2011–12 Kategoria Superiore
# 2011–12 Kategoria Superiore

The 2011–12 Kategoria Superiore was the 73rd official season, or 76th season of top-tier football in Albania (including three unofficial championships of WW2) and the fourteenth season under the name Kategoria superiore. The season began on 10 September 2011 and ended on 12 May 2012. The defending champions were Skënderbeu, who won their second Albanian league championship last season and third in their history.

The size of the league was expanded from twelve to fourteen teams this season.

## Teams

Besa and Elbasani finished the 2010–11 season in 11th and 12th place and were relegated to the Kategoria e Parë. Taking their places were the champions of the 2010–11 Kategoria e Parë competition, Pogradeci, and the runners-up, Tomori.

In addition, because the league expanded to 14 clubs this season, the third- and fourth-placed clubs of last season's Kategoria e Parë were also promoted to this competition automatically. These clubs were Kamza and Apolonia.

Finally, two more spots in this competition were available via a promotion-relegation playoff between the 9th and 10th-place finishers of last season's Kategoria Superiore, Shkumbini Peqin and Dinamo Tirana, and the 5th and 6th-place finishers of last season's Kategoria e Parë, Besëlidhja Lezhë and Adriatiku Mamurras. Shkumbini defeated Adriatiku 1–0 after extra time and Dinamo Tirana defeated Besëlidhja 4–1, so both Superiore teams retained their spots in the league for this season.

### Stadia and last season

| Team | Location | Stadium | Capacity | Last season |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| Apolonia | Fier | Loni Papuçiu Stadium | 12,000 | Kategoria e Parë |
| Bylis | Ballsh | Adush Muça Stadium | 9,500 | 6th |
| Dinamo | Tiranë | Selman Stërmasi Stadium | 12,500 | 10th |
| Flamurtari | Vlorë | Flamurtari Stadium | 13,000 | 2nd |
| Kamza | Kamëz | Kamëz Stadium | 5,000 | Kategoria e Parë |
| Kastrioti | Krujë | Kastrioti Stadium | 10,000 | 8th |
| Laçi | Laç | Laçi Stadium | 5,000 | 4th |
| Pogradeci | Pogradec | Gjorgji Kyçyku Stadium | 8,000 | Kategoria e Parë |
| Skënderbeu | Korçë | Skënderbeu Stadium | 12,000 | Champions |
| Shkumbini | Peqin | Shkumbini Stadium | 5,000 | 9th |
| Teuta | Durrës | Niko Dovana Stadium | 13,000 | 7th |
| Tirana | Tiranë | Selman Stërmasi Stadium | 12,500 | 5th |
| Tomori | Berat | Tomori Stadium | 14,500 | Kategoria e Parë |
| Vllaznia | Shkodër | Loro Boriçi Stadium | 16,000 | 3rd |

### Personnel and sponsoring

| Team | Head coach | Captain | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| Apolonia | Dhimitër Papuçiu | | | |
| Bylis | Naci Şensoy | | | |
| Dinamo Tirana | Artan Mërgjyshi | | | |
| Flamurtari | Shkëlqim Muça | Artan Sakaj | Legea | Brunes Hidrosanitare |
| Kamza | Mauro De Vecchis | | | |
| Kastrioti | Ramadan Ndreu | Fatmir Caca | Adidas | |
| Laçi | Nevil Dede | Sajmir Kastrati | Sportika | Top Sport |
| Pogradeci | Ylli Çekiçi | | | |
| Skënderbeu | Stanislav Levy | Bledi Shkëmbi | Legea | Ama Cafè |
| Shkumbini | Kristaq Mile | | | |
| Teuta | Hasan Lika | Arian Sheta | Legea | |
| Tirana | Julián Rubio | Elvis Sina | Legea | BPP Group |
| Tomori | Ernest Gjoka | | | |
| Vllaznia | Rudi Vata | Dritan Smajlaj | Legea | Hotel Colosseo |

### Managerial changes

| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Position in table | Replaced by | Date of appointment |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| KF Tirana | Mišo Krstičević | Sacked | 19-05-2011 | Pre season | Julián Rubio | 20-06-2011 |
| Vllaznia Shkodër | Mirel Josa | Sacked | 31-10-2011 | 6. | Rudi Vata | 3-11-2011 |
| Skënderbeu Korçë | Shpetim Duro | Sacked | 4-10-2011 | 7. | Stanislav Levy | 10-10-2011 |

## League table

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Skënderbeu (C) | 26 | 17 | 6 | 3 | 45 | 16 | +29 | 57 | Qualification for the Champions League second qualifying round |
| 2 | Teuta | 26 | 17 | 5 | 4 | 33 | 18 | +15 | 56 | Qualification for the Europa League first qualifying round |
| 3 | Tirana | 26 | 16 | 5 | 5 | 33 | 21 | +12 | 53 | Qualification for the Europa League first qualifying round |
| 4 | Flamurtari | 26 | 13 | 7 | 6 | 42 | 20 | +22 | 46 | Qualification for the Europa League first qualifying round |
| 5 | Kastrioti | 26 | 11 | 5 | 10 | 37 | 30 | +7 | 38 | |
| 6 | Bylis | 26 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 40 | 37 | +3 | 35 | |
| 7 | Vllaznia | 26 | 10 | 5 | 11 | 39 | 33 | +6 | 35 | |
| 8 | Laçi | 26 | 11 | 7 | 8 | 26 | 28 | −2 | 34 | |
| 9 | Shkumbini | 26 | 8 | 7 | 11 | 37 | 45 | −8 | 31 | |
| 10 | Tomori (O) | 26 | 8 | 4 | 14 | 36 | 47 | −11 | 28 | Qualification for the relegation play-offs |
| 11 | Kamza (R) | 26 | 7 | 6 | 13 | 22 | 32 | −10 | 27 | Qualification for the relegation play-offs |
| 12 | Apolonia (O) | 26 | 5 | 6 | 15 | 27 | 46 | −19 | 21 | Qualification for the relegation play-offs |
| 13 | Pogradeci (R) | 26 | 6 | 4 | 16 | 25 | 47 | −22 | 19 | Relegation to the 2012–13 Kategoria e Parë |
| 14 | Dinamo Tirana (R) | 26 | 3 | 7 | 16 | 19 | 41 | −22 | 13 | Relegation to the 2012–13 Kategoria e Parë |

* ↑ Tirana qualified for the Europa League first qualifying round by winning the 2011–12 Albanian Cup. Since they finished third in the league, the fourth-placed team of the league also qualified for the Europa League.
* 1 2 Bylis ahead of Vllaznia on head-to-head record; Bylis–Vllaznia 1–0, Vllaznia–Bylis 3–3.
* ↑ Laçi were deducted six points for crowd trouble.
* ↑ Pogradeci were deducted three points for crowd trouble.
* ↑ Dinamo Tirana were deducted three points for not paying Dario Bodrušić.

## Results

| Home \ Away | APO | BYL | DIN | FLA | KAM | KAS | LAÇ | POG | SKË | SKU | TEU | TIR | TOM | VLL |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Apolonia | | 2–1 | 2–0 | 1–3 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 2–3 | 1–5 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 1–2 | 6–5 | 1–4 |
| Bylis | 2–1 | | 3–1 | 1–3 | 2–1 | 0–1 | 3–0 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 5–2 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 4–2 | 1–0 |
| Dinamo | 3–3 | 1–1 | | 1–1 | 0–2 | 0–1 | 2–2 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 3–2 | 4–1 | 0–3 |
| Flamurtari | 1–1 | 2–0 | 5–0 | | 2–1 | 3–1 | 0–0 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 5–0 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 1–0 |
| Kamza | 0–1 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 0–1 | | 1–1 | 3–1 | 2–1 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 1–2 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 1–0 |
| Kastrioti | 2–0 | 4–2 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 3–2 | | 0–1 | 4–0 | 1–2 | 0–1 | 1–2 | 2–3 | 3–1 | 2–1 |
| Laçi | 1–0 | 2–2 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 1–1 | | 2–0 | 2–1 | 3–2 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 2–0 | 1–0 |
| Pogradeci | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 0–2 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 3–1 | | 1–3 | 0–0 | 1–2 | 1–2 | 1–0 | 2–1 |
| Skënderbeu | 2–0 | 3–2 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 3–0 | 3–0 | | 3–1 | 0–1 | 2–0 | 0–0 | 2–1 |
| Shkumbini | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 0–3 | 3–1 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 2–4 | | 1–2 | 3–2 | 6–2 | 2–1 |
| Teuta | 2–1 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 5–3 | 0–0 | 2–1 | | 1–2 | 1–0 | 0–1 |
| Tirana | 1–0 | 3–2 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 3–1 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 0–1 | | 1–0 | 0–0 |
| Tomori | 2–0 | 2–2 | 2–1 | 3–2 | 4–1 | 2–1 | 0–1 | 4–1 | 2–4 | 1–0 | 0–2 | 0–1 | | 1–0 |
| Vllaznia | 1–0 | 3–3 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 4–0 | 2–4 | 3–1 | 1–0 | 0–2 | 4–4 | 3–1 | 0–0 | 2–2 | |

### Positions by round

| Team ╲ Round | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Skënderbeu | 7 | 11 | 6 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Teuta | 6 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Tirana | 10 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Flamurtari | 5 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Kastrioti | 1 | 3 | 9 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Bylis | 2 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 11 | 9 | 6 | 10 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 9 | 6 |
| Vllaznia | 3 | 8 | 3 | 8 | 8 | 11 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 8 | 9 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 6 | 7 |
| Laçi | 11 | 13 | 13 | 10 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 7 | 6 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
| Shkumbini | 13 | 4 | 11 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 8 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 9 |
| Tomori | 7 | 12 | 8 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 |
| Kamza | 9 | 7 | 10 | 13 | 12 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 8 | 9 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 11 | 12 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 |
| Apolonia | 4 | 9 | 7 | 4 | 9 | 12 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 12 |
| Pogradeci | 14 | 10 | 12 | 9 | 11 | 10 | 12 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 7 | 8 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 13 |
| Dinamo | 12 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 |

* Leader and UEFA Champions League second qualifying round
* UEFA Europa League first qualifying round
* Relegation play-off
* 2012–13 Kategoria e Parë

## Relegation playoffs

The 10th-, 11th- and 12th-placed Superliga teams competed against the third-, fourth- and fifth-placed First Division sides in single match relegation playoffs.

## Top scorers

| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
| - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Ronald Dervishi | Shkumbini | 20 |
| 2 | Endri Bakiu | Tomori | 19 |
| 3 | Bruce Inkango | Kastrioti | 14 |
| 4 | Bekim Balaj | Tirana | 13 |
| 5 | Daniel Xhafaj | Skënderbeu | 11 |
| 6 | Vilfor Hysa | Laçi | 10 |

Source:

