2019–20 Gibraltar National League
Football league season
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The 2019–20 Gibraltar National League season was the first edition of the Gibraltar National League in Gibraltar, and the 121st edition of football in the territory overall. The league was announced in June 2018 when the Gibraltar Football Association decided to merge the Gibraltar Premier Division and Gibraltar Second Division at the conclusion of the 2018–19 season.[2]
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The Victoria Stadium where each match is played | |
| Season | 2019–20 |
|---|---|
| Dates | 12 August 2019 – 3 May 2020 |
| Champions | No champion[1] |
| Champions League | Europa |
| Europa League | St Joseph's Lincoln Red Imps |
| Matches | 104 |
| Goals | 481 (4.63 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Juanfri (24 goals) |
| Best goalkeeper | Jamie Robba Dayle Coleing (7 clean sheets) |
| Biggest home win | Lincoln Red Imps 9–1 College 1975 (19 September 2019) |
| Biggest away win | College 1975 0–12 Europa (1 November 2019) |
| Highest scoring | College 1975 0–12 Europa (1 November 2019) Boca Gibraltar 7–5 College 1975 (20 February 2020) Manchester 62 1–11 Mons Calpe (12 March 2020) |
2020–21 →
All statistics correct as of 12 March 2020. | |
On 1 August 2019, confirmation came that 16 teams would compete in the league.[3] However, this number was revised to 14 teams after two withdrawals, as announced by the GFA eleven days later.[4] The following day, the number of participants was further reduced to 13 when Leo withdrew from the competition.[5]
COVID-19 pandemic would cause the season to be suspended in March 2020. The Challenge Group was abandoned, while the Gibraltar FA looked to conclude the Championship Group in some form. On 1 May 2020, the Gibraltar Football Association announced that the domestic football season had been terminated.[6] After the league had discussions of whether the title would be awarded,[7] the Gibraltar FA announced on 7 May 2020 the season was declared null and void; the title would remain vacant.[1]
Format
On 1 August 2019, the GFA confirmed details of the restructure of domestic football in Gibraltar, and the format of the a new 16 team league.[8] By 12 August, the GFA confirmed two teams would not participate and 14 teams would contest the league.[4] With Leo's withdrawal the next day, the league was reduced to 13.[5] Teams will play one round of games as a single league, before splitting into two groups: the Championship Group contested by the top 7 sides, and the Challenge Group between the bottom 6 sides. The winners of the Challenge Group will receive the GFA Challenge Trophy and receive a bye to the second round of the next season's Rock Cup.
Teams
16 teams were initially expected to participate in the inaugural National League, with Hound Dogs dropping down to the 2019–20 Gibraltar Intermediate League, having been granted special dispensation by the GFA.
On 9 August, Gibraltar Phoenix withdrew from the league.[9] Two days before, Gibraltar United were threatened with expulsion if they failed to repay debts by 12 August.[10]
On 12 August, the GFA confirmed the withdrawal of Gibraltar Phoenix and Gibraltar United.[4] The day after, Leo withdrew from the league too, after a takeover by King's Lynn Town owner Stephen Cleeve was blocked by the GFA.[11] On 22 August, it was reported that Olympique 13 were at risk of withdrawing from the league, having forfeited their game against Europa due to a shortage of players.[12] They were expelled on 11 September.
Teams with a blue background played in the 2018–19 Gibraltar Premier Division. Teams with a red background played in the 2018–19 Gibraltar Second Division.
Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| Team | Manager | Captain | Kit manufacturer | Club sponsor | 2018–19 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boca Gibraltar |  Craig Cowell |
 Julio Bado |
ES | Coral Kids Come First |
10th |
| Bruno's Magpies |  Juan Maria Sánchez |
Brian Perez |
Joma | GVC Holdings Chestertons |
1st |
| College 1975 | Ángel Espinosa |
Nazim Hughes |
Joma | 5th | |
| Europa | Rafa Escobar |
Liam Walker |
Jako | La Parrilla Betfred |
2nd |
| Europa Point | Ian Hendon |
Antony Moulds |
Admiral | Isolas | 2nd |
| Glacis United |  Michele Di Piedi |
Michele Di Piedi |
Nike | 8th | |
| Lincoln Red Imps | Germán Crespo |
Roy Chipolina |
adidas | Mansion.com | 1st |
| Lions Gibraltar | Albert Ferri |
Alberto Caravaca |
Givova | 9th | |
| Lynx | Albert Parody |
Mohamed Badr |
Givova (home) Zaror (away) |
Resolve Salvage & Fire | 7th |
| Manchester 62 |  David Wilson |
Robert Montovio |
Joma | CEPSA GIB | 4th |
| Mons Calpe |  Luis Manuel Blanco |
Kivan Castle |
Joma | 4th | |
| St Joseph's | Raúl Procopio Baizán |
Boro |
Joma | M Price | 3rd |
Managerial changes
| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Position in table | Incoming manager | Date of appointment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boca Gibraltar | Allen Bula |
End of contract | 20 May 2019 | Pre-season | Christian Ressa |
24 July 2019 |
| Europa Point | José Ramón Rojas |
25 May 2019 | Allen Bula |
20 June 2019[13] | ||
| Glacis United | Jesús Napolitano |
25 May 2019 |  Bennie Brinkman |
1 July 2019 | ||
| College 1975 | Nolan Bosio |
Resigned | 25 May 2019 | Jesús Cano |
1 June 2019 | |
| Mons Calpe | Luis Manuel Blanco |
28 May 2019 |  William |
11 June 2019[14] | ||
| Leo | Paco Sánchez |
Moved to Assistant Manager | 15 June 2019 | Dani Amaya |
15 June 2019[15] | |
| Manchester 62 | Jonathan Sodi |
Resigned | 19 June 2019 | Jeff Wood |
19 June 2019[16] | |
| Mons Calpe | William |
10 July 2019 | David Sanz |
19 July 2019[17] | ||
| David Sanz |
30 July 2019 | Lorenzo Morón |
1 August 2019[18] | |||
| Lynx | Carlos Gobantes |
Signed by Mons Calpe U23 | 1 August 2019 | Albert Parody |
2 August 2019 | |
| Glacis United | Bennie Brinkman |
Mutual consent | 3 September 2019 | 11th | Michele Di Piedi |
3 September 2019 |
| Bruno's Magpies | David Wilson |
Sacked | 3 October 2019 | 5th | Alfonso Cortijo |
18 October 2019 |
| Mons Calpe | Lorenzo Morón |
11 October 2019 | 6th | Leonardo Vela |
18 October 2019 | |
| Boca Gibraltar | Christian Ressa |
Moved to Assistant Manager | 18 October 2019 | 11th | Juan Maria Sánchez |
18 October 2019 |
| Manchester 62 | Jeff Wood |
Mutual consent | 21 October 2019 | 8th | David Wilson |
5 November 2019[19] |
| Europa Point | Allen Bula |
Resigned | 8 November 2019 | 10th | Ian Hendon |
26 November 2019 |
| Boca Gibraltar | Juan Maria Sánchez |
8 November 2019 | 8th | Juan Carlos Camacho |
12 November 2019 | |
| Lincoln Red Imps | Víctor Afonso |
Mutual consent | 19 December 2019[20] | 3rd | Germán Crespo |
4 January 2020 |
| Mons Calpe | Leonardo Vela |
1 January 2020 | 7th | Luis Manuel Blanco |
1 January 2020 | |
| Bruno's Magpies | Alfonso Cortijo |
Resigned | 3 January 2020 | 5th | Juan Maria Sánchez |
3 January 2020 |
| Boca Gibraltar | Juan Carlos Camacho |
Mutual consent | 9 January 2020 | 9th | Craig Cowell |
9 January 2020 |
| College 1975 | Jesús Cano |
Sacked | 1 February 2020 | 12th | Ángel Espinosa |
1 February 2020 |
League table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation[a] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Europa (C, Q) | 17 | 16 | 1 | 0 | 85 | 9 | +76 | 49 | Qualification for the Champions League first qualifying round[b] |
| 2 | St Joseph's (Q) | 17 | 14 | 2 | 1 | 58 | 15 | +43 | 44 | Qualification to the Europa League preliminary round |
| 3 | Lincoln Red Imps (Q) | 17 | 13 | 0 | 4 | 68 | 15 | +53 | 39 | |
| 4 | Lynx | 17 | 9 | 2 | 6 | 37 | 30 | +7 | 29 | |
| 5 | Bruno's Magpies | 17 | 7 | 0 | 10 | 29 | 41 | −12 | 21 | |
| 6 | Lions Gibraltar | 17 | 4 | 3 | 10 | 30 | 55 | −25 | 15 | |
| 7 | Mons Calpe | 18 | 10 | 3 | 5 | 49 | 29 | +20 | 33 | |
| 8 | Europa Point | 18 | 7 | 4 | 7 | 35 | 38 | −3 | 25 | |
| 9 | Manchester 62 | 18 | 6 | 1 | 11 | 21 | 49 | −28 | 19 | |
| 10 | Boca Gibraltar | 17 | 4 | 4 | 9 | 30 | 45 | −15 | 16 | |
| 11 | Glacis United | 17 | 3 | 1 | 13 | 21 | 56 | −35 | 10 | |
| 12 | College 1975 | 18 | 0 | 1 | 17 | 18 | 99 | −81 | 1 | |
| 13 | Olympique 13[c] (D, R) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Disqualified before the end of the season |
| 14 | Leo[d] (D, R) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Did not start the season |
| 15 | Gibraltar United[e] (R, D) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 16 | Gibraltar Phoenix[f] (R) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 17 | Hound Dogs[g] (T) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Will play in the 2019–20 Gibraltar Intermediate League since they were granted special permission by the Gibraltar FA to participate as a senior side. |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored
(C) Champions; (D) Disqualified; (Q) Qualified for the phase indicated; (R) Relegated; (T) Qualified, but not yet for the particular phase indicated
Notes:
- Teams play each other once (11 matches), before the league splits into two groups (the top six and the bottom six) for the last 10 matches.
- Europa were crowned de facto champions after the season ended due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Gibraltar.
- On 22 August, it was reported that Olympique 13 were at risk of withdrawing from the league, having forfeited their game against Europa due to a shortage of players.[21] They were expelled on 11 September after forfeiting their next games.
- On 13 August 2019, Leo withdrew after a takeover by King's Lynn Town owner Stephen Cleeve was blocked by the GFA.[22]
- On 7 August 2019, Gibraltar United were threatened with expulsion if they failed to repay debts by 12 August.[23] It was revealed that the club had until the following Monday to repay all of their debts or face expulsion. On 12 August 2019, the team were expelled for not repaying their debts.
- On 9 August, Gibraltar Phoenix withdrew from the league,[24] with club owners citing heavy losses in recent years and a lack of success in selling the club to potential investors as the main reasons to cease operations.
- Hound Dogs dropped down to the 2019–20 Gibraltar Intermediate League, having been granted special dispensation by the GFA.
Results
|
|
Season statistics
Scoring
- As of 12 March 2020[25]
Top scorers
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Juanfri |
St Joseph's | 24 |
| 2 | Liam Walker |
Europa | 21 |
| 3 | Kike Gómez |
Lincoln Red Imps | 15 |
| 4 | Manu Dimas |
Europa | 14 |
| 5 | Germán Cortés |
Boca Gibraltar | 12 |
| Juampe |
Europa | ||
| Alberto Caravaca |
Lions Gibraltar | ||
| Boro |
St Joseph's | ||
| 9 | Sergio Molina Rivero |
Lincoln Red Imps | 9 |
| Gato |
Lincoln Red Imps | ||
Hat-tricks
| Player | For | Against | Result | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boro | St Joseph's | College 1975 | 7–0 (H) | 19 August 2019 |
| Leonardo Carboni | Mons Calpe | College 1975 | 9–1 (A) | 24 August 2019 |
| Gato | Lincoln Red Imps | College 1975 | 9–1 (H) | 19 September 2019 |
| Sergio Molina Rivero | Lincoln Red Imps | College 1975 | 9–1 (H) | 19 September 2019 |
| Sergio Molina Rivero | Lincoln Red Imps | Lions Gibraltar | 7–1 (A) | 29 September 2019 |
| Juanfri4 | St Joseph's | Glacis United | 8–1 (H) | 20 October 2019 |
| Boro4 | St Joseph's | Glacis United | 8–1 (H) | 20 October 2019 |
| Germán Cortés | Boca Gibraltar | College 1975 | 4–0 (A) | 24 October 2019 |
| Juanfri | St Joseph's | Lions Gibraltar | 4–0 (A) | 26 October 2019 |
| Manu Dimas | Europa | College 1975 | 12–0 (A) | 1 November 2019 |
| Liam Walker | Europa | College 1975 | 12–0 (A) | 1 November 2019 |
| Juanfri | St Joseph's | Mons Calpe | 6–0 (A) | 24 November 2019 |
 Kike Gómez | Lincoln Red Imps | Boca Gibraltar | 8–1 (A) | 27 November 2019 |
| Juampe | Europa | Glacis United | 6–2 (H) | 29 November 2019 |
| Manu Dimas | Europa | Lions Gibraltar | 5–0 (H) | 17 January 2020 |
| Julian Del Rio | Lincoln Red Imps | Lynx | 5–0 (H) | 18 January 2020 |
| Dylan Hernández | Lynx | Bruno's Magpies | 3–1 (H) | 1 February 2020 |
 James Adams | Boca Gibraltar | College 1975 | 7–5 (H) | 20 February 2020 |
| Germán Cortés | Boca Gibraltar | College 1975 | 7–5 (H) | 20 February 2020 |
| José Oncala4 | College 1975 | Boca Gibraltar | 5–7 (A) | 20 February 2020 |
 Sunday Emmanuel | Lincoln Red Imps | Lions Gibraltar | 7–1 (H) | 21 February 2020 |
| Andre Dos Santos | Mons Calpe | Manchester 62 | 11–1 (A) | 12 March 2020 |
| Santiago Pastorini | Mons Calpe | Manchester 62 | 11–1 (A) | 12 March 2020 |
Clean Sheets
| Rank | Player | Club | Clean sheets |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jamie Robba |
St Joseph's | 7 |
| Dayle Coleing |
Europa | ||
| 2 | Christian Fraiz |
Mons Calpe | 6 |
| 4 | Javi Muñoz |
Europa | 5 |
| Kyle Goldwin |
Lincoln Red Imps | ||
| 6 | Bradley Banda |
Lynx | 4 |
| 7 | Francisco Pérez |
Lions Gibraltar | 3 |
| Matt Cafer |
Bruno's Magpies | ||
| Frank Warwick |
Manchester 62 | ||
| 10 | Jordan Perez |
Boca Gibraltar | 2 |
| Conor O'Keefe[a] |
Bruno's Magpies | ||
| Ivan Moreno |
Glacis United | ||
| Manuel Soler |
Lincoln Red Imps | ||
- Includes 2 clean sheets for Europa Point.
Awards
Player of the week
|
|
Monthly awards
| Month | Manager of the Month | Player of the Month | Reference | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manager | Club | Player | Club | ||
| August | Albert Parody |
Lynx | Alberto Valdivia |
Lynx | [44] |
| September | Víctor Afonso |
Lincoln Red Imps | Sergio Molina Rivero |
Lincoln Red Imps | [45] |
| October | Víctor Afonso |
Lincoln Red Imps | Juanfri |
St Joseph's | [46] |
| November | Rafa Escobar |
Europa | Liam Walker |
Europa | [47] |
| December | Albert Ferri |
Lions Gibraltar | Alberto Caravaca |
Lions Gibraltar | [48] |
| January | Rafa Escobar |
Europa | Julian Del Rio |
Lincoln Red Imps | [49] |
| February | Rafa Escobar |
Europa | Dayle Coleing |
Europa | [50] |
End-of-season awards
End of season awards were handed out by Football Gibraltar, the Gibraltar Football Association's official UEFA correspondents, on 28 May and 2 June 2020.[51][52][53]
| Award | Winner | Club | Nominees | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Player | Club | |||
| Manager of the Season | Rafa Escobar |
Europa | 2 | Raúl Procopio Baizán |
St Joseph's |
| 3 | Albert Ferri |
Lions Gibraltar | |||
| 4 | Albert Parody |
Lynx | |||
| Goalkeeper of the Season | Dayle Coleing |
Europa | 2 | Jamie Robba |
St Joseph's |
| 3 | Kyle Goldwin |
Lincoln Red Imps | |||
| 4 | Bradley Banda |
Lynx | |||
| Defender of the Season | Olmo González |
Europa | 2 | Sergio Sánchez |
Europa |
| 3 | Ezequiel Rojas |
St Joseph's | |||
| 4 |  Bernardo Lopes |
Lincoln Red Imps | |||
| Midfielder of the Season | Liam Walker |
Europa | 2 | Christian Pecci |
St Joseph's |
| 3 | Alejandro Avilés |
Europa | |||
| 4 | Dan Bent |
Bruno's Magpies | |||
| Striker of the Season | Juanfri |
St Joseph's | 2 | Juampe |
Europa |
| 3 | Kike Gómez |
Lincoln Red Imps | |||
| 4 | Alberto Caravaca |
Lions Gibraltar | |||
| Player of the Season | Liam Walker |
Europa | 2 | Juanfri |
St Joseph's |
| 3 | Juampe |
Europa | |||
| Young Player of the Season | Jayce Olivero |
Europa | 2 | Ethan Britto |
Lincoln Red Imps |
| 3 | Jaron Vinet |
Bruno's Magpies | |||
| Challenge Group Player of the Season | Andre dos Santos |
Mons Calpe | N/A | ||
| Challenge Group Young Player of the Season | Ayoub El Hmidi |
Mons Calpe | N/A | ||
| Fans' Player of the Season | Liam Walker |
Europa | 2 | Dayle Coleing |
Europa |
| 3 | Kike Gómez |
Lincoln Red Imps | |||
| Fans' Young Player of the Season | Ayoub El Hmidi |
Mons Calpe | 2 | Jayce Olivero |
Europa |
| 3 | Ethan Britto |
Lincoln Red Imps | |||
- Fans' Team of the Season
| Goalkeeper | Defenders | Midfielders | Forwards |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dayle Coleing |
Jack Sergeant Bernardo Lopes Olmo González Jayce Olivero |
Lee Casciaro Nacho Fernández Aymen Mouelhi Liam Walker |
Juanfri Kike Gómez |