Gibraltar’s football team eyes independence – to Spain’s annoyance

Will international football soon be on its way to Gibraltar?

There are a couple of areas of discussion where a recently arrived Brit in Spain should tread carefully when interacting with the locals: politics and football.

Politics is always a touchy subject for any country at any time, and times right now are pretty tough for the average Spaniard. So it’s best to steer clear.

And football? Well, with Spain current World and European champions twice over – plus boasting arguably the two biggest clubs on the planet in the form of Real Madrid and Barcelona – and England nowhere near their level (and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland even further out of sight), it makes perfect sense to keep schtum…

So the brewing dispute between Gibraltar’s Football Association and their Spanish neighbours should be an interesting one. Gibraltar, as most people know, is a territory of Great Britain, having been ceded in perpetuity to them by the 1713 Treaty of Utrecht. It has remained British territory ever since, much to the chagrin of Spain.

The Spanish, for their part, have intermittently fussed over The Rock, putting up embargoes, closing the border and generally itching to get the piece of land back. Fair enough. Like I said – it’s political, so best not to get involved.

But on Friday, UEFA – the body that controls European Football – must vote to decide whether to make Gibraltar’s FA a full member of the association. If they do, then Gibraltar’s football team will be free to enter World Cup and European Championship qualifiers: something currently denied them thanks to their current status as merely a provisional member.

And the Spanish are not happy. So much so that the story has even been picked up by the New York Times. Their article attempts to dissect and explain just why the animosity lingers, and what the outcome might be. It is well worth a read if you have any interest in football, Gibraltar or politics.

Whatever happens, whether Gibraltar is permitted to play proper international football or not, there will be at least one disgruntled party. In politics – as in football – there always is.