Gibraltar deserves to have its own football team urges Graham Watson MEP

11.52.17am GMT Tue 9th Jan 2007

In a letter to the Presidents of all 51 UEFA members, Graham Watson, Liberal Democrat MEP for the South West and Gibraltar, has urged representatives to support Gibraltar FA's application for full membership when officials meet in Düsseldorf later this month.

In his letter, Graham Watson writes:

"Following the decision taken in September 2006 by the Court of Arbitration for Sport, which threw out objections to Gibraltarian membership, UEFA has been legally bound to accept the application from the Gibraltar FA.

This is a sporting matter and not a political one. Gibraltar complied with the rules of membership when it applied to join UEFA and such membership would help the development of football on the Rock, which should be the main concern."

In December 2006, UEFA officials agreed to grant the Gibraltar FA provisional membership status. During the UEFA Congress, which takes place on 25th-26th January in Germany, representatives from member states will vote on the application to admit the Gibraltar FA as full members.

The Gibraltar Football Association is one of the ten oldest federations in the world, formed in 1895. Its application for UEFA membership has been pending since 1999, due to a change in UEFA rules meaning that only those recognised by the UN as independent states could be permitted as members.