© EuroFootball.com
On Friday, the European Football Association UEFA admitted Gibraltar to its members.
In a press release, the UEFA Executive Committee stated that they "had no other choice" but to accept this disputed territory into the organization, as it was determined by a previous decision of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) made in July.
The press release also highlighted that the World Football Association (FIFA) stated this week that Gibraltar "does not meet the requirements set for FIFA members."
However, according to the decision made on Friday, Gibraltar has not yet become a full UEFA member. The decision on whether to finally admit this territory to UEFA should be made at the organization's congress in January.
This decision likely means that Gibraltar will be eligible to compete in the European tournaments, and the national team will be able to participate in the European Championship qualifiers.
UEFA is concerned that this decision could set a precedent, leading to demands for membership in the organization from the Basque Country and Catalonia territories belonging to Spain, or any region in Germany.
Gibraltar is only a territory of 6.5 square kilometers south of Spain, with a population of just 28 thousand inhabitants. Nevertheless, even in such a small territory with partial autonomy, a national championship is held, with 5 teams competing for the title of champions.
