Skip to content

10 facts about West Ham's Europa League opponents FC Lusitans

Slaven Bilic: New West Ham manager will watch from the stands against Lusitans

West Ham kick off their Europa League campaign against FC Lusitans on Thursday night - but who on earth are the Andorran outfit? Here are 10 facts...

1) While West Ham United came into existence 120 years ago, Lusitans were only founded 16 years ago in 1999.

2) Lusitans' squad to face West Ham includes veteran defender Oscar Sonejee, Andorra's most experienced player with 101 caps. Another player of note is 30-year-old Alfi Conteh-Lacalle, who spent time at Barcelona's academy as a youngster and has one cap for Sierra Leone.

Lusitans defender Oscar Sonejee (no. 4) has 101 caps for Andorra
Image: Lusitans defender Oscar Sonejee (no. 4) has 101 caps for Andorra

3) The club’s logo resembles that of Portugal’s national team, and the club have a strong Portuguese identity. Lusitans have a Portuguese chairman and a number of Portuguese players, and their fans are mostly Portuguese immigrants living in Andorra.

4) Their first trophy came just three years later, when they won the 2001/02 Copa Constitucio – Andorra’s national cup.

Slaven Bilic: Croatian has signed a three-year contract at West Ham

5) They are two-time winners of Andorra’s Primera Divisió - in 2011/12 and 2012/13 - and finished runners-up last year. 

6) Lusitans played their first European fixtures in the 2010/11 Europa League, when they were eliminated 11-0 on aggregate by Macedonia’s Rabotnicki, who were eventually knocked out by Liverpool. The following year they were knocked out by Croatian club Varazdin 6-1 on aggregate.

7) Lusitans qualified for the 2012/13 Champions League, where they were eliminated 9-1 on aggregate in the first qualifying round by Maltese side Valletta. The following year they were beaten by Faroe Islands outfit EB/Streymur 7-3 on aggregate at the same stage.

8) Like every side in the eight-team Primera Divisió, FC Lusitans play at the 1,000-capacity Camp d’Esports d’Aixoval in the heart of the Pyrenees mountains.

9) Lusitans are based in Andorra la Vella, the capital of the principality whose entire population could fit inside West Ham’s Boleyn Ground.

10) While West Ham have suffered relegation as recently as the 2010/11 season, Lusitans have never fallen out of the Andorran top flight.

Around Sky