Dinamo take Argentinian approach

Albanian champions KS Dinamo Tirana have parted ways with many of the players who led them to the title last season as they seek bigger prizes in European competition.

Daja deposed
Guiding Dinamo to their first domestic championship since 2002 was a significant achievement for coach Ilir Daja, who previously savoured title glory at the helm of KS Elbasani in 2006. The 41-year-old has nonetheless been moved into a new position as a director to make way for the arrival of Argentinian coach Marcelo Javier Zuleta and a number of his countrymen. The 44-year-old former Nicaragua boss, who has also managed club sides in Argentina, Haiti and El Salvador, has already released Croatian trio Pero Pejić, Goran Vinčetić and Goran Granić and the Bosnia-Herzegovnian Dario Bodrušić. Club president Besnik Sulaj said: "We think these changes will make us a better team and hopefully help us reach our goal of getting through the first qualifying rounds."

Kotorri quits
While the departure of those crucial players was a shock, the new coach's decision to allow goalkeeper Elvis Kotorri to go was even more controversial. The 29-year-old, a title winner under Daja at Elbasani, was superb last season, conceding just 13 league goals, but asked to be released from his contract after realising that he was not in Zuleta's plans. He said: "The new coach has brought in his own players with him and his own goalkeeper. I have decided to leave and I will not be coming back." Daniel Bortoja will replace Kotorri between the posts while other new arrivals include left-back Aleandro Paladinio, playmaker Agustino Tapia and forward Cristian Campozano, who will hope to fill Pejić's goalscoring boots.

Third-round target
The wisdom of all of these changes will be apparent after Dinamo's UEFA Champions League first qualifying round tie against Bosnia-Herzegovina's FK Modriča on 15 and 23 July, with the victors facing Danish champions Aalborg BK in the next round. The club have certainly chosen a radical path, but if it takes them to the third qualifying round, few will be complaining.