TIRANA, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) -- The new football season in Albania will start this weekend with the First and Second Divisions kicking off, the Albanian Football Federation (AFF) announced in a press release on Wednesday.
According to the press release, the top tier of football in the country, the Superliga, will make a decision on whether to stop boycotting the championship after a meeting scheduled with the football clubs' presidents on Friday.
The AFF informed that the Competition Sector has been urging the clubs to make preparations for the resumption of the season.
The football season in Albania traditionally starts in September, but this year the Professional Football League (PFL), which represents nine of the 10 clubs in the Superliga, submitted demands for financial support from the government and decided to boycott the championship until their demands are met.
The demands include the lowering of the value added tax from 20 percent to six percent on all football activities, exclusion of players from income tax from two to 10 years, cancelation of the unpaid fiscal obligations of the clubs and the amendment of the law on sponsorships.
In late September, Prime Minister Edi Rama rejected the PFL requests, saying that the government has no obligation to it as football is independent.
On Monday, PFL President Edvin Libohova told reporters that they will wait until Thursday for an answer from the government. Enditem