Brittany national football team

The Brittany football select (French: Équipe de Bretagne de football, Breton: Skipailh Breizh) is the professional football team of Brittany, France. It is administered by the Breton Football Association (BFA). It is neither affiliated to FIFA nor UEFA but is characterised as one of the six Celtic nations. Its games are held under the auspices of the French Football Federation and FIFA Regulations[1] Amateur football in Brittany is administered by both the Ligue de Bretagne and the Ligue Atlantique, which are regional associations within the French FA.

Brittany
Nickname(s)The Black Devils
AssociationBreton Football Association (BFA)
Head coachRaymond Domenech
First colours
Second colours
First international
Brittany 1–0 Luxembourg 
(Rennes, France; 12 March 1922)
Biggest win
Brittany 3–1 Congo 
(Saint-Brieuc, France; 20 May 2008)
Biggest defeat
Brittany 1–5 Norway 
(Rennes, France; 1 November 1923)

Squad selection

Brittany plays unofficial internationals. BFA has a pool of around 100 players in the first three professional divisions to choose from, some of them with proven international football experience. Brittany's Stéphane Guivarc'h won the 1998 World Cup with France.

Brittany notably held Cameroon to a 1–1 draw before the 1998 World Cup finals, featuring Paul Le Guen. Six games had to be called off between 1999 and 2005 because of the then French FA administration, which contradicted its own rules. The head of the French FA administration changed and BFA finally recovered in order to fully resume its activities in 2008. Its latest game was played versus Mali (1–0) on 28 May 2013.

Celtic Cup Ambitions

BFA offered other Celtic nations to join in a Celtic Nations Championship between 1985 and 1987. On 9 September 1985, BFA Secretary Fañch Gaume, visiting Cardiff on the eve of a World Cup qualifier between Wales and Scotland, sounded both the FA of Wales and the Scottish FA about participation to a Celtic Nations Cup. Informal conversations were followed up by correspondence and further personal exchanges, whenever the opportunity presented itself before international games.

While Wales showed a genuine interest, the offer finally fell on barren ground with Scotland. Rejection letters from the SFA for non-entry stated the difficulties to find suitable dates but, as the Sports Editor of "The Glasgow Herald" Jim Reynolds presented it: "It is just two years since England and Scotland broke up the British International Championship by calling a halt to regular games featuring Northern Ireland and Wales. So, the chances of a Celtic Championship involving Scotland must be remote." [2]

Brittany recently renewed its claims to organise and take part in the new Celtic Nations Cup[3] with the Republic of Ireland, Scotland and Wales by 2015 at the earliest or 2017.

Internationals
Date Venue Home Team Away Team Score
12 March 1922Rennes Brittany Luxembourg1–0
11 February 1923Esch-sur-Alzette Luxembourg Brittany1–4
1 November 1923Rennes Brittany Norway1–5
23 March 1924Rennes Brittany Luxembourg1–1
22 February 1925Luxembourg Luxembourg Brittany1–1
10 April 1938Brest Brittany Germany XIcalled off
23 April 1939Brest Brittany Luxembourg3–1
30 December 1988Brest Brittany United States6–2 (indoor)
21 May 1998Rennes Brittany Cameroon1–1
25 May 1999Nantes Brittany Republic of Irelandcalled off °
30 May 2000Nantes Brittany Romaniacalled off °
20 March 2001Angers Brittany Cubacalled off °
22 May 2001Lorient Brittany Moroccocalled off °
31 August 2001Lorient Brittany Latviacalled off °
June 2003- Brittany New Zealandcalled off °
20 May 2008Saint-Brieuc Brittany Congo3–1
19 May 2010Ajaccio Corsica Brittany2–0
21 May 2010Bastia Brittany Togo2–1
2 June 2011Saint-Nazaire Brittany Equatorial Guinea0–1
28 May 2013Nantes Brittany Mali1–0
20 May 2014Vannes Brittany Central African Republiccalled off
22 May 2016Lomé Togo Brittanycancelled

° game agreed but not played because of then French FA administration (1999–2005).

Managers

Capped Players

To be included in the Breton squad, according to FIFA national teams rules, it is eligible a player: - born into one of five historical Breton departments. - with parents from Brittany. - with grandparents from Brittany - grown up in Brittany since the age of seven.

Opponents: Cm (Cameroon), Cg (Republic of Congo), Cs (Corsica), Gq (Equatorial Guinea), Oi (Nantes 'Ouest Indoor' Tournament), Tg (Togo), Us (USA).

Last-minute defections through injury or illness:

Breton footballers who represented FIFA national teams

Men's internationals
  • Players in bold have won the FIFA World Cup
  • Players in underlined have won a continental championships

 Argentina

  • Gonzalo Higuain

 Cambodia

 Comoros

 Haiti

 Ivory Coast

 France

 Guinea

 Madagascar

 Martinique

 Mauritius

 Niger

 Norway

 Senegal

Women's internationals

Notes and references
  1. III.8.3, p. 59).
  2. "The Celtic Nations' Union". The Herald. George Outram & Co. 7 November 1986.
  3. "Scotland could compete in new Celtic Nations Cup in Brittany". The Herald. Herald & Times Group. 22 October 2011.
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