Gozo national football team
The Gozo representative football team represents the island of Gozo, Malta, in football. It is organised by the Gozo Football Association and its home stadium is the Gozo Stadium.
Association | Gozo Football Association (Assoċjazzjoni tal-Futbol Għawdxija) | |
---|---|---|
Confederation | None | |
Home stadium | Gozo Stadium | |
| ||
First international | ||
(Novara, Italy; June 22, 2009) | ||
Biggest win | ||
(Xewkija, Malta; January 14, 2012) | ||
Biggest defeat | ||
|
It is not affiliated with FIFA or UEFA and therefore is not eligible to enter either the World Cup or European Championship. The Gozo representative football team, however, competed in the 2009 Viva World Cup and hosted the subsequent edition in the following year.[1] As of 2018, Gozo[2] has also participated in the last four editions of the UEFA Regions' Cup, on top of their appearance in the inaugural edition in 1999. Occasionally, the Gozo representative football team also plays friendlies against football clubs, particularly those from the mainland.
History
Historical records suggest that a team representing the island of Gozo had already played a couple of matches way before the turn of the millennium.[3] Indeed, during the 1970s a side representing Gozo was invited to join in the Independence celebrations and play 2 friendly matches against local sides. Other historical records indicate that a Gozitan team might have been involved in more matches during this period.[4]
The Gozo Football Association's decision to organise Gozo F.C. and have it play in the Maltese football league system might be the reason behind the lengthy hiatus of the Gozo representative national team. Indeed, the next known Gozitan appearance came in 1999, when a selection representing Gozo played in first edition of the UEFA Regions Cup. Ten years after, specifically in 2009, the Gozo representative football team debuted in the Viva World Cup. In the following year, Gozo hosted the 2010 edition of the Viva World Cup and therefore, once again, Gozo had the opportunity to participate in the said Cup. Overall, Gozo's performance was disappointing as they finished at the bottom of their group but the team could find solace in the fact that the win against Provence was their first ever win on the field against international opponents.[5] Gozo's appearance in the 2010 Viva World Cup was, however, their last appearance in the now-defunct competition.
That said, the launching of the Gozo Cup[6] during the same year presented an opportunity for the representative side to play friendly matches against Maltese football clubs. The Gozo Cup ran for four consecutive years and during the intervening period Gozo also played a number of friendlies, including the famous 17–1 victory against the Raetia national football team in Xewkija[7]. Since then, Gozo's appearances have been limited to the UEFA Regions' Cup. Indeed, the Gozitan representative football team appearance in the 2017 edition of the bi-annual UEFA Regions Cup marked Gozo's participation in, and hosting of, the tournament for the third edition running.[8]
Tournament Records
Match History
Selected international matches
22 June 2009 2009 Viva World Cup, Group Stage | Provence | 3–1 | Novara, Italy | |
17:00 CET | Hammoud Hammami |
(Report) | Camilleri |
Stadium: Stadio Silvio Piola Attendance: 100 Referee: Buonanno |
24 June 2009 2009 Viva World Cup, Group Stage | Sápmi | 7–2 | Brescia, Italy | |
17:00 CET | Thomassen Eira Reginiussen Bruer |
(Report) | Bugeja |
Stadium: Stadio Mario Rigamonti Attendance: 80 Referee: Baker Seerwand Salman |
26 June 2009 2009 Viva World Cup, 5th place match | Occitania | 2–1 | Brescia, Italy | |
17:00 CET | Ballue Cantier |
(Report) | Camilleri |
Stadium: Stadio Mario Rigamonti |
31 May 2010 2010 Viva World Cup, Group Stage | Gozo | 1–2 | Xewkija, Gozo | |
20:15 CET | Camilleri |
Report | Nannini Prandelli |
Stadium: Gozo Stadium Referee: Per Anders Blind (Sweden) |
2 June 2010 2010 Viva World Cup, Group Stage | Gozo | 0–5 | Xewkija, Gozo | |
19:30 CET | Report | Ballue Taillan Amiel Soro |
Stadium: Gozo Stadium Referee: Per Anders Blind (Sweden) |
4 June 2010 2010 Viva World Cup, 5th place match | Gozo | 2–1 | Xewkija, Gozo | |
15:30 CET | Buttigieg Camilleri |
Report | Juan |
Stadium: Gozo Stadium Referee: Aaron Fenech (Malta) |
UEFA Regions' Cup
21 June 1999 1999 UEFA Regions' Cup, Preliminary Round | Zapadne Srbije | 4–0 | Thessaloniki, Greece | |
Sobotovic Andric |
Report | Stadium: Toumba Stadium |
22 June 1999 1999 UEFA Regions' Cup, Preliminary Round | Israel Amateur | 6–0 | Thessaloniki, Greece | |
Dabush Ben-ezra Haluani Maman |
Report | Stadium: Toumba Stadium |
24 June 1999 1999 UEFA Regions' Cup, Preliminary Round | Macedonia | 8–2 | Thessaloniki, Greece | |
Petrousis Golias Panapolous Thomasiades Geragotis |
[https://www.uefa.com/regionscup/season=1999/matches/round=1267/match=56443/index.html Report} | Farrugia Lautier |
Stadium: Toumba Stadium |
14 October 2012 2013 UEFA Regions' Cup, Intermediary Round | Gozo | 3–2 | Xewkija, Gozo | |
11:30 CET | Bezzina Mercieca Portelli |
Report | Puzirevskis Simanovskis |
Stadium: Gozo Stadium Referee: Damir Batinić (Croatia) |
16 October 2012 2013 UEFA Regions' Cup, Intermediary Round | Gozo | 0–6 | Xewkija, Gozo | |
11:30 CET | Report | Orlov Asadov Korobetc |
Stadium: Gozo Stadium Referee: Richard Trutz (Slovakia) |
18 October 2012 2013 UEFA Regions' Cup, Intermediary Round | Gozo | 2–2 | Xewkija, Gozo | |
11:30 CET | Stojanovic Camilleri |
Report | Spinu Tonu |
Stadium: Gozo Stadium Referee: Richard Trutz (Slovakia) |
1 October 2014 2015 UEFA Regions' Cup, Intermediary Round | Gozo | 2–0 | Xewkija, Gozo | |
19:30 CET | Thiago Melo Bezzina |
Report | Stadium: Gozo Stadium Referee: Nikola Popov (Bulgaria) |
3 October 2014 2015 UEFA Regions' Cup, Intermediary Round | Gozo | 1–2 | Xewkija, Gozo | |
16:30 CET | Pavlidis |
Report | Muzaffer İlhan Nuri Kunduz |
Stadium: Gozo Stadium Referee: Mitja Žganec (Slovenia) |
5 October 2014 2015 UEFA Regions' Cup, Intermediary Round | Gozo | 1–3 | Xewkija, Gozo | |
16:30 CET | Pavlidis |
Report | Mochkarski Valiulin Obernibesov |
Stadium: Gozo Stadium Referee: Nikola Popov (Bulgaria) |
5 October 2016 2017 UEFA Regions' Cup, Intermediary Round | Gozo | 0–5 | Xewkija, Gozo | |
16:30 CET | Report | Heaver Moore Butler McClure |
Stadium: Gozo Stadium Referee: Sascha Amhof (Switzerland) |
7 October 2016 2017 UEFA Regions' Cup, Intermediary Round | Gozo | 0–0 | Xewkija, Gozo | |
13:00 CET | Report | Stadium: Gozo Stadium Referee: Georgi Vadachkoria (Georgia) |
9 October 2016 2017 UEFA Regions' Cup, Intermediary Round | Gozo | 1–3 | Xewkija, Gozo | |
15:00 CET | Mizzi |
Report | Bozhenko Horshchynskyi Sorokyn |
Stadium: Gozo Stadium Referee: Georgi Vadachkoria (Georgia) |
27 September 2018 2019 UEFA Regions' Cup, Intermediary Round | Gozo | 0–4 | Neustadt an der Donau, Bavaria | |
17:00 CET | Report | Hađinac Grima Šavija Papović |
Stadium: Neustadt Stadium Referee: Roomer Tarajev |
30 September 2018 2019 UEFA Regions' Cup, Intermediary Round | Bavaria | 6–0 | Leiblfing, Bavaria | |
17:00 CET | Marx Fromholzer Gebhart Fischer Nagengast Bauer |
Report | Stadium: Leiblfing Stadium Referee: Luca Barbeno |
3 October 2018 2019 UEFA Regions' Cup, Intermediary Round | Ironi Tiberias | 3–1 | Neustadt an der Donau, Bavaria | |
14:00 CET | Zadok Haker Yada'N Cohen |
Report | Mizzi |
Stadium: Neustadt Stadium Referee: Luca Barbeno |
Selected non-international matches
Friendly | Asswehly SC | 2–1 | Misurata, Libya |
Friendly | Misurata XI | 0–3 | Misurata, Libya |
References
- "The Fourth Edition of the VIVA World Cup kicks off in Gozo". gozonews.com. 1 June 2010. Retrieved 19 November 2018.
- uefa.com. "Regions' Cup - Gozo Region – UEFA.com". UEFA.com. Retrieved 19 November 2018.
- http://naduryoungsters.com/history/club-elites/club-elites-horace-mercieca/
- "- g h a j n s i e l e m o n l i n e -". www.ghajnsielem.com. Retrieved 19 November 2018.
- "VIVA World Cup: Gozo place fifth — Padania, Kurdistan reach final". maltafootball.com. 4 June 2010. Retrieved 19 November 2018.
- "Gozo FA launches the Gozo Cup football tournament". gozonews.com. 11 February 2010. Retrieved 19 November 2018.
- "Gozo golea a Raetia en el primer amistoso NF Board del año 2012". gamacero.blogspot.com. Retrieved 19 November 2018.
- "UEFA Regions Cup tournament underway at Gozo stadium". gozonews.com. 16 October 2012. Retrieved 19 November 2018.