Last country on earth without a football team finally assembles a side

The US Sun
 
Last country on earth without a football team finally assembles a side

THE Marshall Islands have finally assembled a national football team - becoming the last country on the planet to do so.

A tiny nation of just 60,000 people located in the Pacific Ocean, the Marshall Islands have finally put a team together and now dream of joining Fifa.

They have launched a recruitment drive for eligible men and women to join their national team.

While they have also released a stunning new kit.

The blue, white and orange effort is eco-friendly - made by kit manufacturer PlayerLayer using recycled plastic.

It also represents the stunning country's picturesque sunset.

The Marshall Islands are also launching men's and women's National Soccer Leagues.

And they have added football coaching to the curriculum for local schoolkids.

The Marshall Islands have an incredible background.

They were discovered in 2000 BC by Micronesian navigators.

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In the last 500 years they have been colonised by the Spanish, Germans, Japanese and Americans.

It was in 1944 that the US took control from Japan - and between 1947 and 1994 they used the Marshall Islands for significant nuclear testing.

And on March 1, 1954 they even dropped a hydrogen bomb on them.

The blast was three times bigger than expected - wiping out three of the islands in the process.

Between 1946 and 1958 the US also dropped a staggering 67 atomic bombs on the islands - with radiation reaching a dangerous level in the following decade.

In 1969 the US began the process of decontaminating the islands.

The Americans still control the Marshall Islands' military and defence - although the islanders did gain their formal independence in 1982.

Global warming is the latest threat posed to the Marshall Islands.

Scientists have calculated that if the average temperature rises by more than 1.5 degrees, some of the islands will become uninhabitable due to rising sea levels.

This could happen by 2030, and some locals believe that the formation of their new football team can help draw attention to their plight.

The World Bank have calculated that 96 per cent of city Majuro could be at risk of frequent flooding.

While 40 per cent of the city's buildings are under threat.

The Marshall Islands possess the world's largest shark sanctuary.

Commercial shark fishing is banned there, with many species of sharks battling extinction surviving there.