FIFA Rankings?

[Jungle Jumbo]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vatican_City_national_football_team

Interesting stuff. They say the team is largely made up of Swiss Papal Guards (who muist be Swiss and Catholic), but the above team Hakon posted was largely made up of Italian names. I know a large number of Swiss have names of Italian origin, but surely there should be someone who has a French or German name?

 

[BoyBrumby]

Isle of Man do have a team, though. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isle_of_Man_national_football_team

Edit: Beaten by steds...

Ah. Interesting. The article seems to suggest because they're affiliated to the FA they cannot play internationals. The Welsh must be too on some level tho or else how does one explain Swansea, Cardiff, Wrexham, Newport & Merthyr knocking about in various English leagues?

Has England (or any of the other home nations) ever had a Manx-born player, I wonder? Obviously we've had Le Saux & Le Tissier from the Channel Islands relatively recently.

 

[superkingdave]

Oldham regularly play in the Isle of Man festival, its preseason and usually the Isle of Man and a few league 1/2 sides

 

[marc71178]

From http://www.rsssf.com/intldetails/2002e3.html:

23/11/2002, Roma (Italy), Stadio PIO XII
Friendly International
VATICAN CITY        0
MONACO              0
Vatican City:       Panzini, Ticconi, Durante, Pietropaolo, Iafolla [c], Pacchiano
                    (Perugini 46'), Perinelli (Testa 46'), Troiani (Marcello Rosati 77'),
                    Germani (Bertoldo 46'), De Mattia (Mariotti 39'), Rossi (Badii 29').
Monaco:             Anthony Minioni, Gérald Fighiera, Franck Brasseur, Kevin De Sarzens,
                    Yohan Garino (Olivier El-Missouri 85'), Jean-Paul Pennacino,
                    Antoine Narmino (Fabien Gallis 54'), Benoît Biancheri, Damien Choisit
                    (Eric Fissore 71'), Serge Turuani [c], Olivier Pasquier
                    (Sergio Bonnaventura 83').
Referee:            Filippo Baglivo (Italy).
Coaches:            Vatican City: Gianfranco Guadagnoli (Italy).
                    Monaco: Michel Russail.
Notes:              Not a full FIFA international.
                    It is not clear if all the Vatican players were genuinely of Vatican
                    nationality.

Word on the street is that Wojtyla was gutted to miss out on selection in goal.

 

[Craig]

If you click on "Vatican" it takes you to their result.

Apparently on 23rd Nov 2002 they drew 0-0 with Monaco in Italy (who I didn't know had a team either).

If little statelets like those have national teams I'm surprised the Channel Islands & Isle of Man don't.

Wales played a friendly against a Basque XI the other day so I guess that could count? They have wanted independence for a long time, so give them a national team (they would do quite well IMO with the quality of players they have) and give them one for Catalunya.