The Ellan Vannin Football Team is a football team that represents the
Isle of Man
)
, anthem = "O Land of Our Birth"
, image = Isle of Man by Sentinel-2.jpg
, image_map = Europe-Isle_of_Man.svg
, mapsize =
, map_alt = Location of the Isle of Man in Europe
, map_caption = Location of the Isle of Man (green)
in Europe ...
. It is not affiliated with
FIFA
FIFA (; stands for ''Fédération Internationale de Football Association'' ( French), meaning International Association Football Federation ) is the international governing body of association football, beach football and futsal. It was found ...
or
UEFA
Union of European Football Associations (UEFA ; french: Union des associations européennes de football; german: Union der europäischen Fußballverbände) is one of six continental bodies of governance in association football. It governs f ...
, and therefore cannot compete for the
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply called the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of the ' ( FIFA), the sport's global governing body. The tournament ha ...
or in the
UEFA European Championship
The UEFA European Football Championship, less formally the European Championship and informally the Euro, is the primary association football tournament organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA). The competition is contes ...
.
Unlike the
Isle of Man official football team
The Isle of Man Representative County football team is the IOMFA football team of the Isle of Man and is controlled by the Isle of Man Football Association. The team plays in a yellow and red home kit and an all navy blue away kit.
History
T ...
which selects players who play in for clubs in the Manx league regardless of nationality, the Ellan Vannin team selects those of Manx nationality no matter where they are based.
They competed first at the
ConIFA World Football Cup in 2014, where they won their group and became
runners-up to the
County of Nice.
History
Formation and early games
Formed in 2013, the Ellan Vannin team was created by the newly formed Manx International Football Alliance (MIFA) in order to enter
ConIFA
The Confederation of Independent Football Associations (CONIFA) is the international governing body for association football teams that are not affiliated with FIFA.
Competitions
Women's football
All members of CONIFA are encouraged to inv ...
and compete at the
ConIFA World Football Cup. As opposed to the
official Isle of Man team (run by the
Isle of Man FA), which is composed entirely of
Isle of Man Football League
The Isle of Man Football League is the senior football league on the Isle of Man and is run by the Isle of Man Football Association. Although the league is affiliated with The Football Association, it does not form a part of the English football ...
players – regardless of nationality, Ellan Vannin will allow only those with Manx ties to play for them, in line with
FIFA eligibility rules
As the governing body of association football, FIFA is responsible for maintaining and implementing the rules that determine whether an association football player is eligible to represent a particular country in officially recognised internation ...
.
Following the signing of a
memorandum of understanding between the MIFA and Isle of Man FA, intended to set out a working relationship between the two organisations, the MIFA announced that the first international to be played by Ellan Vannin would be a home game against
Monaco
Monaco (; ), officially the Principality of Monaco (french: Principauté de Monaco; Ligurian: ; oc, Principat de Mónegue), is a sovereign city-state and microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Italian region of Lig ...
on 6 April 2014, to be played at
The Bowl in
Douglas
Douglas may refer to:
People
* Douglas (given name)
* Douglas (surname)
Animals
*Douglas (parrot), macaw that starred as the parrot ''Rosalinda'' in Pippi Longstocking
*Douglas the camel, a camel in the Confederate Army in the American Civil W ...
. Ellan Vannin won their first international 10–0.
Entry into ConIFA and 2014 ConIFA World Cup
Ellan Vannin were invited to participate in the first
ConIFA World Football Cup in
Sápmi, in
2014
File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...
. Despite being a previously unknown quantity, they reached the final of the inaugural tournament, losing on penalties to
County of Nice despite winning 4–2 over them in the Group Stage thanks to a Calum Morrissey hattrick.
2015 ConIFA European Cup and 2016 ConIFA World Cup
While the Isle of Man were originally set to host the
2015 ConIFA European Football Cup
The 2015 ConIFA European Football Cup was the first edition of the ConIFA European Football Cup, an international football tournament for states, minorities, stateless peoples and regions unaffiliated with FIFA organised by CONIFA. The tournamen ...
in June 2015, logistical problems eventually led to the tournament being moved to
Székely Land. Here, despite defeat to
Padania in the Group Stage, they still achieved a semi-final place where they were again defeated by County of Nice. A penalty win over
Felvidék
Upper Hungary is the usual English translation of ''Felvidék'' (literally: "Upland"), the Hungarian term for the area that was historically the northern part of the Kingdom of Hungary, now mostly present-day Slovakia. The region has also been ...
in the play-off saw them finish third. The next year, Ellan Vannin were set to appear in the
2016 ConIFA World Football Cup
The 2016 ConIFA World Football Cup was the second edition of the ConIFA World Football Cup, an international football tournament for states, minorities, stateless peoples and regions unaffiliated with FIFA organised by ConIFA. The tournament was ...
, but withdrew after being advised by the British Home Office not to travel to
Abkhazia
Abkhazia, ka, აფხაზეთი, tr, , xmf, აბჟუა, abzhua, or ( or ), officially the Republic of Abkhazia, is a partially recognised state in the South Caucasus, recognised by most countries as part of Georgia, which vi ...
, where the tournament was to be held.
2017 European Football Cup, 2018 World Football Cup and Expulsion
The team returned to ConIFA activity in 2017 for the
2017 ConIFA European Football Cup
The 2017 ConIFA European Football Cup was the second edition of the ConIFA European Football Cup, an international football tournament for states, minorities, stateless peoples and regions unaffiliated with FIFA organised by ConIFA. It was hoste ...
in
Northern Cyprus
Northern Cyprus ( tr, Kuzey Kıbrıs), officially the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC; tr, Kuzey Kıbrıs Türk Cumhuriyeti, ''KKTC''), is a ''de facto'' state that comprises the northeastern portion of the Geography of Cyprus, isl ...
, finishing 6th. However, the team qualified for the
2018 ConIFA World Football Cup to be held in
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
(hosted by
Barawa). In late 2017 it was announced that they would become the first opponents of the new
Yorkshire national football team
Yorkshire international football team represents Yorkshire as a region in international association football. The team are affiliated with CONIFA (since 6 January 2018) and WUFA, it does not play in FIFA and UEFA matches.
It plays at various v ...
on January 28, 2018. After Yorkshire's membership to
ConIFA
The Confederation of Independent Football Associations (CONIFA) is the international governing body for association football teams that are not affiliated with FIFA.
Competitions
Women's football
All members of CONIFA are encouraged to inv ...
was confirmed at the beginning of January, it meant that it would become an officially sanctioned friendly that would provide qualification points for future competitions. In May that year they took part in the
2018 ConIFA World Football Cup in
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
. However, after being knocked out by
Barawa in the group stage, the MIFA protested at their opponents' alleged use of an ineligible player. After the other competing clubs voted to reject their appeal, Ellan Vannin withdrew from the tournament, and following a number of accusations made by the MIFA on social media against ConIFA, they were provisionally expelled from the organisation on 7 June 2018. Ellan Vannin were reinstated as full members at ConIFA's 2019 AGM in January 2019.
Fixtures and Results
2014
2015
2017
2018
Personalities of Ellan Vannin's football team
Squad
The following players were called up to the 22 man squad for the
2018 ConIFA World Football Cup to commence on 31 May 2018.
WFC 2018 Team Squads
CONIFA. Caps and goals correct as of 3 June 2018 after the game against .
Recent callups
Managers
Presidents of the Manx International Football Alliance
Competitive Record
ConIFA World Cup
ConIFA European Cup
Notes
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ellan Vannin Football Team
CONIFA member associations
European national and official selection-teams not affiliated to FIFA
Football in the Isle of Man
Sports teams in the Isle of Man
2013 establishments in the Isle of Man
Sports organizations established in 2013