Albania's national football team will be without key defender Ardian Ismajli for the upcoming friendly matches in June.
The Albanian Football Federation (FSHF) announced that the player has been released from the training camp following a medical assessment. Despite initially joining the squad, it was determined that Ismajli was not in optimal physical condition to endure the strain of two international matches.
"Ismajli joined the team, but because he was coming off a muscle issue that kept him sidelined for several weeks, he was not fully ready for the scheduled friendlies," the federation stated.
The decision was made in coordination with the new head coach, Ronaldo Maran, who is currently preparing the squad for his debut matches. The coaching staff opted not to risk the defender's health, prioritizing his full recovery instead.
Albania is scheduled to face Israel on June 3rd and Luxembourg on June 6th. While his absence is viewed as a significant blow to the defensive line, the technical staff emphasized the importance of player safety.
