Mountain to climb for Andorra

By Lucy Turner

While teams from Andorra have been playing in the Spanish leagues for more than 50 years, it was not until 1994 that the foundation of the Andorran Football Federation saw the tiny Pyrenean nation declare its footballing independence.

Long wait
The newly formed Andorra national team made their European debut with a 3-1 defeat against Armenia in a UEFA EURO 2000™ qualifier on 5 September 1998. Since then progress has been tentative but their 31-game wait for a first victory finally came to an end when they beat F.Y.R. Macedonia 1-0 on 13 October last year.

Incredible result
Recalling that match, coach David Rodrigo told uefa.com: "They were the favourites. I mean, they had managed to earn a [2-2] draw against the Netherlands in their previous [FIFA World Cup qualifying] game. It was going to be very difficult for us to surprise them."

'Fair result'
A fine strike from former FC Barcelona trainee Marc Bernaus won the day, however. "They were very relaxed about the match and we played our football," said Rodrigo. "We should have scored more goals, but it was a fair result in the end. The goal celebration topped all our hard work and the three points were ours."

European sensation
The victory was a major sensation as European football celebrated the first win for one of UEFA's smallest nations. However, for Andorra's coach, it is only the beginning. "Now we have to keep going and work harder than ever, but we knew the victory would come sooner or later," he said.

Limited resources
Keeping it going is easier said than done, as Rodrigo admitted. "Our efforts are valued more abroad than in Andorra. We have no stadium and no training ground. There is no budget, the country is small and land is expensive, but all we want is a stadium and training facilities and then the crowd will follow."

Tiny population
At the moment, Andorra play at the Estádio Comunal which holds 1,140 spectators, but their problems do not end there. There is the huge difficulty of finding players in a tiny nation where there are no professional teams and the only chances for foreign nationals to gain an Andorran passport are living there for 20 years, marrying an Andorran or gaining a university degree there.

Amateur players
"There are two professional players in the national team and the rest are amateur, and this conditions our work," said the 36-year-old Rodrigo. "The difference between professionals and amateurs shows in stamina and skills and the pace of the game, but it only makes our work more commendable."

Defensive diktat
Much of Rodrigo's time is spent with the Andorran youth teams as he aims to safeguard the future of football in the mountainous nation. He is keen for his players, young and old, to be realistic and concentrate on becoming a difficult side to beat.

No pressure
To their advantage, Andorra are rarely under pressure to achieve any results - almost every team in Europe are huge by comparison - but the difficulties inherent in having such a small squad mean that it is absolutely imperative that no individual errors mar Rodrigo's defensive game plan.

Further proof
The win against F.Y.R. Macedonia was vindication for that obdurate policy as Rodrigo's men managed to keep mistakes to an absolute minimum and stifled their more illustrious opponents. What they need to prove now is that the triumph of 13 October was more than just a freak result. Another victory would surely see the funding that the national team craves come a lot easier.