FC Ballkani, the professional football club based in Suhareka, Kosovo, uses a crest built around the club’s official orange and black colors. The club’s identity is closely tied to its nickname “Xhebrailat” (The Gabriels), a reference to its supporters group founded in 1992.
Design and History
FC Ballkani was founded in 1947 under the name Rinia and adopted its current name in 1965, when the club’s management was taken over by the “Balkan” Chemical and Rubber Industry in Suhareka.[1] The club played in white jerseys from its founding, but since 1974 the jersey and logo have carried the official colors orange and black, with orange dominating.[1] The color change was inspired by Johan Cruyff’s Netherlands side of that era, which dominated with “total football.”[1][2]
The club’s supporters group, Xhebrailat, was formed on September 12, 1992. The group’s first logo was created by Bujar Kabashi, described by the club as one of the first pioneers of comics design in Kosovo.[3] The fan logo depicted a Gabriel figure, and the group’s early shirts featured orange covered with black lines forming the Gabriel image.[3]
In September 2024, the club unveiled new kits for the 2024/25 season, describing the release as “new design, new era, for new successes.”[4] The club noted it had introduced new elements year after year while maintaining the same objectives.[4]
Meaning and Symbolism
The club’s official colors are orange and black, with orange as the dominant color on the primary jersey.[1] The white second shirt symbolizes the club’s founding era, when the purpose of the establishment was “fun and peace.”[1] The third shirt for the 2022/23 edition was black.[1]
The nickname “Xhebrailat” (The Gabriels) derives from the supporters group, whose original logo featured a Gabriel figure with his eyes on the next opponent.[3]
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