Cyprus is in search of what seems like a footballing miracle to clinch its first points in the EURO 2024 qualifiers against Spain tonight in Limassol.
The national team is facing ‘La Roja’ at the Alphamega stadium at 7 p.m.
Temuri Ketsbaia’s side is facing intense criticism as the Cypriot national team is in the midst of a disastrous qualifying campaign with zero points taken out of seven games, during which it conceded 25 goals and scored only twice.
On their part, the Spaniards have already qualified but need a win to secure first place in group A against in-form Scotland, with whom they are tied on 15 points.
Issuing a rare rallying cry to his teammates in a press conference ahead of tonight’s game, experienced defender Konstantinos Laifis said “We have to prove to ourselves that we can do much more than we have shown.”
Cypriot football fans, as well as former players and coaches, are disappointed by the lack of progress the national team has shown in recent years, at a time when other footballing minnows such as Luxembourg, Iceland, Georgia, Malta, Wales and the Faroe Islands – some of them once an easy prey for Cyprus – have made strides forward.
Instead, Cyprus has plummeted to the 124th position in the FIFA rankings, seeing their progress not only stall but record a steady decline in the last tournaments after a near-miss to qualify for the World Cup playoffs in 2014, under the guidance of Pambos Christodoulou.
“The Federation must also take some initiative. It should not be optional to use Cypriot players, but mandatory. It will definitely help the national team to improve,” stated Spaniard Xani Roca who works as a sporting director at AEK Larnaca.
This month, the Cypriot first division ranked number one on a list of the top 48 leagues in the world for its percentage of foreign-born players. The CIES Football Observatory found that 70.8% of players in Cyprus’ top division are foreign.
The lack of game time for Cypriots has affected the national team which once was able to clinch results such as a 5-2 home win against the Republic of Ireland (EURO 2008 qualifiers) and a 4-4 away draw against peak Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal (EURO 2012 qualifiers).
“We need to show more trust in Cypriots. I believe that there are good players in our teams. One solution is for more Cypriots to go abroad, play and gain more experience,” coach Ketsbaia said, urging more players to follow Laifis’ example who left Cyprus a decade ago to become an integral part of Standard Liege’s squad in Belgium, winning two domestic cup titles with them.
Cyprus has faced Spain nine times in the past, recording eight losses and a famous home win in 1998.
Their previous game against the Spaniards last September ended in a 6-0 defeat in Granada.
Tonight’s game will be broadcast live by CyBC and CyBC HD.
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