The Gibraltar Football Association ( GFA ) is the organization that oversees and controls football in Gibraltar . It was founded in 1895, being one of the oldest football associations in the world. In October 2012, the association was recognized as temporary, and on May 24, 2013 - as a full member of UEFA . On May 13, 2016, the Gibraltar Football Federation was included in the FIFA membership at the organization’s congress [1] .
| Gibraltar Football Association | |
|---|---|
| Gibraltar Football Association | |
 | |
| Founded by | 1895 |
| Joining FIFA | May 13, 2016 |
| Joining UEFA | May 24, 2013 |
| The president | Gareth Latin |
| National team coach | Allen Boole |
| Site | www.gibraltarfa.com |
Content
History
The Gibraltar Football Association was founded in 1895 amid an increase in the number of football clubs in Gibraltar in order to coordinate their interaction. Until 1907, the only football tournament in Gibraltar was the Merchant's Cup . But as early as 1907, the Gibraltar Football Association founded the league to host the regular season.
By 1901, the Gibraltar Football Association had created a national team that played against British military teams, and subsequently held several friendly matches with Spanish clubs.
Applications for joining FIFA and UEFA
The association has had close ties with the Football Association of England since 1909. Actively sought membership in FIFA to participate in international tournaments, which caused fierce resistance from the Royal Spanish Football Federation [2] .
In 1997, the Gibraltar Football Association applied for membership in FIFA . Two years later, FIFA redirected the application to UEFA, since according to FIFA rules it is the regional confederations that grant membership to new countries. In 2000, the joint UEFA and FIFA inspection visited Gibraltar and checked the condition of the football infrastructure. The Football Federation of Spain strongly opposed the application of Gibraltar [3] . In 2001, UEFA changed its membership rules: from now on, for membership in UEFA, a country must "be recognized by the United Nations as an independent state." Based on this rule, Gibraltar was denied UEFA membership status.
The Gibraltar Football Association appealed to the world's highest sports court, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), which ruled in 2003 that the Gibraltar application should be considered by the UEFA under the old rules. [4] Despite this, UEFA continued to reject Gibraltar's applications. In August 2006, the Court of Arbitration for Sport again ruled that Gibraltar should be granted permanent membership in UEFA and FIFA, and on December 8, 2006, the Gibraltar Football Association was recognized as an interim member of UEFA.
Obtaining full membership in UEFA required a vote by members of the European Football Union. The Spanish Football Federation has been actively lobbying for a vote against Gibraltar. The President of the Spanish Federation, Angel Maria Villar, pointed to the controversial status of Gibraltar, calling this a political issue, referring to the Utrecht Peace Treaty of 1713 [5] . On January 26, 2007, at the UEFA Congress in Düsseldorf, Gibraltar's application for membership in the UEFA was rejected by 45 votes with 3 votes in favor (the application was supported only by the Football Association of England , the Scottish Football Association and the Football Association of Wales ) and 4 abstentions [6 ] .
In October 2012, the Gibraltar Football Association was again recognized as an interim member of UEFA. The vote on Gibraltar’s permanent membership was held on May 24, 2013 at the XXXVII UEFA Congress in London [7] [8] . Gibraltar was recognized as a full member of UEFA [9] . On September 20, 2013, the UEFA Executive Committee granted the Gibraltar Football Association one ticket to the Champions League and the Europa League in the 2014/2015 season. [ten]
On May 13, 2016, the Gibraltar Football Federation was included in the FIFA membership at the organization’s congress [1] .
UEFA Tournaments
- Futsal Team: Futsal European Championship 2014
- U-17 team: 2014 European Championship qualification round
- U-19 team: 2014 European Championship qualification round
See also
- Football in Gibraltar
- Gibraltar national football team
Notes
- ↑ 1 2 UEFA promised to separate Russia from Kosovo and Gibraltar in the 2018 World Cup qualification group . View (May 18, 2016). Date of treatment May 18, 2016.
- ↑ Gibraltar close in on Uefa place . BBC (December 8, 2006). Archived January 29, 2013.
- ↑ El apoyo del Gobierno y de los partidos (Spanish) . El Pais (25 de agosto de 2000). Archived January 29, 2013.
- ↑ Arbitration CAS 2002 / O / 410 The Gibraltar Football Association (GFA) / Union des Associations Européennes de Football (UEFA), award of October 7, 2003 (inaccessible link) . Court of Arbitration for Sport (2003). Date of treatment January 16, 2013. Archived January 7, 2009.
- ↑ Gibraltar's bid fails 'through political pressure from Spain' . Panorama (January 26, 2007). Archived January 29, 2013.
- ↑ UEFA admits Montenegro, rejects Gibraltar (English) (inaccessible link - history ) . Reuters (January 27, 2007). (inaccessible link)
- ↑ Gibraltar national team made provisional member of Uefa . The Guardian (October 1, 2012). Date of treatment January 16, 2013. Archived January 29, 2013.
- ↑ UEFA Congress (inaccessible link) . UEFA.com. Date of treatment May 23, 2013. Archived May 24, 2013.
- ↑ Gibraltar given full Uefa membership at London Congress . BBC Sport (May 24, 2013). Date of treatment May 24, 2013. Archived May 24, 2013.
- ↑ Gibraltar will receive one ticket to the Champions League and the Europa League