San Marino national football team

San Marino
Nickname(s) La Serenissima
Association Federazione Sammarinese Giuoco Calcio
Confederation UEFA (Europe)
Head coach Franco Varrella
Captain Aldo Simoncini
Most caps Andy Selva (74)
Top scorer Andy Selva (8)
Home stadium San Marino Stadium
FIFA code SMR
First colours
Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current 204 Decrease 1 (20 September 2018)
Highest 118 (September 1993)
Lowest 208 (July – October 2014)
Elo ranking
Current 204 Decrease 1 (1 October 2018)
Highest 165 (16 September 1987)
Lowest 205 (8 September 2015)
First international

unofficial:
 San Marino 0–1 Canada Canada
(Serravalle, San Marino; 28 March 1986)
official:

 San Marino 0–4 Switzerland  
(Serravalle, San Marino; 14 November 1990)
Biggest win
 San Marino 1–0 Liechtenstein 
(Serravalle, San Marino; 28 April 2004)
Biggest defeat
 San Marino 0–13 Germany 
(Serravalle, San Marino; 6 September 2006)

The San Marino national football team (Italian: Nazionale di calcio di San Marino) is the national football team of San Marino, controlled by the San Marino Football Federation (FSGC). The team represents the second smallest population of any UEFA member.

The first official game played by a San Marino team was a 4–0 defeat in a European Championships qualifier by Switzerland in 1990. Previously, a San Marino side played an unofficial match against a Canadian Olympic team in 1986, losing 1–0 (goal: James Grimes). Since making their competitive bow, San Marino have competed in the qualifiers of every European Championship and World Cup, but have never won a match in either competition. They have only ever won one game, beating Liechtenstein 1–0 in a friendly match on 28 April 2004.

Until November 2014, San Marino were tied in last place in the FIFA World Rankings, a run that lasted since the rankings were given a new calculation methodology. They were tied for last with Bhutan, (208th) in the October 2014 rankings,[1] a 0–0 draw with Estonia during the Euro 2016 qualifying rounds ended their tenure at the foot of the rankings. The national side scored their first away goal in fourteen years against another Baltic side, Lithuania, during the same qualifying rounds.

San Marino's national team is often considered the worst national side in the history of the sport, having only ever won a single match of the 151 they've played, conceded 659 goals and scored only 23, conceding an average of 4.38 goals per game.[2]

History

Though the San Marino Football Federation formed in 1931, the federation did not establish a national team until 1986, when a team representing the Federation played Canada's Olympic team in an unofficial international. San Marino gained affiliation to governing bodies FIFA and UEFA in 1988,[3] allowing the team to participate in major championships. Prior to this, Sammarinese players had been considered Italian in international football contexts.[4]

San Marino's first match in a FIFA sanctioned competition was against Switzerland on 14 November 1990 in a qualifier for the 1992 European Championships. San Marino lost 4–0, and went to lose all eight qualifiers. The team particularly struggled in away matches, losing every one by at least four goals. San Marino scored only one goal, a penalty in a 3–1 defeat at home by Romania,[5] and conceded 33 goals in total.[6]

For their first World Cup qualifying campaign, San Marino were drawn in a group with England, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland and Turkey. The opening match resulted in a 10–0 hammering at the hands of Norway. The return match was less one-sided, finishing 2–0 to the Norwegians. A 4–1 defeat in Turkey saw San Marino score their first World Cup goal, and a 0–0 draw against the same opposition on 10 March 1993 gave them their first ever point. In their final qualifier, against England, Davide Gualtieri scored the then-fastest goal in World Cup Qualifying history—after 8.3 seconds—though the team went on to lose 7–1.[7] San Marino finished the campaign with one point, and conceded 46 goals in 10 matches.[8]

The team's qualification campaign for Euro 1996 followed a similar pattern to that of the previous European championships, as they lost every game. A match away to Finland gave San Marino their first goal away from home in the European championships, but the team lost 4–1.[9] Their only other goal came in a 3–1 home defeat by the Faroe Islands; the two wins over San Marino were the only points gained by the Faroe Islands in the group. In the return match, a 3–0 scoreline in Toftir, is the Faroe Islands record competitive win.[10]

Even by Sammarinese standards, qualification for the 1998 World Cup was disappointing. Losing every game by three goals or more, San Marino failed to score a single goal.[11] This is the only World Cup qualifying tournament in which they have failed to score. Qualification for Euro 2000 again resulted in defeats in every game. The closest game was against Cyprus, a 1–0 defeat on 18 November 1998.[12]

In April 2001, San Marino gained their first ever away point, drawing 1–1 with Latvia in Riga.[13] The team ended the 2002 World Cup qualifying group with a new best of three goals, though one of these came in a 10–1 defeat by Belgium. In Euro 2004 qualifying San Marino lost all eight matches, failing to score. The closest result was a 1–0 home defeat by Latvia, with the winner scored in the last minute.[14]

In April 2004, San Marino gained their first, and as of September 2016 only, win in their 65th attempt, a 1–0 victory over Liechtenstein in a friendly on 28 April 2004 courtesy of a fifth-minute goal by Andy Selva. The match was Martin Andermatt's debut as Liechtenstein manager.[15] Results during qualification for the 2006 World Cup followed a similar vein to previous qualifying groups. Matches were generally one-sided defeats, with the exception of single goal defeats at home by Lithuania and Belgium.[16]

San Marino's opening Euro 2008 qualifying match resulted in a record 13–0 defeat at home by Germany on 6 September 2006.[17] They scored only twice and conceded fifty-seven goals in losing all twelve matches, although the home matches against Ireland, Cyprus and Wales were each lost by a single goal.[18]

In the qualification campaign for the 2010 World Cup, they lost all ten matches played and failed to qualify. They conceded 47 goals in those fixtures, including 10 in a defeat by Poland, which became Poland's highest scoring victory of all time,[19] and scored just once, in a 3–1 defeat by Slovakia.[20] The Qualifiers for UEFA Euro 2012 started in a similar way, the first nine matches all being defeats with an aggregate of 49 goals conceded and none scored, their best result being a one-goal loss to Finland at home, with the worst being a heavy 11–0 loss to the Netherlands, which became the Netherlands' highest scoring victory of all time and San Marino's worst-ever away defeat.[21] This was then followed up by two lighter defeats, a 5–0 home loss against Sweden, before completing the campaign with a 4–0 away loss to Moldova.

On 10 September 2013, Alessandro Della Valle scored San Marino's first competitive goal in five years. With the score 0–1 to Poland in the Serravalle stadium, he headed in a free-kick in the 22nd minute, beating A.F.C. Bournemouth goalkeeper Artur Boruc at his front post. Poland then regained the lead a minute later, eventually winning 5–1. It was the first international goal of any kind scored by San Marino since the national team lost 3–2 at home to Malta, the second time (after a 2–2 friendly draw against Liechtenstein away in 2003) the national team has scored more than once in any given international at senior level.

On 15 November 2014, San Marino drew 0–0 at home against Estonia.[22] It was the first time in ten years that the team had not lost a game, ending a 61–match losing streak,[22] and securing the country's first ever point in a European Championship qualifier.[22]

On October 2016, Mattia Stefanelli scored against Norway in a 4-1 loss to San Marino. Stefanelli was also fouled earlier in the game.[23]

Stadium

San Marino play home matches at the San Marino Stadium, a municipally owned stadium in Serravalle which also hosts the matches of club side San Marino Calcio.[24] It has a capacity of 7,000.[25] Crowds are low, and on occasion travelling supporters outnumber the Sammarinese support. For example, in the fixture against the Republic of Ireland in February 2007, 2,500 of the 3,294 crowd were Irish supporters.[26][27]

San Marino have played two "home" matches outside their borders. For World Cup qualifiers against England and the Netherlands in 1993 the Stadio Renato Dall'Ara in Bologna was used.

Reputation

San Marino once had the smallest population of any UEFA country,[25] until the May 2013 election of Gibraltar.[28] The republic has never won a competitive fixture and its poor record has led the country to gain a very low reputation in world football. A 2004 1–0 friendly win against Liechtenstein remains their sole victory to date.

The national side is mainly composed of amateur players. Only a small number of players are professionals, with many holding second jobs outside of the sport. Their 13–0 defeat at home by Germany is a European Championship record,[17] and they have conceded ten goals on four other separate occasions.

In the FIFA World Rankings, San Marino traditionally have the lowest rank of any UEFA country. Since the creation of FIFA rankings in 1992, San Marino's average position has been 176th.[29]

In 2001, Latvia manager Gary Johnson resigned after failing to beat San Marino in a World Cup qualifier.[30] The Republic of Ireland's 2–1 win in February 2007 (due to a last-second goal) resulted in scathing press criticism.[31]

San Marino set a European record when they went over 20 games without scoring between October 2008 and August 2012.[32] On 8 September 2015, San Marino scored its first away goal in 14 years when Matteo Vitaioli scored against Lithuania in Euro 2016 qualification.[33][34]

Recent results and fixtures

2017

2018

San Marino all-time record against all nations

Official matches

As of 12 October 2018


Unofficial matches

As of 15 October 2013
Opponent P W D L GF GA GD Win %
 Lebanon 10100000%
 Syria 100103−30%
 Turkey 100104−40%
  Vatican City[35] 10100000%
Total402207−70%

List of matches not lost by San Marino

San Marino 0–0 Turkey
Report
Attendance: 957
Referee: Michel Piraux (Belgium)

Latvia 1–1 San Marino
Pahars  1' Report Albani  59'
Attendance: 4,000
Referee: Karen Nalbandyan (Armenia)

Liechtenstein 2–2 San Marino
Frick  16'
Burgmeier  23'
Report B. Gasperoni  39'
Ciacci  45'
Attendance: 850
Referee: Guido Wildhaber (Switzerland)

San Marino 1–0 Liechtenstein
Selva  5' Report
Attendance: 700
Referee: Ruaidhri Laird (Scotland)

World Cup record

FIFA World Cup record FIFA World Cup qualification record
Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA Pld W D L GF GA
Uruguay 1930 to Italy 1990 Did not enter Did not enter
United States 1994 Did not qualify 10 0 1 9 2 46
France 1998 8 0 0 8 0 42
South Korea Japan 2002 8 0 1 7 3 30
Germany 2006 10 0 0 10 2 40
South Africa 2010 10 0 0 10 1 47
Brazil 2014 10 0 0 10 1 54
Russia 2018 10 0 0 10 2 51
Qatar 2022 To be determined To be determined
Canada Mexico United States 2026
Total 0/21 66 0 2 64 11 310

European Championship record

Year Round Position Pld W D* L GF GA
France 1960 Did not enter
Spain 1964
Italy 1968
Belgium 1972
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia 1976
Italy 1980
France 1984
West Germany 1988
Sweden 1992 Did not qualify
England 1996
Belgium Netherlands 2000
Portugal 2004
Austria Switzerland 2008
Poland Ukraine 2012
France 2016
Europe 2020 To be determined

Mediterranean Games record

Football at the Mediterranean Games
Year Round GP W D L GS GA
Egypt 1951-000000
Spain 1955-000000
Lebanon 1959-000000
Italy 1963-000000
Tunisia 1967-000000
Turkey 1971-000000
Algeria1975-000000
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia 1979-000000
Morocco 1983-000000
Syria 1987-000000
1991 – present See San Marino national under-20 team
Total0/10000000

Managers

From 1986 to present days:

Dates Name
1986–1990 San Marino Giulio Casali
1990–1996 San Marino Giorgio Leoni
1996–1998 San Marino Massimo Bonini
1998–2013 San Marino Giampaolo Mazza
2014–2017 San Marino Pierangelo Manzaroli
2018- Italy Franco Varrella

Players

Current squad

The following is the list of players pre-selected for the 2018–19 UEFA Nations qualifier matches against Moldova on 11 October 2018 and Luxembourg on 15 October 2018.[36]
Caps and goals as of 11 October 2018 after the game against Moldova.

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1GK Aldo Simoncini (Captain) (1986-08-30) 30 August 1986 60 0 San Marino Libertas
1GK Elia Benedettini (1995-06-22) 22 June 1995 10 0 Italy Novara
1GK Matteo Zavoli (1996-07-06) 6 July 1996 0 0 San Marino Libertas

2DF Fabio Vitaioli (1984-04-05) 5 April 1984 48 0 San Marino Libertas
2DF Mirko Palazzi (1987-03-21) 21 March 1987 40 1 San Marino Tre Penne
2DF Cristian Brolli (1992-02-28) 28 February 1992 24 0 San Marino Folgore
2DF Manuel Battistini (1994-07-11) 11 July 1994 15 0 San Marino Libertas
2DF Davide Cesarini (1995-02-16) 16 February 1995 12 0 San Marino Tre Penne
2DF Alex Della Valle (1990-06-13) 13 June 1990 9 0 San Marino Faetano
2DF Andrea Grandoni (1997-03-23) 23 March 1997 6 0 San Marino San Marino Calcio

3MF Alex Gasperoni (1984-06-30) 30 June 1984 41 0 San Marino Tre Penne
3MF Alessandro Golinucci (1994-10-10) 10 October 1994 8 0 Italy Tropical Coriano
3MF Enrico Golinucci (1991-07-16) 16 July 1991 8 0 San Marino Libertas
2DF Michael Battistini (1996-10-08) 8 October 1996 5 0 San Marino Juvenes Dogana
3MF Lorenzo Lunadei (1997-07-11) 11 July 1997 3 0 Italy FYA Riccione
3MF Mattia Giardi (1991-12-15) 15 December 1991 3 0 San Marino Faetano
3MF Marcello Mularoni (1998-09-08) 8 September 1998 1 0 San Marino Faetano

4FW Matteo Vitaioli (1989-10-27) 27 October 1989 51 1 Italy Tropical Coriano
4FW Adolfo Hirsch (1986-01-31) 31 January 1986 24 0 San Marino Folgore
4FW Mattia Stefanelli (1993-03-12) 12 March 1993 15 1 San Marino La Fiorita
4FW Fabio Tomassini (1996-02-05) 5 February 1996 9 0 Italy Romagna Centro
4FW Nicolò Angelini (1992-03-15) 15 March 1992 0 0 San Marino Domagnano

Recent call-ups

The following players have been called up within the last 12 months.

Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club Latest call-up

DF Davide Simoncini (1986-08-30) 30 August 1986 52 0 San Marino Libertas v.  Moldova, 11 October 2018PRE
DF Juri Biordi (1995-01-01) 1 January 1995 6 0 San Marino Fiorentino v.  Luxembourg, 11 September 2018

MF Luca Tosi (1992-11-04) 4 November 1992 18 0 Italy Pietracuta v.  Moldova, 11 October 2018PRE

FW Danilo Rinaldi (1986-04-18) 18 April 1986 37 1 San Marino La Fiorita v.  Moldova, 11 October 2018PRE
FW Filippo Berardi (1997-05-18) 18 May 1997 6 0 Italy Monopoli v.  Moldova, 11 October 2018PRE

Coaching staff

Head coach[37]Franco Varrella
Technical assistantStefano Ceci
Fitness coachTomaso Mazzoli
Goalkeeping coachMarcello Teodorani
Team doctorPietro Bugli
PhysiotherapistLoris Balzani
MasseurTiziano Giacobbi
Official accompanyingCesare Vitaioli
Match analystLorenzo Vagnini
WarehousemanBenito Ballato
Marco Crescentini
Mauro Montanari

Kit manufacturers

Period Kit provider
1990–2010 Italy Virma
2011–2017 Germany Adidas
2018–2022 Italy Macron

Records

In January 2006, the Sammarinese Football Association named Massimo Bonini as their greatest ever player.[4] Three-times Italian Serie A champion, he is the only Sammarinese player to have won an official international competition including the European Champions' Cup and the Intercontinental Cup. Bonini represented Italy at under-21 level in the early 1980s, and he played for Juventus from 1981 to 1988, but was prevented from gaining full honours due to a rule change.[4] By the time San Marino became a full UEFA member, Bonini was in his thirties, but gained 19 caps between 1990 and 1995.[38]

After retiring from playing, Bonini became San Marino's manager,[4] succeeding Giorgio Leoni. He held the position until 1998, when he was replaced by Giampaolo Mazza. As of 2012, Mazza is the longest-serving manager of any European national team. Though he gave up his position after their 2014 FIFA World Cup Qualification campaign, giving way to former u-21s boss Pierangelo Manzaroli.[39]

The appearance record for San Marino is held by Andy Selva, who has 74 caps. He is also the record goalscorer with eight goals.[40]

San Marino's player Davide Gualtieri scored the second fastest goal ever in a Fifa match against England. In the match, which took place in Bologna, Italy, San Marino had the kick-off and the ball was quickly played through the inside-right channel. England defender Stuart Pearce attempted a back-pass to goalkeeper David Seaman. Pearce's pass was under-hit and Gualtieri ran on to touch the ball past Seaman. The goal was timed at 8.3 seconds, which remains the fastest World Cup goal scored in either qualifying or the finals. England took 20 minutes to equalise and eventually finished winning the match 7–1.

Most appearances

# Name Career Caps Goals
1 Andy Selva 1998–2016 74 8
2 Damiano Vannucci 1996–2012 68 0
3 Alessandro Della Valle 2002–present 66 1
4 Aldo Simoncini 2006–present 60 0
4 Simone Bacciocchi 1998–2013 60 0
6 Davide Simoncini 2006–present 52 0
7 Matteo Vitaioli 2006–present 51 1
8 Mirco Gennari 1990–2003 48 0
8 Fabio Vitaioli 2005–present 48 0
9 Paolo Montagna 1991–2007 47 0
11 Carlo Valentini 2002–present 46 0

All goalscorers

# Name Career Goals (caps) Goals for caps Opponents and dates
1 Andy Selva 1998–2016 8 (74) 0.108  Austria, 14 October 1998
 Belgium, 28 February 2001, 6 June 2001 and 30 March 2005
 Liechtenstein, 28 April 2004
 Bosnia and Herzegovina, 4 June 2005
 Wales, 17 October 2007
 Slovakia, 11 October 2008
2 Manuel Marani 2003–2012 2 (32) 0.063  Republic of Ireland, 7 February 2007
 Malta, 14 August 2012
3 Alessandro Della Valle 2002–present 1 (66) 0.015  Poland, 10 September 2013
Matteo Vitaioli 2007–present 1 (51) 0.02  Lithuania, 8 September 2015
Nicola Albani 2001–2011 1 (40) 0.025  Latvia, 25 April 2001
Mirko Palazzi 2005–present 1 (40) 0.025  Azerbaijan, 4 September 2017
Danilo Rinaldi 2008–present 1 (37) 0.027  Malta, 14 August 2012
Nicola Bacciocchi 1991–2000 1 (33) 0.03  Turkey, 9 September 1992
Bryan Gasperoni 1994–2005 1 (28) 0.036  Liechtenstein, 20 August 2003
Mauro Valentini 1991–1999 1 (23) 0.043  Faroe Islands, 11 October 1995
Pier Domenico Della Valle 1991–2000 1 (21) 0.048  Finland, 14 December 1994
Valdes Pasolini 1990–1996 1 (18) 0.056  Romania, 27 March 1991
Nicola Ciacci 2003–2011 1 (16) 0.063  Liechtenstein, 20 August 2003
Mattia Stefanelli 2014–present 1 (15) 0.067  Norway, 11 October 2016
Davide Gualtieri 1993–1999 1 (9) 0.111  England, 17 November 1993

See also

Notes

    References

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    23. "World Cup (Sky Sports)". SkySports. Retrieved 2018-09-06.
    24. DigitalFC. "Stadio Olimpico, home to San Marino, SS Cosmos, SS Folgore Falciano Calcio, AC Juvenes/Dogana, San Marino Calcio, SP La Fiorita, AC Libertas - Football Ground Map". www.footballgroundmap.com. Retrieved 2018-09-06.
    25. 1 2 "Does Size Matter?" (PDF). Football Supporters Federation. Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 June 2008. Retrieved 9 September 2007. (pdf)
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    30. Various (2006). Power, Corruption and Pies Volume 2. WSC Books. p. 149. ISBN 978-0-9540134-8-6.
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    32. "Did You Know... San Marino Are World Record Breakers". soccerlists.wordpress.com. Retrieved 9 September 2015.
    33. "Euro 2016 qualifying: San Marino score first away goal in 14 years". British Broadcasting Company. 9 September 2015. Retrieved 9 September 2015.
    34. "Latest San Marino Results, Fixtures & Betting Odds | Soccer Base". www.soccerbase.com. Retrieved 2018-09-06.
    35. Vatican Football
    36. https://www.fsgc.sm/nazionale-tutto-pronto-per-la-doppia-trasferta/
    37. "Pubblicazione Quadri Tecnici Biennio 2014/2015". Retrieved 15 February 2014.
    38. "La scheda di Massimo Bonini". La Stampa (in Italian). 10 December 2009. Archived from the original on 4 April 2012. Retrieved 17 October 2010.
    39. Ballinger, Lucy (15 November 2006). "San Marino boss out to avoid Irish drubbing". London: Daily Mail. Retrieved 7 October 2007.
    40. "Selva, Andy". National Football Teams. Retrieved 12 August 2011.

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