Those long-suffering followers of Scotland’s national team have been asking: “What is the point?” for a while. The marked difference in the context of this weekend, when Gibraltar visit Glasgow for a European Championship qualifying tie, is that such sentiment relates to the opposition. This is one of those precious few occasions in international football where Scotland is the nation entitled to look on with bemusement.
The 2013 decision to take Gibraltar under the Uefa banner by virtue of full membership was widely welcomed, Spain aside, where the most vociferous complaints emanated on the grounds of territorial claims and a potential knock-on effect for the Basque and Catalan regions. All quiet so far, on those fronts.
Subsequent glee has arrived from Gibraltar’s opponents. In four Group D matches to date, Gibraltar have conceded 21 goals without reply. If Scotland, who do not have a habit of trouncing even the most sub-standard of opponents, do not score at least five goals at Hampden Park on Sunday evening then questions will be asked.
For all the hilarity attached to this, there is an underlying and serious issue. It relates to what Gibraltar offer and what possible scope they have to improve. If the answer to the latter point is none – as has been the case with San Marino over 23 years and counting – then the involvement in this process is futile. Gibraltar has a population of 30,000; fewer than the Lanarkshire town of Rutherglen, which doesn’t have an international football team.
Uefa, of course, made the disappointing decision to meddle with the European Championship proper, boosting the number of teams in the interests of commerce. It only follows that the qualifying process also needed beefed up, even by way of cannon fodder. Before embarking on the proper stuff, Gibraltar played regular matches against the Isle of Wight, Orkney, Shetland and Jersey. In Group D, never mind Scotland and the Republic of Ireland, they face the world champions, Germany.
The principle of widespread enjoyment has been suddenly removed. That counts for players – Gibraltar and their inevitable conquerors as well as paying supporters. International coaches, and Scotland’s Gordon Strachan is the latest, must indulge in this phoney build-up game involving the treating of Gibraltar as somehow credible and serious. Gibraltar will bring five members of the media with them to Glasgow. The away support will number 494, in itself actually not too bad.
With relations already strained between many leading clubs and national associations, one can only wonder what managers make of their multimillion-pound players risking injury against awe‑struck part-timers. That is not to say Gibraltar should not be allowed to play football, but Uefa’s entire competition is undermined when pitching them into a literally unwinnable scenario such as this.
The Scottish FA are apparently oblivious to the concept of a mismatch, or indeed the opportunity to introduce radically reduced pricing in an attempt to engage the public in a national team which is again promising – but thus far only promising – to offer something worth shouting about. Bluntly, the SFA have opted to charge like the Light Brigade, a scandalous situation in respect of the Gibraltar factor.
An adult logging on to the SFA’s ticket website this week,would discover a ticket price of £45, plus a £3 booking fee, to sit in Hampden’s North Stand, where the Tartan Army’s hardcore congregate. It is just £10 cheaper for the more basic West Stand. Scottish fans rightly complained vociferously about these prices when issued but it made not a blind bit of difference; even the opening home qualifier, against Georgia at Ibrox, was played in a stadium well short of capacity.
Gibraltar have not even been able to stage qualifying matches in their own country. Their squad is largely home-based, save the Preston defender Scott Wiseman and Adam Priestley, a striker for Farsley. The caretaker manager, Davie Wilson, played semi-professional football in his native Scotland for Kilwinning Rangers and Ardeer Thistle. Before his first ever match in charge of a senior team, Wilson has promised to sing both national anthems.
The sad, blunt reality is there is likely to be precious little worth breaking into chorus about thereafter.
