San Marino national football team
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| Nickname(s) | La Serenissima | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Association | Federazione Sammarinese Gioco Calcio | ||
| Confederation | UEFA (Europe) | ||
| Head coach | Giampaolo Mazza | ||
| Asst coach | Stefano Ceci | ||
| Captain | Andy Selva | ||
| Most caps | Damiano Vannucci (68) | ||
| Top scorer | Andy Selva (8) | ||
| Home stadium | Stadio Olimpico | ||
| FIFA code | SMR | ||
| FIFA ranking | 207 | ||
| Highest FIFA ranking | 118 (September 1993) | ||
| Lowest FIFA ranking | 207 (November 2012 -) | ||
| Elo ranking | 202 | ||
| Highest Elo ranking | 190 | ||
| Lowest Elo ranking | 203 (November 2012) | ||
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| First international | |||
Unofficial San Marino 0–1 Canada (Olympic)  (Serravalle, San Marino; 23 August 1986) Official San Marino 0–4 Switzerland  (Serravalle, San Marino; 14 November 1990) |
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| Biggest win | |||
San Marino 1–0 Liechtenstein  (Serravalle, San Marino; 28 April 2004) |
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| Biggest defeat | |||
San Marino 0–13 Germany  (Serravalle, San Marino; 6 September 2006) |
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The San Marino national football team (Italian: Nazionale di calcio di San Marino) is the national football team of San Marino, controlled by the San Marino Football Federation (FSGC). The team has enjoyed very little success due to the republic's tiny population, the smallest of any UEFA country.
The first official game played by a San Marino team was a 4–0 defeat in a European Championships qualifier to Switzerland in 1990. Previously, a San Marino side had lost 1–0 to a Canadian Olympic team in 1986, but this was not an official match. Since making their competitive bow, San Marino have competed in qualifying for every European Championships and World Cup, but have never won a match in either competition. They have only ever won one game, beating Liechtenstein 1–0 in a friendly match on 28 April 2004.
San Marino is currently tied with Bhutan and Turks and Caicos Islands, for last (207th) in the FIFA World Rankings.[1] However, San Marino ranks 203rd out of 232 teams in the Elo Rankings.[2]
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History [edit]
Though the San Marino Football Federation formed in 1931, the federation did not establish a national team until 1986, when a team representing the Federation played Canada's Olympic team in an unofficial international. San Marino gained affiliation to governing bodies FIFA and UEFA in 1988,[3] allowing the team to participate in major championships. Prior to this, Sammarinese players had been considered Italian in international football contexts.[4]
San Marino's first match in a FIFA sanctioned competition was against Switzerland on 14 November 1990 in a qualifier for the 1992 European Championships. San Marino lost 4–0, and went to lose all eight qualifiers. The team particularly struggled in away matches, losing every one by at least four goals. San Marino scored only one goal, a penalty in a 3–1 defeat at home to Romania,[5] and conceded 33 goals in total.[6]
For their first World Cup qualifying campaign, San Marino were drawn in a group with England, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland and Turkey. The opening match resulted in a 10–0 hammering at the hands of Norway. The return match was less one-sided, finishing 2–0 to the Norwegians. A 4–1 defeat in Turkey saw San Marino score their first World Cup goal, and a 0–0 draw against the same opposition on 10 March 1993 gave them their first ever point. In their final qualifier, against England, Davide Gualtieri scored the fastest goal in World Cup Qualifying history—after 8.3 seconds—though the team went on to lose 7–1.[7] San Marino finished the campaign with one point, and conceded 46 goals in 10 matches.[8]
The team's qualification campaign for Euro 1996 followed a similar pattern to that of the previous European championships, as they lost every game. A match away to Finland gave San Marino their first goal away from home in the European championships, but the team lost 4–1.[9] Their only other goal came in a 3–1 home defeat to the Faroe Islands; the two wins over San Marino were the only points gained by the Faroe Islands in the group. In the return match, a 3–0 scoreline in Toftir, is the Faroe Islands record competitive win.[10]
Even by Sammarinese standards, qualification for the 1998 World Cup was disappointing. Losing every game by three goals or more, San Marino failed to score a single goal.[11] This is the only World Cup qualifying tournament in which they have failed to score. Qualification for Euro 2000 again resulted in defeats in every game. The closest game was against Cyprus, a 1–0 defeat on 18 November 1998.[12]
In April 2001, San Marino gained their first ever away point, drawing 1–1 with Latvia in Riga.[13] The team ended the 2002 World Cup qualifying group with a new best of three goals, though one of these came in a 10–1 defeat to Belgium. In Euro 2004 qualifying San Marino lost all eight matches, failing to score. The closest result was a 1–0 home defeat to Latvia, with the winner scored in the last minute.[14]
In April 2004, San Marino gained their first, and as of September 2012 only, win in their 65th attempt, a 1–0 victory over Liechtenstein in a friendly on 28 April 2004 courtesy of a fifth minute goal by Andy Selva. The match was Martin Andermatt's debut as Liechtenstein manager.[15] Results during qualification for the 2006 World Cup followed a similar vein to previous qualifying groups. Matches were generally one-sided defeats, with the exception of single goal defeats at home to Lithuania and Belgium.[16]
San Marino's opening Euro 2008 qualifying match resulted in a record 13–0 defeat at home to Germany on 6 September 2006.[17] They scored only twice and conceded fifty-seven goals in losing all twelve matches, although the home matches against Ireland, Cyprus and Wales were each lost by a single goal.[18]
In the qualification tournament for the 2010 World Cup, they lost all ten matches played and failed to qualify. They conceded 47 goals in those fixtures, including 10 in a defeat to Poland, which became Poland's highest scoring victory of all time,[19] and scored just once, in a 3–1 defeat to Slovakia.[20] Qualifying for UEFA Euro 2012 started in a similar way, the first nine matches all being defeats with an aggregate of 49 goals conceded and none scored, their best result being a one-goal loss to Finland at home, with the worst being a heavy 11–0 loss to the Netherlands, which became the Netherlands' highest scoring victory of all time and San Marino's worse ever away defeat.[21] This was then followed up by two lighter defeats, a 5–0 home loss against Sweden, before completing the campaign with a 4–0 away loss to Moldova.
Stadium [edit]
San Marino play home matches at the Stadio Olimpico, a municipally owned stadium in Serravalle which also hosts the matches of club side San Marino Calcio. It has a capacity of 7,000.[22] Crowds are low, and on occasion travelling supporters outnumber the Sammarinese support. For example, in the fixture against the Republic of Ireland in February 2007, 2,500 of the 3,294 crowd were Irish supporters.[23][24]
San Marino have played two "home" matches outside their borders. For World Cup qualifiers against England and the Netherlands in 1993 the Stadio Renato Dall'Ara in Bologna was used.
Reputation [edit]
San Marino has the smallest population of any UEFA country,.[22] The republic has never won a competitive fixture and its poor record has led the country to gain a very low reputation in world football. A 2004 1–0 friendly win against Liechtenstein remains their sole victory to date.
The national side is mainly composed of amateur players. Only a small number of players are professionals, with many holding second jobs outside of the sport. Their 13–0 defeat at home to Germany is a European Championship record,[17] and they have conceded ten goals on four other separate occasions.
In the FIFA World Rankings, San Marino traditionally have the lowest rank of any UEFA country. Since the creation of FIFA rankings in 1992, San Marino's average position has been 159th.[25]
In 2001, Latvia manager Gary Johnson resigned after failing to beat San Marino in a World Cup qualifier.[26] The Republic of Ireland's 2–1 win in February 2007 (due to a last-second goal) resulted in scathing press criticism.[27]
San Marino set a European record when they went over 20 games without scoring between October 2008 and August 2012.
San Marino all-time record against all nations [edit]
Matches to be played San Marino offical and unoffical
- As of 27 March 2013
| Against | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | GF | GA | GD | % Won |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Albania |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | −3 | 0% |
 Austria |
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 11 | −10 | 0% |
 Belgium |
6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 33 | −30 | 0% |
 Bosnia and Herzegovina |
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 6 | −5 | 0% |
 Bulgaria |
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 7 | −7 | 0% |
 Croatia |
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 8 | −8 | 0% |
 Cyprus |
4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 6 | −6 | 0% |
 Czech Republic |
4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 20 | −20 | 0% |
 England |
4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 26 | −25 | 0% |
 Estonia |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | −1 | 0% |
 Faroe Islands |
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 6 | −5 | 0% |
 Finland |
4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 15 | −14 | 0% |
| Germany |
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 19 | −19 | 0% |
 Greece |
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 6 | −6 | 0% |
 Hungary |
4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 19 | −19 | 0% |
 Israel |
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 13 | −13 | 0% |
 Italy |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | −4 | 0% |
 Latvia |
4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 6 | −5 | 0% |
| Liechtenstein |
3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 33.33% |
 Lithuania |
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 | −5 | 0% |
 Lebanon |
1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% |
 Malta |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | -2 | 0% |
 Moldova |
4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 9 | −9 | 0% |
 Montenegro |
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 9 | −9 | 0% |
 Netherlands |
6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 39 | −39 | 0% |
 Northern Ireland |
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 7 | −7 | 0% |
 Norway |
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 12 | −12 | 0% |
 Poland |
7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 28 | −28 | 0% |
 Republic of Ireland |
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 7 | −6 | 0% |
 Romania |
3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 10 | −9 | 0% |
 Russia |
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 11 | −11 | 0% |
 Scotland |
6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 19 | −19 | 0% |
 Serbia |
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 8 | −8 | 0% |
 Slovakia |
4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 22 | −21 | 0% |
 Slovenia |
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 8 | −8 | 0% |
 Spain |
4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 26 | −26 | 0% |
 Sweden |
4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 22 | −22 | 0% |
| Switzerland |
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 11 | −11 | 0% |
 Turkey |
4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 16 | −15 | 0% |
 Wales |
4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 16 | −15 | 0% |
 Vatican City |
1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% |
| Total | 118 | 1 | 5 | 112 | 19 | 487 | −468 | 0.92% |
Draws and victory [edit]
| 10 March 1993 World Cup qualification |
San Marino |
0 – 0 | Turkey |
Serravalle, San Marino Attendance: 957 Referee: Michel Piraux (Belgium) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Report |
| 25 April 2001 World Cup qualification |
Latvia |
1 – 1 | San Marino |
Skonto Stadium, Latvia Attendance: 4.000 Referee: Karen Nalbandyan (Armenia) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Pahars  1' |
Report | Albani 59' |
| 20 August 2003 Friendly 18:30 BST |
Liechtenstein |
2 – 2 | San Marino |
Rheinpark Stadion, Liechtenstein Attendance: 850 Referee: Guido Wildhaber (Switzerland) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frick 16' Burgmeier 23' |
Report | B. Gasperoni 39' Ciacci 45' |
| 28 April 2004 Friendly 19:30 BST |
San Marino |
1 – 0 | Liechtenstein |
Stadio Olimpico, San Marino Attendance: 700 Referee: Ruaidhri Laird (Scotland) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Selva 5' |
Report |
Unofficial [edit]
| 16 September 1987 Football at the 1987 Mediterranean Games |
San Marino |
0 – 0 | Lebanon |
Abbasiyyin Stadium, Syria Attendance: ? Referee: ? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Report |
World Cup record [edit]
European Championship record [edit]
Players and managers [edit]
In January 2006, the Sammarinese Football Association named Massimo Bonini as their greatest ever player.[4] The only Sammarinese player to have played in a European Cup final, Bonini represented Italy at under-21 level in the early 1980s, and he played for Juventus from 1981 to 1988, but was prevented from gaining full honours due to a rule change.[4] By the time San Marino became a full UEFA member, Bonini was in his thirties, but gained 19 caps between 1990 and 1995.[28]
After retiring from playing, Bonini became San Marino's manager,[4] succeeding Giorgio Leoni. He held the position until 1998, when he was replaced by Giampaolo Mazza. As of 2012, Mazza is the longest-serving manager of any European national team.[29]
The appearance record for San Marino is held by Damiano Vannucci, whose 68 caps,[30] puts him ahead of the previous highest capped player Simone Bacciocchi, who has 59 caps.[31] Andy Selva is the record goalscorer with 8 goals.[32]
Current squad [edit]
The following players were called up for 2014 World Cup qualification matches against England and Poland on 22 and 26 March 2013.
- Caps and goals as of 27 March 2013.
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Recent call-ups [edit]
The following players have been called up within the past twelve months.
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Coaching staff [edit]
| Manager | Giampaolo Mazza |
| Technical assistant | Stefano Ceci |
| Team manager | Giancarlo Mularoni |
| Goalkeeping coach | Marcello Teodorani |
| Fitness coach | Tommaso Mazzoli |
| Match analist | Lorenzo Vagnini |
| Official accompanying | Cesare Vitaioli |
| Masseur | Tiziano Giacobbi |
| Physiotherapist | Loris Balzani |
| Team doctor | Pietro Bugli Simone Grana |
| Warehouseman | Benito Ballato Marco Crescentini |
Records [edit]
Most appearances [edit]
| # | Name | Career | Caps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Damiano Vannucci | 1996–present | 68 | 0 |
| 2 | Simone Bacciocchi | 1998–present | 59 | 0 |
| = | Andy Selva | 1998–present | 59 | 8 |
| 4 | Mirco Gennari | 1992–2003 | 48 | 0 |
| 5 | Paolo Montagna | 1995–2011 | 45 | 0 |
| 6 | Ivan Matteoni | 1990–2003 | 44 | 0 |
| 7 | Alessandro Della Valle | 2002–present | 43 | 0 |
| 8 | Federico Gasperoni | 1996–2005 | 41 | 0 |
| = | Luca Gobbi | 1990–2002 | 41 | 0 |
| 10 | Nicola Albani | 2001–2011 | 40 | 1 |
All goalscorers [edit]
| # | Name | Career | Goals (caps) | Goals for caps | Opponents and dates |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Andy Selva | 1998–present | 8 (59) | 0.13 | Austria, 14 October 1998 - Belgium, 28 February 2001, 6 June 2001 and 30 March 2005 - Liechtenstein, 28 April 2004 - Bosnia and Herzegovina, 4 June 2005 - Wales, 17 October 2007 - Slovakia, 11 October 2008 |
| 2 | Manuel Marani | 2003–present | 2 (32) | 0.06 | Republic of Ireland, 7 February 2007 - Malta, 14 August 2012 |
| 3 | Nicola Albani | 2001–2011 | 1 (40) | 0.02 | Latvia, 25 April 2001 |
| = | Nicola Bacciocchi | 1991–2000 | 1 (33) | 0.03 | Turkey, 9 September 1992 |
| = | Nicola Ciacci | 2003–2011 | 1 (16) | 0.06 | Liechtenstein, 20 August 2003 |
| = | Pier Domenico Della Valle | 1991–2000 | 1 (21) | 0.04 | Finland, 14 December 1994 |
| = | Bryan Gasperoni | 1994–2005 | 1 (29) | 0.03 | Liechtenstein, 20 August 2003 |
| = | Davide Gualtieri | 1993–1999 | 1 (9) | 0.11 | England, 17 November 1993 |
| = | Valdes Pasolini | 1990–1996 | 1 (14) | 0.07 | Romania, 27 March 1991 |
| = | Danilo Ezequiel Rinaldi | 2008–present | 1 (11) | 0.09 | Malta, 14 August 2012 |
| = | Mauro Valentini | 1991–1999 | 1 (23) | 0.04 | Faroe Islands, 11 October 1995 |
See also [edit]
- Football in San Marino
- San Marino national under-21 football team
- Federazione Sammarinese Giuoco Calcio
References [edit]
- ^ "FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking". FIFA. Retrieved 2012-02-02.
- ^ "World Football Elo Ratings". Elo Ranking. Retrieved 2012-02-02.
- ^ "Il Calcio Sammarinese Si Organizza" (in Italian). San Marino Football Federation. Retrieved 2007-09-09.
- ^ a b c d "Just rewards for modest man". UEFA. Archived from the original on 2007-10-20. Retrieved 2007-09-09.
- ^ "Romania National Team 1990–1999". RSSSF. Retrieved 2007-09-09.
- ^ "European Championship 1992". RSSSF. Retrieved 2010-10-10.
- ^ "San Marino Hero Who Humiliated England". This Is London. Retrieved 2007-09-09.[dead link]
- ^ "World Cup 1994 qualifications". RSSSF. Retrieved 2010-10-10.
- ^ "European Championship 1996". RSSSF. Retrieved 2010-10-17.
- ^ "Faroes prove fearsome foes". UEFA. Archived from the original on 2007-07-08. Retrieved 2007-09-23.
- ^ "World Cup 1998 qualifications". RSSSF. Retrieved 2010-09-12.
- ^ "European Championship 2000". RSSSF. Retrieved 2010-09-12.
- ^ "Group 4: Latvia long for revenge". UEFA. Retrieved 2010-10-10.
- ^ "Own goal denies San Marino". UEFA. Retrieved 2010-10-10.
- ^ "Selva the saviour for San Marino". UEFA. Retrieved 2011-01-09.
- ^ "World Cup 2006 qualifications". RSSSF. Retrieved 2010-10-10.
- ^ a b "San Marino 0–13 Germany: Record breakers". ESPN. Retrieved 2007-09-09.
- ^ "European Championship 2008". RSSSF. Retrieved 2010-09-06.
- ^ "Big guns fire as Poland cut loose". FIFA. Retrieved 2011-01-09.
- ^ "World Cup 2010 qualifications". RSSSF. Retrieved 2010-10-10.
- ^ "San Marino on the end of record Netherlands win". UEFA. Retrieved 2011-09-07.
- ^ a b "Does Size Matter?". Football Supporters Federation. Archived from the original on 2008-06-26. Retrieved 2007-09-09. (pdf)
- ^ "Ireland stumble past San Marino". Irish Times. Retrieved 2007-10-14.
- ^ "San Marino 1–2 Rep of Ireland". BBC. 2007-02-07. Retrieved 2007-10-14.
- ^ "FIFA Rankings – San Marino". FIFA. Retrieved 2007-10-10.
- ^ Various (2006). Power, Corruption and Pies Volume 2. WSC Books. p. 149. ISBN 978-0-9540134-8-6.
- ^ "Irish media heap scorn on meagre win in San Marino". Reuters. 2007-02-08. Retrieved 2007-09-22.
- ^ "La scheda di Massimo Bonini". La Stampa (in Italian). 2009-12-10. Retrieved 2010-10-17.
- ^ Ballinger, Lucy (2006-11-15). "San Marino boss out to avoid Irish drubbing". London: Daily Mail. Retrieved 2007-10-07.
- ^ "Vannucci, Damiano". National Football Teams. Retrieved 2010-10-24.
- ^ "Bacciocchi, Simone". National Football Teams. Retrieved 2011-08-12.
- ^ "Selva, Andy". National Football Teams. Retrieved 2011-08-12.
- ^ "Inghilterra San marino convocati". Retrieved 10 October 2012.
External links [edit]
- RSSSF Archive of international results 1986–present (list of results)
- RSSSF Archive of international Goals and Caps
- Archive of friendlies 1992–present (Italian)
- National Governing Body
- Reports of all official matches
- San Marino transfermarkt.com page
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