Official Matchday Programme
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OFFICIAL MATCHDAY PROGRAMME UEFA EURO 2020 QUALIFIER ^ GROUP D ^ MATCHDAY TEN GIBRALTAR V SWITZERLAND MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 18TH 2019 ^ KICK]OFF 8.45PM THE ROAD TO UEFA EURO 2020 GROUP D LATEST TABLE P WDL FAGD Pts Republic of Ireland 73 3 1 642 12 Denmark 63 3 0 16 5 11 12 Switzerland 63 2 1 12 57 11 Georgia 72 23 710 -3 8 Gibraltar 60 06 219 -17 0 AS AT 14.11.2019 62-64 Irish Town, PO Box 513, Gibraltar GX11 1AA Tel: +350 200 42941 Fax: +350 200 42211 Email: [email protected] Web: gibraltarfa.com PRESIDENT Michael Llamas VICE PRESIDENT Ian Torrilla MANAGEMENT BOARD Dennis Beiso - General Secretary Ivan Robba - Deputy General Secretary Charles Robba - Finance Director Richard Manning - Head of Administration Desi Curry - Technical Director MATCH PROGRAMME a p e publications Designed and produced by APE Publications Gibraltar’s Match Programme specialists email: [email protected] Twitter: @APEPublications Photography: Ian Martinez/ Gibraltar FA and Neil Wilson IMAGE: Ian Martinez/GFA. 05 WELCOME WELCOME DENNIS BEISO Q GENERAL SECRETARY, THE GIBRALTAR FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION and Slovakia. As you read these words, Domestically, the National League our U19s will be in action in Austria, develops apace, with an average of just facing the Republic of Ireland, four rounds of games left before the 12 Switzerland and our Austrian hosts. clubs split into two groups of six at the end of the year. Over a period of just six days, both our National A Team and our U21s will There is still all to fight for, with places each play twice. Three of those four in the top Championship Group up for matches will take place right here in grabs and there are a few exciting this stadium, with our U21s first up twists and turns in prospect between against The Netherlands and then they now and the end of 2019. meet Belarus on the 19th. The boys Welcome once again to the Victoria count on your support for both these Finally, a word of gratitude to you, the Stadium – the home of Gibraltarian matches, where entrance will be free supporters, for your unstinting and football. of charge. unwavering support for our national teams. 2019 has been an exciting and These few weeks and months are an The senior team face two di\cult ties at times tumultuous year for incredibly busy period for the GFA and in the shape of Denmark (away) and Gibraltarian football. 2020 will be no for Gibraltar’s national teams. Switzerland (home) in the space of diYerent, with the GFA celebrating its Our U15s have just returned from a three days. These nations are ranked 125th anniversary and works finally development tournament in Minsk, 14th and 13th in the world respectively, getting underway on Gibraltar’s new Belarus, whilst our U17s have recently a mark of the challenge that lies ahead. National Stadium. been in action in a landmark tournament in Chinese Taipei, taking We will therefore have a veritable Thank you for being there with us, on Asian opposition from Myanmar, festival of International football here in every step of the way. Hong Kong and the host country for our national stadium in the next week Follow the Red and White! the first time. That was immediately – please come and down to support followed by qualification matches our lads as they take on the cream of DENNIS BEISO in Cyprus against the hosts, France European and world football. General Secretary 05 THE THOUGHTS OF THE HEAD COACH... 07 HEAD COACH JULIO RIBAS WE ARE CONTINUING TO GROW GOOD evening once again and welcome to the final home game of our UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying campaign. It’s great to be back at the Victoria Stadium once again after last month’s bitter-sweet qualifier where we so nearly pulled oM a sensational comeback. Tonight we take on a Switzerland team looking to qualify for Euro 2020. We welcome the team and delegation to Gibraltar. Their position in the group, with all due respect to them, means very little to us. Tonight we need to be focused on our job as best we can to keep growing day- by-day as a National Team. We took them on in Sion in September and despite the result there were many positives to take from the game. There were large chunks of the match in which the group “The project we are embarking on with performed very well as a collective unit and we need to work on that to make sure we can do that on a our National Team centres around the regular basis, more often, for longer periods of growth and development of the players matches. This will allow us to aspire to achieving positive results more often. and the team as a whole; it’s not measured on one individual match or The project we are embarking on indeed one individual qualifying with our National Team centres around the growth campaign…” and development of the players and the team as a We use each game and campaign to grow the way we whole; it’s not measured function as a team and as individuals. Our growth as a on one individual team with so many youngsters in it, laying the match or indeed one foundations for them to develop as international individual footballers, doing the hard work so that in the future they qualifying can dream of positive results, as winning on the field is campaign. the best feeling in football. Tonight will be tough, against one of the best teams in the world, but we have worked very hard and you can have no doubt that each and every one of the players will give everything they have on that pitch tonight. You deserve nothing less from your National Team. Enjoy the game, get behind your Gibraltarian Warriors and dare to dream with us! JULIO 07 09 ROY CHIPOLINA AN HONOUR AND A PRIVILEDGE WELCOME everyone once again to Switzerland will probably be totally the Victoria Stadium, for our final diYerent. They are one of the top- game of these UEFA Euro 2020 ranked teams in the world, who are Qualifiers against Switzerland, who used to qualifying for major will no doubt have all to play for in tournaments. They made the final terms of their qualification for the four in the UEFA Nations League Euro 2020 finals in the summer. and will want to ensure they book their place at Euro 2020. As always It’s been a great campaign despite we need to be at our best, stick to the results. Being drawn as the Julio’s game plan and maintain our bottom seeds in a group of five concentration to try to ensure we teams has seen us come up make no silly mistakes. But we dare against some very tough opponents, to dream and who knows! and but for the odd goal and amazing save we could have October in 2018. When we scored Your support throughout the Euro had two results at home already the equaliser, perhaps we naively 2020 Qualifiers has been immense. in the games against Republic thought we could have gone on to It has been an honour and privilege of Ireland and Georgia. win the game and our emotions to captain Gibraltar in front of you and I hope, along with the rest of That Georgia game last month was demanded we pushed on for the the players, that we can make you crazy. We were not happy with our third goal. This is international leave the stadium as proud first half performance and did football, and perhaps our naivety Gibraltarians and immensely proud everything we could to try and fix is what caught us out, but it shows of your national football team. that in the second half. how far we have come, that with you behind us at home, we can On behalf of the team we are very The emotions I felt as the game aspire to beat a team like Georgia, thankful… went on were unreal. It was as if we and indeed give them a run for had gone back to the amazing their money. ROY 09 IN CONVERSATION Andrew Hernandez on brotherly love and being part of the national team… becomes someone who you will do anything for and Julio has become that person for many of us. Every step of the way, whilst with the national team, your older brother Anthony has been there with you. What does it mean to play beside him? AH: Having your brother playing with you in the national team is definitely a privilege. We both have a lot of passion for our country and for the sport. We drive each]other to work harder and improve, which is something that always keeps you motivated. We often debate each others’ performances and give honest feedback, which is always appreciated. When either of us have a poor performance, we are always the first ones to tell each other. I It’s been 18 months now since you looked up to and idolised as they have always looked up to Anthony, broke into the national team. How have been playing for now for a so playing alongside him now would you describe the way it has while. I have definitely learned a lot means a lot to me. all gone for you so far? from them and their experience; AH: These 18 months have been a they are very supportive and their Is there any rivalry between you dream come true and a privilege for tips go a mile to someone who both as midfielders? me.