Gibraltar national football team

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by VampireKilla (talk | contribs) at 19:57, 10 August 2020 (→‎Current squad). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Gibraltar
Shirt badge/Association crest
Nickname(s)Team 54[1]
AssociationGibraltar Football Association
ConfederationUEFA (Europe)
Head coachJulio César Ribas
CaptainRoy Chipolina
Most capsLiam Walker (44)
Top scorer
Home stadiumVictoria Stadium
FIFA codeGIB
First colours
Second colours
Third colours
FIFA ranking
Current 203 Decrease 2 (4 April 2024)[2]
Highest190 (October 2018)
Lowest206 (April 2017 – March 2018)
First international
 Gibraltar 0–0 Slovakia 
(Faro, Portugal; 19 November 2013)
Biggest win
 Gibraltar 1–0 Malta 
(Faro, Portugal; 4 June 2014)
 Gibraltar 1–0 Latvia 
(Gibraltar; 25 March 2018)
 Armenia 0–1 Gibraltar 
(Yerevan, Armenia; 13 October 2018)
 Gibraltar 2–1 Liechtenstein 
(Gibraltar; 16 October 2018)
Biggest defeat
 Belgium 9–0 Gibraltar 
(Liège, Belgium; 31 August 2017)

The Gibraltar national football team represents Gibraltar in international football competitions, and is controlled by the Gibraltar Football Association. Gibraltar applied for full UEFA membership and was accepted by the UEFA Congress in May 2013 and can therefore compete in the UEFA European Championship beginning with the 2016 tournament for which the team competed in UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying Group D. On 13 May 2016 Gibraltar became a member of FIFA at the governing body's 66th Congress which was held in Mexico City.[4] Gibraltar is the smallest UEFA member in terms of both area and population.[5][6]

Despite not being an island, Gibraltar set up its first official side for the football competition at the 1993 Island Games[7] and has been a regular in the tournament, winning the 2007 edition.[8]

History

Pre-UEFA

Gibraltar's first unofficial national match took place against Jersey in the 1993 Island Games in the Isle of Wight, although the team had previously played friendlies versus professional and amateur clubs. The result was a 2–1 loss for the Gibraltarians. Gibraltar's largest unofficial win was 19–0 versus Sark, in St. Martin, Guernsey, whilst their largest unofficial loss was 5–0 versus Greenland – an autonomous region of Denmark – which also took part on the Isle of Wight, in Freshwater.

Foundation

The history of the Gibraltarian national football side can be traced back to April 1923, when it travelled to Spain to play club side Sevilla in a friendly; two games were played and Gibraltar lost both.[7] The side also managed a draw with Real Madrid in 1949.[9][10]

Island Games

Before joining UEFA, Gibraltar competed in numerous football competitions, most regularly in the Island Games.

The first competition the team entered was the 1993 Island Games, despite Gibraltar not being an island. Gibraltar lost all of its matches, scoring only one goal and finishing in last place.

They had much more success in the 1995 Island Games, which they hosted. Despite losing their opening game against Greenland, Gibraltar bounced back to record their first competitive win, against the Isle of Man. Another victory over Anglesey saw Gibraltar finish second in the group, ahead of Anglesey only on goal difference, and qualify for the semi finals. There, they beat Jersey 1–0, before losing the final to the Isle of Wight by the same scoreline.

In the 1997 Island Games, two wins and two losses in the group stage, followed by a defeat to Shetland in a playoff, saw Gibraltar finish 6th out of 9 teams. Another poor performance in 1999 saw them finish 11th.

Island Games results improved slightly in 2001, as they came 5th, and in 2003 Gibraltar recorded their biggest win ever, defeating Sark 19–0. Other good results against Greenland and Orkney saw them finish 6th out of 12. Despite these minor successes, Gibraltar did not enter the 2005 tournament.

A football team represented Gibraltar at the 2015 edition of the games even after Gibraltar was accepted by UEFA. However, the squad was a development team composed of under-19s and over-aged players with no first team senior squad members taking part.[11] The team will be coached by John Moreno.

Year Round Position GP W D L GS GA
1989–1991 Did not enter
Isle of Wight 1993 7th Place Match 8 4 0 0 4 1 9
Gibraltar 1995 Runners-Up 2 5 4 0 1 5 3
Jersey 1997 5th Place Match 6 5 2 0 3 13 8
Gotland 1999 11th Place Match 11 4 1 0 3 9 11
Isle of Man 2001 5th Place Match 5 4 3 0 1 7 2
Guernsey 2003 5th Place Match 6 5 3 0 2 29 5
Shetland 2005 Did not enter
Rhodes 2007 Champions 1 4 3 1 0 9 2
Åland 2009 9th Place Match 9 4 2 1 1 12 3
Isle of Wight 2011 5th Place Match 5 3 2 0 1 14 7
Bermuda 2013 Did not enter
Jersey 2015[nb 1] 9th Place Match 10 4 1 1 2 3 6
Gotland 2017 Did not enter
Gibraltar 2019 Replaced by 2019 Inter Games Football Tournament
Total 10/15 1 Title 42 21 3 18 102 56
*Gold background colour indicates that the tournament was won. Red border colour indicates tournament was held on home soil.

FIFI "Wild Cup"

In early summer 2006 Gibraltar participated in the 2006 FIFI Wild Cup where it was ranked 3rd. The tournament was an alternative World Cup for non-FIFA members, which was only held once. In Gibraltar's opening match, they drew 1–1 with the hosts, the 'Republic of St. Pauli', before beating Tibet 5–0 in their second group game to qualify for the semi-finals. There they lost 2–0 to eventual champions Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus - following Gibraltar's games against Cyprus in 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification games in 2017, Gibraltar achieved a rare feat of playing both Cypriot national teams. In the third place playoff, Gibraltar had a rematch against St. Pauli. This time Gibraltar were able to defeat the hosts, to finish in third place out of the six teams.[12]

Year Round Position GP W D L GS GA
File:FC St Pauli skull and crossbones.svg 2006 3rd Place Playoff 3 4 2 1 1 8 4
Total 1/1 0 Titles 4 2 1 1 8 4

2008 Four Nations

In 2008 Gibraltar accepted an invitation to participate in The Four Nations Tournament, the most prominent senior football tournament that Gibraltar had ever participated in. The 2008 Four Nations Tournament, won by England C, was played in North Wales, and was contested between Wales Semi-Pro, England C, Scotland B and guest nation Gibraltar after Northern Ireland decided not to take part. Though Gibraltar eventually finished bottom of the group, they pushed tournament winners England C close.[13]

Year Round Position GP W D L GS GA
Wales 2008 Group 4 3 0 0 3 4 11
Total 1/1 0 Titles 3 0 0 3 4 11

Record of matches

Opponent P W D L GF GA
 Åland 1 0 0 1 1 2
England C 2 1 0 1 3 2
 Faroe Islands 2 1 0 1 4 4
 Frøya 3 3 0 0 17 1
 Greenland 4 2 0 2 7 7
 Guernsey 1 0 1 0 0 0
Isle of Man 2 2 0 0 3 1
 Isle of Wight 4 2 0 2 6 3
 Jersey 7 1 1 5 8 15
 Madeira 1 0 0 1 0 2
 Menorca 1 1 0 0 2 1
 Monaco 2 1 1 0 6 2
 Northern Cyprus 1 0 0 1 0 2
 Orkney 2 2 0 0 9 1
 Rhodes 2 2 0 0 6 0
 Sark 1 1 0 0 19 0
Scotland Semi-Pro 1 0 0 1 2 4
 Shetland 4 1 0 3 5 6
 Tibet 1 1 0 0 5 0
Wales Semi-Pro 1 0 0 1 2 6
 Ynys Môn 4 1 0 3 3 6

Honours

FIFA membership

After becoming a member of UEFA (see below), the GFA aimed to become a full FIFA member in time to participate in 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification.[14] On 26 September 2014, it was announced that Gibraltar's application for FIFA membership was denied, with president Sepp Blatter stating that Gibraltar is ineligible because it is not an independent country. This was despite FIFA at the time including 22 members that are not independent countries, including five in UEFA (Faroe Islands and the four Home Nations of the United Kingdom). The Gibraltar Football Association then announced that it planned to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, the same process by which Gibraltar successfully gained UEFA membership in 2013.[15] The CAS heard Gibraltar's case on 21 May 2015, at which time no time frame for a verdict was announced and further legal arguments would still be heard. It was expected that no decision would be reached before the FIFA congress coming the following week.[16] A ruling was announced on 2 May 2016, nearly a year after the CAS heard Gibraltar's case. As part of the ruling, FIFA was ordered to transmit Gibraltar's application for membership to the FIFA congress which was set to take place the following week in Mexico City. Additionally, FIFA was ordered to take "all necessary steps to admit the Gibraltar Football Association as a full member of FIFA without delay." If the vote held at the congress was successful, it was believed that Gibraltar would be a last-minute addition to 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification.[17] In FIFA's official statement regarding the ruling, the organization said that the it expected to discuss the matter at the upcoming congress and discuss a course of action, including potentially altering the congress agenda to submit Gibraltar's application for membership.[18] On 13 May 2016, Gibraltar was accepted as a member of FIFA with a vote of 172 to 12 in favour. Gibraltar became FIFA's 211th member immediately after the Football Federation of Kosovo was voted member 210.[19]

FIFA World Cup

FIFA World Cup record FIFA World Cup qualification record
Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA Pld W D L GF GA
1930 to 2014 Not a FIFA member Not a FIFA member
Russia 2018 Did not qualify 10 0 0 10 3 47
Qatar 2022 To be determined
United StatesCanadaMexico 2026 To be determined
Total 0/21 - 0 0 0 0 0 0 10 0 0 10 3 47

UEFA acceptance

Gibraltar starting XI in UEFA debut against Slovakia

Gibraltar first applied for UEFA membership in 1999 but was rejected because of intense opposition from Spain. Spain's opposition stemmed not only from claiming ownership of the territory but from fear that Gibraltar's acceptance would set a precedent that would inspire the separatist Basque national football team and Catalan national football teams to apply for UEFA membership as well. The issue was voted on again in 2007 but only three member nations (England, Scotland, and Wales)[10] supported Gibraltar's bid after Spain threatened to withdraw Spanish teams from all UEFA competitions. UEFA then established rules, which were introduced following pressure from Spain, restricting membership to sovereign states recognised as such by the United Nations. The Gibraltar FA then went to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in 2007 and again in 2011 after an appeal and it was ruled that Gibraltar could not be refused membership because the sovereignty rules were not established until after Gibraltar's 1999 and 2007 applications. At this time, Gibraltar was named a provisional member of UEFA and was granted permission to enter national teams in under-17 and under-19 tournaments for the first time.[20][21]

The GFA was accepted as a full UEFA member by resolution of the UEFA Congress held in London on 24 May 2013, with only Spain and Belarus opposed.[22][23] This meant Gibraltar became the smallest UEFA member by population, behind San Marino, then Liechtenstein and the Faroe Islands. As a result of the vote, the Gibraltar national team became eligible to enter the qualification tournaments for UEFA's premier national team competition, the European Championship. The first such opportunity was the Euro 2016 qualifying campaign, which would kick off in September 2014. Following the examples of Armenia-Azerbaijan and Russia-Georgia, it was confirmed that Gibraltar and Spain would be kept apart in qualifying groups.[6]

After being accepted into UEFA, the GFA outlined adjusted eligibility criteria for the selection of players for the national squad. To be eligible, a player must be a British passport holder who was born in Gibraltar, or has Gibraltarian parents or grandparents, or has attended school for five years locally.[24] Former Manchester United, Derby County, Southampton and Stoke City defender Danny Higginbotham, whose uncle Allen Bula was the team manager, was eligible to be called up because of this criteria adjustment.[25][26] On 18 September 2013, Higginbotham announced that he agreed in "principle" to play for Gibraltar.[27][28] Recruiting of English-born players by manager Allen Bula was unpopular with some fans,[29] and in 2015 Bula's successor Jeff Wood said he would use more home-based players and develop local talent while still searching for eligible players elsewhere.[30]

Gibraltar's first official international match was a 0–0 friendly draw against Slovakia, on 19 November 2013 at the Estadio Algarve in Portugal.[31] On 23 February 2014, Gibraltar was drawn in Group D for the UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying alongside Germany, Poland, Georgia, Republic of Ireland and Scotland. Initially, Gibraltar were drawn into the same group as Spain for the tournament but the previous decision to keep the two teams apart in qualifying rounds was upheld and Gibraltar was immediately moved into another group. This was their first time participating in an official European competition.[32] In June 2014, Gibraltar recorded their first ever victory under UEFA with a 1–0 win against Malta, the goal coming from Kyle Casciaro.[33]

Euro 2016 qualifying

On 7 September 2014, Gibraltar played their first competitive match – a Euro 2016 qualifier against Poland. Despite coming into the game with optimism and excitement, they were still massive underdogs[34] and although the half time score was only 1–0 to Poland, it ended 7–0.[citation needed] On 11 October 2014, they were defeated once again by 7–0, this time by Republic of Ireland, in their second Euro 2016 qualifier. In their third match, they were beaten for the third time by Georgia 3–0.

On 29 March 2015, Gibraltar scored their first ever goal in a full international competitive match. Lee Casciaro scored against Scotland at Hampden Park, Glasgow during the first half to level the match at 1–1. However, Scotland went on to win 6–1.[35] In July 2015, Englishman Jeff Wood was appointed manager, succeeding caretaker Dave Wilson who took over from Gibraltar's first manager Allen Bula in March 2015.[36] Gibraltar could not repeat their performance of scoring a goal in the next two matches; losing 7–0 away against Germany[37] and 4–0 against Republic of Ireland.[38] On 7 September 2015, Jake Gosling scored Gibraltar's second-ever competitive goal; netting a late consolation goal as his team was defeated 8–1 by Poland.[39] Gibraltar finished its maiden qualifying campaign last in its group with zero points.[40] With a 0–6 defeat to Scotland in the final match of qualifying, Gibraltar allowed 56 total goals throughout qualification, surpassing San Marino's previous record of 53 in a 10-match qualification process.[41]

UEFA European Championship

UEFA Euro Record UEFA European Championship qualifying record
Year Round Pos Pld W D L GF GA Pld W D L GF GA
1960–2012 Not a UEFA member Not a UEFA member
France 2016 Did not qualify 10 0 0 10 2 56
Europe 2020 Did not qualify 8 0 0 8 3 31
Germany 2024 To be determined  —  —  —  —  —  —
Total 0/17 - 0 0 0 0 0 0 18 0 0 18 5 87

UEFA Nations League

UEFA Nations League record
Season Division Group Round Pos (OA) Pld W D L GF GA P/R
2018–19 D 4 Group stage 3rd (49th) 6 2 0 4 5 15 Steady
2020–21 D 2 To be determined —
Total Best: Group stage 1/2 6 2 0 4 5 15 —

UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying – UEFA Group D

Main article: UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying Group D
Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification Switzerland Denmark Republic of Ireland Georgia (country) Gibraltar
1   Switzerland 8 5 2 1 19 6 +13 17 Qualify for final tournament — 3–3 2–0 1–0 4–0
2  Denmark 8 4 4 0 23 6 +17 16 1–0 — 1–1 5–1 6–0
3  Republic of Ireland 8 3 4 1 7 5 +2 13 Advance to play-offs via Nations League 1–1 1–1 — 1–0 2–0
4  Georgia 8 2 2 4 7 11 −4 8 0–2 0–0 0–0 — 3–0
5  Gibraltar 8 0 0 8 3 31 −28 0 1–6 0–6 0–1 2–3 —
Source: UEFA
Rules for classification: Qualification tiebreakers

2020–21 UEFA Nations League

Gibraltar was drawn with the Liechtenstein and San Marino in League D.

Main article: 2020–21 UEFA Nations League D
Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Promotion Gibraltar Liechtenstein San Marino
1  Gibraltar (P) 4 2 2 0 3 1 +2 8 Promotion to League C — 1–1 1–0
2  Liechtenstein 4 1 2 1 3 2 +1 5 0–1 — 0–0
3  San Marino 4 0 2 2 0 3 −3 2 0–0 0–2 —
Source: UEFA
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
(P) Promoted

Record of matches

The following table shows Gibraltar's all-time international record, correct as of 18 November 2019. Only official matches are included.

Opponents P W D L GF GA GD Win % First Last
 Armenia 2 1 0 1 3 6 −3 050.00 2018 2018
 Belgium 2 0 0 2 0 15 −15 000.00 2016 2017
 Bosnia and Herzegovina 2 0 0 2 0 9 −9 000.00 2017 2017
 Croatia 1 0 0 1 0 4 −4 000.00 2015 2015
 Cyprus 2 0 0 2 2 5 −3 000.00 2016 2017
 Denmark 2 0 0 2 0 12 −12 000.00 2019 2019
 Estonia 5 0 1 4 1 14 −13 000.00 2014 2019
 Faroe Islands 1 0 0 1 1 4 −3 000.00 2014 2014
 Georgia 4 0 0 4 2 13 −11 000.00 2014 2019
 Germany 2 0 0 2 0 11 −11 000.00 2014 2015
 Greece 2 0 0 2 1 8 −7 000.00 2016 2017
 Kosovo 1 0 0 1 0 1 −1 000.00 2019 2019
 Latvia 2 1 0 1 1 5 −4 050.00 2016 2018
 Liechtenstein 3 1 1 1 2 3 −1 033.33 2016 2018
 Malta 1 1 0 0 1 0 +1 100.00 2014 2014
 North Macedonia 2 0 0 2 0 6 −6 000.00 2018 2018
 Poland 2 0 0 2 1 15 −14 000.00 2014 2015
 Portugal 1 0 0 1 0 5 −5 000.00 2016 2016
 Republic of Ireland 4 0 0 4 0 14 −14 000.00 2014 2019
 Scotland 2 0 0 2 1 12 −11 000.00 2015 2015
 Slovakia 1 0 1 0 0 0 +0 000.00 2013 2013
  Switzerland 2 0 0 2 1 10 −9 000.00 2019 2019
Total 46 4 3 39 17 172 −155 008.70 2013 2019

Notable results

Wins

Gibraltar have won 4 full international matches.

4 June 2014[42] Friendly Gibraltar 1–0  Malta Faro/Loulé, Portugal (H)
 Report
Stadium: Estádio Algarve
Attendance: 500
Referee: João Capela (Portugal)
25 March 2018 Friendly Gibraltar  1–0  Latvia Gibraltar
16:00 CEST
Report Stadium: Victoria Stadium
Attendance: 1,306
Referee: Trustin Farrugia Cann (Malta)
13 October 2018 2018–19 Nations League D Armenia  0–1  Gibraltar Yerevan
18:00 Report
Stadium: Vazgen Sargsyan Republican Stadium
16 October 2018 2018–19 Nations League D Gibraltar  2–1  Liechtenstein Gibraltar
20:45 Cabrera 61'
J. Chipolina 66'		 Salanović 15' Stadium: Victoria Stadium

Draws

Gibraltar have drawn 3 matches.

19 November 2013[citation needed] Friendly Gibraltar 0–0  Slovakia Faro/Loulé, Portugal (H)
18:30 Report Stadium: Estádio Algarve
Attendance: 350
Referee: Hugo Miguel (Portugal)
Man of the Match: Danny Higginbotham
26 May 2014[43] Friendly Estonia  1–1  Gibraltar Tallinn, Estonia (A)
19:00
Report
Stadium: A. Le Coq Arena
Attendance: 4,805
Referee: Clayton Pisani (Malta)
23 March 2016[44] Friendly Gibraltar 0–0  Liechtenstein Gibraltar (H)
19:00
Report
Stadium: Victoria Stadium
Referee: Ryan Stewart (Wales)

Recent results and forthcoming fixtures

Main articles: Gibraltar national football team results and Gibraltar national football team results – unofficial matches

2019

5 September 2019 2020 UEFA Euro qualifying Gibraltar  0–6  Denmark Gibraltar
20:45 Report
Stadium: Victoria Stadium
Referee: Jonathan Lardot (Belgium)
8 September 2019 2020 UEFA Euro qualifying Switzerland  4–0  Gibraltar Switzerland
18:00
Report Stadium: Stade Tourbillon, Sion
Referee: Pavel Orel (Czech Republic)
10 October 2019 Friendly Kosovo  1–0  Gibraltar Kosovo
18:00 Hasani 69' Report Stadium: Fadil Vokrri Stadium
Referee: Juxhin Xhaja (Albania)
15 October 2019 2020 UEFA Euro qualifying Gibraltar  2–3  Georgia Gibraltar
20:45
Report
Stadium: Victoria Stadium
Referee: Paolo Valeri (Italy)
15 November 2019 2020 UEFA Euro qualifying Denmark  6–0  Gibraltar Copenhagen, Denmark
20:45
Report Stadium: Parken Stadium
Referee: István Vad (Hungary)
18 November 2019 2020 UEFA Euro qualifying Gibraltar  1–6   Switzerland Gibraltar
20:45
Report
Stadium: Victoria Stadium
Referee: Benoît Millot (France)

2020

26 March 2020 Friendly Malta  cancelled  Gibraltar Ta' Qali, Malta
19:00 Stadium: National Stadium
29 March 2020 Friendly Gibraltar  cancelled  Liechtenstein Ta' Qali, Malta
Stadium: National Stadium
5 September 2020 (2020-09-05) 2020–21 UEFA Nations League D Gibraltar  v  San Marino Gibraltar
15:00 Report Stadium: Victoria Stadium
7 October 2020 (2020-10-07) Friendly Malta  v  Gibraltar Ta' Qali, Malta
20:45 Stadium: National Stadium
10 October 2020 (2020-10-10) 2020–21 UEFA Nations League D Liechtenstein  v  Gibraltar Liechtenstein
20:45 Report
13 November 2020 (2020-11-13) 2020–21 UEFA Nations League D San Marino  v  Gibraltar San Marino
20:45 Report
16 November 2020 (2020-11-16) 2020–21 UEFA Nations League D Gibraltar  v  Liechtenstein Gibraltar
20:45 Report Stadium: Victoria Stadium


Gibraltar national football team all opponents from 2013

Players

See also: List of Gibraltar international footballers

Current squad

The following players were called up to the initial squad for the UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying games against  Denmark on 15 November and against   Switzerland on 18 November 2019.[45]
Caps and goals are correct as of 18 November 2019 after the game against   Switzerland .

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1 1GK Kyle Goldwin (1985-04-24) 24 April 1985 (age 39) 14 0 Gibraltar Lincoln Red Imps
23 1GK Dayle Coleing (1996-10-23) 23 October 1996 (age 27) 4 0 Northern Ireland Glentoran
13 1GK Bradley Banda (1998-01-20) 20 January 1998 (age 26) 0 0 Gibraltar Lynx
3 2DF Joseph Chipolina (Vice-captain) (1987-12-14) 14 December 1987 (age 36) 42 2 Gibraltar Lincoln Red Imps
14 2DF Roy Chipolina (Captain) (1983-01-20) 20 January 1983 (age 41) 42 2 Gibraltar Lincoln Red Imps
4 2DF Jack Sergeant (1995-02-27) 27 February 1995 (age 29) 28 0 Gibraltar Lincoln Red Imps
2 2DF Jean-Carlos Garcia (1992-07-05) 5 July 1992 (age 31) 26 0 Gibraltar Bruno's Magpies
15 2DF Erin Barnett (1996-09-02) 2 September 1996 (age 27) 19 0 Gibraltar St Joseph's
20 2DF Ethan Britto (2000-11-30) 30 November 2000 (age 23) 8 0 Gibraltar Lincoln Red Imps
16 2DF Aymen Mouelhi (1986-09-14) 14 September 1986 (age 37) 7 0 Gibraltar St Joseph's
5 2DF Ethan Jolley (1997-03-29) 29 March 1997 (age 27) 4 0 Gibraltar Europa
22 2DF Brad Power (1992-10-29) 29 October 1992 (age 31) 0 0 Gibraltar Lynx
6 2DF Ethan Santos (1998-12-22) 22 December 1998 (age 25) 0 0 Gibraltar Mons Calpe
10 3MF Liam Walker (1988-04-13) 13 April 1988 (age 36) 44 2 Gibraltar Europa
18 3MF Anthony Hernandez (1995-02-03) 3 February 1995 (age 29) 23 1 Gibraltar Lincoln Red Imps
11 3MF Alain Pons (1995-09-16) 16 September 1995 (age 28) 18 0 Gibraltar St Joseph's
17 3MF Andrew Hernandez (1999-01-10) 10 January 1999 (age 25) 10 0 Gibraltar St Joseph's
8 3MF Mohamed Badr (1989-11-25) 25 November 1989 (age 34) 4 0 Gibraltar Europa
7 4FW Lee Casciaro (1981-09-29) 29 September 1981 (age 42) 33 3 Gibraltar Lincoln Red Imps
19 4FW Tjay De Barr (2000-03-13) 13 March 2000 (age 24) 16 1 Spain Oviedo B
21 4FW Jamie Coombes (1996-05-27) 27 May 1996 (age 27) 16 0 Gibraltar Lincoln Red Imps
9 4FW Reece Styche (1989-05-03) 3 May 1989 (age 35) 7 1 England Buxton

Recent call-ups

The following players have been called up within the past twelve months.

Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club Latest call-up
GK Matt Cafer (1994-09-27) 27 September 1994 (age 29) 2 0 England Romford v.  Georgia, 15 October 2019
DF Jayce Olivero (1998-07-02) 2 July 1998 (age 25) 27 0 Gibraltar Europa v.  Denmark, 15 November 2019
DF Louie Annesley (2000-05-03) 3 May 2000 (age 24) 9 0 England Blackburn Rovers v.   Switzerland, 8 September 2019
DF Jason Pusey (1989-02-18) 18 February 1989 (age 35) 4 0 Unattached v.   Switzerland, 8 September 2019
DF Jared Buhagiar (1992-10-20) 20 October 1992 (age 31) 0 0 Gibraltar Lions Gibraltar v.   Switzerland, 8 September 2019
DF Jamie Serra (1998-10-30) 30 October 1998 (age 25) 0 0 Gibraltar St Joseph's v.  Denmark, 5 September 2019 PRE
DF Ethan Thorne-Llambias (2000-11-23) 23 November 2000 (age 23) 0 0 Gibraltar Lincoln Red Imps v.  Denmark, 5 September 2019 PRE
MF Jaydan Parody (1998-05-08) 8 May 1998 (age 26) 0 0 Gibraltar Lynx v.  Denmark, 5 September 2019 PRE
MF James Parkinson (2000-05-21) 21 May 2000 (age 23) 0 0 Gibraltar Boca Gibraltar v.  Denmark, 5 September 2019 PRE
FW Ayoub El Hmidi (2000-09-30) 30 September 2000 (age 23) 0 0 Gibraltar Mons Calpe v.  Denmark, 5 September 2019 PRE
FW Dylan Peacock (2001-08-24) 24 August 2001 (age 22) 0 0 Gibraltar Boca Gibraltar v.  Denmark, 5 September 2019 PRE

INJ Withdrew from the squad due to an injury
PRE Preliminary squad
RET Retired from the national team
WD Withdrew for other reasons

Player history

See also: Gibraltar national football team records and statistics
The Gibraltar national football team at the Victoria Stadium in March 2014
Liam Walker is the most capped player for Gibraltar.
The Gibraltarian top scorer Lee Casciaro

Most capped

As of 18 November 2019

See also: List of Gibraltar international footballers
# Name Career Caps Goals
1 Liam Walker 2013– 44 2
2 Joseph Chipolina 2013– 42 2
Roy Chipolina 2013– 42 2
4 Lee Casciaro 2014– 33 3
5 Anthony Bardon 2014–2019 29 0
6 Jack Sergeant 2013– 28 0
7 Jayce Olivero 2016– 27 0
8 Jean-Carlos Garcia 2014– 26 0
9 Kyle Casciaro 2013– 24 1
Ryan Casciaro 2013– 24 0

Most goals

As of 18 November 2019

Players with an equal number of goals are ranked in order of average.

# Name Career Goals Caps Average
1 Lee Casciaro 2014– 3 33 0.091
2 Jake Gosling 2014–2018 2 12 0.167
Joseph Chipolina 2013– 2 42 0.048
Roy Chipolina 2013– 2 42 0.048
Liam Walker 2013– 2 44 0.045
6 Reece Styche 2014– 1 7 0.143
George Cabrera 2014– 1 8 0.125
Tjay De Barr 2018– 1 16 0.063
Adam Priestley 2013– 1 17 0.059
Anthony Hernandez 2014– 1 23 0.043
Kyle Casciaro 2013– 1 24 0.042

Captains

See also: List of Gibraltar national football team captains

As of 18 November 2019

# Player Career Captain Caps Total Caps
1 Roy Chipolina 2013– 41 42
2 Joseph Chipolina 2013– 3 42
3 Liam Walker 2013– 1 44
Ryan Casciaro 2013– 1 24

Goalkeepers

As of 18 November 2019

# Player Career Games Wins GA GAA
1 Jordan Perez 2013–2016 17 1 52 3.059
2 Kyle Goldwin 2018– 14 3 31 2.214
3 Deren Ibrahim 2016–2017 8 0 39 4.875
4 Jamie Robba 2014– 8 1 25 3.125
5 Dayle Coleing 2019– 4 0 13 3.25
6 Matt Cafer 2018– 2 0 4 2
  • ^1 Players in bold are still actively competing and are available for selection

International goals

Gibraltar has scored very few goals in competitive internationals; the list below is comprehensive.

No. Comp.[a] Date Opponent Scorer(s) Final Score[b]
1 ECQ 29 March 2015  Scotland Lee Casciaro 1–6
2 7 September 2015  Poland Jake Gosling 1–8
3 WCQ 6 September 2016  Greece Liam Walker 1–4
4 13 November 2016  Cyprus Lee Casciaro 1–3
5 9 June 2017  Cyprus Anthony Hernandez 1–2
6 UNL 13 October 2018  Armenia Joseph Chipolina 1–0
7 16 October 2018  Liechtenstein George Cabrera 2–1
8 Joseph Chipolina
9 16 November 2018  Armenia Tjay De Barr 2–6
10 Adam Priestley
11 ECQ 15 October 2019  Georgia Lee Casciaro 2–3
12 Roy Chipolina
13 18 November 2019   Switzerland Reece Styche 1–6

a ECQ = UEFA European Championship qualification match, WCQ = FIFA World Cup qualification match, UNL = UEFA Nations League.
b The Gibraltar score is always listed first.

Gibraltar managers

Up to date as of 18 November 2019
Manager Nation Gibraltar career Played Won Drawn Lost GF GA Win %
Allen Bula Gibraltar 2013–2015 9 1 2 6 3 28 011.11
David Wilson (interim) Scotland 2015 3 0 0 3 1 17 000.00
Jeff Wood England 2015–2018 17 0 1 16 4 79 000.00
Desi Curry (interim) Northern Ireland 2018 1 1 0 0 1 0 100.00
Julio César Ribas Uruguay 2018– 16 2 0 14 8 48 012.50

Personnel

Allen Bula, Gibraltar's head coach between 2010 and 2015

Current technical staff

As of 23 June 2019[46][47]

Position Name
Head Coach Uruguay Julio César Ribas
Assistant Coach Spain Jose Carlos Gil Prieto
Goalkeeper Coach Gibraltar Christian Wink
Technical Director Northern Ireland Desi Curry
Match Analyst Gibraltar Jansen Moreno
Team Doctor Gibraltar Dr Keith Gracia
Head Physiotherapist
Fitness Coach 		Gibraltar Iain Latin
Team Physiotherapist Gibraltar Andrew Rodriguez
Team Osteopath England Paul Knight
Massage Therapist Gibraltar Gareth Henwood

Stadium

Before being accepted into UEFA, the team played its home games at Victoria Stadium, the 5,000-seat national stadium of Gibraltar. There were plans to replace the stadium with a proposed 8,000-seat stadium at Europa Point, which was expected to be completed for UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying.[48][49][50] Due to the lack of suitable facilities in Gibraltar, the team played its competitive home matches at Estádio Algarve about four hours away in Portugal, from 2013 until 2018. Former national team manager Allen Bula stated that the team would play at the stadium for "a few years" until the Europa Point Stadium was complete.[51] Although the Victoria Stadium could not be used for qualifying matches, UEFA allowed its use for friendlies when Gibraltar chose to do so.[52]

In December 2014 the GFA applied for an exemption from UEFA to allow for competitive matches to be held at the Victoria Stadium although it did not meet minimum requirements. The exemption was filed based upon UEFA regulations which allow for an exemption to be granted because of "hardship". At that time, UEFA said that all scheduled matches, such as those during Euro 2016 qualification, would take place in the already-determined locations but a determination would be made for future competitions.[53] In February 2016 the Gibraltar government announced that over the previous four years numerous improvements had been made to the Victoria Stadium including the installation of approved AstroTurf and lighting which surpassed the requirements for a Category 2 stadium but did not quite meet Category 3. These improvements allowed for UEFA Champions League and Europa League matches to be played at the stadium.[54]

In September 2015, after plans for Europa Point were abandoned, the GFA explored other sites including Lathbury Barracks, as UEFA were unwilling at the time to fund improvements to Victoria Stadium while it was government owned.[55] In February 2016 the Government of Gibraltar announced that it expected to be presented for plans at the Lathbury site very soon.[54] However, in 2017 a deal was agreed for the Gibraltar FA to purchase Victoria Stadium with UEFA funding, and re-develop the stadium to meet UEFA standards.[56] The stadium was subsequently approved to host UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying games in March 2020

See also

Footnotes

  1. ^ Development team from 2015 edition onward

References

  1. ^ "Team 54". Gibraltar Football Association. Retrieved 22 August 2014.
  2. ^ "The FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking". FIFA. 4 April 2024. Retrieved 4 April 2024.
  3. ^ Elo rankings change compared to one year ago. "World Football Elo Ratings". eloratings.net. 27 March 2024. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
  4. ^ "Gibraltar Voted Into FIFA". FIFA.com. FIFA. Retrieved 14 May 2016.
  5. ^ Montague, James (22 May 2013). "Gibraltar Moves Closer to Soccer Independence". The New York Times. Retrieved 24 May 2013.
  6. ^ a b "Gibraltar given full Uefa membership at London Congress". BBC Sport. Retrieved 24 May 2013.
  7. ^ a b Stokkermans, Karel. "Gibraltar – List of International Matches". rsssf.com. RSSSF. Retrieved 29 June 2007.
  8. ^ Brown, Colin. "NatWest Island Games XII – Rhodes 2007". International Island Games Association. Retrieved 24 February 2014.
  9. ^ Owen, Graham. "Football in Gibraltar-". laliganews.tv. La Liga News. Archived from the original on 24 August 2013. Retrieved 24 February 2014.
  10. ^ a b Kenny, Stuart. "From army games to a draw with Real Madrid: A history of Gibraltar football". sports.stv.tv. STV. Archived from the original on 1 March 2014. Retrieved 24 February 2014.
  11. ^ "Football: Gibraltar to send youth to Jersey 2015". Jersey Evening Post. Retrieved 30 May 2015.
  12. ^ "FIFI Wild Cup 2006". rsssf.com. RSSSF. Retrieved 25 February 2014.
  13. ^ "Four Nations Semi-professional Tournament". rsssf.com. RSSSF. Retrieved 25 February 2014.
  14. ^ "International news: Gibraltar confirm new stadium plans". Sky Sports. Retrieved 4 March 2014.
  15. ^ "Gibraltar to appeal FIFA decision over member application". pulse.ng. Pulse NG. 26 September 2014. Retrieved 26 September 2014.
  16. ^ "CAS hears Gibraltar's appeal to join FIFA". Washington Times. Retrieved 26 May 2015.
  17. ^ Montague, James. "Ruling Moves Gibraltar Closer to FIFA Membership". The New York Times. Retrieved 2 May 2016.
  18. ^ "FIFA Statement on CAS decision concerning Gibraltar". FIFA.com. FIFA. Retrieved 2 May 2016.
  19. ^ "Gibraltar, Kosovo granted FIFA membership ahead of 2018 World Cup qualifying". FourFourTwo. Retrieved 13 May 2016.
  20. ^ Doyle, Paul. "Gibraltar set to be new kids on the Rock as Uefa votes on its future". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 February 2014.
  21. ^ "Background". Gibraltar Football Association. Archived from the original on 12 October 2013. Retrieved 24 February 2014.
  22. ^ "Congress decisions bring Gibraltar on board". UEFA.com (Press release). UEFA. 24 May 2013. Retrieved 1 November 2013.
  23. ^ Lafuente, Javier (24 May 2013). "Gibraltar mete un gol a España". El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 1 November 2013.
  24. ^ Culatto, John (14 November 2013). "GFA change squad rules for Slovakia friendly". panorama.gi. Panorama Daily Gibraltar. Retrieved 5 February 2014.
  25. ^ "Stoke City: Danny Higginbotham confirms Gibraltar approach". The Sentinel. Retrieved 17 September 2013.
  26. ^ "Danny Higginbotham: Gibraltar call-up was too good to refuse". The Sentinel. Retrieved 20 September 2013.
  27. ^ "Danny Higginbotham agrees to play for Gibraltar". Sky Sports. Retrieved 18 September 2013.
  28. ^ "Danny Higginbotham agrees to play for Gibraltar at international level". The Guardian. Retrieved 18 September 2013.
  29. ^ Doyle, Garry (11 October 2014). "We can reach play-offs, insists Gibraltar manager". Irish Independent. Retrieved 7 September 2015. Higginbotham, who is Bula's nephew, is one of several English-born players who have been drafted in, much to the chagrin of some Gibraltarians, who have heaped abuse on the manager for doing so.
  30. ^ Fitzmaurice, Aidan (3 September 2015). "'Green army not a worry for us', says Gibraltar boss Jeff Wood". The Herald. Retrieved 7 September 2015. Gibraltar, bottom of Group D, have changed their approach of late: they're not so keen to recruit eligible players via the 'granny rule' but instead are intent on bring through home grown talent.
  31. ^ "Slovakia 0 Gibraltar 0". BBC Sport. 19 November 2013. Retrieved 20 November 2013.
  32. ^ Fifield, Nicola (23 February 2014). "Gibraltar moves group in Euro 2016 qualifiers draw over political tensions". London: Telegraph. Retrieved 24 February 2014.
  33. ^ "Gibraltar claim first win with 1–0 victory over Malta". BBC Sport. 5 June 2014. Retrieved 17 July 2014.
  34. ^ Lowe, Sid (2 September 2014). "Gibraltar head to Portugal to play Poland in first competitive match". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 September 2015.
  35. ^ "Scotland 6 – 1 Gibraltar". BBC Sport. 29 March 2015. Retrieved 29 March 2015.
  36. ^ "Wood takes permanent Gibraltar role". UEFA.com. UEFA.
  37. ^ "Germany 7 – 0 Gibraltar". BBC Sport. 13 June 2015. Retrieved 9 September 2015.
  38. ^ Hafez, Shamoon (4 September 2015). "Gibraltar 0 – 4 R. of Ireland". BBC Sport. Retrieved 9 September 2015.
  39. ^ Kozminski, Piotr. "Lethal Poland too strong for Gibraltar". UEFA.com. UEFA. Retrieved 7 September 2015.
  40. ^ "Scotland ease past Gibraltar to end on a high". UEFA.com. UEFA. Retrieved 11 October 2015.
  41. ^ "Steven Fletcher bags hat-trick as Scotland rout Gibraltar". asia.eurosport.com. Eurosport. 12 October 2015. Retrieved 12 October 2015.
  42. ^ https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/27710670
  43. ^ "Head to head: Gibraltar vs. Estonia". Soccerbase.com. Retrieved 17 June 2015.
  44. ^ "Gibraltar 0-0 Liechtenstein". Gibraltar Football Association. 23 March 2016. Archived from the original on 3 April 2016. Retrieved 31 March 2016.
  45. ^ "Gibraltar Squad Announcement". Gibraltar Football Association. 10 November 2019. Retrieved 10 November 2019.
  46. ^ "Official Teamsheet". GibFootballTalk. Retrieved 5 March 2014.
  47. ^ Franco, Liam. "Football: E – Day has dawned for Gibraltar in UEFA". Gibraltar Chronicle. Archived from the original on 5 March 2014. Retrieved 5 March 2014.
  48. ^ "Our new national stadium". team54.gi. Archived from the original on 16 June 2013. Retrieved 24 May 2013.
  49. ^ "'NO POLITICS, JUST FOOTBALL' – BEISO". Gibraltar Chronicle. 3 October 2012. Archived from the original on 28 September 2013. Retrieved 24 May 2013.
  50. ^ Doyle, Paul (23 May 2013). "Gibraltar set to be new kids on the Rock as Uefa votes on its future". London: Guardian.co.uk. Retrieved 24 May 2013.
  51. ^ "Algarve – temporary home for Gibraltar's international football matches". GBC News. Archived from the original on 6 March 2014. Retrieved 26 September 2013.
  52. ^ Bailey, Graeme. "Slovakia to be Gibraltar's first opponents". Sky Sports. Retrieved 5 November 2013.
  53. ^ Bolton, Ash. "Gibraltar's Victoria Stadium could host international football matches". Surin English. Retrieved 17 May 2016.
  54. ^ a b "Victoria Stadium Belongs to the Whole Community" (PDF). Government of Gibraltar. Retrieved 17 May 2016.
  55. ^ "New GFA stadium – Lathbury Barracks could replace Europa Point". GBC. Retrieved 17 May 2016.
  56. ^ AFP (21 March 2016). "Gibraltar to host international matches on home soil by 2018". Daily Times. Retrieved 19 April 2017.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Gibraltar national association football team.

Template:RhodesFootball2007

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Gibraltar_national_football_team&oldid=972206008"