January 2001
Wed 31
- Five Premier League players were suspended for one game by the MFA Disciplinary Commissioner. The players are Eduardo do Nascimento (Floriana), Anatole Debono (Pietà), Michael Farrugia and Joe Galea (Rabat) and Benneth Njoku (Naxxar). Bizu will be missing the important game against Valletta. Debono, Galea and Farrugia will be missing the direct clash in relegation zone between Pietà and Rabat. On the other hand, Benneth Njoku will miss the first game from the Relegation Pool.
- Former Xghajra striker Peter Ohaka was suspended for one year by the MFA Control and Disciplinary Board for playing with a club in another association which is not a member of the MFA.
Mon 29
- Stefan Giglio played the full 90 minutes in a friendly match against Lokomotiv Plovdiv which CSKA Sofia won 3-0.
- Malta Under 21 international goalie Justin Haber moved to another Bulgarian club for a trial. After a trial with First Division side SK Dobrudzha, he has now joined Premier side Chernomore Varna. If he does not manage to impress the Bulgarian side by the next ten days, he is due to return to Malta to go back to Floriana.
Sun 28
- Premier League Valletta vs Pietà H. 3-3, Sliema W. vs Naxxar L. 7-0
- First Division Gozo vs St. Andrews 1-3, St. Patrick vs Tarxien R. 2-3, Qormi vs Lija A. 4-2, Marsa vs Zurrieq 1-3
- Second Division Mellieha vs Gzira U. 1-1, Dingli S. vs Mqabba 1-1
- Third Division Gharghur vs Vittoriosa S. 0-2, San Gwann vs Gudja U. 1-0
- Women's League Birkirkara vs Mosta 1-0, Melita vs Hibernians 0-2
Sat 27
- Premier League Rabat A. vs Birkirkara 0-4, Hibernians vs Floriana 2-2
- Second Division Zebbug R. vs Sta. Venera L. 2-1, Melita vs Sta. Lucia 2-1
- Gozo - Second Division Sannat L. vs Gharb R. 1-1, Qala SJ vs SK Victoria W. 4-0
- The MFA Disciplinary Commissioner suspended three Premier League players after receiving a red card or a fourth yellow card. Two Birkirkara players, Antoine Zahra and Michael Spiteri, will be missing the game against Rabat Ajax after receiving a fourth yellow card in the game against Valletta. Jeffrey Chetcuti who was sent off in the same game for Valletta will miss Sunday's game against Pietà.
Fri 26
- Jeffrey Chetcuti's six-match ban by FIFA was reduced to four following an appeal by the Malta Football Association. Chetcuti was suspended after the incidents that took place in the friendly match between Malta and Lebanon at Ta' Qali on the 15th December 1999.
Thu 25
- A number of clubs were fined after being found guilty for offences by the MFA's Control and Disciplinary Board. Birkirkara were fined Lm50 for racist abuse by their supporters in the game against Naxxar. on the 12th November 2000. Hibernians were fined a total of Lm45 after being found guilty on three charges. Hibs supporters threw objects on the pitch in the direction of the match officials and insulted them during a Youths game against Sliema. Hibs supporters also insulted the referee during and after the Premier League clash against Naxxar on the 4th Novermber. Valletta were fined Lm15 after being found guilty on a charge that their fans threw some objects which hit the assistant referee, but without causing any injury to the official during the Centenary Cup match against Hamrun S. on the 2nd November 2000. Rabat Ajax were fined Lm20 after that supporters had insulted the referee during the Youths match against Naxxar. Hamrun Spartans were fined Lm30 for awarding a walk-over to Xghajra in the Reserves league. For a similar reason, Ghaxaq were fined Lm20 after awarding a walk-over to Msida in the Youth League. Melita were fined Lm65 for several offences after that officials of the club insulted rhe referee in two Third Division matches and after that supporters used vulgar language and insults directed at the referee during another league game.
Wed 24
- Premier League Sliema W. vs Xghajra T. 7-0, Naxxar L. vs Hamrun S. 1-1
Tue 23
- Premier League Pietà H. vs Hibernians 0-3, Birkirkara vs Valletta 4-2
- First Division Lija A. vs Marsaxlokk 1-1
Sun 21
- Rabat Ajax midfielder Donovan Friggieri was voted Rothmans Player of the Month for December. Friggieri, 24, proved to be an asset for the Magpies last month with his solid displays helping the side in their fight to avoid relegation. Before, Friggieri played for Attard. He made his debut in the top flight in 1997/98. The highest point in Friggieri's career was to play for Malta U-16, featuring in an away 0-0 draw against France.
- Premier League Sliema W. vs Xghajra T. and Naxxar L. vs Hamrun S. postponed to Wednesday 24th at the Centenary Stadium
- First Division Lija A. vs Marsaxlokk and Marsa vs Zurrieq postponed. Lija-M'Xlokk will be played on Tuesday 23rd.
- Second Division Luqa SA vs Dingli S. 3-0, Siggiewi vs Attard 0-1
- Third Division St. George's vs Msida SJ 4-1, Mgarr U. vs Ghaxaq 5-2
- Women's League Rabat A. vs Birkirkara 0-6, Hibernians vs Raiders 4-0
- Gozo - First Division Ghajnsielem vs Nadur Y. 2-0, Zebbug R. vs Oratory Y. 0-2
Sat 20
- Premier League Pietà H. vs Hibernians and Birkirkara vs Valletta postponed to Tuesday 23.
- Second Division Mqabba vs Zebbug R. 2-0, Gzira U. vs Balzan Y. 0-2
- Gozo - Second Division Xaghra U. vs Qala SJ 4-1, SK Victoria W. vs Gharb R. 2-3
Thu 18
- After the 3-0 win over AEK Larnaka (goals by Velikov, Anguelov and Georgiev in the last 8 minutes), CSKA defeated Dinamo Moscow 2-1 (goals by Lubenov-55 and Yanev-74 pen). Coach
Stankov used the 21 players including Chucks Nwoko in the starting line-up after being the Man of the
Match against AEK, giving two goal passes. Giglio was included in the second half. Thanks to our correspondent from Bulgaria, Nikolay Ivanov
- AC Milan have postponed their visit to Malta due to Coppa Italia commitments. They are now expected to visit the island in June.
- Justin Haber's first outing with SK Dobruzha in a friendly match in which they won 4-1, was a most positive one. Haber played the whole game performing a number of good saves.
Wed 17
- Four Premier League players were suspended for one game by the MFA Disciplinary Commissioner. Two of these are Rabat Ajax players - Keith Fenech and Donovan Friggieri. The others are Naxxar's Paul Sixsmith and Hibernians' Silvio Vella. Friggieri and Fenech miss the game against Birkirkara, Vella the game against Pietà and Sixsmith that against Hamrun.
- Malta stayed in the 119th place in the FIFA World Rankings as published on Wednesday. During the past month, Malta did not play any friendly or competitive matches. Malta's next game is a friendly against Sweden on the 24th February. Malta then hosts Denmark on the 24th March and Iceland on the 25th April in two World Cup qualifiers.
- Stefan Giglio and Chucks Nwoko played their second game for CSKA Sofia when they played the whole second half in a friendly game against AEK in Cyprus where the Bulgarian side is on a 10-day training camp. CSKA plays another friendly on Wednesday against top Russian side Lokomotiv Moscow. Meanwhile according to the first reports from Dobruzha, Justin Haber did well in a friendly game. This was his first outing for the club with which he is on trial, SK Dobruzha.
Tue 16
- Representatives of Serie A leaders Roma were in Malta to discuss the possibility of a friendly match against a local side in two weeks' time. It seems that talks were held with officials of Birkirkara. However the Stripes would prefer that a selection from their club and Valletta faces the Serie A giants. Discussions between Birkirkara and Valletta are expected to be held this week.
Mon 15
- Premier League Hibernians vs Birkirkara 0-2, Floriana vs Sliema W. 3-2
Sun 14
- Premier League Xghajra T. vs Naxxar L. 0-5, Hamrun S. vs Rabat A. 1-1
- First Division Mosta vs St. Patrick 4-2, Tarxien R. vs Gozo 1-3
- Second Division Sta. Venera L. vs Melita 1-2, Sta. Lucia vs Mellieha 0-2
- Third Division Pembroke A. vs Birzebbuga SP 4-1, Sirens vs Ta' Xbiex 2-0
- Women's League Hibernians vs Rabat A. 7-1, Mosta vs Melita 0-0
Sat 13
- Second Division Gzira U. vs Attard 3-0, Siggiewi vs Dingli S. 0-3
Fri 12
- Friendly Match Malta XI vs Bayern Munchen 1-3
Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich defeated the Maltese national team, under the name of Malta XI, 3-1 in a friendly match at Ta' Qali. The game was a one-way affair with the Maltese side having just one shot at goal during the whole 90 minutes. The Maltese selection held well in the early stages but two goals from set-pieces late in the first half gave Bayern a two-goal lead. In the 39th, off a freekick by Mehmet Scholl from the right, Jens Jeremies headed home and in injury time, off another freekick by Scholl from the left, Giovane Elber beat Muscat with a header. In the 75th, Darren Debono committed an own goal when he headed the ball onto the bar with the ball bouncing beyond the goal-line to put Bayern 3-0 ahead. Two minutes from time, the Malta XI reduced the gap when a freekick by David Carabott was blocked by the German defence and off the rebound, Nenad Veselji hit low past Kahn.
Malta XI Mario Muscat, Brian Said, David Carabott, Michael Spiteri (86' Ifeanyi Okonkwo), Darren Debono, Luke Dimech, Carmel Busuttil (46' George Mallia), Gilbert Agius (84' Nenad Veselji), Dybrill Sylla (61' Daniel Theuma), David Camilleri (69' Jonathan Holland), Antoine Zahra (76' William Camenzuli).
Bayern Oliver Kahn, Willy Sagnol, Bixente Lizarazu (46' Patrik Andersson), Samuel Kuffour (46' Paulo Sergio), Thomas Linke, Mehmet Scholl (46' Michael Tarnat), Ciriaco Sforza (75' Alou Diarra), Jens Jeremies, Stefan Effenberg, Giovane Elber, Alexander Zickler (46' Carsten Jancker).
Thu 11
- Young Floriana goalie Justin Haber will be going for a one month trial with Bulgarian Second Division side SK Dobrudzha. It was the player's wish to join another club rather than Spartak Varna, with whom he was close to reaching an agreement, since Varna is far from Sofia. Haber leaves Malta on Thursday.
- Stefan Giglio and Chucks Nwoko made their debut for CSKA Sofia in a friendly match against Benfica at the Stadio de Luz. Giglio and Nwoko were included in the second half as substitutes with the former Valletta midfielder going close to scoring the winner for CSKA late in the game. Five minutes earlier, CSKA had equalised to make the score 1-1.
- Former MFA secretary Frank Attard passed away at the age of 79. Attard dedicated all his life to football serving for a long period of time in the committee of Rabat Ajax. He was secretary with the MFA for 15 years and was later named as honorary member in the Council of the MFA.
- The president of Juventus Club Vero Amore (Malta) Mark Zammit announced that Juventus president Roberto Bettega will be visiting the island in the next months. He could be accompanied by one or more players among Zinedine Zidane, David Trezeguet, Alessandro del Piero and Antonio Conte. The visit could take place either in Easter or early in summer.
- National coach Josif Ilic named the squad which will be facing Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich under the name MFA XI. The only new player in the squad is Birkirkara midfielder William Camenzuli. The squad is made up of goalkeepers Ernest Barry and Mario Muscat, defenders Darren Debono, Luke Dimech, Digger Okonkwo, Brian Said, Daniel Theuma and Michael Spiteri; midfielders Carmel Busuttil, Dybrill Sylla, David Carabott, David Camilleri, William Camenzuli, Jonathan Holland and Antoine Zahra and forwards Gilbert Agius, George Mallia and Nenad Veselji. John Buttigieg will not play for the MFA XI. In a letter to newspapers, Buttigieg said that appreciation to other players was always shown while they still formed part of the national team, and the decision was always left to the players themselves to decide when to play their last international match. He said he was expecting to have a meeting with the national coach and possibly iron out any disagreements which existed.
Wed 10
- Sliema defender Ian Ciantar who was sent off on Saturday in the game against Pietà Hotspurs despite not committing any foul ended up suspended for two matches. Besides the usual one-match suspension for a red card, he was suspended another game for passing on remarks to the referee. Other Premier League matches who were suspended were Sliema's Zoran Antic and Kamil Dvorak of Valletta.
- Bayern Munich named the list of players who will be travelling to Malta for next Friday's friendly match against the MFA XI. Bayern arrive in Malta on Friday at 11:30 and leave on the same day, just after the match. The squad will be made up of Oliver Kahn, Willy Sagnol, Bixente Lizarazu, Samuel Kuffour, Patrik Andersson, Mehmet Scholl, Giovane Elber, Ciriaco Sforza, Stefan Effenberg, Paulo Sergio, Jens Jeremies, Michael Tarnat, Carsten Jancker, Alexander Zickler, Thomas Linke, Sebastian Backer and Stefan Wessels. The presence of team captain Stefan Effenberg is still in doubt due to injury. The team will be lead by the vice-president of the club, team manager Uli Hoeness, head coach is Ottmar Hitzfeld and the goalkeepers' coach Sepp Maier.
Tue 9
- Sliema striker Michael Mifsud underwent a nasal surgery after suffering an injury in the game against Pietà on Saturday. Mifsud had to abandon the pitch after a clash with Pietà's Gordian Ohaegbu. This was the second operation in a few months after undergoing another a nasal surgery last August. Michael Mifsud will be out for at least ten days and will therefore miss the friendly MFA XI-Bayern and Sliema's league match against Floriana.
- Maltese internationals Stefan Giglio and Chucks Nwoko are currently in Portugal for a training camp with their new club, CSKA Sofia. The team will be staying for four days where a friendly against Benfica is scheduled. The team then travels to Cyprus for a 12-day training camp.
Sun 7
- Premier League Xghajra T. vs Floriana 0-3, Naxxar L. vs Rabat A. 1-3
- First Division St. Andrews vs Marsa 1-1, Zurrieq vs Qormi 1-2
- Second Division Sta. Lucia vs Balzan Y. 0-2, Luqa SA vs Zebbug R. 1-5
- Third Division Gudja U. vs Zejtun C. 0-1, Vittoriosa S. vs Fgura U. 5-0
- Women's League Melita vs Birkirkara 1-0, Raiders vs Mosta 1-1
- Gozo - First Division Victoria H. vs St. Lawrence S. 5-1, Kercem A. vs Xewkija T.
2-5
Sat 6
- Premier League Sliema W. vs Pietà H. 4-2, Valletta vs Hamrun S. 5-1
- Second Division Melita vs Mellieha 0-0, Mqabba vs Sta. Venera L. 2-0
- Gozo - Second Division Xaghra U. vs Gharb R. 2-1, Sannat L. vs SK Victoria W. 1-0
- In a statement signed by Media Officer Louis Micallef, the MFA described allegations by John Buttigieg regarding his eventual particiaption in the MFA XI vs bayern Munich friendly on Friday as unfounded. In an interview in one of the local papers, Buttigieg was quoted as saying that it was up to him to decide when to retire and that he knew nothing about the invitation until the MFA's press conference on Tuesday. The MFA said that the Executive Council had discussed the matter and appointed one of its members, Valletta vice-president Paul Spiteri to inform the player. Spiteri later informed the association that the player wanted the invitation to be made directly to him. Ronnie Attard was then appointed to inform the player with Buttigieg telling him that he would reply shortly. On Tuesday, an employee of the MFA Technical Centre was asked to contact Valletta FC and secretary Benny Pace replied that the club agreed with such invitation.
Fri 5
- Valletta defender John Buttigieg could turn down the invitation to make an appearance for the Malta FA XI which plays a friendly match against Bayern Munich on Friday 12th. In a press-conference on Monday, Dr Mifsud said that the MFA and national coach Josif Ilic had agreed to include Buttigieg as it was deemed fit to give him the farewell he deserved by inviting him to play against one of the largest clubs in Europe. However one should note that Buttigieg was denied the chance to play his hundredth game for the national team when he was dropped from the national squad last June after playing 96 games. Another four appearances even as a substitute in friendly matches would have been enough for him to join the prestigious club of players who played 100 games or more for their country.
- In the Third Division, Birzebbuga St. Peter's won a protest against the result of the match vs Ta' Xbiex which had ended in a 3-3 draw.
Thu 4
- UEFA inflicted fines amounting to 4150 Swiss Franks (about Lm1,000) for improper conduct of the team in two matches. The Malta Under 21 side was fined CHF 3,750 for the game against Bulgaria (6/10/00) while the Malta Amateur team, which took part in the UEFA Regions Cup, was fined CHF 300 for the game against Abruzzo (09/12/00).
- Young Floriana goalie Justin Haber is expected to end this season playing in Bulgaria. Former Floriana coach Traiko Sokolov, who is acting as an agent for the player, has been negotiating with Bulgarian First Division clubs Spartak Varna and Chernomorets Burgas for the past months. However it seems that Haber was now offered a six-month contract by Spartak Varna. He is expected to go to Bulgaria next week to have the final talks and sign for the club.
- The protest filed by Floriana against the result of the Centenary Cup final against Valletta due to the ineligibility of Chris Oretan was rejected. Naxxar Lions had also another protest for the same reason was not upheld by the MFA Protests Board.
Wed 3
- Five Premier League players were suspended for one game by the MFA Disciplinary Commissioner. The players are: Luke Dimech and Martin Gregory (Sliema), Karl Bonnici (Valletta), Jonathan Magri Overend (Birkirkara) and Robert Agius (Xghajra).
- The Malta Under 16 team will be playing in the UEFA mini-tournament in Turkey next March. Malta will play against hosts Turkey and Ukraine. Meanwhile the draws of the UEFA Under 17 and Under 19 competitions for season 2001-2002 have already been made. Malta was drawn with Luxembourg, Denmark and Bulgaria in the Under 19 mini-tournament while in the Under 17 competition, Malta will play against Armenia and Moldova.
Tue 2
- In a press conference, MFA president Dr Joe Mifsud gave details about te visit of German champions Bayern Munich. Bayern will be arriving in Malta on Friday morning 12th January to play later on that day against a Maltese selection, the MFA XI, which will consist of the national team squad. Bayern, currently second in the Bundesliga, will bring in Malta the full squad. Dr Mifsud said that John Buttigieg will be honoured for his service to the national team when he will be included in this friendly game which will therefore be his last game for the national team. National coach Josif Ilic will use this game and the friendly against Sweden in February as a preparation for the World Cup qualifiers against Denmark and Iceland. he said that the target is now to win one or more points after obtaining a prestigious draw against the Czech Republic. The newcomers in the national team, Chris Okoh and Rupert Mangion will not be included. Nicky Saliba who returned from a long-term injury is also not being considered for this game. Other players who will probably miss the game are the injured Joe Brincat and Noel Turner. Stefan Giglio and Chucks Nwoko are also out of the squad as they have just joined CSKA. Ilic will be including two Under 21 players Dybrill Sylla and Michael Mifsud.
- Malta internationals Stefan Giglio and Chucks Nwoko leave Malta on Thursday to start their new adventure with top Bulgarian side CSKA Sofia. After arriving in Bulgaria, the players will join the squad for a training camp in Cyprus. Nwoko will be undergoing a medical test on his arrival in Bulgaria. He will stay on loan till the end of the season and then the Bulgarian side will decide whether to retain him or transfer him to another club. On the other hand, Giglio had already played for CSKA for a short period during a 40-day trial at the end of last season scoring three goals in four league matches.