From the moment the qualifying draw for EURO 2016 was announced one team in Scotland’s Group D stood out for me. It wasn’t our Celtic cousins Ireland or the great German national side. Nope it was new boys Gibraltar that caught my eye.

How exciting to have a side in your group that are just starting out in major international competitions. But even though I’ve had the pleasure of going to Gibraltar during my teenage years, I knew very little about them as a footballing nation.

So I decided who better to enlighten me on their footballing culture than Gibraltar FA’s communications manager Steven Gonzalez. Thankfully he was more than happy to answer my questions.

So here goes…

Scott: Is everyone in Gibraltar excited with their first qualifying draw? 

Steven Gonzalez: Everyone in Gibraltar is tremendously excited about the draw. Not only is it our first draw but we have indeed drawn some great teams and excellent opponents!

Scott: With the obvious links with the UK was it nice to get Scotland in the draw? 

Steven Gonzalez: It was great to get Scotland and we are looking forward to playing them and welcoming the Tartan Army.

Scott: Can Gibraltar upset a few teams in this campaign? 

Steven Gonzalez: Time will tell and you never know as we will be the ‘dark horse’ that not many of the teams know about.

Scott: Are there any plans for Gibraltar to have a stadium of their own that can meet UEFA requirements in the near future? 

Steven Gonzalez: Yes, we are in the process of obtaining planning permission for a new stadium. www.europapointstadium has all the info. (Note from editor: Checkout the great video on the website)

Scott: Germany are one of the biggest countries in world football. Surely the players are looking forward to that test?

Steven Gonzalez: The players are definitely looking forward to the Germany game. Germany is historically one of the powerhouses of world football and one of the best national teams out there at present, and the players cannot wait to walk out in whichever stadium the Germans host us in.

Scott: Can you tell us more about football in Gibraltar?

Steven Gonzalez: Gibraltar is football mad and always has been. The Gibraltar FA was founded in 1895 and is one of the top ten oldest FA’s in the world. More than 10% of the population are actively involved in football ie playing/couching/officiating/administrators.  The whole application process started in 1997.

Posted on March 12th, 2014 by scott
Filed under: Article, Interview