Europa F.C.

Europa FC is a football club from Gibraltar which plays in the Gibraltar National League. As with all other clubs in the territory, Europa FC currently shares the Victoria Stadium on Winston Churchill Avenue. The club also operates a women's team which competes in the Gibraltar Women's Football League.

Europa FC
Full nameEuropa Football Club
Nickname(s)The Green Machine
Founded1925
GroundVictoria Stadium,
Gibraltar
Capacity5000
ChairmanPeter Cabezutto
ManagerRafa Escobar
LeagueGibraltar National League
2019–20Championship Group: 1st
Overall: 1st[lower-alpha 1]
WebsiteClub website

History

The club was founded in 1925. It was continuously active up to 1970. The club merged with College in the 1980s, going by College Cosmos until 2013, and in 2015 split again from College, changing from College Europa back to Europa FC, while College 1975 entered the Gibraltar Second Division. The name change was cleared by UEFA and the Gibraltar Football Association has granted back the honours the club lost when it folded initially. College 1975 continues to claim the clubs' combined history until 2015 as its own.

The club saw considerable success in the late 1920s and early 1930s, where it won 4 of its 6 titles. However, against the likes of Prince of Wales, the club struggled to become a major force and won its 6th and final title in the 1951–52. After further declining fortunes, the club merged with College in 1970, although it failed to see a revival in fortunes as it would continue to move between the top two divisions of Gibraltar football for the next 40 years, last being out of the top flight in 2012–13.

Despite a 4th-place finish in the 2013–14 Gibraltar Premier Division, 2014 they were the first team from Gibraltar to play the UEFA Europa League after they finished runners-up in the Rock Cup. They lost the first match 0–3 against FC Vaduz from Liechtenstein. In the second leg they lost 1–0 at home, resulting in a 4–0 aggregate defeat.[1] In 2015 the club had Gibraltar's first player to appear at a major international tournament, with Charly representing Equatorial Guinea at the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations.

In 2015 the club was renamed to their original name Europa FC.[2] The side entered the UEFA Europa League once again, without a manager as Dimas Carrasco had not yet been appointed. The side lost 9–0 on aggregate to SK Slovan Bratislava with a new look side that received criticism from fans due to the lack of Gibraltarian players and large number of Spanish signings. Another season in 2nd place followed, although July 2016 did see Europa win their first continental cup tie, winning 3–2 on aggregate against FC Pyunik in the 2016-17 UEFA Europa League.

Further investment in the side under Juan Jose Gallardo saw an influx of young Gibraltarians join the Greens to align them with the league's new Home Grown Player Rule, including eventual international Sykes Garro and, most notably, key player Liam Walker from title rivals Lincoln Red Imps. The investment in the side drew dividends as the title race between Lincoln and Europa went down to the final round of games. Victory against Glacis United on 21 May, thanks to goals from Liam Walker and Kike Gómez, saw the club win their first title since 1952. A week later, the Greens won the 2017 Rock Cup, completing a domestic treble of Pepe Reyes Cup, Gibraltar Premier Division and Rock Cup for the first time in their history. However, after their extra-time defeat to The New Saints in the 2017–18 UEFA Champions League in July 2017, Gallardo stepped down from his managerial position to focus on his role as sporting director. Jonathan Parrado was brought in to take over management of the team.

Notable managers

The following manager(s) at least one major accomplishment while in charge of Europa:

Name Period Achievements
Jose Requena 2014 Europa League qualification
Bruno Akrapović 2014–15 Gibraltar Premier Cup, Europa League qualification
Dimas Carrasco 2015–16 Europa League qualification
Juan Jose Gallardo 2016–2017
2018
2016–17 Domestic Treble, Europa League 2Q round, 2018 Rock Cup

Honours

Europa FC squad on 25 June 2015
Winners (7): 1928–29, 1929–30, 1931–32, 1932–33, 1937–38, 1951–52, 2016–17
Winners: 2012–13
Winners (8): 1938, 1946, 1950, 1951, 1952, 2017, 2017–18, 2019
Winners: 2014–15
Winners (3): 2016, 2018, 2019

European record

Season Competition Round Club Home Away Aggregate
2014–15 UEFA Europa League 1Q Vaduz 0–1 0–3 0–4
2015–16 UEFA Europa League 1Q Slovan Bratislava 0–6 0–3 0–9
2016–17 UEFA Europa League 1Q Pyunik 2–0 1–2 3–2
2Q AIK 0–1 0–1 0–2
2017–18 UEFA Champions League 1Q The New Saints 1–3 2–1 3–4
2018–19 UEFA Europa League PR Prishtina 1–1 0–5 1–6
2019–20 UEFA Europa League PR Sant Julià 4−0 2−3 6–3
1Q Legia Warsaw 0–0 0−3 0−3
2020–21 UEFA Champions League 1Q Red Star Belgrade N/A 0−5 N/A
UEFA Europa League 2Q Djurgårdens IF N/A 1−2 N/A
Notes
  • 1Q: First qualifying round
  • 2Q: Second qualifying round

Current squad

First team

As of 13 December 2020[3]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK  ESP Javi Muñoz (vice-captain)
2 DF  GIB Ethan Jolley
3 DF  GIB Stefan Moreno
4 DF  ESP Olmo Gonzalez
5 DF  GHA Ibrahim Ayew
6 MF  ESP Blas Álvarez
7 MF  ESP Juampe
8 MF  ESP Álex Quillo
9 FW  ESP Adrián Gallardo
10 MF  GIB Liam Walker (captain)
11 FW  GIB Michael Yome
12 DF  GIB Jayce Olivero
14 DF  ESP Sergio Sánchez
No. Pos. Nation Player
15 MF  GIB Mohamed Badr
16 MF  ESP Ale Carrascal
17 MF  ESP Marco Rosa Blanco
18 MF  GIB Luke Bautista
19 FW  GIB Dylan Borge
21 MF  ESP David Polaco
22 MF  ESP Willy
23 GK  ESP Jesús Romero
25 MF  GIB Mitch Gibson
26 DF  GIB Julian Britto
28 MF  GIB Evan De Haro
81 GK  GIB Christian Lopez
FW  ESP Chico Díaz

Intermediate League squad

As of 15 December 2020

The following players are registered to play in the Gibraltar Intermediate League. Players in the senior squad may also appear for the Intermediate team.

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK  GIB Peter Cabezutto
3 DF  GIB Jermain Sodi
4 DF  GIB Liam Crisp
5 DF  GIB Christian Zammitt-Aguis
No. Pos. Nation Player
8 MF  GIB Bilal Douah
16 MF  GIB Jaydon Drakes
17 MF  GIB Philip Gillingwater-Pedersen

Out on loan

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
24 FW  GIB Adam Gracia (on loan at College 1975)
No. Pos. Nation Player

Club staff

Position Name
Club Management
Manager Rafa Escobar
Assistant Manager Antonio García
Goalkeeping Coach Roberto Cabezuelo
Physical Trainer Pedro Bonmati
Intermediate Team Coach Javi Muñoz
Team Delegate Darren Celecia
Physio Adrián Díaz
Board
Chairman Peter Cabezutto
Vice President Patrick Cabezutto
Director John Paul Risso
Director Guy Langton
Secretary Clive Reed
Sporting Director Eddie Yome

References

  1. Season abandoned due to the COVID-19 pandemic, title not awarded.
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