Besnik Hasi

Besnik Hasi

Hasi with Anderlecht in 2016
Personal information
Full name	Besnik Ilmi Hasi
Date of birth	(1971-12-29) 29 December 1971 (age 52)
Place of birth	Gjakova, SFR Yugoslavia
Height	1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Position(s)	Centre-back, defensive midfielder
Team information
Current team	Mechelen (head coach)
Youth career
0000–1988	Vëllaznimi
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1988–1990	Liria Prizren	46	(7)
1990–1994	Zagreb	5	(1)
1991–1992	→ Dinamo Pančevo (loan)
1992–1993	→ Prishtina (loan)	1	(0)
1993–1994	→ Samobor (loan)
1994–1997	Genk	79	(18)
1997–1998	1860 Munich	7	(0)
1998–2000	Genk	62	(3)
2000–2006	Anderlecht	107	(1)
2006–2007	Lokeren	35	(1)
2007–2008	Cercle Brugge	31	(0)
Total		372	(31)
International career
2000–2007	Albania	47	(2)
2007	Kosovo	1	(0)
Managerial career
2008–2014	Anderlecht (assistant)
2014–2016	Anderlecht
2016	Legia Warsaw
2017	Olympiacos
2018–2021	Al-Raed
2021–2022	Al-Ahli
2023–	Mechelen
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Besnik Ilmi Hasi (born 29 December 1971) is an Kosovan Albanian professional football coach and former player who is the head coach of Belgian club Mechelen.

Club career

Born in Gjakova, SFR Yugoslavia (present day Kosovo), he began playing with his hometown team KF Vëllaznimi at an early age before joining KF Liria playing back then in the Yugoslav Second League where he began playing as a senior. He played one game with FC Prishtina in the 1991–92 Yugoslav First League. ^[1] He then played with NK Zagreb and FK Dinamo Pančevo (on loan) still in Yugoslavia. In 1992, he returned to NK Zagreb, now playing in a newly formed Croatian First League and he also played with NK Samobor before moving to Belgium.

Hasi moved to KRC Genk in mid-1994, then to 1860 Munich where he played only seven times during the 1997–98 season. He returned to KRC Genk establishing himself in starting lineup, winning the Belgian Title in the 1998–99 season. During his time at Genk, his family were forced to flee Kosovo to Albanian during the Kosovo War. ^[2]

Hasi moved to RSC Anderlecht in May 2000 and, despite only playing 16 matches in his first season due to injury problems, helped the club retain their league title. He played 30 games the following year, including five in the UEFA Champions League to add to his five of the previous season.

Groin and knee problems restricted Hasi to eleven league appearances and four UEFA Cup games in 2002–03, however, but he returned to fitness to help Anderlecht win back the Belgian crown the following season.

In the 2004–05 season, he suffered torn ligaments in his left knee and was out for three months, when he came back he was limited to just 14 starts as Anderlecht relinquished the title.

Hasi moved to Lokeren during the 2005–06 season. On 11 June 2007, he signed a two-year contract with Cercle Brugge.

International career

Albania

On 15 November 2000, Hasi made his debut with Albania in a friendly match against Malta after coming on as a substitute at 46th minute in place of Devi Muka, ^[3] and he was one of the first Kosovo Albanian to play for Albania. ^[4] Hasi received the Albanian citizenship on 21 February 2001. ^[5]

Kosovo

Six months after retiring from international football with Albania, on 15 June 2007, Hasi made his debut with Kosovo in a friendly match against Saudi Arabia after being named in the starting line-up and acting as captain of the team. ^{[6] [7] [8]}

Managerial career

Anderlecht

Hasi retired at the end of the 2007–08 season and became the assistant manager of his former club RSC Anderlecht. He signed a two-year contract at the club in 2008, continuing as assistant coach for six years.

Hasi was promoted to head coach on 10 March 2014 following the sacking of John van den Brom in the aftermath of Anderlecht winning only three out of their eight post-Christmas league games, and being threatened with falling out of the title race. ^{[9] [10]} Under Hasi, the Mauves won eight of their remaining eleven games - winning their final five games in the closing stretch - to complete the Belgian Championship hat-trick.

Following two and a half seasons as head coach with the club, Hasi was sacked on 26 May 2016 after losing the league title to rivals Club Brugge. ^{[11] [12]}

Legia Warsaw

On 4 June 2016, Hasi was appointed new manager of Legia Warsaw. ^[13] Due to poor results, notably the disastrous 6–0 home defeat to Borussia Dortmund in the 2016–17 UEFA Champions League, Hasi was relieved of his duties on 18 September 2016. ^{[14] [15] [16]}

Olympiacos

On 9 June 2017, Hasi was unveiled as the new manager of the Greek team Olympiacos F.C., penning a two-year contract worth €600k per annum. ^[17] The board chose him over other candidates based on his experience in UEFA Champions League qualifying matches, with the objective of leading the Reds to the competition's group stage after a year's absence. The feat was officially accomplished on 22 August 2017, as the team pulled off a 3–1 aggregate victory (2–1 at home and 1–0 away) over Rijeka in the competition's playoffs. ^[18] Criticized for his substandard defensive coaching and man management, Hasi was relieved of his duties on 25 September 2017, ^[19] due to a string of negative results including a 2–3 Champions League group stage home defeat against Sporting CP, and successive league fixtures without a win, culminating to a 3–2 away loss to arch-rivals AEK ^[20] despite being 0–2 up after just over 60 minutes of play.

Saudi Arabia

On 26 July 2018, Hasi was appointed manager of Saudi Arabian club Al-Raed. ^[21] During the 2019–20 season, Hasi lead Al-Raed to a fifth-place finish, their highest in the top flight.

On 6 June 2021, Hasi was appointed manager of Al-Ahli. ^[22] He was sacked on 4 March 2022 after a 1–0 defeat to Al-Ettifaq. ^[23]

Career statistics

Club

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition ^{[24] [25]}

Club	Season	League			National cup [a]		Continental		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Liria	1988–89	Second League	27	3					27	3
	1989–90		19	4					19	4
	Total		46	7					46	7
Zagreb	1990–91	Second League	5	1					5	1
	1992–93	Prva HNL	0	0 [26]
	Total		5	1					5	1
Dinamo Pančevo (loan)	1991–92	Third League North
Prishtina	1991–92 [1]	Yugoslav Second League	1	0					1	0
	1992–93	Independent League of Kosovo
	Total		1	0					1	0
Samobor (loan)	1993–94	Druga HNL
Genk	1994–95	Belgian Second Division	33	14					33	14
	1995–96		28	2					28	2
	1996–97	Belgian First Division	18	2					18	2
	1998–99		32	2			5	0	37	2
	1999–2000		29	1	1	1	2	0	32	2
	Total		140	21	1	1	7	0	148	22
1860 Munich	1997–98	Bundesliga	7	0					7	0
Anderlecht	2000–01	Belgian First Division	16	0			6	0	22	0
	2001–02		30	1	1	0	9	1	40	2
	2002–03		15	0			4	1	19	1
	2003–04		28	0			10	0	38	0
	2004–05		16	0			7	0	23	0
	2005–06		3	0	1	0	1	0	5	0
	Total		108	1	2	0	37	2	147	3
Lokeren Oost-Vlaanderen	2005–06	Belgian First Division	15	1					15	1
	2006–07		20	0					20	0
	Total		35	1					35	1
Cercle Brugge	2007–08	Belgian First Division	31	0	2	0			33	0
Career total			372	30	5	1	44	2	421	33

1. Includes Yugoslav Cup, Croatian Cup, Belgian Cup, DFB-Pokal

International

Appearances and goals by national team and year

National team	Year	Apps	Goals
Albania	2000	1	0
	2001	5	0
	2002	5	0
	2003	11	1
	2004	7	0
	2005	7	0
	2006	5	1
	2007	6	0
Total		47	2

Scores and results list Albania's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Hasi goal.

List of international goals scored by Besnik Hasi

No.	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	10 September 2003	Qemal Stafa Stadium, Tirana, Albania	Georgia	1–0	3–1	Euro 2004 qualifying
2	2 September 2006	Dinamo Stadium, Minsk, Belarus	Belarus	2–2	2–2	Euro 2008 qualifying

Managerial statistics

As of 4 March 2022

Team	From	To	Record
			G	W	D	L	Win %	Ref.
Anderlecht	10 March 2014	26 May 2016	119	64	28	27	053.78	[27]
Legia Warsaw	4 June 2016	18 September 2016	18	5	6	7	027.78	[28] [29] [30] [31] [32]
Olympiacos	8 June 2017	25 September 2017	11	6	3	2	054.55	[33]
Al-Raed	28 July 2018	31 May 2021	97	36	23	38	037.11	[34]
Al-Ahli	1 July 2021	5 March 2022	25	6	10	9	024.00
Total			270	117	70	83	043.33	—

Honours

Player

Genk

• Belgian Pro League: 1998–99
• Belgian Cup: 1999–2000

Anderlecht

• Belgian Pro League: 2000–01, 2003–04, 2005–06
• Belgian Super Cup: 2000, 2001

Manager

Anderlecht

• Belgian Pro League: 2013–14
• Belgian Super Cup: 2014

Individual

• Saudi Professional League Manager of the Month: November & December 2019 ^[35]

References

1. "Tempo almanah 1991-1992 (pag. 40)". YUMPU. Retrieved 22 January 2023.
2. Lawton, Matt (27 March 2001). "Hasi counts among the lucky ones". The Daily Telegraph . Retrieved 7 January 2023.
3. "Albania vs. Malta (3:0)". National-Football-Teams.com. 15 November 2000.
4. Shordi, Altin (6 January 2012). "Komiteti jep Ok; Hasi do kontratë afatgjatë dhe një ndihmës belg!" [The committee gives Ok; Hasi wants a long-term contract and a Belgian assistant!] (in Albanian). Sport Ekspres. Archived from the original on 25 April 2012.
5. "PËR DHËNIE TË SHTETËSISË SHQIPTARE" [FOR GIVING THE ALBANIAN CITIZENSHIP] (in Albanian). Qendra e Botimeve Zyrtare. 21 February 2001. Retrieved 3 January 2023.
6. "Kosovo vs. Saudi Arabia (1:0)". National-Football-Teams.com. Retrieved 15 June 2007.
7. "Fitore historike kunder Arabise - Nushi "sheiku" i Kosovës" [Historic win against Arabia - Nushi "sheik" of Kosovo]. Futbolli.com (in Albanian). 7 September 2002. Archived from the original on 30 November 2007.
8. "Rrëfimi i Besnik Hasit: Debutimi me Shqipërinë, Kosova, klubet e drejtuara dhe ëndrra për stolin kuqezi" [Besnik Hasi's story: Debut with Albania, Kosovo, run clubs and dream of red and black bench] (in Albanian). Telegrafi. 16 April 2018.
9. "KV Mechelen sacks Harm van Veldhoven" (in Dutch). sporza.be. 30 December 2013.
10. Van den Brom makes way for Hasi at Anderlecht UEFA.com, 10 March 2014
11. "RSCA and Besnik Hasi ending cooperation". R.S.C. Anderlecht website. 26 May 2016. Archived from the original on 15 September 2016. Retrieved 14 September 2016.
12. "Besnik Hasi niet langer trainer van RSC Anderlecht". BRUZZ (in Dutch). 27 May 2016. Retrieved 14 September 2016.
13. Ruszczak, Kacper (4 June 2016). "Besnik Hasi is the new head coach of Legia Warsaw!". Legia Warsaw official website. Retrieved 14 September 2016.
14. "Besnik Hasi removed as first team manager". Legia Warsaw official website. 18 September 2016. Retrieved 21 September 2016.
15. "Legia Warsaw sack coach Besnik Hasi after poor start to the season". ESPN FC. 20 September 2016. Retrieved 21 September 2016.
16. Stolarczyk, Maciej (18 September 2016). "Besnik Hasi zaprzeczył, by został zwolniony z Legii Warszawa". Eurosport Onet (in Polish). Retrieved 21 September 2016.
17. "Αυτό είναι το συμβόλαιο του Χάσι, τόσα θα παίρνει στον Ολυμπιακό". sport-fm.gr (in Greek). Retrieved 21 August 2017.
18. UEFA.com. "UEFA Champions League - Rijeka-Olympiacos". UEFA.com. Retrieved 23 August 2017.
19. "Olympiacos sack coach Hasi after derby defeat - reports". Diario AS. 25 September 2017. Archived from the original on 25 September 2017. Retrieved 25 September 2017.
20. "AEK beats Olympiakos 3-2, stays top in Greece". Foxsports. AP. 24 September 2017. Retrieved 25 September 2017.
21. "البلجيكي "بيسنيك هاسي" مدرباً للرائد لمدة موسم واحد". 26 July 2018. Retrieved 26 July 2018.
22. "الأهلي.. خامس محطات هاسي".
23. "إقالة هاسي من تدريب أهلي جدة".
24. "Besnik Hasi". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved 20 August 2013.
25. Besnik Hasi at WorldFootball.net
26. "Stats for all NK Zagreb players in Prva HNL". HRrepka. Archived from the original on 12 July 2011.
27. RSC Anderlecht - List of matches | Soccerway
28. "Lotto Ekstraklasa 2016/2017". Legia Warsaw official website (in Polish). Retrieved 14 September 2016.
29. "Liga Mistrzów – faza grupowa 2016/2017". Legia Warsaw official website (in Polish). Retrieved 14 September 2016.
30. "Liga Mistrzów 2016/2017". Legia Warsaw official website (in Polish). Retrieved 14 September 2016.
31. "Puchar Polski 2016/2017". Legia Warsaw official website (in Polish). Retrieved 14 September 2016.
32. "Superpuchar Polski 2016/2017". Legia Warsaw official website (in Polish). Retrieved 14 September 2016.
33. Olympiakos CFP - List of matches | Soccerway
34. Al-Raed - List of matches | Soccerway
35. "هاسي وبقير وامبولحي يحرزون أفضلية نوفمبر وديسمبر في الدوري السعودي للمحترفين".

External links

• Besnik Hasi at the official Cercle Brugge site at the Wayback Machine (archived 5 January 2018)(in Dutch)
• Besnik Hasi at National-Football-Teams.com
• Besnik Hasi at the Albanian Football Association (in Albanian and English)