This week (20th May 2008), the Breton national football team proved their worth against Congo by beating them in a decisive 3-1 victory at St Brieuc, Breizh/Brittany.

The Breton team is a professional football team, but are not affiliated to the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) or the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) like Cymru/Wales, Alba/Scotland or Éire/Republic of Ireland. Neither is the team affiliated to the NF-Board (New Federation-Board), an association made up of teams that represent nations that are not recognized as sovereign states.

As in the case of Galicia, Breton membership of international football bodies - allowing them to play in an official capacity representing their nation - is continually blocked by their host states. Football's governing body in France, the French Football Federation (Fédération Française de Football), a founding member of FIFA, has worked against attempts by the Bretons to apply for FIFA and UEFA membership.

In December 2007 however, as reported in Celtic news, the Galician government made an agreement with the Basque and Catalan governments calling for closer cooperation in the increased recognition and participation of their respective national teams at an international level. The Spanish Football Association, like the FFF, attempts to exclude these three nations from playing football at an international level, with the most recent planned match between the USA and Catalonia being banned in October 2007.

The first international match that the Breton football team played was against Normandy, France in 1921 (2-1, Breizh win), but the next game did not take place until 1998 when Breizh played Cameroon (1-1 draw). The victory against Congo, who won the African Nations Cup in 1972, proves that the Breton side can easily compete at an international level. Perhaps a series of 'friendly games between Breizh and other National Celtic teams, could be arranged for some time in the future?

J B Moffatt Director of Information Celtic League

22/05/08

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