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Gibraltar Football Association

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Gibraltar Football Association
FA
File:Gfatotal.gif
Founded1895
HeadquartersVictoria Stadium
FIFA affiliationN/A
FA affiliation1909
PresidentJoseph Nuñez
WebsiteGFA.gi

The Gibraltar Football Association (GFA) was formed as the Gibraltar Civilian Football Association in 1895, changing to its current name in later years. It is one of the oldest football associations in the world.

History

The GFA was formed as an increasing number of football clubs were coming into existence in Gibraltar, and the association was designed to bring some form of organisation to the game there. Between the association's formation and 1907 the only football competition in Gibraltar was the Merchant's Cup. However, in 1907 the GFA established a league to complement the existing cup competition.

By 1901 the GFA had established a representative national team, competing against British military teams. This representative team continued to play down the years, their highlight probably being a draw against Real Madrid C.F. in 1949.

UEFA application

The GFA affiliated with The Football Association in 1909, but is currently trying to become a full member of UEFA so that its national team is allowed to compete in the European Football Championship and the Football World Cup. This attempt had the fierce opposition from the Spanish Football Federation.[1]

In August 2006, the world's highest sporting court (CAS) ruled that Gibraltar had to be allowed as a full UEFA and FIFA member. No protest was possible against this decision, which meant that Gibraltar was now likely to join UEFA. It should be noted that current FIFA and UEFA members include several federations which cannot be said to represent independent nations, such as Puerto Rico, Chinese Taipei (which is only recognized by 23 countries and not by the United Nations), the Faroe Islands, and New Caledonia. French Guiana, Martinique, Guadeloupe and Saint Martin each have national teams which, despite not being FIFA members, are allowed to compete at the CONCACAF confederation level.

On 8 December 2006, it was announced that Gibraltar had become a provisional member of UEFA. On 26 January 2007 in the UEFA Congress held in Düsseldorf (Germany), Gibraltar's application to become a full member of UEFA was rejected, 45 votes against to 3 votes in favour. The 3 favourable votes came from England, Scotland and Wales. (4 votes were undecided).[2]

This was after intense lobbying of the member nations by the Spanish Football Federation's president Ángel María Villar to vote against the inclusion of Gibraltar. Villar was quoted to have attributed Spain's opposition to the Spanish claim over Gibraltar[3] He also claimed it was a political issue and referred to the Treaty of Utrecht of 1713.[4]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Gibraltar close in on Uefa place". BBC. 8 December, 2006]. Retrieved 2008-09-22. And in 2000, the Spanish Football Federation said it radically opposed Gibraltar's membership of the organisation and would refuse to take part in any competition which involved the colony. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  2. ^ "UEFA admits Montenegro, rejects Gibraltar". Reuters. 27 January 2007. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  3. ^ Sparre, Kirsten (8 September, 2006]). "Gibraltar to become member of UEFA despite Spanish resistance". playthegame.org. Retrieved 2008-09-22. This happened after pressure from Spain which still claims sovereignty over Gibraltar after it was ceded to Britain under the 1713 Treaty of Utrecht. It refuses to recognise Gibraltar and there is an edict from the Consejo Superior de Deportes to all sports federations in Spain that they should block any membership application from organisations in Gibraltar. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  4. ^ "Gibraltar's bid fails 'through political pressure from Spain'". Panorama. 26 January, 2007]. Retrieved 2008-09-22. Villar is quoted as having said that "it is a political issue and since 1713 we have not found a political solution to this situation, because it is so difficult to resolve." {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)


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