WATCH: Jersey gets UEFA red card

Monday 26 February 2018

Jersey's application to join the governing body of European football, UEFA, has been comprehensively rejected this morning at a special meeting in Bratislava.

The President of the Jersey Football Association, Phil Austin, spoke in favour of Jersey joining UEFA, warning that if it didn't, local football may go into decline.

The key point was whether Jersey's application met the requirements of UEFA's laws, particularly Article 5, which stipulates that all members must be independent states. 

UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin urged members to reject Jersey's application on the basis that it didn't comply with that statute. 

However, Phil Austin argued that there were six other existing members who also didn't meet the requirements of that statute - and that Jersey was a self-governing jurisdiction which was already recognised as an independent nation in other sporting competitions, such as the forthcoming Commonwealth Games. 

Video: Jersey FA President Phil Austin gives his speech.

"Jersey competes internationally, in a number of other sports, on a regular basis. In all other environments Jersey is accepted as an independent nation, and judged solely on its sporting credentials. Why then should football take a different view?

"Mr President, the whole of Jersey is dreaming of being a part of your organisation, and today I ask, why not?"

However, the vast majority of UEFA members chose to stick with the letter of the law, with 49 out of 55 choosing to hold up their red cards, and reject Jersey's bid. 

Video: The vote taking place.

The Jersey FA is due to hold a media conference tomorrow morning to discuss the way forward now both for football in Jersey, and the island's campaign to be accepted in UEFA. 

In a statement published after the decision, Mr Austin commented:

“Clearly we are disappointed not to have earned sufficient support for UEFA membership today.

“However, I had the opportunity to speak to UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin following Congress and asked him how UEFA can support Jersey football, if not through membership on this occasion. The President has invited us to meet him and some of his team to discuss this which gives us encouragement that the door is not closed. We thank him for this invitation and will be setting up this meeting in due course.

“I’d like to thank everyone who supported our application in the run-up to Congress and also those who were open minded about our application and took part in a conversation with us in Bratislava. We were consistent in presenting our case based on the strength of Jersey’s outstanding footballing credentials and potential and we hope that ongoing and meaningful dialogue with UEFA can find a solution to help the future development of Jersey football.”