The organisation's executive committee will reconvene despite being ordered to grant membership to Gibraltar by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

A Uefa spokesman said the delay was "in order to examine new documents submitted shortly before the meeting."

Full membership can only be granted by Uefa's congress which meets in January.

The documentation has come from the Spanish football federation's (RFEF) "archives" and examines the state of Gibraltar's footballing facilities.

The RFEF is expected to seek support from Uefa members opposing membership, arguing that Uefa's own statutes exclude Gibraltar as the British colony does not have individual representation at the United Nations.

GIBRALTAR British overseas territory in the Mediterranean, borders Spain Population: 29,000 MONTENEGRO Balkan republic which split from Serbia in May 2006 Population: 620,000

Spain had Uefa change its rules in 1999 so that members were UN-recognised states.

But Gibraltar's original application predates this change and the football association hopes to avoid exclusion.

The territory's sovereignty has been the subject of a dispute ever since Britain took control of it after the 1713 Treaty of Utrecht.

GFA president Joey Nunez has previously criticised Spain for making the issue political and insisted that "this is simply a footballing matter".

He added: "All we are seeking to do is to be allowed to develop football within the football family of Europe."

Serbia and Montenegro competed at the World Cup, despite Montenegro winning independence in a referendum in May, the month before the finals.