In a new series, Inside Futbol take a look at football across the globe, focusing on the current climate of the game in all nations big and small. Our first installment features Montenegro and that young nation’s growing reputation in the world game.
Montenegro
Population: 672,000
Area: 13,812 km2
Capital: Podgorica
If someone had predicted that a country with a population less than Bhutan or Equatorial Guinea, a land mass smaller than East Timor and slightly larger than Vanuatu, would waltz into Wembley Stadium and gain a draw against England, one might be forgiven for thinking that individual was crazy.
But, this is exactly what Montenegro did recently. A closer look at the country’s recent performances at international level reveals however that this result, while surprising, should not have been completely unexpected.
The World’s Newest National Team
Montenegro was a republic of the former Yugoslavia, and then became a part of Serbia and Montenegro. In 2006 after a national referendum, Montenegro declared independence. The country’s football organisation immediately took hold with the creation of the Montenegrin Football Federation, known as Fudbalski savez Crne Gore (FSCG). UEFA membership status was granted in January 2007, with FIFA membership coming in June of the same year.
Montenegro remains the world’s newest national team and after it became a member of the sport’s world governing body, set about climbing up the FIFA Rankings from their position of 199th in the world, tied for dead last with the likes of American Samoa and Montserrat. Progress has been swift though for the Hrabi Sokolovi, the Brave Falcons, as they are known. In less than four years they now find themselves in the top 50 of the world’s national teams, their September 2010 FIFA Ranking putting them in 40th position.
This accelerated progress is in large part due to the superb talent the country has been able to produce. Followers of the European game will undoubtedly recognise such famous past names of Montenegrin players as Dejan Savicevic and Predrag Mijatovic. In the present, the Croatian manager of the national team, Zlatko Kranjcar can count on sizable groups of talented stars, including some top class footballers in the form of Serie A-based duo Mirko Vucinic and Stevan Jovetic.
Recent Success, Patchy Beginning
It is this sort of talent that has propelled the team to the top of Group G in Euro 2012 qualifying. Montenegro won their first three matches in the group 1-0, impressively conquering Wales, Bulgaria, and Switzerland. Then came arguably the country’s best ever international result with the 0-0 draw against England. Lucky perhaps not to have given away a penalty for a second half handball, the Montenegrins made life difficult for Fabio Capello’s side, dodged a few close encounters and could have stolen the match late on by hitting the crossbar. After four games Kranjcar’s team have 10 points, three ahead of England who have a game in hand. While a great amount of football is left to be played, there is a sense that Montenegro are beginning to believe that they can qualify for Euro 2012.
Though the team have been firing on all cylinders as of late, predictably it took a little time to get where they are today. Montenegro’s first ever international match was against Hungary on 24th March 2007, with the team winning 2-1. Soon after, the small country entered their first ever competition, 2010 World Cup Qualifying. In Group 8 of the European section, Montenegro finished 5th out of six teams. They only managed one victory and that came against Georgia, but credible draws home and away to Ireland and two narrow defeats to Italy suggested the team had much potential. Zoran Filipovic was the country’s first national team coach and he succeeded in raising the profile of the team, guiding the country to 73rd place in the FIFA Rankings thanks to his record of 8-7-8 (W-D-L).
The national team play their home fixtures at the Podgorica City Stadium in the capital Podgorica where matches draw on average 12,000 supporters and can reach the capacity of 17,000 when the opposition are more well-known sides like Italy.
Growing League
Not only has the national team had to build from the ground up, but the Montenegrin First League, the nation’s top flight division, is also a relatively new competition. In the past, the region of Montenegro had its own lower level division within the larger confines of Yugoslavia. Perhaps the most famous Montenegrin side is FK Buducnost Podgorica who finished in 6th place on several occasions in the old Yugoslav First League and made it to three Yugoslav Cup finals.
The Montenegrin First League began play in 2006 and remains a 12-team affair. The league champions qualify for the first round of the Champions League and the runners-up and cup winners play in the qualifying rounds of the Europa League. Some teams, including FK Buducnost Podgorica and last season’s champions FK Rudar Pljevlja, have advanced a round or two in European competition, however due to the country’s low UEFA coefficient ranking (43rd out of 53 countries) Montenegrin clubs usually meet stronger sides early on and have thus far been unable to make a big impression on the continental stage.
Though attendance is quite modest in the First League, with an average fixture seeing just less than 1,000 fans and big matches usually not drawing more than 3,000, the league and the quality of play are constantly improving. On the commercial front things seem positive too, with Deutsche Telekom sponsoring the competition, officially known as T-Com 1.CFL.
Bright Future
Montenegro’s push to become a footballing power in Europe may be difficult due to the country’s very small population; however, the former Yugoslav state have already shown an ability to punch above their weight on the international front. The national team could well be on the verge of something special and if they are able to make it to Euro 2012 it would be a fairytale story. While the Montenegrin First League may not be able to compete financially with many leagues around Europe, it remains a good place for talented youngsters to learn their trade before making a move to another country. In fact, most of the national team’s recent squads under Kranjcar have been comprised of mostly foreign-based players.
The country have managed to achieve unheard of success in a very short of period of time. What has taken some countries decades to do in football terms, Montenegro have managed in only a few years; the talent pool is rich, which is surprising when the country’s population is barely three-quarters of a million. And while the numbers may not quite add up, Montenegro’s footballing abilities should not be questioned. Indeed, the best might be yet to come for the world’s newest national team.
