Britain abroad: Rocky road for Gibraltar in Euro 2016 qualifiers

UEFA’s 54th, newest and smallest member Gibraltar (28/1 to win, 10/1 to draw) prepare for their first competitive match since becoming an officially recognised football nation in May 2013.

The British oversees territory’s first opponents will be Robert Lewandowski-led Poland (1/16), number 61 in the FIFA world rankings, in a designated home match. However, due to their national Victoria stadium’s capacity being under UEFA regulations, they will have to travel west to Portugal, in Faro, where they are to play all their qualifying games.

GFA, as Gibraltar are nicknamed, plan to build a new ground on their own territory at Europa point (which currently has the territory’s only cricket pitch), to hold up to 10k fans, which is expected to be ready by 2016.

Whether playing on home soil or not means nothing to Gibraltarian natives, though, who are happy to just see their national side playing, after their neighbours Spain have campaigned heavily against them being a UEFA nation. Eventually, they plan to become FIFA member, preferably in time for the 2018 World Cup qualifiers.

With a population of around 30k, not many would have fancied Gibraltar to test any opponents, comparing them to whipping boys San Marino or Andorra. One man who has always been quietly confident about his side’s chances is manager Allen Bula, who was born and bred on the territory that is on Spain’s southern tip.

The 49-year-old former MFK Kosice (Slovakia) academy boss and Robert De Niro look-a-like, who famously helped to develop Chelsea’s star Serbian midfielder Nemanja Matic, has started with so much promise.

Bula took over as national manager in 2010 when Gibraltar were still an unrecognised nation, and playing in competitions such as the Island Games, but has lost just twice from his opening five friendlies under the UEFA banner.

Gibraltar’s first official match was against the very nation that helped Bula’s coaching career, Slovakia, against the very man who was manager at Kosice while the duo were there, Jan Kozak.

Despite Slovakia, currently ranked 45th by FIFA, fielding a slightly weakened side, that did not feature Martin Skrtel or Marek Hamsik, they had a number of experienced internationals. Gibraltar even managed to gain a creditable 0-0 draw in Portugal, that featured former Manchester United defender and Bula’s nephew Danny Higginbotham as a sweeper in a back five.