Gauthier Delomez / Photo credits: Domenic Aquilina / NurPhoto / NurPhoto via AFP
Guest of the program “Le studio des Légendes”, before the France-Gibraltar match, the president of the Gibraltarian football federation, Michael Llamas, spoke about the national team, largely made up of amateurs, which will challenge the Bleus this Saturday evening at the Allianz Riviera in Nice (kick-off 8:45 p.m.).
It’s a somewhat special team that Didier Deschamps’ Blues are preparing to face this Saturday evening, at 8:45 p.m. at the Allianz Riviera in Nice. Gibraltar, 198th nation in the Fifa ranking, will play a prestigious match, without major stakes (France is already qualified and Gibraltar is already eliminated) as part of the Euro 2024 qualifiers. And on this occasion, Jacques Vendroux received Michael Llamas, president of the Gibraltarian Football Federation, in The studio of legends.
“Football has grown enormously” for ten years
The football boss of this little rock located in the south of Spain talks about the national selection, largely made up of amateur players. “We have a small team made up of players from Gibraltar. We don’t have many – Gibraltar has a population of 33,000 people -“, he recalls on Europe 1, stressing that football “is growing enormously ” since this British territory was recognized by UEFA in 2013, and then by Fifa in 2013.
“But it’s still mainly an amateur sport, even if it’s changing,” agrees Michael Llamas at Jacques Vendroux’s microphone. “In the typical team, there are players who are also firefighters, police officers, teachers…”, he lists on Europe 1. They will have a lot to do on Saturday evening against Kylian Mbappé and his partners.