of the list.
Although he was not part of the team, Sahiti watched the 4-0 loss to Switzerland and the 2-0 victory against Sweden on television.
“I was very happy with my team’s victory. I love my country and I always want the best for Kosovo,” he stressed.
Emir Sahiti in Hamburg
Sahiti has made five appearances for Kosovo so far, but never as a starter. In the Nations League in March, he was activated from the bench, while in recent times he has also lost his place in the lineup at Hamburg, where Fabio Vieira is seen as the new reinforcement for the offensive department.
Whether he will return to the next training camp remains in the hands of coach Franco Foda, but also of his performances in the Bundesliga../telegraph/