Words: Ben Jackson // @BenJack94
During the late 1800s, the infamous British imperialist General Charles Gorden described the Seychelles as the Garden of Eden. It is hard to argue with his description. This collection of islands is the definition of a natural paradise off the coast of East Africa in the Indian Ocean. For my wife and I, after seeing pictures of incredible beaches, giant Tortoises and unique cuisine, we decided this would be the perfect place for a honeymoon.
As soon as the trip was booked, my football hipster brain kicked in. I read a book on the country’s history and began looking into the domestic football scene, hoping to maybe catch a game. Sadly, for me, and to the delight of my wife, the domestic league was not taking place during our visit. However, when we arrived at our incredible hotel on the small island of Cerf, the first thing I spotted from our window was the countries national stadium, the Linité.
Linité is situated just south of Victoria, the smallest capital city in the world. It is in the middle of a sports complex that houses most of the countries sports facilities. Trying to find an excuse to visit was proving tough until a day trip to the capital. One of my main goals had been to find a national shirt. I’d done my research, so I knew what would be legit and what would be fake. Yet nowhere in Victoria was selling one. I took to social media forums, and one kind responder told me to head to the national stadium.
As luck would have it, our taxi driver was a big football fan, claiming that he had been part of the national youth teams when he was younger. He took us to the Seychelles Football Federation (SeyFoot), pointing out the countries best basketball player tending to the grounds on the way. Anyone who goes to the Seychelles looking for a replica shirt, just head to the SeyFoot building. They were more than happy to sell me what I believe to be the most unique shirt in my personal collection. After that, our friendly taxi driver said we should go to the stadium. The doors were open, and we were able to walk in.
Linité, despite its dated façade at that time, has an incredible backdrop - the Indian Ocean and other Seychelles islands on one side, with mountains on the other. Sadly, the national team were not due to play there during my stay, and after some more research I discovered that this incredible stadium is no longer a viable option for the Seychelles national teams’ or local sides’ matches during continental competitions. Certainly a lost stadium of international football. Instead, the side have had to play matches further south in Mauritius and even further to the west in Morocco.
Stade Linité in front of an incredible backdrop.
Photo Credit: Ben Jackson
As a footballing nation, the Seychelles has hardly turned up many trees. Nicknamed The Pirates, the side began in earnest at the end of the 1960s. Prior to this, many attribute the introduction of the game domestically to Dr J.T Bradley, who, in the 1930s sponsored the Challenge Cup or the Bradley Cup. Initially, only five teams competed: Ascot XI, Seychelles XI, Royal Mission XI, Police Team and the St Louis College Team. Bradley died in 1942, but a year prior to this he was able to witness a legacy of his cup, with the SeyFoot being formed.
Even with SeyFoot in place, football in the Seychelles had a long way to go. Most players throughout the early period were playing barefoot rather than wearing proper footwear. Moreover, games would only last for an hour with 30 minute halves. This all changed with the arrival of Adrian Fisher.
On his return to the country decades later, Fischer revealed the bizarre nature in which he ended up as head coach of the Seychelles. Rather than applying directly or being head hunted, Fischer found an advert posted by the UK Ministry of Overseas Development. Incredibly, they were looking for a volunteer. Fischer successfully applied, and is now considered to be the person responsible for modernising the game in the islands. Boots were introduced, as was the concept of the 90-minute match.
Prior to his arrival, a team made up of the best players from the local leagues would be cobbled together to face teams from visiting ships, such as military or cargo carriers. Fischer was brought in to create a side that would go on tour and play its first international match in Kenya. The team took two boats, one named the Lady Esmé and the other called The State of Haryana, although locals referred to this boat as the ‘state of decay’ due to its dilapidated state. The newly formed side arrived in Mombasa to play two games. This was the first time the team had played on a full-sized pitch, but they certainly didn’t show signs of being overawed. They played two local sides, rather than the Kenyan national team, drawing 2-2 with Feisel and losing 2-1 to Mwengi.
During Fischer’s four years in charge the side only played six games, most of which were against club sides from other nations. Once Fischer departed, the country did go on to have some success in the Indian Ocean Islands Games (IOIG). In 1979 they came second, beating Mauritius in the semi-finals before losing 2-1 to hosts Réunion. Ange Dubignon was the sides goalkeeper during the tournament and in 2011 he would carry the competition’s torch when the Seychelles were hosts.
In 1986, 10 years after gaining independence from the British, the Seychelles finally became a fully-fledged international side as a member of FIFA. They joined the African footballing body CAF shortly afterwards and were able to compete in the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON). The Seychelles are yet to make their tournament debut, with their best qualifying campaign coming in 2004. The side won two games, beating Eritrea and Zimbabwe at the Linité. Unfortunately, defeats away from home meant they finished seven points behind Zimbabwe and missed out on the tournament.
The World Cup has always been a pipe dream for a nation like the Seychelles. The highlight of their World Cup campaigns came in qualification for South Africa 2010 against Burkina Faso. Moumouni Dagano gave the Stallions the lead, but the Seychelles did not roll over. Instead, goals from Philip Zialor and Don Annacoura just after half-time gave the Pirates a shock 2-1 lead. Dagano responded quickly to level things before scoring the winner with just over 10 minutes to go.
Seychelles have, in recent years, been a regular feature in the COSAFA Cup, a tournament played out between African national teams from the south of the continent. It was during one of these group stages that Zialor became a legend of Seychellois football. The striker remains the country’s leading scorer, with 14 goals in 30 odd games. Four of these came in one game during qualification for the 2008 tournament when the Seychelles beat Mauritius 7-0 at the Atlantic Stadium in South Africa. Zialor was famous in the Seychelles for wearing the number 13, clearly not an unlucky number. Unfortunately, he had to retire at the age of 33 after picking up an injury when attempting to play professional football in Bahrain. The question of whether Zialor should be considered the greatest Seychelles footballer in history was put to Cliff Nolin, Technical Director of Northern Dynamo’s. He was hesitant. Nolin said:
”Philip was a very special player, even if he didn't run a lot, he was very effective. He knew when, why and where to run… it's unfair for me to consider Zialor as the greatest player of all time in Seychelles history. In the 70's and 80's there were a lot of great players in Seychelles and at that time football was at a much higher level than today”.
For the Seychelles, their major tournament is the IOIG. This tournament provides countries of similar stature to the Seychelles the chance to really compete for a trophy in the football section of the games. Prior to 2011, the country had only made one final (1979), coming third in 1990, 1998 and 2003. Clearly Nolin was not wrong when he said the standard of football was much higher in the country during the 70s and 80s. In 1993 the country hosted the overall games for the first time, but the football team did not provide much joy. They were drawn in a two-team group alongside Réunion, meaning that because there were only two sides the second placed side was guaranteed a place to compete for the bronze medal. The sides played each other twice, with the Seychelles losing both games and failing to score, before losing 6-2 to Mauritius in the finals. 2011 saw the country host the tournament again. Unlike in 1993, the side had shown promising signs over the past few years.
The Seychelles National Team squad of 1970.
Photo Credit: Seychelles Life
In 1993 all games had been held on the island of Mahe at the Linité. For the 2011 edition, the games were split across two islands. There are two ways to get to the island of Praslin. You can take the ferry, which takes around an hour and half. Thankfully the ‘state of decay’ is no longer in operation and the fleet is far more modern, but the chances of suffering seasickness remain high. Alternatively, you can take a tiny propeller plane from Mahe to Praslin in just 20 minutes. When coming into land on the island, famous for its Vallée de Mai national park and Coco de Mer nut, one passes over the Stade d'Amitié, another picturesque stadium in the Seychelles.
The hosts were drawn in Group A, alongside Mauritius, Comoros and the Maldives. Group B contained defending champions Réunion, fellow 2007 finalists Madagascar and bronze medal winning Mayotte. In their history, the Seychelles have only ever had two professional footballers represent them. One of them would play a major role in the 2011 success.
His story begins in 1979. On the 19th of November, months after the football team won the silver medal, three armed men showed up at a print house in to arrest one of the workers. Then President of the country, France-Albert René, had sent the three to detain Lewis Betsy. He was accused of circulating an anti-government gazette. Betsy was never charged, being released in February 1980. On April 1st of the same year, unable to find a new job, Betsy fled to England, with his son and wife joining him later on.
18 years later, Lewis’s son Kevin transferred from Woking to Fulham. Kevin would go on to make 581 appearances for a number of English sides, scoring 80 goals in the process. The Seychelles were keen to get him on board, approaching him after the transfer to Fulham. At the time, Betsy felt that he was too young at that point and wanted to focus on his club career. Lewis had played for Rovers Football Club in 1979, one of the best teams in the country, as well as captaining the national team. At one point Lewis also had trials with West Ham and was offered a chance to play for Leyton Orient but turned it down. It was fitting that Kevin would return to the Seychelles to try and help the side go one step further than his father’s 1979 team. When I asked Kevin how his father reacted, he revealed that his dad had been pushing him to represent the nation from a young age and would often talk about winning the silver in 1979.
Betsy made his debut against French club Union Sportive Quevilly two months prior to the tournament, scoring twice. By that point, Seychelles had appointed former international Ralph Jean-Louis as head coach. He took over from Andrew Amers-Morrison, who was the ‘victim’ of mistaken identity. The Seychelles FA believed they were about to hire former Manchester City player Andy Morrison, but ended up with a similarly named man who was in the islands on holiday. The ‘imposter’, as the Seychelles chairman Suketu Patel called him, was originally given a two-year contract, but after they realised the mistake, he was given six months to prove he deserved the job. Unfortunately, Andy Amers-Morrison was unable to do so. After just seven months, the ‘imposter’ left the Seychelles.
In stepped Ralph Jean-Louis. When reminiscing on the tournament, Betsy was full of praise for Jean-Louis and credited him for their success. He told me how the manager brought discipline to the side and a professionalism that was needed for a tournament that was treated ‘like the Euros’ by fans of the Seychelles.
Unfortunately, the opening game of the IOIG did not provide much entertainment. Neither side could break the deadlock in Praslin, although following the game the head coach of Comoros, Abderemane Mohamed Chamit, did admit that the hosts had been physically dominant. Jean-Louis was upbeat about grabbing a point, even if they had two tough games to come. With Maldives and Mauritius drawing 1-1, the group was still level going into the second round of matches. Looking back, winger Gervais Waye-Hive told me that, following that opening match, the team and the fans began to think something was possible: ‘No one really thought we would have a chance to win it. Because it had never happened before. But with the players we had and the coach we showed everyone that we can play football. I think after the first match everyone could tell that we had a strong side that was able to go all the way to the final’.
This confidence was evident in the next match. It took just under a minute for the side to take the lead against Mauritius. The paper Le Mauricien described the side as having been ‘transformed’ since the game against the Comoros. Betsy was the architect for the first goal, finding Nelson Laurence to open the scoring. Just before the half hour mark a free kick from Achille Henriette made it 2-0 to the hosts. They were made to sweat near the end when captain Don Anacoura saw a ball deflect off of him into the goal, but following the final whistle they were sitting pretty with four points.
The Seychelles squad representing the national team at the 2026 World Cup Qualifiers.
Photo Credit: Getty Images
With the Maldives and Comoros only drawing, a point would have been enough for the Seychelles to qualify. Instead, they took the Maldives apart at the Linité. Laurence got his second of the tournament, with Anacoura putting one in the right net this time. Shamweel Qasim pulled one back for the Maldives, but another goal for Henriette and two from Alpha Baldé, who Nolin likened to the great Zialor, made it a resounding victory. The Pirates had won their group, with Mauritius qualifying in second.
In Group B, Mayotte won the group, with Réunion in second. Madagascar finished rock bottom with one point. That they, and the Comoros, would fail to qualify for the second round but go on to make AFCON tournaments a few years later is a testament to the development of football at the highest level in these nations.
Back in 2011, an expectant crowd turned up at the Linité hoping for victory over Réunion. On an overcast afternoon in the capital, Éric Farro looked to have broken Seychellois hearts when he opened the scoring just after the hour mark. Farro had spent some time in the lower reaches of French football, playing a full season in the third division between 2004/2005 for ASOA Valence.
However, Jean-Louis’s men would not be denied. The Pirates struck just over 10 minutes before the end through Alex Nibourette. The hosts and the defending champions could not be separated in normal time, and as time wound down in extra-time the dreaded penalty shoot-out loomed. At this moment, Karl Hall became the hero. Despite still searching for his goal, it was Betsy who again provided the spark. The forward whipped floated a cross into the box that was met by Hall, who had come off the bench. Years later, Bradford-born Hall would describe the moment to the Seychelles Nation, saying ‘It is the proudest moment of my football career. To send Seychelles to the final and send the fans crazy was just amazing. Wow! I still think about it to this day. I can still hear the roar of the fans’. Hall still plays in the Seychelles to this day, having spent some time in the English system with West Yorkshire’s Albion Sports AFC.
Once the full-time whistle went, players sunk to their knees and a some fans charged onto the pitch to celebrate. The side had guaranteed they would be taking home the silver medal, but the chance of a gold at the home games was tantalisingly close. There wasn’t much time for the players and fans to hang about, with the second semi-final set to take place soon after. Neither Mayotte nor Mauritius were able to avoid the dreaded penalty shoot-out. Mauritius were clinical, going five for five, with poor Ridjali Souffou being the only one to miss for Mayotte. They would fall short in the bronze medal match too, as Réunion won 1-0 with a goal 15 minutes before time.
Yet not many in Mahe that day were too bothered about the bronze medal match. That was merely the starter, and the main course was what the majority had come to see. Hall was rewarded for his heroics in the semi-final by being given a starting place. Captain Anacoura was determined to ensure he would be the one lifting the trophy at the end of 90 minutes. His surging run and cross found Hall, whose header was fantastically saved by Ivahn Josée. Betsy was there to tuck home the rebound, but somehow Josée was able to keep this out as well. The striker would not be denied a second time though, nodding the ball home to grab his first goal of the tournament. It was perfect timing. The crowd were sent into raptures, with Seychelles flags being waved all over the ground and vuvuzelas creating an incredible buzz.
The side maintained the lead through half time, but after the sun had set, they lost their focus. They had managed most of the first half without starting goalkeeper Nelson Sopha, who had been replaced by Vincent Euphrasie after 28 minutes. The new man missed a cross from the right-hand side, which was headed home by Fabrice Pithia just after the hour mark.
Unlike in the semi-final, there were no late heroics in extra-time. A penalty shoot-out would decide their fate. Chandrayah Veeranah had taken first against Mayotte and did so again that evening. Mauritius had not missed a single spot-kick last time out, but this time they did not have as much luck. After Betsy had slotted his away, Veeranah saw Euphrasie make up for his mistake by going the right way. It was 2-1 to the hosts when Jonathan Bibi stepped up to take the third, but he smashed his wide of the goal. Andy Sophie made it 2-2 and the tension was palpable.
With the next two penalties finding the net, captain Anacoura stepped up for his nation. The skipper made no mistake. Finally, Colin Bell went to his right, but Euphrasie dived to his left and made a great save. It was over, and the Seychelles had the gold. Fans flooded onto the pitch, and Euphrasie began doing back-flips in delight. Despite starting on the bench, he had been the hero. Anacoura, reminiscing about that day to the Seychelles Nation said:
“When I was walking up the steps with my daughter in my arms to collect the trophy, seeing the joy of the supporters on the pitch was just an incredible moment”.
The 2011 Seychelles squad collecting the gold after their triumph.
Photo Credit: Seychelles Nation