Friday 28 November 2014 11:43, UK
Played four, lost four, scored none, conceded 21. There is no doubt it has been a brutal baptism for Gibraltar in their European Qualifiers, writes Sky Sports News HQ's David Garrido
This may be a brand new international team in relative terms, but there are three traits that have shone through ever since they were formed as an association in 1895.
Passion, patriotism and fighting spirit in adversity have been so key for them to reach the point they are at now – playing competitive football against some of the most established and strongest nations on the planet, not least world champions Germany whom they faced in Nuremberg earlier this month.
These characteristics are something I sensed as I was researching their story, but it only really hit home when I met the Gibraltar FA Council for the first time in January this year to pitch the idea of a documentary with Sky Sports.
I was greeted with open arms, warmth and hospitality, but when I asked which language we should conduct our meeting in, Spanish, English or “Llanito” (a form of Spanish spoken in the south of the country and Gibraltar), I was met with a steely stare from president Desmond Reoch. “The official language of Gibraltar is English,” he stated, simply but firmly.
So what and who are Gibraltarians? They do have strong links with Britain as an overseas territory, and no, they are certainly not Spanish. But most of all, they are a hugely colourful and patriotic nation of around 30,000 people, often mentioned in terms of the struggle against their neighbours, hence their fighting spirit. And they are very passionate, especially about football.
And what about the football? The style is a blend of English and Latino cultures, the level perhaps best compared to Conference National in the UK, and although most of the players are diminutive in stature, they do their best to make up for their lack of height with an abundance of energy, industry and skill.
But as Gibraltar FA chief executive Dennis Beiso told me: “The players are not just footballers – they’re firemen, customs officers, lawyers...” They’re also brothers, sons, husbands and fathers, and most of them work with their fans or know them socially, as you might expect in a territory with an area of less than three square miles. The phrase 'tight-knit community' doesn’t even come close.
All of this created a truly unique situation: a new country that had spent more than 15 years fighting to be officially recognised by UEFA, with part-time amateur and semi-professional players who would soon be facing the multi-millionaire footballers of Germany, the Republic of Ireland and Scotland in competitive games. This was a story that simply had to be told.
Gibraltar had already drawn 0-0 with Slovakia in their first official international, so expectations had already been raised. During my second trip to 'Gib', as it’s affectionately known, I met plenty of supporters who were not only excited about that result in November 2013, but also expecting even more in two friendlies at home to the Faroe Islands and Estonia. They would lose both.
And yet the players and staff treated me and our camera crew like family at every moment. One example was a lunch with the Casciaro brothers (Lee, Ryan and Kyle), where their mother Helen provided a sumptuous meal having asked us several days beforehand what she should prepare for us to eat. She had been nervous about hosting us, but we could not have been better taken care of.
We filmed a couple of the players at their places of work, and while with the national team, nothing was too much for manager Allen Bula, assistant David Wilson and the rest of the technical staff. We could put a camera wherever we wanted, on-the-spot interviews were never a problem, we ate with the team, travelled with the team, got to know the team, lived this story with the team.
A terrific draw in Estonia in late May was followed by Gibraltar’s first win against Malta in Faro (where they play their home games) in June – I witnessed at first hand an outbreak of unbridled joy among everyone connected with the team, and it was the perfect way to set up their adventure into the qualifiers.
A win, two draws and two losses was a perfectly respectable record for any country’s first five friendlies, but the four competitive matches after that all ended in defeat. In the process, the tone of what our cameras were capturing was changing: the novelty of the situation was starting to wear off, and this was a journey that was being more endured than enjoyed.
The reality of the pressure that top-level sport exerts was beginning to take its toll – both on the field of play and behind the scenes. Tough conversations were had, some of them awkward, some full-blown arguments, with passions running as high as the Rock of Gibraltar itself.
Nevertheless, whereas some sporting organisations would batten down the hatches or retreat into their shells, the GFA didn’t make any requests for us to stop filming or make ourselves scarce. They knew the deal – we were, and are, partners in this process. We wanted to tell their story, truly and accurately.
The players are not just footballers... they’re firemen, customs officers, lawyers...
After defeats to Poland, Ireland and Georgia, then came the biggest challenge of all on November 14th, away to world champions Germany, who had dropped points in their last two qualifiers and were primed for a backlash-and-a-half in Bavaria. The trip was in trepidation, despite the manager’s repeated declarations that his players should “enjoy the game, enjoy the experience".
The scene inside the dressing room before kick-off is one I will never forget: a white-hot atmosphere as the temperature outside plummeted, a longing and desperation to give the best possible account of themselves, but above all a unity in such adversity as the team without a FIFA ranking were about to face the side sitting pretty at the top of the list.
What resulted was perhaps one of the proudest moments in Gibraltarian football history, a performance which displayed all of their character traits in abundance, and a scoreline which had '#BetterThanBrazil' trending on Twitter. This was their moment, and everyone had stepped up to the plate.
I have summarised the plot of the Gibraltar story up until now, so why watch our documentary? Thankfully, a doc is more than just a written synopsis, and this tale has so much warmth and humour to go with the grit and determination. Although the lows are recent and raw, it is how the team and management have tried to fight back that has proved even more compelling.
And what’s more, this is a team that deserves their time in the spotlight, because they’ve given me more than just awesome access to an incredible story: new friendships, professional relationships, and even a new team to support. We’re supposed to be unbiased, but I can’t help it – Gibraltar will have my backing in their future games and campaigns. It’s the least I could give back to them after all that they’ve given to us.
Watch Gibraltar: No Rock Unturned from 7.00pm this Sunday on Sky Sports 1
