Kosovo soccer federation head sentenced to 9 months in jail

TIRANA, Albania (AP) — The head of Kosovo’s soccer federation was sentenced Wednesday to nine months in prison for attempted coercion in a case dating back to 2012.

The verdict against Agim Ademi from Kosovo’s Appeals Court upheld a ruling issued in July by a lower court in Pristina.

Ademi, 58, and a friend allegedly forced a business associate in July 2012 to pay 30,000 euros — or a BMW X5 car — to a municipal official in Pristina in exchange for falsified documents relating to a real estate deal. The friend, Muharrem Rama, was sentenced to one year in prison.

Ademi could not be reached for comment.

Ademi became president of the Football Federation of Kosovo in July 2018 after the death of his predecessor Fadil Vokrri. He had previously served as vice president since 2000.

Kosovo is set to face North Macedonia next month in the first round of the playoffs for this year’s European Championship as it tries to reach its first major tournament.