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== Overview ==
== Overview ==
The Vatican City have played only two full international games, against [[Monaco national football team|Monaco]] in 2002 and 2011, and a friendly game against [[San Marino national football team|San Marino]].<ref>{{cite news| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6195077.stm | work=BBC News | first=David | last=Willey | title=Vatican plays down soccer 'joke' | date=2006-12-19}}</ref>
The Vatican City have played only two full international games, against [[Monaco national football team|Monaco]] in 2002 and 2011, and a friendly game against [[San Marino national football team|San Marino]].<ref>{{cite news| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6195077.stm | work=[[BBC News]] | first=David | last=Willey | title=Vatican plays down soccer 'joke' | date=2006-12-19}}</ref>


In 2006, the Vatican City played SV Vollmond, a team from [[Switzerland]], on a small field just outside of the Vatican; Vatican City prevailed 5-1.<ref name="uefa">{{cite web |url=http://www.uefa.com/magazine/news/kind=1024/newsid=492560.html |title=Pray as you play |accessdate=2009-03-12 |date=2006-12-29 |publisher=[[UEFA]] |author=Paul Saffer}} {{Dead link|date=October 2010|bot=H3llBot}}</ref>
In 2006, the Vatican City played SV Vollmond, a team from [[Switzerland]], on a small field just outside of the Vatican; Vatican City prevailed 5-1.<ref name="uefa">{{cite web |url=http://www.uefa.com/magazine/news/kind=1024/newsid=492560.html |title=Pray as you play |accessdate=2009-03-12 |date=2006-12-29 |publisher=[[UEFA]] |author=Paul Saffer}} {{Dead link|date=October 2010|bot=H3llBot}}</ref>
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|23rd November 2002 || {{flagicon|Vatican City}} Vatican City || {{fb|Monaco}} || 0 - 0
|23rd November 2002 || {{flagicon|Vatican City}} Vatican City || {{fb|Monaco}} || 0 - 0
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|-
|19th December 2006 || {{flagicon|Vatican City}} Vatican City || {{fb|San Marino}} || 0 - 0<ref>{{cite news| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6195077.stm | work=BBC News | first=David | last=Willey | title=Vatican plays down soccer 'joke' | date=2006-12-19}}</ref>
|19th December 2006 || {{flagicon|Vatican City}} Vatican City || {{fb|San Marino}} || 0 - 0<ref>{{cite news| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6195077.stm | work=[[BBC News]] | first=David | last=Willey | title=Vatican plays down soccer 'joke' | date=2006-12-19}}</ref>
|-
|-
|c. October 2010 || {{flagicon|Vatican City}} Vatican City || {{fb|Palestine}} || 1 - 9
|c. October 2010 || {{flagicon|Vatican City}} Vatican City || {{fb|Palestine}} || 1 - 9

Revision as of 05:36, 21 December 2011

Vatican CityVatican City
Shirt badge/Association crest
Nickname(s)il Guardia Svizzera Pontificia
(the Pontifical Swiss Guard)
AssociationFederazione Vaticanese Giuoco Calcio
Head coachItaly Giovanni Trapattoni
(as of 2010)[1]
Home stadiumStadio Pio XII
FIFA codeVAT
First colours
Second colours
First international
Vatican City Vatican City 0–0 Monaco 
(Rome, Italy; 23rd November 2002)
Biggest win
Vatican City Vatican City 9–1 Stazione Carabinieri di Roma Italy
(Rome, Italy; 3rd February 2011)
Biggest defeat
Vatican City Vatican City 1–2 Monaco 
(Rome, Italy; 7th May 2011)

The Vatican City national football team is the football team that represents Vatican City. They are one of only seven fully recognised sovereign states whose national team is not a FIFA member. The others are Monaco, Tuvalu, Kiribati, Federated States of Micronesia, Nauru and Palau.

Overview

The Vatican City have played only two full international games, against Monaco in 2002 and 2011, and a friendly game against San Marino.[2]

In 2006, the Vatican City played SV Vollmond, a team from Switzerland, on a small field just outside of the Vatican; Vatican City prevailed 5-1.[3]

The Vatican City squad consists of the Swiss Guards (voluntary military force drawn from male Swiss citizens) and museum guards (Italian citizens). Since only members of the Swiss Guard can get the citizenship of the Vatican and they cannot be amassed in large numbers for a long time, the national team can play only a few rare international matches, often drawing a fair amount of interested press.

Selected internationals

Full Internationals

23rd November 2002 Vatican City Vatican City  Monaco 0 - 0
19th December 2006 Vatican City Vatican City  San Marino 0 - 0[4]
c. October 2010 Vatican City Vatican City  Palestine 1 - 9
7th May 2011 Vatican City Vatican City  Monaco 1 - 2

Catholicus Cup

In 2007, the Catholicus Cup was played; this was intended as a "supercup" for representative teams following the Clericus Cup. The four teams included the Vatican national team, a team representing Italian priests and laity (Nazionale Italiana Religiosi), and two religious colleges. The final was contested between the Vatican and the NIR, and saw the Vatican run out 3-0 winners.

Other Games

18th June 2007 Vatican City Vatican City Italy Nazionale Italiana Religiosi 3 - 0
23rd October 2010 Vatican City Vatican City Italy Guardia di Finanza 0 - 1
3rd February 2011 Vatican City Vatican City Italy Stazione Carabinieri di Roma 9 - 1

The Vatican's Stance on Football

The Vatican has typically expressed strong support for football. Former Pope John Paul II was reportedly a goalkeeper as a youth in Poland .[5] The current pope, Pope Benedict XVI, is an ardent supporter of FC Bayern Munich since his youth growing up in Bavaria, Germany.[6] Pope Benedict XVI is quoted as saying, "The sport of football can be a vehicle of education for the values of honesty, solidarity and fraternity, especially for the younger generation."[5] In October 2007, the Pope was presented with a #16 shirt (for Pope Benedict XVI) by A.C. Ancona of the Italian Serie B after Pope Benedict XVI supported their initiative to become a "beacon of morality" by adopting an "innovative, ethical model of practising football".[5] In 2010, Pope Benedict XVI and the Vatican reaffirmed their belief that football should be a beacon of morality by lashing out at Serie A after matches for the upcoming season were scheduled at 12:30pm on Sundays to appease pay-per-view companies wishing to spread out Serie A matches over the weekend. The Vatican previously questioned the league's decision to play matches on Sundays at all, but "I consider this a truly harmful development," Monsignor Carlo Mazza told Tuttosport. "Putting people in front of the television screen at 12.30 CET , when they are having lunch with their families, to me seems like a 'pitch invasion' on life." [7] Additionally, on 18 December 2006, Tarcisio Bertone, Cardinal Secretary of State of the Holy See, stated, but only in jest, that he did not preclude the possibility that the Vatican, in the future, could put together a football team of great value, that could play on the same level as, Roma, Internazionale and Milan or Genoa. [8] [9]

Current squad

# Pos. Player Date of Birth (Age) Caps Goals Club
Goalkeepers
1 1GK Swiss Guard 1st Goalkeeper 1985 (age 25–26) Vatican City Clericus Cup
12 1GK Swiss Guard 12nd Goalkeeper 1979 (age 31–32) Vatican City Clericus Cup
17 1GK Swiss Guard 17th Goalkeeper 1982 (age 28–29) Vatican City Clericus Cup
Defenders
2 2DF Swiss Guard 2nd Defender 1980 (age 30–31) Vatican City Clericus Cup
3 2DF Swiss Guard 3rd Defender 1987 (age 23–24) Vatican City Clericus Cup
5 2DF Swiss Guard 5th Defender 1990 (age 20–21) Vatican City Clericus Cup
8 2DF Swiss Guard 8th Defender 1988 (age 22–23) Vatican City Clericus Cup
15 2DF Swiss Guard 15th Defender 1977 (age 33–34) Vatican City Clericus Cup
16 2DF Swiss Guard 16th Defender 1986 (age 24–25) Vatican City Clericus Cup
18 2DF Swiss Guard 18th Defender 1975 (age 35–36) Vatican City Clericus Cup
Midfielders
4 3MF Swiss Guard 4th Midfielder 1981 (age 29–30) Vatican City Clericus Cup
9 3MF Swiss Guard 9th Midfielder 1983 (age 27–28) Vatican City Clericus Cup
13 3MF Swiss Guard 13rd Midfielder 1984 (age 26–27) Vatican City Clericus Cup
14 3MF Swiss Guard 14th Midfielder 1980 (age 30–31) Vatican City Clericus Cup
21 3MF Swiss Guard 21st Midfielder 1989 (age 21–22) Vatican City Clericus Cup
23 3MF Swiss Guard 23rd Midfielder 1978 (age 32–33) Vatican City Clericus Cup
Strikers
6 4FW Swiss Guard 6th Striker 1987 (age 23–24) Vatican City Clericus Cup
7 4FW Swiss Guard 7th Striker 1981 (age 29–30) Vatican City Clericus Cup
10 4FW Swiss Guard 10th Striker 1985 (age 25–26) Vatican City Clericus Cup
11 4FW Swiss Guard 11st Striker 1982 (age 28–29) Vatican City Clericus Cup
19 4FW Swiss Guard 19th Striker 1976 (age 34–35) Vatican City Clericus Cup
20 4FW Swiss Guard 20th Striker 1986 (age 24–25) Vatican City Clericus Cup
22 4FW Swiss Guard 22nd Striker 1977 (age 33–34) Vatican City Clericus Cup

Kit Providers

See also

Notes

  1. ^ "Trapattoni to manage Vatican soccer team". cinews.ie. Retrieved 11 October 2011.
  2. ^ Willey, David (2006-12-19). "Vatican plays down soccer 'joke'". BBC News.
  3. ^ Paul Saffer (2006-12-29). "Pray as you play". UEFA. Retrieved 2009-03-12. [dead link‍]
  4. ^ Willey, David (2006-12-19). "Vatican plays down soccer 'joke'". BBC News.
  5. ^ a b c "Pope: Football a moral guide to life". CNN. 2008-01-10.
  6. ^ "Pope heading to World Youth Day aboard 'Shepherd One'". news.com.au. 2008-07-09.
  7. ^ http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=811643&cc=5901
  8. ^ http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,20944687-38200,00.html
  9. ^ David Willey (2006-12-19). "Vatican plays down soccer 'joke'". BBC News. Retrieved 2011-09-03.


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