Guadeloupe: France's Talent Factory

When we consider the places that some of the most talented footballers of recent years have come from, a small island in the Caribbean is not a place that would immediately spring to mind. However, the island of Guadeloupe can claim links to a vast number of supremely talented footballers.

With a population just smaller than that of Bristol, the overseas region of France that was first discovered by Christopher Columbus in November 1493 seems an unlikely source of talent. However, had it been an independent country eligible to play in FIFA competitions, they could have fielded a wonderful team of players either born or with parental links to the country. It could have selected a strike-force consisting of former Arsenal and Barcelona star, Thierry Henry, Chelsea striker, Nicholas Anelka and French World Cup winner, Sylvain Wiltord; a front line that, at their peak, would strike fear into most international defences.


Speaking of defence, their back line would be pretty solid as well. They could call upon former Juventus and Barcelona defender, Lillian Thuram. Former Chelsea and Arsenal defender, William Gallas would be another option. One other former Barcelona defender, Philippe Christanval, would also be eligible. Looking around the Premiership throws up a few further names. Arsenal’s Gael Clichy, Blackburn’s Pascal Chimbonda and Wolves’ Ronald Zubar would all be eligible to represent Guadeloupe. Further afield, Werder Bremen’s Mikael Silvestre and up-and-coming Bordeaux defender, Michael Ciani, would also be options.

For a small island, it is a frightening list of talent. In the French starting XI and used substitutes in the 2006 World Cup final, four of them would have been eligible to represent Guadeloupe. In total, seven members of that squad were either born or had parental links to this small island.

Even without those players, Guadeloupe remains one of the strongest sides in the Caribbean. As part of France, Guadeloupe is not a FIFA recognised country, and so cannot play in any FIFA tournaments. As a result, they would be ineligible to ever appear in either the World Cup or the Confederations Cup.

However, they are a member of CONCACAF and can therefore play in any CONCACAF tournaments, including the Caribbean Cup and the Gold Cup. They have finished in third place in three Caribbean Cups, most recently in 2008, and were runners-up to Jamaica in the most recent edition.

However, despite opting to play for the French national side, it is clear that many of the players still retain a strong connection with their Caribbean roots. Players who have represented France are eligible to represent Guadeloupe if they serve a five-year ‘cooling off’ period.


Two high-profile players who have taken this root during the twilight of their careers are Jocelyn Angloma and David Sommeil. Angloma represented the French at two major international tournaments in 1992 and 1996, as well as being a Champions League winner at club level. Sommeil had gained extensive experience in the top flight in both France and England, as well as earning eight French caps. The fact that they wanted to play international football for the country of their birth shows how much it means to them.

However, within Guadeloupe, there is a curious relationship with the French national team. The people recognise that the only option for players who wish to play in major international tournaments is to join the French, but that does not necessarily mean that there is great support for the French within Guadeloupe.

Indeed, throughout the French Antillean region, which includes Guadeloupe alongside Martinique, Saint Martin and Saint Barthelemy, there is a marked tendency to side with Brazil rather than with France. Partly due to their geographical location, culturally there are close ties with Brazil, but also because of the strong nationalist movements in those islands.

The inclusion of the Guadeloupean football team in CONCACAF and its eligibility to compete in their sanctioned tournaments was seen as a major boost for the nationalist movement on the island. Indeed, there has long been a connection between sport and the movement. The red and green colours of the national strip echo the prominent colours of the nationalist flag.

However, the strained relationship with the French national side came under even greater pressure following the poor performance at last summer’s World Cup in South Africa. Amongst certain groups in France, there was a backlash against so-called ‘immigrant’ players, who were blamed for the poor performance. The perceived image is that these players were devoid of national pride and loyalty to the flag.

The feelings of the likes of Guadeloupe and Martinique can be seen in the writings of a popular Martinican blogger in response to a French philosopher claiming that “this is all to be blamed on the suburbs scum, even those of the French team who don’t like France.”

He explained how “as long as the French West Indians win, they are part of the ‘rainbow nation’, everyone is colour-blind. But when the first cloud covers this blue sky, ‘people from the suburbs’ are sent back to their second-class citizenship.”

The ill feeling of the Guadeloupean and Martinican people is not directed toward the players who have opted to represent France – they understand that they have little option if they want to play on the biggest stage. Rather it is toward the mainland French and their perception of the so-called ‘people from the suburbs.’

The reception that Lillian Thuram received when he returned from the successful 1998 World Cup campaign showed the love that people on the island had for him. In addition, his decision to fly home to Guadeloupe almost immediately after the final to celebrate with the Guadeloupean people, rather than remain in France, showed the attachment that he retained for the island.

It is in the Gold Cup where they have surprised many people though. They reached the quarter-finals of the 2009 edition, where they were beaten by Costa Rica. However, they were the most successful Caribbean side in the competition, including a victory over Canada.


Back in 2007, having qualified for their first ever major international tournament, they were even more successful. Again, having beaten Canada in the group stage, they then stunned Honduras in the quarter-finals before giving the Mexicans a real scare in the semi-finals. They were eventually eliminated by a 70th minute goal from Pavel Pardo, but came out of the tournament with great credit.

They once again impressed in last year’s edition of the Caribbean Cup. They strolled through the first group stage with maximum points, following wins over Grenada, Puerto Rico and Saint Kitts and Nevis, before clinching their place in the semi-finals with results against Guyana and Antigua and Barbuda in the second group stage.

The strongly fancied Cubans were their opponents in the semi-final and despite going a goal behind at half time, they came back to qualify for the final with a 2-1 victory. They faced the favourites, Jamaica, in the final, who they had already been beaten by in the second group stage, but Ludovic Gotin’s equalizer sent the final to extra time, and eventually all the way to a penalty shootout. Unfortunately, Jean-Luc Lambourde missed the decisive fifth penalty and the wait for a first international trophy continues.

Indeed, many observers feel that Guadeloupe would have qualified for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa had they been given the opportunity. Under the guidance of Roger Salnot, Guadeloupe are turning into a serious side in the Caribbean, even without the players who have left to seek success in France.

There are suggestions that Guadeloupe could potentially become a FIFA member in the future if France were willing to permit it. Whether FIFA would allow this without further devolution of the two is uncertain, but if it were ever to happen, it would surprise nobody to see Guadeloupe making a greater impression on the world stage, and who knows, maybe we may see them in a World Cup at some stage in the future.

DW

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Football in Gibraltar Hampered by UEFA's Political Stance

Gibraltar is best known for its monkeys, its reputation as somewhat of a tax haven and possibly for its role in the pre-credit scene in the 1987 James Bond film – the Living Daylights. However, whichever you look at it, it is not known for footballing reasons.

It is not for the sake of trying though. Run by one of football’s oldest governing bodies, established way back in 1895, Gibraltar has been involved in a bitter dispute with UEFA over membership that has been running for almost fifteen years now.


The Gibraltarian Football Association first applied for membership of UEFA back in 1997, buoyed by the recent acceptance of the Faroe Islands seven years previously. The Faroe Islands make up a small Danish province of just under 50,000 people, but as Denmark had no objections, UEFA permitted them to become an independent member, and hence take part in UEFA sanctioned competitions.

With this previous ruling in their favour, Gibraltar announced their bid to gain membership of UEFA fifteen years ago, but immediately faced opposition from their larger neighbours and European footballing superpower, Spain.

Spain is fundamentally against Gibraltar gaining any form of international recognition as an independent entity. Not only do they feel that they have a sovereign right to govern the territory, they also harbour the worry that were Gibraltar to gain a national team, it may inspire similar ambitions in the fiercely independent Basque Country and Catalonia. Spain went so far as to threaten to withdraw from all UEFA competitions were Gibraltar to be accepted, including the European Championships, the Champions League and the UEFA Cup.

Spain based their complaint on the fact that they feel that Gibraltar’s sporting facilities are located on disputed land, given that they feel that part of the territory is based on land illegally taken by the British at the end of World War II. Thus, they argued that as the Spanish state is charged with the task of defending its interests, it had to stand in opposition to the Gibraltarian bid.

Against this background of discontent and extortion, UEFA introduced a new ruling in 1999, changing the entry parameters to restrict entry to countries that are officially recognised by the United Nations as independent countries. This new regulation blocked Gibraltar’s bid and was used as the reason for rejecting their application.

However, the story does not end there. The Gibraltarian FA continued to fight the decision and won a major decision in the mid-2000s, when the Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled that UEFA must consider Gibraltar’s application under the rules governing membership at the time of the application – rules under which Gibraltar qualifies for provisional membership.


UEFA refused to budge in their stand and continue to reject Gibraltar’s application. In 2007, a vote was taken in the UEFA Congress as to whether they should be admitted, but only England, Wales and Scotland voted in favour. The other 49 nations, lead by the powerful Spanish, voted against the proposal.

Gibraltar still maintains that it will not give up its fight. They feel that they can prove that their membership is only being rejected on political grounds, rather than on sporting grounds – a distinction that is not permissible under the terms of UEFA’s regulations.

Indeed, only recently when talking about the incidents surrounding Celtic’s Neil Lennon, Michel Platini announced that “we have to keep politics and religion out of football and sport.” It therefore seems somewhat hypocritical that he is hailing the need to keep politics separate from the sport, but then blocking Gibraltar’s entry on political grounds.


Football is a major part of life in Gibraltar. Despite having only 30,000 inhabitants, it has over 100 registered football teams, it has a FIFA approved stadium and earlier this year, the Gibraltarian national team picked up an impressive 3-0 victory against a full-strength Faroe Islands side – the same side that had recently drawn with Northern Ireland and who went on to beat Estonia only three months later.

Furthermore, it is only UEFA that are seemingly blocking Gibraltar’s sporting interests. Gibraltar has a national cricket team, which is an associate member of the ICC, it has a national hockey side that plays regularly in major European competitions, it has swimming and water polo teams that play in World Cups. It is even recognised as an official member of the IAAF, the official board governing athletics.

However, while the Spanish continue to oppose Gibraltar’s introduction into UEFA, it will continue to be an uphill struggle. Particularly now, given Spain’s status as World and European champions, football’s governing bodies are loath to upset their new poster boys.

But the battle will continue to be waged in the courts and backrooms of the governing bodies. In the words of Allen Bula, the national coach of Gibraltar:

“to UEFA and FIFA, don’t think for a minute that this storm will just gradually die down so you can eat your tapas in peace, because for sure the case of Gibraltar will be in your face every day for as long as it takes until you remove politics from football.”

DW

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Tour de France 2011 Betting Preview

On Saturday, the 98th edition of arguably the world’s most testing endurance sporting event begins. The 2011 Tour de France will see the world’s best cyclists racing over more than 3,400km in only 23 days and 21 stages. 198 cyclists will begin the race, but not all of them will be able to last the distance – 28 riders failed to complete the race last year.

As well as being one of the premier endurance races, it also provides a range of opportunities for betting, ranging from the most obvious market – outright winner – to some of the more unlikely markets, such as will there be a French winner on Bastille Day. As in any of the less mainstream sports, there is always likely to be more value as many of the companies do not have specialised cycling experts.

Unsurprisingly, the three-time champion, Alberto Contador, begins as a major favourite. He has won the race in each of his last three attempts, and has only failed to win the race once in his career – in his first ever attempt, where he finished 31st back in 2005.


Since winning the Tour de France last year, the focus has been on off-the-bike issues for the Spaniard, as he has been the subject of a long-running doping investigation, having tested positive for the banned substance clenbuterol during the race last year. Originally banned for twelve months, he claims that it was as a result of contaminated meat, and the ban has subsequently been rescinded by the Spanish authorities. However, an appeal is being considered, although it has been put back until after the race has been completed.

If Contador can put these issues to the back of his mind, he will be virtually unstoppable. He is the best climber in the world bar none when on form, which combined with his time trialling ability, puts him clear out at the front of the betting. He has proved himself again and again, and his performance in winning one of the toughest Giro d’Italia’s in living memory earlier this year put a massive marker down to his rivals.

The 8/11 available with Coral for Contador to win the race seems a very attractive price, particularly given that many other firms are only offering 4/7.

The only serious contender to Contador is the Luxembourg cyclist, Andy Schleck. The runner-up in both 2009 and 2010, he will be looking to finally go one better this time around. He is arguably the second best climber in the world, as proved by his two summit-finish stage wins last year. With four summit-finishes this year, he may fancy himself for a few stage wins. However, he will have to try and find some way to drop Contador on at least one of these stages, which he struggled to do last year, despite his best efforts.


He will be boosted by the support of his brother this year, after Frank was forced to drop out of the race after suffering a triple fracture of his clavicle on the third stage last year. However, even with this help, he has an uphill task ahead of him if you excuse the pun.

However, his form this year has been poor by his standards. He finished in a disappointing 8th position in the Tour of California – over 4’30 behind the winner – and followed that up with 19th place in the Tour de Suisse. Whilst he was not riding as the team leader in this race, he will still have been disappointed with his performance in the mountains. Even on the final mountain stage, where he looked to go out and win the stage, he was dropped on the final section of the climb by Thomas de Gendt – a rider that he really should be able to out climb.

Outside these two, there are a number of riders who will fancy their shot at a place on the podium. The likes of Cadel Evans and Ivan Basso have been there before and know what it takes. However, arguably their best days are behind them and last year, they were only able to finish 26th and 32nd respectively. Last year’s third placed rider, Denis Menchov, and the 2008 winner, Carlos Sastre, are both missing from this year’s race after their team failed to gain an entry slot.

This opens the third spot up to a newcomer. The young Dutchman, Robert Gesink, may fancy his chances. After finishing sixth last year, he has continued to show his promise by winning the Tour of Oman, finishing second in the Tirreno-Adriatico race and a very respectable third place in the Tour of the Basque Country behind Andreas Kloden and Chris Horner.


The main British hope in the General Classification is Bradley Wiggins. He warmed-up for the Tour in impressive fashion, winning the highly respected Dauphine Libere ahead of Cadel Evans and Alexander Vinokourov. His strong time-trialling ability will always give him a boost and his performance in the mountains two years ago shocked everyone as he finished 4th in the Tour de France, just being pipped to a podium place by the great Lance Armstrong. However, he disappointed last year, struggling to a 24th place finish.

An interesting outside proposition is the American, Chris Horner. He finished in 10th place in last year’s Tour, but has had an excellent year thus far in 2011, winning the Tour of California, finishing second in the Tour of the Basque Country and fourth in the Volta a Catalunya. He has claimed that only Contador can drop him on the mountains, which he backed up by leaving the likes of Andy Schleck in his wake in California earlier this year. He has a very strong team, but it means that he needs to be on form from the very beginning. Riding alongside Levi Leipheimer, Andreas Kloden and Jani Brajkovic, he is not a clear leader and if he struggles early on, he will likely not be the leader. However, an impressive start will see him backed up by one of the most talented teams in the race.


Blue Square offer a surprisingly high 40/1 on Chris Horner to win the race without Contador and Andy Schleck. Given these two are likely to take the top two steps on the podium, it seems good value for Horner to take third place, or at least, beat the rest of the field were either of the top two to slip up.

Looking at the other markets, the 11/4 offered by Sporting Bet on Jani Brajkovic to finish in the top 10 is relatively tempting. He is a very talented climber and should often feature relatively highly in the standings in the mountain stages. He will also hold his own in the individual time trial and his team should go strong in the team time trial.

Also with Sporting Bet, the 8/1 on Roman Kreuziger is quite tempting. The risk is that he is tired after having ridden in the Giro d’Italia, but he is likely to be the team leader and has finished in the top ten in both 2009 and 2010. A sixth-place finish in the Giro d’Italia suggests he is in good form, and given that he started at 4/1 to win the 2010 Tour de France, these odds suggest a bit of value.


One very good value bet would appear to be the 40/1 that William Hill are offering on John Gadret for the King of the Mountains jersey. He rode wonderfully in the Giro to finish 4th, but won’t be riding as the GC contender for his team in this race. As a result, he may fancy his chance for a couple of stage wins and the Polka dot jersey. Given that the biggest odds elsewhere are 18/1, these odds seem great value.

The battle for the green jersey should be interesting, but it remains to be seen what effect the change of the rules on the award of points will affect this. Understandably, Mark Cavendish starts as big favourite for the jersey, but the 11/8 on offer is not that tempting, given his not entirely impressive form thus far this year.

One final bet in one of the other markets. Alberto Contador, despite being the clear favourite, tends not to win many stages. He only has three stage wins to his name, one of which was a time trial, and tends to allow other riders who have stayed with him on the climbs to take the glory of the stage wins. Therefore, the 1/1 offered by Bet365 on Contador winning under 1.5 stages seems decent.

Bets:

Alberto Contador to win @ 8/11 (Coral)
Chris Horner to win W/O Contador & Andy Schleck @ 40/1 (Blue Square)
Jani Brajkovic to finish top 10 @ 11/4 (Sporting Bet)
Roman Kreuziger to finish top 10 @ 8/1 (Sporting Bet)
John Gadret to win King of the Mountains @ 40/1 (William Hill)
Alberto Contador to win under 1.5 stages @ 1/1 (Bet365)

DW

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