Seychelles national football team
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The Seychelles national football team, nicknamed ''The Pirates'', represents
Seychelles Seychelles (, ; ), officially the Republic of Seychelles (french: link=no, République des Seychelles; Creole: ''La Repiblik Sesel''), is an archipelagic state consisting of 115 islands in the Indian Ocean. Its capital and largest city, ...
in international football and is controlled by the
Seychelles Football Federation The Seychelles Football Federation (SFF) is the governing body of football in the Seychelles. The current president is Elvis Chetty and it was founded in 1980, and affiliated to FIFA and to CAF in 1986. It organizes the Seychelles First Division, ...
(SFF). SFF has been a member of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) since 1986, and a member of FIFA since 1986. The team's home stadium is the 10,000 capacity Stade Linité situated at
Roche Caiman Roche Caïman () is an administrative district of Seychelles located on the island of Mahé. It has a football stadium where its national team play most of the home matches. Like neighbouring Les Mamelles District, Roche Caïman District was cre ...
in the outskirts of
Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...
, the capital of Seychelles.


History

Football was introduced to the Seychelles in the 1930s. Its first official competition, the Challenge Cup, was organized in 1936 then, in 1941, a championship between five teams was set up with matches of 60 minutes, played barefoot. In 1969, the president of the
Seychelles Football Federation The Seychelles Football Federation (SFF) is the governing body of football in the Seychelles. The current president is Elvis Chetty and it was founded in 1980, and affiliated to FIFA and to CAF in 1986. It organizes the Seychelles First Division, ...
wanted to set up a national team. Engaged on a voluntary basis, Adrian Fisher arrived on the island in September to reorganize Seychelles football. He equipped all the players with shoes, set up modern training techniques and extended the match time to 90 minutes. The newly formed national team play their first matches at a friendly tournament played in Kenya in April 1970. In Seychelles' first match played on a real football pitch, they drew 2–2 against Feisal F.C. then lost 1–2 to Mwengi at
Mombasa Municipal Stadium Municipal Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Mombasa, Kenya ) , national_anthem = " Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , ...
. When Fisher left the Seychelles in 1973, the team had played six games against 4 clubs. Seychelles play their first meeting against another selection, on March 13, 1974, against Réunion. In this friendly match, the "Pirates", the team's nickname, lost 0–2. Two years later, this time as an independent nation, the Seychelles faced Réunion again, losing 1–4. In September 1977, they played a FIFA-affiliated team,
Mauritius Mauritius ( ; french: Maurice, link=no ; mfe, label= Mauritian Creole, Moris ), officially the Republic of Mauritius, is an island nation in the Indian Ocean about off the southeast coast of the African continent, east of Madagascar. It ...
, during a tournament played in Réunion, and lost 1–2. The team enjoyed its first victory the following year by winning at home 1–0 against Réunion. In 1979, Seychelles played their first tournament, the 1979 Indian Ocean Games. They lost their first game 3–0 to Réunion, and won their second game 9–0 to
Maldives Maldives (, ; dv, ދިވެހިރާއްޖެ, translit=Dhivehi Raajje, ), officially the Republic of Maldives ( dv, ދިވެހިރާއްޖޭގެ ޖުމްހޫރިއްޔާ, translit=Dhivehi Raajjeyge Jumhooriyyaa, label=none, ), is an archipelag ...
. In the semi-final, they knocked out
Mauritius Mauritius ( ; french: Maurice, link=no ; mfe, label= Mauritian Creole, Moris ), officially the Republic of Mauritius, is an island nation in the Indian Ocean about off the southeast coast of the African continent, east of Madagascar. It ...
4–2 on penalties (1–1 after 90 min.), but in the final they lost 2–1 against to Réunion. Seychelles were eliminated from the group stage at the 1985 Indian Ocean Games but, on Aug 31, 1986, they played their first competitive match recognised by FIFA and CAF, following their affiliation with both organizations, a qualification match against Mauritius for the
1987 All-Africa Games The 4th All-Africa Games were played from August 1, 1987, to August 12, 1987, in Nairobi, Kenya. 42 countries participated in fourteen sports. From the beginning the intent had been to hold the African Games every four years. Economic difficulti ...
, they lost 1–2. They participated, for the first time, in the 1988 African Cup of Nations qualifiers against Mauritius but lost 1–3 over the two games. At the 1990 Indian Ocean Games, the team suffered its heaviest defeat in its history against
Madagascar Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( mg, Repoblikan'i Madagasikara, links=no, ; french: République de Madagascar), is an island country in the Indian Ocean, approximately off the coast of East Africa ...
in the semi-final, losing 0–6. In the bronze medal match, they won against Comoros 3–1. The team failed to repeat this performance in the following games, played at home, losing all four games and finishing last in the competition. After the elimination from the preliminary phase of the
1996 African Cup of Nations The 1996 African Cup of Nations was the 20th edition of the Africa Cup of Nations, the football championship of Africa ( CAF). It was hosted by South Africa, who replaced original hosts Kenya. The field expanded for the first time to 16 teams, ...
by Mauritius 2–1 over the two legs, Vojo Gardašević was hired to lead the team. Following that, the ''Pirates'' again finished third in the 1998 Indian Ocean Games and, two years later, competed in the World Cup qualifiers for the first time. Playing against
Namibia Namibia (, ), officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country in Southern Africa. Its western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Zambia and Angola to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and ea ...
they drew 1–1 in Stade Linité, thanks to a goal by
Philip Zialor Philip Zialor (born September 6, 1976) is a Seychellois former professional footballer who played as a striker. Zialor holds national records for most goals in a career (with 14) and most in a single game, netting four against Mauritius ...
but lost the second leg 0–3. Seychelles were also eliminated in the preliminary round of the
2000 African Cup of Nations The 2000 African Cup of Nations was the 22nd edition of the Africa Cup of Nations, the association football championship of Africa (Confederation of African Football, CAF). It was co-hosted by Ghana and Nigeria, who jointly replaced Zimbabwe as ho ...
by
Zimbabwe Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and ...
0–6 over the two matches. Seychelles fared better in the qualification for the
2004 African Cup of Nations The 2004 African Cup of Nations, known as the NOKIA African Cup of Nations, Tunisia 2004 for sponsorship reasons (also referred to as AFCON 2004 or CAN 2004) is the 24th edition of the Africa Cup of Nations, the biennial international men's foo ...
as the team, led by
Dominique Bathenay Dominique Bathenay (born 13 February 1954) is a French former professional Association football, footballer who played as a midfielder and coach. Career Bathenay played for AS Saint-Étienne from 1973 to 1978, and for Paris Saint-Germain F.C., P ...
then Michael Nees, finished third and won two prestigious home wins by beating Eritrea 1–0 and Zimbabwe 2–1. Following that they achieved a bronze medal at the
2003 Indian Ocean Games The men's association football tournament at the 2003 Indian Ocean Island Games (French: Jeux des îles de l'océan Indien 2003) held in Mauritius. ''Originally scheduled for Moroni, Comoros; moved to Mauritius'' Teams * * * * * Group stage ...
, then were eliminated in the preliminary round of the
2006 World Cup The 2006 FIFA World Cup, also branded as Germany 2006, was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which had won the right to host the ...
by
Zambia Zambia (), officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central, Southern and East Africa, although it is typically referred to as being in Southern Africa at its most central point. Its neighbours are t ...
, 1–5 in the two games. Seychelles’ biggest competitive win came against Zimbabwe in the qualifiers of the
2004 African Cup of Nations The 2004 African Cup of Nations, known as the NOKIA African Cup of Nations, Tunisia 2004 for sponsorship reasons (also referred to as AFCON 2004 or CAN 2004) is the 24th edition of the Africa Cup of Nations, the biennial international men's foo ...
. Goals by strikers
Alpha Baldé Alpha (uppercase , lowercase ; grc, ἄλφα, ''álpha'', or ell, άλφα, álfa) is the first letter of the Greek alphabet. In the system of Greek numerals, it has a value of one. Alpha is derived from the Phoenician letter aleph , whic ...
and
Philip Zialor Philip Zialor (born September 6, 1976) is a Seychellois former professional footballer who played as a striker. Zialor holds national records for most goals in a career (with 14) and most in a single game, netting four against Mauritius ...
gave Seychelles a 2–1 win at Stade Linité against
Zimbabwe Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and ...
captained by professional striker Peter Ndlovu. German coach Michael Nees was at the helm of the team at that time. Under Frenchman
Dominique Bathenay Dominique Bathenay (born 13 February 1954) is a French former professional Association football, footballer who played as a midfielder and coach. Career Bathenay played for AS Saint-Étienne from 1973 to 1978, and for Paris Saint-Germain F.C., P ...
, Seychelles also beat Eritrea 1–0 at Stade Linité by a goal by veteran Roddy Victor in the same qualifiers. In 2011, Seychelles hosted the 2011 Indian Ocean Island Games and won the tournament for the first time, beating
Mauritius Mauritius ( ; french: Maurice, link=no ; mfe, label= Mauritian Creole, Moris ), officially the Republic of Mauritius, is an island nation in the Indian Ocean about off the southeast coast of the African continent, east of Madagascar. It ...
in the final on penalties. The rest of the 2010s saw little success for ''The Pirates'' with the high point achieved during
2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualification The 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualification matches were organized by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to decide the participating teams of the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations, the 31st edition of the international men's football champions ...
where they managed a 2–0 win over Lesotho and a 1–1 draw with
Ethiopia Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...
to finish third in their four team group.


FIFA Goal Programme

In 2006, a new technical centre in Mahé was opened, with help from the FIFA Goal programme. The project had a total cost of approximately 750,000 USD. James Michel, president of the Seychelles, was present at the inauguration. The technical centre houses the SFF headquarters, an auditorium, 20 bedrooms, two massage rooms, changing rooms and a restaurant. The centre is located next to the turf pitches that were also installed by the Goal programme in 2003.


Recent results and fixtures


2021


2022


Coaches

:Caretaker managers are listed in ''italics''. * Adrian Fisher (1969–1973) * Ulrich Mathiot (1991) * Helmut Kosmehl (1992–1993) * Vojo Gardašević (1997–2001) *
Dominique Bathenay Dominique Bathenay (born 13 February 1954) is a French former professional Association football, footballer who played as a midfielder and coach. Career Bathenay played for AS Saint-Étienne from 1973 to 1978, and for Paris Saint-Germain F.C., P ...
(2002) * Michael Nees (2002–2004) * Raoul Shungu (2006–2008) *
Jan Mak Jan Mak (born 21 June 1945) is a Dutch professional association football, football manager. Career He was caretaker at amateur side HVV Den Haag in 1971. After managing FC Volendam in his native Netherlands, Mak took charge of Swedish sides Hal ...
(2008) * Ulrich Mathiot (2008) * Richard Holmlund (2009) *
Jan Mak Jan Mak (born 21 June 1945) is a Dutch professional association football, football manager. Career He was caretaker at amateur side HVV Den Haag in 1971. After managing FC Volendam in his native Netherlands, Mak took charge of Swedish sides Hal ...
(2010) * Michael Nees (2010) *
Andrew Amers-Morrison Andrew Amers-Morrison (born 20 January 1970, Scotland) is a British association football coach based in London. Amers-Morrison founded a soccer community club for youth in London in 2005. In 2009, he received a GG2 Leadership & Diversity Awar ...
(2010) * Ralph Jean-Louis (2010–2011) * '' Gavin Jeanne'' (2012) *
Jan Mak Jan Mak (born 21 June 1945) is a Dutch professional association football, football manager. Career He was caretaker at amateur side HVV Den Haag in 1971. After managing FC Volendam in his native Netherlands, Mak took charge of Swedish sides Hal ...
(2013–2014) * Ulrich Mathiot (2014–2015) * '' Bruno Saindini'' (2015) * Ralph Jean-Louis (2015–2016) * '' Joel de Commarmond'' (2017) * '' Rodney Choisy'' (2017) * Gavin Jeanne (2018–2019) *
Jan Mak Jan Mak (born 21 June 1945) is a Dutch professional association football, football manager. Career He was caretaker at amateur side HVV Den Haag in 1971. After managing FC Volendam in his native Netherlands, Mak took charge of Swedish sides Hal ...
(2019) * Ralph Jean-Louis (2020–2021) * '' Osama Haroun'' (2021) * Vivian Bothe (2021–)


Players


Squad

The following players were selected for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualification match against Lesotho on 23 and 27 March 2022 respectively.squad for AFCON 2023 qualification
/ref>
:''Caps and goals correct as of 31 July 2022, after the match against
Madagascar Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( mg, Repoblikan'i Madagasikara, links=no, ; french: République de Madagascar), is an island country in the Indian Ocean, approximately off the coast of East Africa ...
''.


Recent call-ups

The following players have also been called up to the Seychelles squad within the last twelve months. INJ Withdrew due to injury
PRE Preliminary/Standby squad
RET Retired from the national team
SUS Serving suspension
WD Withdrew from the squad due to non-injury issue
COV Tested positive for
COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickly ...


Player records

:''Players in bold are still active with Seychelles.''


Most appearances


Top goalscorers


Competition records


FIFA World Cup


Africa Cup of Nations


Indian Ocean Island Games


CECAFA Cup


COSAFA Cup


References


External links


Seychelles
at FIFA.com
Seychelles
at CAF.com
Seychelles national football team picture
{{Seychelles national football team managers African national association football teams National sports teams established in 1974