FIFA membership opens new era for Gibraltarian football - Beiso

Membership of FIFA will open up a new era for Gibraltarian football, the secretary general of the Gibraltar FA said yesterday on his return from Mexico City.

Dennis Beiso was part of a five-strong GFA team that attended the FIFA Congress in Mexico and lobbied hard ahead of last Friday’s vote.

In another development, the Court of Arbitration for Sport [CAS] has ordered FIFA to pay the costs of the arbitration that finally cleared the way for Gibraltar to be admitted into FIFA.

FIFA must also pay one hundred thousand Swiss francs, about £71,000, to the Gibraltar FA for its legal fees and other expenses relating to the arbitration proceedings, according to documents circulated at the FIFA Congress last week and posted on the FIFA website.

Details of the costs ruling came to light after the FIFA Congress voted by 93% to admit Gibraltar as a full member of world football’s governing body.

Yesterday, the five-strong team of senior GFA officials who attended the FIFA Congress in Mexico returned to a warm welcome from the Chief Minister Fabian Picardo at No 6 Convent Place.

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