The Chagos Islands national football team is a football team representing the territory of the
Chagos Archipelago in the
Indian Ocean. However, this area, which falls under the administration of the
British Indian Ocean Territory, is uninhabited save for the presence of a
US military base on the island of
Diego Garcia, after the
United Kingdomevicted the local population between 1967 and 1973. As a consequence, the team in fact represents the
Chagossian diaspora around the world.
They were led by
Sussex-based manager
Jimmy Ferrar, who has previously managed at
Oakwood,
Crawley Down and
Alfold where he won the Southern Combination Div 1 for season 2018/19 until June 2024 when a number of players expressed a desire to play under the British Indian Ocean Territory name leading to a split and two separate teams under different names representing the territory.
Background
Union Chagossiene de Football years
In 2004, following the granting of Chagossians living in the
UK the right to apply for a
British passport, a group of islanders living near
Crawley in
West Sussex founded a governing body for football among their community, and the wider worldwide Chagossian diaspora, with a view to forming a national team. This resulted in the formation of the Union Chagossiene de Football, which joined the
N.F.-Board, an international body for national football teams unable to join
FIFA, in 2005.[2] Amongst the activities the UCF undertook was organizing a club side, Chagos Islands F.C., which played in the
Crawley and District Football League until it was disbanded in 2010. With no immediate UK domestic outlet for their players to play, the UCF attempted to promote the side in the international arena, attempting to take a team to the
2010 Viva World Cup in
Gozo. However, owing to the association's financial situation, and the wholly amateur status of the players, this was not possible.[2] Attempts to reform the club side in another local league in Sussex also failed, leading to the team training regularly, but not playing.
In December 2011, a friendly was finally arranged with the
Raetia football team, another member of the N.F.-Board, who not only came to the UK, but also brought a full set of kit for the Chagossian team to use. The game was played at the ground of
Oakwood F.C., for whom Chagossian straker Mervin Bhujan was a player, and who arranged use of the stadium, and led to a 6–1 victory for the Chagos Islands. This led to hopes that the team would be able to participate more fully in N.F.-Board events, but lack of finances again meant this was to prove impossible.[2]
In May 2012, a second match was organized, this time against
Sealand. This was a first "away" game for the Chagossians, played at the home of
Godalming Town F.C. in
Surrey, which was used by Sealand for their home games, and resulted in a second consecutive win for the Chagos Islands.[3] However, in spite of successfully staging a pair of games, the UCF was forced to fold.
Chagos Football Association years
In February 2013, a new organization, the Chagos Football Association, was formed by
Sabrina Jean and others to continue the management of the Chagos team.[4][5][6][7][8][9] The first match organized under the new body was a game against Sealand, taking place in February 2014 at Godalming, and which saw the Chagossians suffer their first defeat.[10][11] A third game was quickly organized, this time taking place at the home of
Crawley Town F.C., in May 2014, ending in a 1–1 draw.[12]
In February 2014, around the same time as playing their second fixture against Sealand, the CFA joined
ConIFA, in an attempt to find more regular games.[13] The team played its first official fixture against another member of ConIFA when they turned out for a game against
Somaliland in London in November 2014, again ending in a 1–1 draw.[14] In 2015, the CFA announced its intention to attempt to qualify to participate in its first tournament, the
ConIFA World Football Cup, via ConIFA's recently announced qualification process, by participating in a tournament hosted by Raetia, the Benedikt Fontana Cup.[15] Originally planned as a three-team tournament, this altered into a two-legged play-off between the hosts and the Chagossians. However, just before the tie was due to take place, the Chagossians were forced to withdraw.[16] This did not stop the ambition of the CFA to participate, with a fundraising effort to help the team make it to the
2016 tournament in
Abkhazia announced in October 2015.[17] To this end, the team played another friendly against
Panjab in December 2015, which saw the team suffer its heaviest defeat 4–1.[18]
In January 2016, the Chagos Islands were announced as one of the 12 participants in the 2016 World Football Cup.[19] The opportunity to participate in a first ever overseas tournament led to a drive to raise the money necessary to allow the team to make the journey to Abkhazia.[20] The Chagos Islands were successful in raising the necessary funds and took part in the
2016 ConIFA World Football Cup, however the team failed to win a single game and suffer 2 of their biggest defeats in the group stage, 9–0 loss to Panjab and 12–0 loss to Western Armenia, the team subsequently lost 3–2 to Somaliland and lost on penalties to Raetia after drawing 3–3 in their final game of the tournament.
Following the 2016 World Football Cup the Chagos Islands participated in the World Unity Cup, originally organised by
Darfur United, who later withdrew, the Chagos Islands would play 3 games in total against Barawa, recording their first victory since 2012, 3–2 in the opening game, before losing two games against
Tamil Eelam, both 5–1, with all games played at
Gander Green Lane, home of
Sutton United FC.[21]
In 2017, the Chagos Islands participated in the Niamh Challenge Cup, organised by
Ellan Vannin, for a place in the
2018 CONIFA World Football Cup. [22] The Chagos Islands would play two games, losing both to Barawa, 3–0, and Ellan Vannin, 14–0. This meant the team failed to qualify for the 2018 CONIFA World Football Cup hosted by Barawa in London.
In 2018, the Chagos Islands played friendly fixtures against new CONIFA members
Yorkshire and Barawa, losing both games. Following the sudden withdrawal of Ellan Vannin partway through the 2018 CONIFA World Football Cup after a controversial decision of the inclusion of an alleged ineligible player the Chagos Islands played two friendlies against
Matabeleland and
Tuvalu.[23][24]
Jimmy Ferrar Era
In early 2019, the Chagos Islands played a friendly against the county of
Surrey, recording their first win since 2016, a 3–2 victory over the hosts in
Merstham. Following losses to
Cascadia,
Parishes of Jersey and
Kernow the team appointed Jimmy Ferrar as their new manager.[25]
The Chagos Islands would go on to play a number of games over the final months of 2019, a Yorkshire-based charity team, local non-FIFA side Surrey, and
Panjab.[26] Like teams across the world the Chagos Islands were unable to play in 2020 due to the
COVID-19 pandemic and were unable to participate in the
2020 CONIFA World Football Cup in
North Macedonia.[27]
In July 2020, the Chagos Islands were announced as co-founding members of the
World Unity Football Alliance a new governing body of non-FIFA international football. [28] and were later announced as participants of the inaugural
WUFA World Series hosted by International Surrey Football and played behind closed doors in May 2021 at
Merrist Wood College, near
Guildford in Surrey.[29]
The team would record a 3–1 semi-final victory over hosts Surrey before a 2–2 draw in the final against Barawa saw the game being decided by penalties. The Chagos Islands won 5–4 on penalties to claim their first-ever piece of silverware.[30]