Football in Gibraltar
Encyclopedia
Association football is one of the most popular sports
in the British overseas territory of Gibraltar
. It has a strong tradition on The Rock
, having first been introduced by British military personnel in the 19th century. In 1895 the Gibraltar Football Association
was founded, making it one of the ten oldest active football associations in the world.
by the British Armed Forces
in the late 19th century. It is not known exactly when the first civilian football teams were formed, but the earliest records mention that the Prince of Wales F.C. already existed in 1892, and the Gibraltar F.C. was formed in November 1893.
Between 1895 and 1907, the only known football competition organised by the Gibraltar Civilian Football Association was the Merchants Cup. The cup was donated each year by the Merchants of Gibraltar. The first ever Cup Final was between the Gibraltar F.C. and the Jubilee F.C. and was witnessed by 1,500 spectators.
In 1902, the military authorities in Gibraltar designated one of their four football grounds at North Front as a civilian ground. Before this there was no civilian football grounds in Gibraltar, so the only way the Gibraltar Civilian Football Association could practice outside the annual Merchants Cup was by playing friendly matches against the military teams whenever possible.
in 1909.
Years later, the Gibraltar Civilian Football Association changed its name to the Gibraltar Football Association
; it has continued to organise league competitions and promote the sport within The Rock to this day.
, Atlético Madrid, Real Valladolid
and Admira Wacker
among many others were arriving on The Rock to play against the national team who acquitted themselves admirably against professionals despite being amateurs.
has a long history, originally competing against teams of visiting British military personnel. The highlight of their existence to date was a draw with Real Madrid C.F.
in 1949 at a time when the Spanish club were about to enter a period of European dominance. On the most part though, they compete in smaller matches against non-sovereign
national teams. Gibraltar won the football at the 2007 Island Games
, held in Rhodes
(Greece
).
The Gibraltar national team play their matches, as do most of the clubs in the territory, at the 5,000 capacity FIFA approved and licensed Victoria Stadium
.
On 12 April 1999 the GFA applied for membership in UEFA
(Union of European Football Associations). This would have allowed them to join the qualifiers for the European Football Championships
and enter teams in European club competition. This immediately drew a hostile reception from the Royal Spanish Football Federation, whose government strongly opposes any suggestion that Gibraltar is in fact a separate territory and not part of Spain. Spanish authorities waged a campaign of virulent opposition to their application, causing it to be rejected by officials on the grounds that it did not meet their criteria. In 2002 UEFA had stipulated that future members would have to be sovereign nations, despite a number of their existing members failing to meet this requirement.
After a legal challenge, a ruling by the Court of Arbitration for Sport
in 2006 insisted that UEFA had to accept the GFA as any other member, as the application had come before the new criteria had been put in place and the rejection had political overtones, which are strongly discouraged in sport. UEFA awarded the GFA associate member status along with Montenegro
and deferred the matter to the 2007 Congress in Düsseldorf
, Germany
.
Spanish delegates had for some months, by attempting to secure support for their position, even been threatening to withdraw Spanish teams from UEFA competitions if Gibraltar was approved. This tactic was successful - winning the vote 45 to 3, with 5 abstentions. Gibraltar's application was at this point thrown out, while Montenegro was unanimously granted membership.
. Spain, on the other hand, simply sees this as an important line in the sand that would have allowed Gibraltar official recognition of its present status
. Spain pointed to the UN's position of Gibraltar
being an unresolved situation, and admitted that it was a "political issue". Gibraltar officials have vowed to fight on for their bid for recognition.
It has been suggested that one way of remedying this could be to apply for membership of the Confederation of African Football
, where Spain's "veto" would not be so possible and where their membership would likely be more favourably looked upon, even though Gibraltar is on the European continent
and not on that of Africa
.
Sport in Gibraltar
Sport plays a prominent role in Gibraltarian life. The range of sports practiced in the British overseas territory of Gibraltar is wide and varied in comparison to its size of less than 7km2. The Government of Gibraltar is committed to promote sport within The Rock and supports many local sports...
in the British overseas territory of Gibraltar
Gibraltar
Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...
. It has a strong tradition on The Rock
Rock of Gibraltar
The Rock of Gibraltar is a monolithic limestone promontory located in Gibraltar, off the southwestern tip of Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. It is high...
, having first been introduced by British military personnel in the 19th century. In 1895 the Gibraltar Football Association
Gibraltar Football Association
The Gibraltar Football Association was formed as the Gibraltar Civilian Football Association in 1895, changing to its current name in later years...
was founded, making it one of the ten oldest active football associations in the world.
History
Football was introduced to the civilian population of GibraltarGibraltarian people
The Gibraltarians are a cultural group native to Gibraltar, a British overseas territory located near the southernmost tip of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance to the Mediterranean sea.- Origins :...
by the British Armed Forces
British Armed Forces
The British Armed Forces are the armed forces of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.Also known as Her Majesty's Armed Forces and sometimes legally the Armed Forces of the Crown, the British Armed Forces encompasses three professional uniformed services, the Royal Navy, the...
in the late 19th century. It is not known exactly when the first civilian football teams were formed, but the earliest records mention that the Prince of Wales F.C. already existed in 1892, and the Gibraltar F.C. was formed in November 1893.
Between 1895 and 1907, the only known football competition organised by the Gibraltar Civilian Football Association was the Merchants Cup. The cup was donated each year by the Merchants of Gibraltar. The first ever Cup Final was between the Gibraltar F.C. and the Jubilee F.C. and was witnessed by 1,500 spectators.
In 1902, the military authorities in Gibraltar designated one of their four football grounds at North Front as a civilian ground. Before this there was no civilian football grounds in Gibraltar, so the only way the Gibraltar Civilian Football Association could practice outside the annual Merchants Cup was by playing friendly matches against the military teams whenever possible.
Gibraltar Football League
The Gibraltar Football League was set up in October 1907. The military had well-established league and cup competitions before this, but local civil teams were not allowed to compete in them. The first league competition saw eight teams competing, with Prince of Wales F.C. being the winner. The growing success of the league and cup competitions was reflected in the increasing number of new teams that were registering with the association. Such was the increase in participating teams that a Second Division was added in 1909, and in 1910 the association was organising separate leagues and cup competitions for senior and junior divisions. This continuously growing interest in football in Gibraltar was also reflected in the association's affiliation with The Football AssociationThe Football Association
The Football Association, also known as simply The FA, is the governing body of football in England, and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. It was formed in 1863, and is the oldest national football association...
in 1909.
Years later, the Gibraltar Civilian Football Association changed its name to the Gibraltar Football Association
Gibraltar Football Association
The Gibraltar Football Association was formed as the Gibraltar Civilian Football Association in 1895, changing to its current name in later years...
; it has continued to organise league competitions and promote the sport within The Rock to this day.
Golden era
The period between 1949 to 1955 is regarded as the "Golden era" for football in Gibraltar. It was during this time that world renowned teams such as Real Madrid C.F.Real Madrid C.F.
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol , commonly known as Real Madrid, is a professional football club based in Madrid, Spain. The club have won a record 31 La Liga titles, the Primera División of the Liga de Fútbol Profesional , 18 Copas del Rey, 8 Spanish Super Cups, 1 Copa Eva Duarte and 1 Copa de la...
, Atlético Madrid, Real Valladolid
Real Valladolid
Real Valladolid Club de Fútbol, S.A.D. is a Spanish football club based in Valladolid, in the autonomous community of Castile and León, from where the nickname Pucela is derived....
and Admira Wacker
VfB Admira Wacker Mödling
FC Admira Wacker Mödling is an Austrian football club from Mödling. The club was originally formed in 1905 as SK Admira Vienna in the Austrian capital...
among many others were arriving on The Rock to play against the national team who acquitted themselves admirably against professionals despite being amateurs.
National team
The Gibraltar national football teamGibraltar national football team
The Gibraltar official football team represents Gibraltar in football competitions and is controlled by the Gibraltar Football Association. It is not yet a member of FIFA or UEFA and is therefore not eligible to enter the World Cup or the European Championship. Gibraltar applied for UEFA...
has a long history, originally competing against teams of visiting British military personnel. The highlight of their existence to date was a draw with Real Madrid C.F.
Real Madrid C.F.
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol , commonly known as Real Madrid, is a professional football club based in Madrid, Spain. The club have won a record 31 La Liga titles, the Primera División of the Liga de Fútbol Profesional , 18 Copas del Rey, 8 Spanish Super Cups, 1 Copa Eva Duarte and 1 Copa de la...
in 1949 at a time when the Spanish club were about to enter a period of European dominance. On the most part though, they compete in smaller matches against non-sovereign
Non-sovereign nation
Depending on the context the term non-sovereign nation, it could mean:* a previously independent state, representing those nations which were independent and are subsumed into transnational states like the United Kingdom with constituent counties....
national teams. Gibraltar won the football at the 2007 Island Games
Football at the 2007 Island Games
The 2007 Island Games on the island of Rhodes was the 10th edition in which a men's football tournament was played at the multi-games competition...
, held in Rhodes
Rhodes
Rhodes is an island in Greece, located in the eastern Aegean Sea. It is the largest of the Dodecanese islands in terms of both land area and population, with a population of 117,007, and also the island group's historical capital. Administratively the island forms a separate municipality within...
(Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
).
The Gibraltar national team play their matches, as do most of the clubs in the territory, at the 5,000 capacity FIFA approved and licensed Victoria Stadium
Victoria Stadium (Gibraltar)
Victoria Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Gibraltar. It is currently used mostly for football matches and holds about 5,000 people. It is located close to the Gibraltar Airport just off Winston Churchill Avenue.-See also:* Football in Gibraltar...
.
UEFA application
On 8 January 1997 the GFA applied for FIFA membership, and in March 1999 FIFA confirmed that the GFA fulfilled the requirements of Article 4.7 of the FIFA Statutes and consequently passed their file onto UEFA.On 12 April 1999 the GFA applied for membership in UEFA
UEFA
The Union of European Football Associations , almost always referred to by its acronym UEFA is the administrative and controlling body for European association football, futsal and beach soccer....
(Union of European Football Associations). This would have allowed them to join the qualifiers for the European Football Championships
UEFA European Football Championship
The UEFA European Football Championship is the main football competition of the men's national football teams governed by UEFA . Held every four years since 1960, in the even-numbered year between World Cup tournaments, it was originally called the UEFA European Nations Cup, changing to the current...
and enter teams in European club competition. This immediately drew a hostile reception from the Royal Spanish Football Federation, whose government strongly opposes any suggestion that Gibraltar is in fact a separate territory and not part of Spain. Spanish authorities waged a campaign of virulent opposition to their application, causing it to be rejected by officials on the grounds that it did not meet their criteria. In 2002 UEFA had stipulated that future members would have to be sovereign nations, despite a number of their existing members failing to meet this requirement.
After a legal challenge, a ruling by the Court of Arbitration for Sport
Court of Arbitration for Sport
The Court of Arbitration for Sport is an international arbitration body set up to settle disputes related to sport. Its headquarters are in Lausanne and its courts are located in New York, Sydney and Lausanne, Switzerland...
in 2006 insisted that UEFA had to accept the GFA as any other member, as the application had come before the new criteria had been put in place and the rejection had political overtones, which are strongly discouraged in sport. UEFA awarded the GFA associate member status along with Montenegro
Montenegro
Montenegro Montenegrin: Crna Gora Црна Гора , meaning "Black Mountain") is a country located in Southeastern Europe. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea to the south-west and is bordered by Croatia to the west, Bosnia and Herzegovina to the northwest, Serbia to the northeast and Albania to the...
and deferred the matter to the 2007 Congress in Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf is the capital city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and centre of the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region.Düsseldorf is an important international business and financial centre and renowned for its fashion and trade fairs. Located centrally within the European Megalopolis, the...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
.
Spanish delegates had for some months, by attempting to secure support for their position, even been threatening to withdraw Spanish teams from UEFA competitions if Gibraltar was approved. This tactic was successful - winning the vote 45 to 3, with 5 abstentions. Gibraltar's application was at this point thrown out, while Montenegro was unanimously granted membership.
Aftermath
The result of the final UEFA vote has been poorly received in Gibraltar, with many perceiving the Spanish attitude as being openly aggressive and discriminativeDiscrimination
Discrimination is the prejudicial treatment of an individual based on their membership in a certain group or category. It involves the actual behaviors towards groups such as excluding or restricting members of one group from opportunities that are available to another group. The term began to be...
. Spain, on the other hand, simply sees this as an important line in the sand that would have allowed Gibraltar official recognition of its present status
Disputed status of Gibraltar
Gibraltar is a British overseas territory, near the southernmost tip of the Iberian peninsula, which is the subject of a disputed irredentist claim by Spain....
. Spain pointed to the UN's position of Gibraltar
United Nations list of Non-Self-Governing Territories
The United Nations list of Non-Self-Governing Territories is a list of countries that, according to the United Nations, are non-decolonized. The list was initially prepared in 1946 pursuant to Chapter XI of the United Nations Charter, and has been updated by the General Assembly on recommendation...
being an unresolved situation, and admitted that it was a "political issue". Gibraltar officials have vowed to fight on for their bid for recognition.
It has been suggested that one way of remedying this could be to apply for membership of the Confederation of African Football
Confederation of African Football
The Confederation of African Football is the administrative and controlling body for African association football.CAF represents the national football associations of Africa, runs continental, national, and club competitions, and controls the prize money, regulations and media rights to those...
, where Spain's "veto" would not be so possible and where their membership would likely be more favourably looked upon, even though Gibraltar is on the European continent
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and not on that of Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
.
External links
See also
- Sport in GibraltarSport in GibraltarSport plays a prominent role in Gibraltarian life. The range of sports practiced in the British overseas territory of Gibraltar is wide and varied in comparison to its size of less than 7km2. The Government of Gibraltar is committed to promote sport within The Rock and supports many local sports...