Gibraltar football club ready to take on ‘big boys’ of Europe

ONE of Gibraltar’s top football teams, Lincoln Red Imps, found themselves in a very strange situation when their opponents in the Europa League qualifying round FC Prishtina of Kosovo were disqualified after two abortive visits to the Rock.

On the first occasion a number of the visiting team were tested positive for Covid-19 and the match was cancelled and initially it was understood the Imps would be given a ‘walkover’ victory but UEFA thought differently.

The Kosovans returned to Gibraltar a few days later with a completely new team and tested negative by Gibraltar Health Authorities but a second test required by UEFA and analysed in Spain came back with different results and the match was cancelled again.

This time the Imps were awarded the match and a very disgruntled Kosovan team returned home having lost the match without ever playing.

Next up on August 27 at the Victoria Stadium, it was the turn of Luxembourg team Union Titus Pétange to be tested and they came up completely negative so that the match could take place.

The Imps won by two goals to nil, meaning that they now await details of their next draw which could see them play one of the bigger teams such as Glasgow Rangers (having previously beaten Celtic some years ago), AC Milan, Dynamo Moscow or Hajduk Split.