Football in Mauritius

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Football in Mauritius
Governing body Mauritius Football Association
National team(s) national football team
Club competitions
International competitions

Football is the most popular sport in Mauritius. [1] The national governing body is the Mauritius Football Association. Internationally, Mauritius is represented by Club M in senior competitions, and by the U-17 and U-20 teams in youth competitions. The top domestic football league in Mauritius is the Mauritian League, and the top knockout tournament is the Mauritian Cup.

Contents

History

Football in Mauritius has had a tumultuous history. [1] The Mauritian League was founded in 1935, and the Mauritius Football Association (MFA) was founded in 1952, affiliated to FIFA in 1962 and to the Confederation of African Football (CAF) in 1963. The founding members of the association were FC Dodo, Faucon Flacq SC (now renamed Flacq SC), CSC, Hounds, Royal College of Curepipe, and Saint Joseph College, all of which were based out of Curepipe and, with the exception of Flacq SC, have since ceased to exist. Troubles have arisen for the MFA, ranging from perpetual financial shortages to constant change of presidents. It has also been under fire from various quarters for failing to stem the decline of football in Mauritius. Although football continues to be the most popular sport in the country, the majority of domestic league matches attract very few spectators (sometimes less than a handful), earning the clubs and the MFA very little income and leaving the players without the motivation to showcase their skills.

The focus of the sport's popularity has almost completely shifted to the English Premier League, which is considered far more exciting due to the high quality of football on display and the presence of numerous world-famous stars. National and International television networks beam Premier League matches into the living rooms multiple times every week, adding to the erosion of interest in local football. [2]

There are a lot of Liverpool and Manchester United fans in Mauritius.

The 1999 major restructuring of the MPL was regarded as the beginning of the decline in Mauritian football. Due to a riot on May 23, 1999, between Fire Brigade Sports Club (now renamed as Pamplemousses SC [3] ) and Scouts Club (renamed as Port Louis Sporting Club [3] ), which lasted for three days and killed seven people, the government imposed an 18-month ban on all footballing activities in the country, with only the national team permitted to play during this period. [4] The restructure, which was an effort to de-ethnicize local clubs, required the "regionalization" of clubs, with teams now being formed on the basis of region instead of ethnicity or religion. Although the move achieved the desired results in terms of reduction in violent conflicts, it also removed the traditional rivalry among fans, resulting in loss of interest and support. In fact, many locals believe that the resurrection of Mauritian football lies in permitting the formation of clubs on the basis of ethnicity or religion. [2]

On the international stage, the national team, known as Club M, has not had much success, only winning the Indian Ocean Games twice and qualifying for the Africa Cup of Nations once in 1974. It has plummeted down the FIFA World Rankings in the past few years to the lowest it has ever been. The future looks bright though, as in 2006 four Regional Technical Centers (CTRs) were created to improve youth football in Mauritius, with hopes of revitalizing the national team. There is hope that Mauritian football can grow to new heights if the MPL continues to grow and new talent is found in the CTRs.

Mauritius national football team

The Mauritius national football team is the national football team of Mauritius. Club M won the Indian Ocean Island Games in 2003.

Mauritian League

The Mauritian League, otherwise known as the Barclays League, is the top league of Mauritian football. The MFA Second Division is the second highest level of Mauritian football.

Mauritian Cup

The Mauritian Cup is the top knockout tournament of Mauritian football.

League system

LevelLeague(s)/division(s)
1 Premier League
10 clubs
2First Division
9 clubs + CTNFB
3Second Division
9 clubs + CTNFB
4Regional League (Premier League) (twelve parallel regional "FAS" League)
5Regional League (Division One) (twelve parallel regional "FAS" League)
6Regional League (Division Two) (some regional "FAS" League)
7Regional League (Division Three) (some regional "FAS" League)

Regional League

Beau Bassin Rose Hill Black River Curepipe Flacq Grand Port Port Louis Moka Quatre Bornes Rivière du Rempart Rodrigues Island Savanne Vacoas-Phoenix

Notable Mauritian footballers

Born in Mauritius

NamePositionCurrent clubNational team
Kersley Appou FW RetiredFlag of Mauritius.svg  Mauritius
Gurty Calambé FW Flag of Mauritius.svg Petite Rivière Noire SC Flag of Mauritius.svg  Mauritius
Brian Casquet FW Flag of Germany.svg TUS Zeppelinheim E.V.None
Orwin Castel GK Flag of Australia (converted).svg Langwarrin SC Flag of Mauritius.svg  Mauritius
Ned Charles FW RetiredFlag of Mauritius.svg  Mauritius
Jimmy Cundasamy MF Flag of France.svg US Stade Tamponnaise Flag of Mauritius.svg  Mauritius
Chris Driver MF Flag of Australia (converted).svg Endeavour Hills Fire SC Flag of Mauritius.svg  Mauritius
Mohammad Anwar Elahee DF DeceasedFlag of Mauritius.svg  Mauritius
Cédric Florent MF Flag of Australia (converted).svg Oakleigh Cannons FC None
Caleb Francis MF RetiredNone
Sewram Gobin FW Flag of Mauritius.svg AS Rivière du Rempart Flag of Mauritius.svg  Mauritius
Kervin Godon MF Flag of France.svg Saint-Denis FCFlag of Mauritius.svg  Mauritius
Jean-Marc Ithier FW RetiredFlag of Mauritius.svg  Mauritius
Jonathan Justin FW Flag of France.svg Balma SC Flag of Mauritius.svg  Mauritius
Jerry Louis MF RetiredFlag of Mauritius.svg  Mauritius
Jean-Paul de Marigny DF Retired, Flag of Australia (converted).svg Melbourne Victory FC (Assistant coach)Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia
Jacques-Désiré Périatambée MF RetiredFlag of Mauritius.svg  Mauritius
Christopher Perle FW RetiredFlag of Mauritius.svg  Mauritius
Fabrice Pithia MF Flag of Mauritius.svg Curepipe Starlight SC Flag of Mauritius.svg  Mauritius
Herbert Rawson FW DeceasedFlag of England.svg  England
Andy Sophie FW Flag of France.svg AS Marsouins Flag of Mauritius.svg  Mauritius

Of Mauritian heritage

NameCountry of birthPositionClubNationality
Jean-Sebastien Bax Flag of France.svg France MF RetiredFlag of Mauritius.svg  Mauritius
Thierry Boi Flag of Australia (converted).svg Australia MF Flag of Australia (converted).svg Waverley Wanderers SCFlag of Mauritius.svg  Mauritius
Jonathan Bru Flag of France.svg France MF Flag of Portugal.svg U.D. Oliveirense Flag of Mauritius.svg  Mauritius
Kévin Bru Flag of France.svg France MF Flag of England.svg Ipswich Town F.C. Flag of Mauritius.svg  Mauritius
Dylan Collignon Flag of France.svg France GK Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Seraing United Flag of Mauritius.svg  Mauritius
Vikash Dhorasoo Flag of France.svg France MF RetiredFlag of France.svg  France
Tyrese Francois Flag of Australia (converted).svg Australia MF Flag of England.svg Fulham Academy None
Gavin Heeroo Flag of England.svg England MF RetiredFlag of Mauritius.svg  Mauritius
Kabir Jeetoo Flag of England.svg England MF Free Agent Flag of Mauritius.svg  Mauritius
Yoann Khodabuccus Flag of France.svg France DF RetiredFlag of Mauritius.svg  Mauritius
Patrick Kisnorbo Flag of Australia (converted).svg Australia DF Flag of Australia (converted).svg Melbourne City FC Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia
Jean-Christophe Lourde Flag of France.svg France DF Flag of France.svg US Sainte-Marienne Flag of Mauritius.svg  Mauritius
Sébastien Monier Flag of France.svg France MF Free Agent None
Kalam Mooniaruck Flag of England.svg England FW RetiredFlag of Mauritius.svg  Mauritius
Arassen Ragaven Flag of France.svg France MF Free Agent Flag of Mauritius.svg  Mauritius
Lindsay Rose Flag of France.svg France DF Flag of Greece.svg Aris Thessaloniki Flag of Mauritius.svg  Mauritius
Wesley Saïd Flag of France.svg France FW Flag of France.svg Stade Lavallois (on loan from Stade Rennais F.C. )None
Kevin Sanasy Flag of England.svg England FW Flag of England.svg Saltaire Rangers FC None
Nikolai Topor-Stanley Flag of Australia (converted).svg Australia MF Flag of Australia (converted).svg Western Sydney Wanderers Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mauritius Football Association</span> Governing body of association football in Mauritius

The Mauritius Football Association (MFA) is the governing body of football in Mauritius. It was founded in 1952, affiliated to FIFA in 1964 and to CAF in 1965. The association was formerly known as the Mauritius Sports Association but renamed to Mauritius Football Association in 1984 through the introduction of a Sports Act by the government. The founding members of the association were FC Dodo, Faucon Flacq SC, CSC, Hounds, Royal College of Curepipe, and Saint Joseph College, all of which were based out of Curepipe and, with the exception of Flacq SC, have since ceased to exist. The Mauritius Football Association organizes the national football league and the national team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Curepipe Starlight SC</span> Football club

Curepipe Starlight Sports Club is a Mauritian football club based in Curepipe. They play in the Mauritian League, the top tier of Mauritian football.

The Mauritian Cup is the top knockout tournament of the Mauritian football. It was created in 1957 by the Mauritius Football Association.

Johan Candassamy is a Mauritian football player who currently plays for Curepipe Starlight SC in the Mauritian Premier League and for the Mauritius national football team as a defender. He is featured on the Mauritian national team in the official 2010 FIFA World Cup video game.

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Fabrice Pauline is a Mauritian football player who currently plays for Curepipe Starlight SC in the Mauritian Premier League and for the Mauritius national football team as a midfielder. He is featured on the Mauritian national team in the official 2010 FIFA World Cup video game.

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The Mauritian Republic Cup is an annual Mauritian football competition created by the Mauritius Football Association in 1990. It usually takes place in the summer of each year. Along with the MFA Cup, it serves as a major cup competition for teams in the top flight of Mauritian football, the Mauritian League.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fire Brigade SC</span> Football club

Fire Brigade SC is the most successful football club in Mauritius with 13 league titles, 12 Mauritian cups and 3 Republic cups. There has been great rivalry between Sunrise Flacq United and Fire Brigade SC. Both clubs have met each other four times in the Republic Cup finals, with Sunrise Flacq United winning on all four occasions.

Ashok Chundunsing was the coach of the Mauritius national football team in 1998 and 2007-2008. He was also the coach of the Sunrise Flacq United in the 1990s, where he enjoyed success with several league titles. He was dismissed from the national team in September 2008 following the poor performance of the team and also because of a five-game suspension he received for arguing with a referee during the match against Cape Verde. He then accepted the post of coach of Curepipe Starlight SC.

Gurty Calambé is a Mauritian footballer who played as a forward for Petite Rivière Noire SC in the Mauritian League and the Mauritius national football team.

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Colin Bell is a Mauritian footballer who plays for Pamplemousses SC in the Mauritian League and internationally for the Mauritius national football team.

Fabrice Pithia is a Mauritian football player who plays as a midfielder for Curepipe Starlight in the Mauritian Premier League and the Mauritius national football team.

Fabien Pithia is a Mauritian footballer who plays for Curepipe Starlight in the Mauritian League as a midfielder.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cercle de Joachim SC</span> Football club

Cercle de Joachim SC is a Mauritian football club based in Curepipe. Founded in 2004, they play in the Mauritian League, the top division in Mauritian football. The club has won the last two titles including the first ever Mauritian professional football club. Cercle De Joachim has a great rivalry against Curepipe Starlight, the other club of Curepipe. The club is also known to have a decent fan base.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Entente Boulet Rouge SC</span> Football club

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References

  1. 1 2 "The beautiful game on a beautiful island". www.fifa.com.
  2. 1 2 "Mauritian football seeks comeback". August 23, 2006 – via news.bbc.co.uk.
  3. 1 2 "Mauritius 2000/01". RSSSF .
  4. ↑ "On tour with Tottenham in Mauritius". the Guardian. July 3, 2005.
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