SHOCK OF GIBRALTAR
One full-time pro, a population of 30,000, an area of 2.6 miles. But after 22 defeats, this tiny country at the foot of Spain is on the up
AS THE Gibraltar anthem rings out, their players turn in unison to face the iconic Rock.
The anthem is sung with religious zeal and a tear rolls down the face of Julio Ribas, the national team coach, who is Uruguayan but utterly devoted to the cause.
Ribas, appointed in June, is the mastermind behind a recent upturn in form and confidence. After 22 consecutive competitive defeats since becoming a UEFAaffiliated nation in 2013, Gibraltar have won two of their past three Nations League games and briefly appeared in with a shot at promotion.
The 1-0 away win in Armenia in October was a staggering result and was swiftly followed by home success against Liechtenstein.
Gibraltar have only one full-time professional — Liam Walker, who made 11 appearances for League Two Notts County last season — and the squad includes prison officers, electricians and trainee firemen.
The beaten Armenians, it is safe to say, were not impressed. They hit back by beating Gibraltar 6-2 on Friday night but they did fall behind on 10 minutes and the scores were tied at half-time. Even a thumping defeat brings history, as this was only the second time Gibraltar have scored twice in a competitive fixture.
And Gibraltar will always have that night in Yerevan. Kyle Goldwin, the goalkeeper who made 10 saves on the night of the win, said: ‘The Armenians went straight into the changing rooms without shaking our hands. Nothing. They were shocked. Nine of our starting XI had also been really ill from the food the night before.’
Joseph Chipolina, the prison officer-cum-matchwinner, said: ‘I was pale white, shaking, and went to the toilet four times at halftime. I lost five kilos in six days. I was back in prison for the night shift the evening after. They have an hour’s play in the afternoon so I join in with them. They were all hugging me, shaking my hand and calling me a hero.’
FOR experienced heads such as Chipolina, these are glorious times. Now 30, he had trials at Wolves, Millwall and Monaco as a youngster but now plays part-time for local side Lincoln Red Imps, who defeated Celtic in the Champions League in 2016.
Gibraltar has an area of 2.6 square miles and a population of only 30,000. General secretary Dennis Beiso says: ‘We have 30 Gibraltarian men playing regularly for their clubs. It’s a very limited talent pool for the manager.’
The national stadium is the one football facility in the territory. It is a surreal, stunning location, backing on to the looming limestone Rock on one side, but it is also bordered by two petrol stations and stands only 100 yards from the airport runway. Every club game is played here and so is every women’s match and junior game.
Vast plans are under way, despite ongoing concerns over how Brexit may impact matters. Beiso says a new revamped stadium project will launch next year, in addition to two new stadium sites, at a cost of £60million in partnership with UEFA, FIFA and the local government.
Investment is required. The marina is abuzz with revellers by night but this slice of Britain at the foot of Spain feels like a confusing step back in time.
Gibraltar, a disputed territory, boasts all the quirks and relics of its ruler, with red telephone boxes, bobbies on the beat, traditional pubs and kebab shops. The Main Street has a Matalan store and a Marks & Spencer but a promenade of tapas bars is only around the corner.
‘The stadium for the Armenia home game was sold out three days in advance,’ Beiso says. ‘We have a waiting list. The national team strengthens our national identity. To walk the streets and see kids in a Gibraltar shirt instead of England or Brazil is pleasing.
‘It’s about self-confidence. The fear of the neighbour — Spain — affects us. Without British support, we’d be out there on our own. At official lunches with organisations, delegates say, “Before we drew you guys, I’d never heard of you. What languages do you speak? What is your culture and politics?” We are finding our way in the world.’
The improvements to infrastructure are overdue. Chipolina smiles: ‘For our clubs, we used to run up to the top of the Rock, where the famous monkeys are, for our physical work, then we had three teams sharing one pitch for ball work.
Goldwin adds: ‘Only four years ago, we trained in a car park. We played on gravel pitches with tops for goalposts. It was bring your own drink, wash your own kit — it still is for many club sides.’
THE Gibraltar FA are modernising. Manager Ribas, who won titles with Peñarol in Uruguay, was the coach that oversaw Lincoln’s humiliation of Celtic and he is venerated by players and supporters.
He is, by his own admission, ‘rather crazy’. He was at the heart of an on-pitch brawl between Peñarol and Nacional in 2000 which culminated in Ribas spending 11 days in the cells with nine players. While inside, he had his players running up and down eight flights of prison stairs to stay in shape, while he negotiated with a guard to secure an area to play a hybrid game of tennis-football.
‘In the dressing room,’ he explains, ‘I have placed montages of pivotal moments in Gibraltar’s history. The British takeover in 1704, the image of families divided when General Franco closed the border in 1969. This is a territory with real courage that has suffered greatly. We channel the pain into our performances.’
Ribas’s text messages arrive in his players’ in-boxes at 4am with the latest inspiring proverb.
He says: ‘I am not a manager. I am a leader. Think of Sun Tzu, the ancient Chinese master of war and strategy, who argued that anything that can be defined can be defeated. Against all sense and predictions, we can achieve great things. We are young, we have jobs, but we feel we can fight and dream that we can win.’
Unity is at the heart of Ribas’s philosophy. Nine of the 21 players in the previous squad were related through blood or marriage. Mobile phones are banned in the dressing room. Physio Iain Latin has professionalised the squad. He said: ‘We initially had a lot of cramps after 70 minutes. Three or four players would go down. Now they turn up prepared.
‘A double-header is tough. You can go to church and get a blessing from the priest but if you are not fit enough, you will not recover in time. You cannot think a week before, “I’m going on a diet!”.’
Ribas smiles: ‘I have returned to the roots of football. We are dreaming again.’