Chagos Islands national football team

Chagos Islands national football team
The Chagos Islands national football team is a football team representing the territory of the Chagos Archipelago in the Indian Ocean. However, this area, which falls under the administration of the British Indian Ocean Territory, is uninhabited save for the presence of a US military base on the island of Diego Garcia, after the United Kingdom evicted the local population between 1967 and 1973. As a consequence, the team in fact represents the Chagossian diaspora around the world.
They are led by Sussex-based manager Jimmy Ferrar, who has previously managed at Oakwood, Crawley Down and Alfold where he won the Southern Combination Div 1 for season 2018/19.
Background
Union Chagossiene de Football years
In 2004, following the granting of Chagossians living in the UK the right to apply for a British passport, a group of islanders living near Crawley in West Sussex founded a governing body for football among their community, and the wider worldwide Chagossian diaspora, with a view to forming a national team. This resulted in the formation of the , which joined the N.F.-Board, an international body for national football teams unable to join FIFA, in 2005. Amongst the activities the UCF undertook was organizing a club side, Chagos Islands F.C., which played in the Crawley and District Football League until it was disbanded in 2010. With no immediate UK domestic outlet for their players to play, the UCF attempted to promote the side in the international arena, attempting to take a team to the 2010 Viva World Cup in Gozo. However, owing to the association's financial situation, and the wholly amateur status of the players, this was not possible. Attempts to reform the club side in another local league in Sussex also failed, leading to the team training regularly, but not playing.
In December 2011, a friendly was finally arranged with the Raetia football team, another member of the N.F.-Board, who not only came to the UK, but also brought a full set of kit for the Chagossian team to use. The game was played at the ground of Oakwood F.C., for whom Chagossian straker Mervin Bhujan was a player, and who arranged use of the stadium, and led to a 6–1 victory for the Chagos Islands. This led to hopes that the team would be able to participate more fully in N.F.-Board events, but lack of finances again meant this was to prove impossible.
In May 2012, a second match was organized, this time against Sealand. This was a first "away" game for the Chagossians, played at the home of Godalming Town F.C. in Surrey, which was used by Sealand for their home games, and resulted in a second consecutive win for the Chagos Islands. However, in spite of successfully staging a pair of games, the UCF was forced to fold.
Chagos Football Association years
In February 2013, a new organization, the Chagos Football Association, was formed by Sabrina Jean and others to continue the management of the Chagos team. The first match organized under the new body was a game against Sealand, taking place in February 2014 at Godalming, and which saw the Chagossians suffer their first defeat. A third game was quickly organized, this time taking place at the home of Crawley Town F.C., in May 2014, ending in a 1–1 draw.
In February 2014, around the same time as playing their second fixture against Sealand, the CFA joined ConIFA, in an attempt to find more regular games. The team played its first official fixture against another member of ConIFA when they turned out for a game against Somaliland in London in November 2014, again ending in a 1–1 draw. In 2015, the CFA announced its intention to attempt to qualify to participate in its first tournament, the ConIFA World Football Cup, via ConIFA's recently announced qualification process, by participating in a tournament hosted by Raetia, the Benedikt Fontana Cup. Originally planned as a three-team tournament, this altered into a two-legged play-off between the hosts and the Chagossians. However, just before the tie was due to take place, the Chagossians were forced to withdraw. This did not stop the ambition of the CFA to participate, with a fundraising effort to help the team make it to the 2016 tournament in Abkhazia announced in October 2015. To this end, the team played another friendly against Panjab in December 2015, which saw the team suffer its heaviest defeat 4–1.
In January 2016, the Chagos Islands were announced as one of the 12 participants in the 2016 World Football Cup. The opportunity to participate in a first ever overseas tournament led to a drive to raise the money necessary to allow the team to make the journey to Abkhazia. The Chagos Islands were successful in raising the necessary funds and took part in the 2016 ConIFA World Football Cup, however the team failed to win a single game and suffer 2 of their biggest defeats in the group stage, 9–0 loss to Panjab and 12–0 loss to Western Armenia, the team subsequently lost 3–2 to Somaliland and lost on penalties to Raetia after drawing 3–3 in their final game of the tournament.
Following the 2016 World Football Cup the Chagos Islands participated in the World Unity Cup, originally organised by Darfur United, who later withdrew, the Chagos Islands would play 3 games in total against Barawa, recording their first victory since 2012, 3-2 in the opening game, before losing 2 games against Tamil Eelam, both 5-1, with all games played at Gander Green Lane, home of Sutton United FC.
In 2017, the Chagos Islands participated in the Niamh Challenge Cup, organised by Ellan Vannin, for a place in the 2018 CONIFA World Football Cup. The Chagos Islands would play 2 games, losing both to Barawa, 3-0, and Ellan Vannin, 14-0. This meant the team failed to qualify for the 2018 CONIFA World Football Cup hosted by Barawa in London.
In 2018, the Chagos Islands played friendly fixtures against new CONIFA members Yorkshire and Barawa, losing both games. Following the sudden withdrawal of Ellan Vannin partway through the 2018 CONIFA World Football Cup after a controversial decision of the inclusion of an alleged ineligible player the Chagos Islands played two friendlies against Matabeleland and Tuvalu.
Jimmy Ferrar Era
In early 2019, the Chagos Islands played a friendly against the county of Surrey, recording their first win since 2016, a 3-2 victory over the hosts in Merstham. Following losses to Cascadia, Parishes of Jersey and Kernow the team appointed Jimmy Ferrar as their new manager.
The Chagos Islands would go on to play a number of games over the final months of 2019, a Yorkshire-based charity team, local non-FIFA side Surrey, and Panjab. Like teams across the world the Chagos Islands were unable to play in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and were unable to participate in the 2020 CONIFA World Football Cup in North Macedonia.
In July 2020, the Chagos Islands were announced as co-founding members of the World Unity Football Alliance a new governing body of non-FIFA international football. and were later announced as participants of the inaugural WUFA World Series hosted by International Surrey Football and played behind closed doors in May 2021 at Merrist Wood College, near Guildford in Surrey.
The team would record a 3-1 semi-final victory over hosts Surrey before a 2-2 draw in the final against Barawa saw the game being decided by penalties. The Chagos Islands won 5-4 on penalties to claim their first-ever piece of silverware.
In 2023 the Chagos Islands hosted the Falklands on their way to participate in the 2023 Island Games, winning 4-0 in Reigate.
Notable players
Damien Ramsamy
Tournament record
CONIFA World Football Cup
WUFA World Series
International results
2011
2012
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
Selected International Opponents
Managers
References
Sport in the British Indian Ocean Territory
National Football Team
Asian N.F.-Board teams
CONIFA member associations