I felt like...
...like I let everyone down,
towards the people who gave me the trust, towards...
...the fans.
Unfortunately things haven’t been
as they should have been.
I came from a place that won titles.
AEK [Athens] is a small team because they're
16 points behind us.
They could only beat us today
with these kinds of decisions from the referee.
It’s a shame of football that a referee
has no balls to take a decision like this.
Was it dangerous for you in Greece,
after that moment especially?
Yes it was.
Being followed by cars to my house...
…the hate they have between their clubs
is huge, you can’t imagine.
FC Sion’s last home game of the Swiss Super League.
Pajtim Kasami opens the scoring
on the way to a 3-2 win, just avoiding relegation
having spent a total of ten weeks at the bottom of the table.
But winning the last three games was enough to
guarantee survival for a team who
had been considered title contenders.
It was a very, very tough year.
I’m very proud [of] the way
I managed it in the end to turn it around because
it was something that made me feel very bad because...
…towards the people...
…towards the people that gave me their trust, towards...
...the fans.
Unfortunately, things hasn’t been as it should have been.
It was a very, very tough [couple of] months.
Some of the toughest months in my career.
I stayed at home for months, I didn’t leave my house.
I didn’t go to see my family...
How did you deal with that?
Yeah, good question.
I think I stayed very calm and tried to...
…just to always stay positive because
there were so many negative things around
that it was impossible to stay positive.
But at the end of the day I like to stay at home
because it’s the place that you can calm down and relax.
When do you feel happiest?
When do I feel happiest?
When I win games.
Pajtim Kasami grew up in Andelfignen, just outside Zurich.
By the time he signed for Serie A side Palermo
when he was 18, Kasami had already won
the U17 World Cup with Switzerland,
played for Grasshoppers Zurich
and had loan spells with Liverpool and Lazio.
But the opportunity to join Palermo
was aided by the fact Kasami had signed with agent Mino Raiola.
Well, I called him.
I asked him to meet, etc.
It’s not like he called me, no.
I needed to call him.
He brings you the facts but he's also
very hard on you because he wants you to perform,
he wants you to score goals,
he wants you to do well...
…this is how the market works and this is also how
he could bring me to another level.
So was it Mino who got you your move to Fulham?
Yes, after one year of [playing at] Palermo.
I had two, three other options,
in Italy I had Roma and Milan and...
…in England there was Fulham that really wanted me.
I think my third year at Fulham was my best year.
I was playing almost every game.
Unfortunately, [Mohamed] Al-Fayed sold the club
to Shahid Khan and it was a big change for us players...
…because we didn’t know what was expected of us,
what will come to us.
In November Martin Jol got sacked,
we felt like there was a panic.
Then after René Meulensteen came in as a coach,
then the third manager came in,
it was Felix Magath and
a lot of things happened in a bad way and
most of the players - they also left and
it made my decision easier to leave.
While leaving Craven Cottage was a difficult decision,
the prospect of Champions League football
with Greek champions Olympiacos
was an opportunity not to be missed.
It was a big team and it was made easier when
I saw they signed players like [Éric] Abidal,
[Ibrahim] Afellay from Barcelona.
I knew I was going to a club that will win titles
and I took the decision and I was very happy that I made it.
During his time in Greece,
Kasami won two Super League titles and the Greek Cup,
but in October 2015 he was involved in an incident
following a Greek Cup quarter-final
against AEK Athens and punished by the courts for
offensively provoking the AEK supporters.
If you saw the game today,
you saw the decision of the referee - it was ridiculous.
First of all, the first foul on me on [Bruno] Zuculini
who came from behind - this is a ******* red card.
Why did you decide to come out after that game
and did you realise how much of an impact it would have?
You know, it was the anger after the game, losing the game,
I don’t regret it because I love Olympiacos, I love the fans,
I love the president.
I defended my team-mates, I defended the club.
It’s a shame that all the time...
Olympiacos, Olympiacos…by the way
AEK is a small team because they are 16 points behind us.
They could only beat us today with these kinds of
decisions from the referee.
And now it’s a shame of football that a referee
has no balls to take a decision like this.
Was it dangerous for you in Greece,
after that moment especially?
Yes it was.
I mean two or three times I’ve been followed by a car...
…at strange times. But afterwards the club
looked after me and
gave me one of their security people who worked around my house...
…the hate they have between their clubs
is huge, you can’t imagine.
When things are going well...
...everyone can be amazing.
But when things are not going well then...
...it shows the real person, or the real player.
Do you think a lot?
I would lie to you if I say no.
Yes I do.
To get out of the negative thoughts I try to
do something like, whether it’s going to visit my family...
…even when I do go to visit my family when
things are not going well it doesn’t help me because
you always talk about football, or you always mention
why that and that has happened.
To be honest, I try to...
…be with people that are not even involved in football.
Your relationship with the fans of all the clubs you’ve played for…
…because you have a really close relationship with
Olympiacos, Fulham fans, why do you have
such a close relationship, and is it important for you?
I always get nice comments from the Fulham fans and
obviously the Olympiacos fans are dying for me to go back.
They had a chant for you didn't they?
Yeah.
Can you remember it?
[In Greek] Kasami alani gia panta sto limani...
What does it mean?
Kasami, don’t ever leave the port.
You’re clearly an intelligent guy, you speak loads of languages,
been in many different countries,
do you find it difficult to settle
geographically as well as emotionally?
I think every move, It’s not because I like to move.
I would love to stay in a place and be satisfied and
have your years and grow something important.
So what do you want to achieve now?
You’re 25-years-old, you’ve got lots of time to come.
I live day-by-day and obviously you have goals,
whether it’s in England or Italy, or Spain - it depends.
I'm convinced if I’m patient enough and
work hard I can achieve the goals that I really want to achieve.