Govt will ‘of course’ back Gibraltar Rugby should Spain challenge admission to Rugby Europe 

The Gibraltar Government will “of course” continue to back Gibraltar Rugby should Spain seek to challenge its recent admission to Rugby Europe, the sport’s European governing body. 

The position was confirmed by Leslie Bruzon, the Minister for Sport, as he answered Opposition questions in Parliament on Tuesday. 

Gibraltar was accepted into Rugby Europe last December after years of work but the announcement was immediately followed by news that the Royal Spanish Rugby Federation planned to challenge the decision. 

The Spanish federation expressed “deep dissatisfaction and total opposition” to Gibraltar’s admission and said it would “exhaust all legal avenues to seek to overturn the decision”. 

In a statement at the time, the federation said it had long worked alongside Spain’s Consejo Superior de Deportes and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to prevent both the approval of Rugby Europe’s revised statutes and consideration of Gibraltar’s candidacy.

It described opposition to Gibraltar’s membership as “a legal and political battle” it had pursued from the outset, arguing the decision on Gibraltar was the culmination of a process with “serious flaws”. 

The federation said it had formally appealed the votes and filed Rugby Europe’s new statutes before a Paris court, adding it considered them “not in accordance with the law”.

The previous statues made it harder for territories like Gibraltar to join but were changed following a legal case in France.

According to the statement, Spain’s position is that the new statutes should be annulled so that Rugby Europe returns to being an organisation composed exclusively of countries, excluding colonies and non-autonomous territories. 

On Monday in Parliament, Keith Azopardi, the Leader of the Opposition, asked: “Will the Government provide funding to Gibraltar Rugby for legal assistance, should it so require it, to defend its position in light of the prospective legal challenge from the Spanish Rugby Federation?”  

“Any prospective challenge to Gibraltar’s admission to Rugby Europe would have to be brought by the Spanish federation against Rugby Europe, not against Gibraltar Rugby,” Mr Bruzon replied. 

“The Gibraltar Government has stood by and supported Gibraltar Rugby throughout this long and arduous process, culminating in its well-deserved success in obtaining a rightful admission to Rugby Europe.” 

Mr Bruzon noted that Gibraltar Rugby had acknowledged the backing and “incredible guidance” provided by Attorney General Michael Llamas since 2011, and the support shown by the Chief Minister throughout the process.  

“The Gibraltar Government will continue to support Gibraltar Rugby in any further support it may require, despite the payment of such legal fees not being a legal obligation,” Mr Bruzon added. 

“But it is exactly what the GSLP/Liberals have [done] in the past without having to answer any questions in Parliament.” 

Mr Azopardi, a former rugby player himself, welcomed the confirmation of continued support from the Government. 

He asked whether that would include backing Gibraltar Rugby if there was any opportunity for it to intervene in any potential case by Spain against Rugby Europe in international courts such as the Court of Arbitration for Sport. 

“If necessary, should they require support, the Government has already invested a lot of time and money in this application, so of course we will back the Rugby Union,” Mr Bruzon replied. 

Gibraltar played its first official friendly international under Associate membership of Rugby Europe against Finland this past weekend, recording their first victory.  

Among one of the conditions for full membership, Gibraltar Rugby would be required to show it has a national team and is ready to play international matches, a criteria it has already started to fulfil just weeks after its admission into Rugby Europe.