December 2002
Tue 31
- The year 2002 came to an end in style with Malta's win over the Balearic Islands in Mallorca. A year marked by Malta's success in the Rothmans Tournament, the championship won by Hibernians, the two cups won by Birkirkara.
In February, Malta claimed the Rothmans International Tournament after beating Jordan 2-1, a 1-1 draw with Lithuania and a 3-0 win over Moldova. Malta extended its positive run with a draw with Andorra and a win over Azerbaijan. However as from August, it was back to square one as Malta suffered five consecutive defeats to Macedonia, Slovenia, Israel, France and Cyprus. However Malta still managed to improve its ranking by nine places over the twelve months, climbing from 131st to 122nd.
The Under 21 side failed to keep the momentum the previous edition of the team, led by Ray 'Zazu' Farrugia, had been building. Mark Miller's boys suffered four defeats in four matches and are yet to score a goal in the U-21 Championship qualifiers.
In the domestic scene, Hibernians claimed the Rothmans Premier League championship for the first time to celebrate in style the 80th anniversary of the club. In the first qualifying round of the Champions League, the Paolites managed to beat Irish side Shelbourne 3-2 on aggregate. In the second round, Hibs were eliminated by Boavista of Portugal but only after an impressive 3-3 draw at Ta' Qali. Sliema Wanderers and Birkirkara were eliminated in the qualifying round of the UEFA Cup by opponents from Poland and Ukraine respectively while Valletta went 1-2 down on aggregate to Teuta Durres of Albania in the Intertoto Cup.
Birkirkara claimed two trophies in a week's time in May beating Sliema and Hibernians in the Rothmans Trophy and the Rothmans Super Cup finals respectively. In July, Sliema Wanderers won the Lowenbrau Cup. Then, in November, Birkirkara claimed the Super 5 Cup. Adrian Mifsud was voted Footballer of the Year by the Malta Football Association. Mifsud also claimed the Best Player award in the Malta Football Awards 2002.
Joe Brincat became the third Maltese player to make 100 appearances for the national team after Carmel Busuttil and Joe Brincat. Malta international defender Luke Dimech moved abroad joining Shamrock Rovers in Ireland while Stefan Giglio moved from CSKA Sofia to Lokomotiv Sofia on loan.
The first commitment for the national team in 2003 is a friendly against Kazakhstan in February. Then Malta travels to Lens in March to face France. Malta then hosts Slovenia on April 30 and Cyprus on June 7, a match which brings the season 2002/03 to an end. In September, the national team will be facing Israel at a venue which has yet to be confirmed.
- The 12th International Christmas Football Festival organised by Birkirkara F.C. Youth Nursery has come to an end on Monday. Birkirkara and Paola Hibs emerged as winners of the Under 11 & Under 13 sections respectively. In the final of Under 11 section, Birkirkara beat St. Andrews 2-0, while Paola Hibs beat Sliema W. 3-0 in the Under 13 section.
The fair play awards went to Hamrun S. in the Under 11 section and Mellieha S.C. in the U-13 section. The top scorers of this tournament were Bjansen Brincat of Birkirkara in the Under 11 section and Dylan K. of Pieta Hotspurs in the Under 13 section. In the closing ceremony, the presentations of trophies were given to the winners of the tournament.
Mon 30
- Pietà Hotspurs are in search of a third foreigner after releasing Australian midfielder Danial Cummins. The 25-year old midfielder had failed to impress over the past four months with Pietà.
His place could be taken by a player who already plays in the Premier League. In fact Brazilian striker Eduardo Do Nascimento, who most probably will be loaned by Sliema to make way for Orosco Anonam, is being linked with the Hotspurs.
Another target could be Anthony Evi Parker of Marsa but the possibility of signing an Italian player should not be ruled out.
- Although Jaroslav Marx has not been released yet, the fact that his contract was not renewed means that the club has already a valid substitute in mind.
Two players, both offensive midfielders, are expected to join the club for a trial in the coming weeks. However it's no secret that Birkirkara aim at strengthening their midfield with Congolese player Rufin Oba.
The former Floriana midfielder is currently in Belgium playing for an amateur club and seems to be willing to return to Malta. However according to Floriana, in case of a transfer, they are owed a transfer fee. But still, the Greens are interested in taking him on board once again.
Meanwhile Marx could stay in Malta as he is attracting the interest of other clubs, namely Valetta and Marsaxlokk.
Sun 29
- Premier League Marsaxlokk vs Marsa 2-0
- First Division Xghajra T. vs Senglea A. and Rabat A. vs Mqabba postponed, Gozo vs Naxxar L. 0-0
- Second & Third Div KO St. Andrews vs Sirens 2-3, Dingli S. vs Tarxien R. 0-1
- Third Division Ta' Xbiex vs Sta. Venera L. 1-3
- Gozo - First Division Xewkija T. vs Qala SJ 4-0
Sat 28
- Second & Third Division Knock-Out Zejtun C. vs Zebbug R. 1-0, Mellieha vs Qormi 1-1 (3-4 pen)
- Gozo - Second Division Oratory Y. vs Kercem A. 1-0, St. Lawrence S. vs SK Victoria W. 0-0
- The Executive Committee of Hamrun Spartans is assuring the Club's numerous members and supporters that, inspite of poor performances by a small number of the Club's players leading to a series of negative results, not one of the squad is up for sale. Other clubs may make as many claims as they want, says the statement signed by club administrator Antoine Attard.
The Executive Committee, on the contrary, is working very hard to strenghten the squad, and is asking the Hamrunizi to remain close to the Club in this important chapter in the Club's glorious history.
- In a friendly match at the Victor Tedesco Stadium, a selection of Maltese players from the Australian state of Victoria defeated Hamrun Spartans 3-1. Hamrun, who were a heavily depleted side, had notched the temporary equaliser, thanks to Ryan Fenech.
- Shamrock Rovers returned to victory on Friday when they managed to beat Drogheda United 0-2 away from home. The team for whom Luke Dimech plays is still fourth in the Irish Premier League.
- The last edition for this year of the programme GRANDSTAND will be a special one. A crew from the Public Broadcasting Services visited the United Kingdom to carry out interviews with three players of Maltese origins that play in the UK.
The three players are Simon Vella of Airdrie United, who played for the national team earlier this year; Ryan Baldacchino of Carlisle and Jonathan Fenech of Blackpool who recently played for the Malta Under 19 side in Cyprus.
Guests in the studio will be discussing the importance of such players for our national teams.
The PBS crew was made up of presenter Simon Farrugia and cameraman John Agius.
- The 12th International Christmas Tournament organised by Birkirkara Youth Nursery has reached the semi-final stages.
In the Under 11 section, Paola Hibs will play against St. Andrews at 13:00, while Birkirkara will face Valletta at 14:00 hrs. On the other hand, in the Under 13 section, the semi-finals are as follows; 15:00 St. Andrews vs Sliema, 16:15 Paola Hibs vs Birkirkara.
The tournament kicked off on Wednesday with an opening ceremony characterised by a fireworks exhibition and a display by a group of Russian folkloristic dancers. A holy mass was celebrated at St. Mary’s Church. Afterwards, a march pass from St. Mary`s Church to Infetti Training Grounds was organised with the participation of St. Helen’s Band Club and the competing teams.
Fri 27
- Floriana and Malta Under 21 midfielder Etienne Barbara was included in the national squad which left Malta on Thursday for Mallorca as another two players pulled out of the squad injured. This is the first national team call for Barbara.
Valletta defender Daniel Theuma and Kaiserslautern striker Michael Mifsud could not make it to the squad due to injuries and national coach Sigi Held opted to call Barbara who is one of the key players in the Under 21 squad despite recent clashes with coach Mark Miller.
In fact Barbara had received a temporary suspension from the Under 21 squad on October 28 following what MFA Technical Director Horst Heese considered to be a very harsh tackle on coach Mark Miller during a training session. Barbara missed the UEFA U-21 Championship qualifier against Cyprus but a few days later, the Floriana midfielder was given the go-ahead by Miller to resume training. Barbara was invited for clear-the-air talks with Miller and eventually joined his team-mates for training.
Also missing for Malta are Darren Debono, Stefan Giglio, Gilbert Agius and Luke Dimech.
The squad is therefore made up of:
goalkeepers Saviour Darmanin (Pietà) and Mario Muscat (Hibs);
defenders William Camenzuli (Birkirkara), David Carabott (Valletta), Jeffrey Chetcuti, Ian Ciantar, Carlo Mamo and Brian Said (all Sliema), Etienne Barbara (Floriana);
midfielders Joe Brincat, David Camilleri, Kevin Sammut and Noel Turner (Sliema), Jonathan Holland (Floriana), Miguel Mifsud (Hibernians) and
strikers Daniel Bogdanovic (Valletta), George Mallia and Chucks Nwoko (Birkirkara), Adrian Mifsud (Hibernians) and Michael Mifsud (Kaiserslautern).
Although this is not a full international, this is a historic match for the Spanish region. In fact this will be the first match for the selection from the islands of Mallorca, Minorca, Ibiza and Formentera against a national team.
- Three Premier League players were suspended by the MFA Disciplinary Commissioner after being sent off during the weekend.
Aaron Xuereb of Hibernians, who was sent off in the game against Valletta was suspended for two matches and will therefore miss the games against Marsa and Hamrun.
Milen Penchev of Valletta and David Galea of Hamrun, on the other hand, were handed a one-match ban. Penchev will miss the important clash with Sliema while Galea will be unavailable for the game against Sliema.
Thu 26
- Over the past years, the last days of the year meaned a great hurry for clubs to sign players before the end-of-the-year deadline for registration of new players. But as from this year, Malta together with all other countries around the world, adopted the same periods for the transfer market.
The transfer market re-opens on January 2 and clubs will have a month's chance to sign new players.
Birkirkara could be one of the most active clubs in the transfer market as they target Nigerian striker Orosco Anonam and Congolese midfielder Rufin Oba. Club chairman Victor Zammit is determined to make these players wear the Birkirkara shirt but his task is far from being an easy one.
Anonam left Sliema in summer to move to APOEL Nicosia but after four months he was back in Malta after being released by the Cypriot champions. The Wanderers are willing to take the Nigerian striker on board after he formed an excellent tandem with Mifsud first and Doncic then over the past two years. Anonam is still a Naxxar player and therefore the Stripes will have to deal with the Lions. However the good relationship between Naxxar and Sliema puts the Blues in pole-position to capture Anonam's signature despite the fact that the Nigerian player had a preliminary agreement with Birkirkara. The transfer fee is around Lm 20,000.
To sign Rufin Oba, Birkirkara could have to pay another Lm20,000. Oba moved to Belgium in July where he joined an amateur club. Floriana argue that if the player returns to Malta, he will have to play for them, otherwise a transfer fee has to be paid. Birkirkara have already held informal talks with the player and a verbal agreement has reportedly been reached. Floriana and Birkirkara could however reach an agreement over the transfer if one or more Birkirkara players join Floriana on loan as part of the deal.
If Birkirkara manage to sign the two players, they will have to release Sunday Eboh and Jaroslav Marx. Eboh would probably move to another club, possibly his former club Marsa.
If Sliema sign Anonam, they will have to release one foreigner which in that case would be Brazilian striker Edoardo Do Nascimento. Since Do Nascimento is under a three-year contract, he will probably be loaned to another club. His former club, Floriana, were mentioned as one of the possible destinations but the Greens' management are against taking Bizu back.
While Floriana hope to sign Rufin Oba, they are leaving other options open. The only foreign player sure of retaining his place is Congolese defender Riad Mynel Gango Rtsa. Grigol Gvazava who was brought over from Georgia and Bulgarian midfielder Boyko Simeonov have failed to far to satisfy the club's expectancies and they could be on their way out.
Another important target will be Malta international defender Luke Dimech who is currently playing for Shamrock Rovers in the Irish Premier League. The former Sliema defender's commitments will be available as from the last week of January when the league in Ireland comes to an end. Dimech, who is expected to extend his contract with the Rovers, would join a local club on loan till May. All the top clubs are interested in signing the player with Hibernians favourites ahead of Sliema, Valletta and Birkirkara.
A number of Hamrun Spartans players are attracting the interest of other clubs. Besides Mauro Brincat, Graham Bencini has been linked with Birkirkara and Valletta while Charlo Magro is on Marsaxlokk's wish list. However the club's new management will be making its best not to release any players. The club is also hoping to have the prohibition on transfers lifted in order to be able to sign new players.
Besides Charlo Magro, Marsaxlokk are also interested in Alan Mifsud of Marsa. Marsa, on the other hand, could release Anthony Evi Parker in order to sign a new player - a defender or a midfielder.
Pietà Hotspurs coach Ray 'Zazu' Farrugia has already made his intentions clear regarding how the team should be strengthened with three players in midfield and attack. Their main target is former Malta international striker Carmel Busuttil who had quit playing football sixteen months ago. Farrugia believes Busuttil can give his side the necessary experience it lacks. Although there are close ties between the two, the most difficult task is to convince Busuttil to returning to the game as a player.
Pietà are interested in signing Floriana and former Under 21 midfielder Claude Mattocks. However the Greens are reluctant to leave the player join a direct rival. Danial Cummins could be released after failing to impress with an Italian striker possibly being on his way to join the Hotspurs.
With Gilbert Agius and Chris Oretan both plagued by injuries, the Citizens are expected to bring some reinforcements. Having just two foreigners on their books, Valletta could sign a new foreign player. Goalkeeper Ernest Barry could leave the club. In such case, the Citizens would make a bid to take Elvin Attard of Senglea Athletic on loan.
First Division leaders Balzan Youths will once again be very active in the transfer market. Stefan Zahra of Sliema Wanderers and Floriana midfielder Mario Caruana, who already played for Balzan last season, will definitely join the club.
- Valletta and Malta international striker Gilbert Agius was ordered a three-month rest in order to recover from a nagging groin injury.
Agius has been suffering from this injury for the past weeks but the player has so far decided to postpone this period of rest in order to help Valletta who were already depleted with several players injured or suspended.
After missing the game against Hibernians last week, Agius could be back for Valletta in the matches against Sliema and Birkirkara before stopping.
Mon 23
- National coach Sigi Held named a 20-man squad for a friendly match against a selection from the Balearic Islands which will be held next Saturday in Mallorca. Forming part of the squad are Sliema Wanderers midfielders David Camilleri and Kevin Sammut. They replace Stefan Giglio and the injured Gilbert Agius.
Shamrock Rovers midfielder Luke Dimech is also unavailable due to commitments with his club in Ireland while Simon Vella, who was also due to be called for this friendly, had to decline the invitation as he will be in action with Airdrie United in Scotland.
The squad is therefore made up of:
goalkeepers Saviour Darmanin (Pietà) and Mario Muscat (Hibs);
defenders William Camenzuli (Birkirkara), David Carabott and Daniel Theuma (Valletta), Jeffrey Chetcuti, Ian Ciantar, Carlo Mamo and Brian Said (all Sliema);
midfielders Joe Brincat, David Camilleri, Kevin Sammut and Noel Turner (Sliema), Jonathan Holland (Floriana), Miguel Mifsud (Hibernians) and
strikers Daniel Bogdanovic (Valletta), George Mallia and Chucks Nwoko (Birkirkara), Adrian Mifsud (Hibernians) and Michael Mifsud (Kaiserslautern).
The friendly match against the Balearic Islands is scheduled at the Son Moix Stadium in Mallorca on Saturday, kick-off at 21:00 CET. The squad leaves Malta on Thursday 26 on charter flight No. 2582 at 15:40 and returns on Sunday 29th at 09:15 on flight KM 2582.
Sun 22
- Premier League Marsaxlokk vs Pietà H. 1-0, Marsa vs Hamrun S. 2-1
- First Division Gozo vs Mqabba 0-2, Balzan Y. vs Lija A. 3-0, St. Patrick vs Msida SJ 0-4
- Second Division Attard vs Mellieha 1-1, Dingli S. vs Tarxien R. 1-3
- Third Division Siggiewi vs Mgarr U. 0-0, Fgura U. vs Gudja U. 1-0
- Gozo - First Division Xaghra U. vs Victoria H. 1-1
- Maltese international defender Luke Dimech was in action for Shamrock Rovers as they suffered a 0-1 defeat to Shelbourne at home.
Sat 21
- Premier League Floriana vs Birkirkara 0-3, Valletta vs Hibernians 2-0
- Second Division Vittoriosa S. vs Gzira U. 3-0, San Gwann vs Qormi 3-1
- Gozo - First Division Ghajnsielem vs Zebbug R. 2-1
Fri 20
- Premier League Mosta vs Sliema W. 0-3
- In a message on the club's official website www.mostafc.com, Mosta FC president Charles Abela announced his decision to quit the club "as soon as possible and definitely not later than the end of the season." Abela also said that vice-presidents Michael Attard and Charles Pace will also be quitting their posts.
The imminent resignation of these top officials who managed to help the club win promotion to the Premier League for the first time after 15 years came as a result of criticizm by a section of club members and supporters. In fact in his message, Abela said he hoped that those who led them to take this decision will now commit themselves to help the club achieve better results.
Thu 19
- Five Premier League players were handed a one-match ban by the MFA Disciplinary Commissioner. Kevin Borg of Hamrun Spartans, Floriana defender Riad Mynel Gango Rtsa, Mosta striker Jurandy Machado Da Silva, Ivan Woods of Pietà and Marsaxlokk defender Denis Cauchi, all collected their fourth yellow card in their last outing for their respective clubs.
Gango-Rtsa will be unavailable for Floriana as they meet Birkirkara while Kevin Borg will miss the derby against Marsa. Jura misses Friday's game against Sliema while Woods and Cauchi will lose the clash between Pietà Hotspurs and Marsaxlokk.
Wed 18
- Malta finished its commitments in the 122nd place in the FIFA World Rankings as published on Tuesday. This means that Malta improved nine places over the last year since Malta stood in the 131st place in December 2001.
Malta started 2002 with a series of positive results including wins over Jordan, Moldova and Azerbaijan and draws with Lithuania and Andorra. However then Malta suffered five successive defeats to Macedonia, Slovenia, Israel, France and Cyprus.
Lying just ahead of Malta are Kazakhstan, Singapore, Lebanon, Guinea and Gabon. Among the other European countries, Malta lies in 48th place. Ahead of Malta are Lithuania (100), Northern Ireland (103), Armenia (107), Moldova (111), Azerbaijan and the Faroe Islands (113), Kazakhstan (117) while Andorra (137), Liechtenstein (147), Luxembourg (148) and San Marino (159).
Malta hosts Kazakhstan in February and then plays competitive matches against France in March, Slovenia in April and Cyprus in June.
- The marketing board of Birkirkara Football Club launched a Christmas carols CD collection, featuring a track sung by the Birkirkara FC players named ‘Merry Christmas Birkirkara’, accompanied by the Red TV band and singers. This CD also contains nine other songs sung by prominent local artists like David Azzopardi, Helen Micallef and Fr. Karm Debattista among others, which all contributed to the production of this CD.
The CD will be officially launched at the McDonalds outlet in Valley Road, Birkirkara next Wednesday, 18th December between 18.00 and 21.00 hrs, during a special programm hosted by BKR Radio staff together with other prominent guests and a selection of the players’ forming part of the senior squad
The hard working Supporters Club will also take the opportunity to launch the official Team Calendar for 2003 which will be on sale together with the CD which will be sold for Lm 3.50.
- Hamrun Spartans were handed a suspended sentence after being found guilty of registering a non-amateur player as an amateur. If the Spartans repeat the same offence in a period of two years, they will automatically have 5 points deducted and will be fined Lm 2000. Maltese-American player Dominic Scicluna, who played for Hamrun in season 2001/02, was being paid a "salary" despite being registered as an amateur player.
Meanwhile Hamrun Spartans will be organising a rally for their supporters on Sunday 22 December 2002 at 10a.m. at the Club, Dun Nerik Cordina Perez Str, Hamrun.
All supporters are encouraged to attend and they are also being encouraged to renew their membership with the Club (Lm6 per annum).
Hamrun have also published the Club's diary for 2003 which is on sale for the price of 50 cents.
Tue 17
- Premier League Birkirkara vs Marsaxlokk 4-2
Mon 16
- After suffering a 3-2 defeat to Bohemians on Friday, Luke Dimech's Shamrock Rovers returned to victory defeating Derry City 3-1 at home.
Sun 15
- Premier League Pietà H. vs Marsa 2-2, Hibernians vs Mosta 2-2
- First Division Msida SJ vs Rabat A. 2-1, Mqabba vs Xghajra T. 2-4
- Second Division Zurrieq vs Luqa SA 1-0, Mellieha vs Zebbug R. 0-0
- Third Division Zejtun C. vs Gharghur 1-0, Melita vs St. George's 0-3
- Women's League Raiders vs Melita 0-1, Hibernians vs Mosta 3-0
- Gozo - First Division Qala SJ vs Ghajnsielem 0-3, Zebbug R. vs Nadur Y. 1-0
Sat 14
- Premier League Hamrun S. vs Valletta 2-1, Sliema W. vs Floriana 1-0
- Third Division Sta. Venera L. vs Pembroke A. 0-1, Birzebbuga SP vs Sta. Lucia 3-1
- Gozo - First Division Xewkija T. vs Victoria H. 2-0
- The draw for the first qualifying round for the UEFA Under-17 Championship and UEFA Under-19 Championships were held at the UEFA headquarters in Nyon on Friday.
Due to the admission of Kazakhstan as UEFA's 52nd member association and a full 52 registrations for the two competitions, there were 48 countries in the draws. Teams were divided into 12 groups of four while another four were given a bye to the second qualifying round.
In the U-19 Championship, Malta was drawn to face Denmark, Germany and Luxembourg. On the other hand, Malta will face Croatia, Finland and Northern Ireland in the U-17 Championship.
The winners and the runners-up in each group as well as the best third-ranked team of all 12 groups reach the second qualifying round.
Fri 13
- Second Division St. Andrews vs Dingli S. 4-2, Gzira U. vs Attard 0-1
- Third Division Sirens vs Ta' Xbiex 3-0, Ghaxaq vs Kirkop U. 1-2
- The Youth Football Association (YFA) announced the fixtures for the Pepsi Football Festivals 2003 for Under 10 and Under 12 players. This is the sixth consecutive year that Pepsi is sponsoring the Under 10 games and the third consecutive year for the Under 12 games.
Forty-two nurseries will be participating in this year's edition of the Pepsi Football Festival. The games, which will be monitored by staff coaches from Ta' Qali Technical Centre, are spread between January and May 2003.
"This season all the matches of the Pepsi Football Festival will be held on artificial turf in various pitches," said the General Secretary of the YFA, Mr. Joe Micallef. "This has been a priority for The Youth FA to further develop the standard of football in a healthy environment for young players."
The Chairman for these Pepsi Festivals, Mr. Alfred Cacciottolo said that the Under 10 matches will kick off on Saturday, 11 January. These will take place at various artificial turf pitches, such as the Luxol Ground at St Andrews, San Anton School at Mgarr, St. Patrick's in Zabbar and the University Grounds. The Under 12 games will commence a week later on Saturday 18 January 2003. The matches will be held at the Centenary Stadium and Training Grounds at Ta' Qali.
The President of YFA, Fr Hilary Tagliaferro remarked that both the Under 10 and Under 12 categories are very important for the young players' development in football. The training provides the basic but most essential coaching required for a prospective professional player. "All along these years we were led to believe that nurseries had to foster a competitive atmosphere and that the end result, who won, counted more than how the team fared. However, no results were forthcoming from this system of pique."
"Therefore, it is very important that both coaches and parents understand, support and encourage the children participating in these Pepsi Football Festivals to express themselves whilst playing the ball," continued Fr Hilary. Parents of the young players as well as the general public are invited to watch the games.
"The Pepsi Football Festivals have been designed to provide the ideal opportunity for budding footballers to practise their favourite sport during these friendly matches. Furthermore, Pepsi will continue to support these Festivals to enhance further the level of play for children," said Farsons General Manager - Marketing Business Unit, Mr Ray Grech.
Pepsi Brand Executive, Ms Alison Bezzina, said: "Pepsi is associated with football all around the world including Malta. The aim of these football festivals for young players is to encourage a healthy atmosphere, which does not focus on a single winning team. These festivals fall in line with Pepsi's international strategy to encourage a sport, which is so popular with young Pepsi drinkers. This year we are particularly proud that our sponsorship made it possible for the players to experience playing on artificial turf."
Fr Hilary concluded by thanking Farsons for their unfailing support in the field of youth football. "These Pepsi Football Festivals have the main aim of providing a multitude of events where children can enjoy themselves playing football whilst improving their skills and fostering positive values."
Thu 12
- First Division St. Patrick vs Balzan Y. 2-3, Senglea A. vs Naxxar L. 0-3
- Five Premier League players were handed a one-match suspension by the MFA Disciplinary Commissioner. Valletta defender Rennie Forace, Birkirkara midfielder Jaroslav Marx, Hibernians striker Adrian Mifsud and Floriana midfielder Sandro Zammit Fava were all suspended after receiving a fourth yellow card in their last outing. On the other hand, Digger Okonkwo of Pietà was suspended after being sent off in the game against Birkirkara.
Marx will miss the game against Marsaxlokk, Mifsud will miss the clash with Mosta while Okonkwo will be unavailable against Marsa.
Forace, on the other hand, will join the other Valletta players Sean Sullivan, Daniel Theuma, Daniel Bogdanovic, Edward Azzopardi, Trevor Thomas and Karl Bonnici, who are all unavailable for the next game against Hamrun.
Wed 11
- Premier League Marsaxlokk vs Sliema W. 0-3, Mosta vs Hamrun S. 1-2
Tue 10
- Premier League Pietà H. vs Birkirkara 0-1, Floriana vs Hibernians 1-0
Mon 9
- Twenty-seven year old Bulgarian midfielder Boyko Kamenov Simeonov joined Floriana FC. Kamenov, whose played for Bulgarian Second Division side Vladislav Varna, is eligible to play for the Greens immediately as he joined the club as an amateur player. He replaces Isaac Mopi who should stay with the Floriana Youths. Floriana's other two foreigners are Congolese defender Riad Mynel Gango-Rtsa and Georgian midfielder Grigol Gvazava.
Sun 8
- Premier League Marsaxlokk vs Sliema W. and Mosta vs Hamrun S. postponed
- First Division Gozo vs Lija A., St. Patrick vs Balzan Y. and Senglea A. vs Naxxar L. postponed
- Second Division Vittoriosa S. vs San Gwann 3-2, Tarxien R. vs Qormi 0-1
- Third Division Sta. Lucia vs Melita 1-0, Gudja U. vs Siggiewi 0-1
- Women's League Hibernians vs Raiders 8-0, Birkirkara vs Rabat A. 10-0
- Maltese international players Stefan Giglio and Luke Dimech were in action with their clubs this weekend. On Friday, Luke Dimech's Shamrock Rovers suffered a surprise 0-1 defeat to University College Dublin, who are second from bottom. This defeat leaves a very slim chance, if any, for the Hoops of qualifying for the UEFA Cup.
In Bulgaria, Stefan Giglio played for Lokomotiv Sofia as they managed to beat Slavia Sofia 1-0 in the second leg of the third round of the Bulgarian Cup. Football in Bulgaria now takes a long winter break and the Premier League resumes in March.
- The draws of the twelfth Birkirkara FC Youth Nursery International
Christmas Tournament were held at the Club premises on Thursday.
After an introductory speech from the Nursery's secretary Paul Debono,
Chairman Henry Bray stated that it is a great honour for the Birkirkara
F.C Nursery to organise its twelfth Christmas Tournament. He stated that
several established players who are currently enrolled in various
divisions have participated in this tournament some time or another in
their career. Bray thanked the Birkirkara Local Council and Simonds
Farsons Cisk plc. the sponsors of the tournament.
Birkirkara FC delegate Marco Borg emphasized the importance of fair play
during these five days of the tournament. The tournament should be a
football festival, parents and coaches should not exert extra pressure on
the players.
Under 13 - Group 1: FC Tirana, St. Andrews, Valletta FC, Hamrun S. Group 2:
Floriana FC, Birkirkara FC, Sta. Venera. Group 3: Sliema W., St.
Patrick FC, Mellieha S.C. Group 4: Paola Hibs, Pieta H., Balzan Y.
Under 11 - Group 1: St. Patrick FC, Paola Hibs, Pieta H., Valletta FC
Group 2: St. Andrews, Sliema W., Birkirkara FC, Hamrun S.
The 12th Christmas Pepsi Football Tournament kicks off on Tuesday 24th
December 2002.
Sat 7
- Premier League Pietà H. vs Birkirkara postponed, Floriana vs Hibernians postponed
- Second Division Luqa SA vs Mellieha 1-1, Dingli S. vs Zurrieq 3-0
- Gozo - Second Division St. Lawrence S. vs Kercem A. 0-3, Gharb R. vs Sannat L. 1-1
- The Premier League matches that were scheduled for the weekend were postponed after the bad weather that hit the island over the past week rendered the pitches at the National Stadium and the Victor Tedesco Stadium unsuitable for hosting these matches.
In the first match on Saturday, Pietà Hotspurs were due to meet Birkirkara while Floriana had to face Hibernians. On Sunday, Marsaxlokk had to face leaders Sliema Wanderers while Hamrun Spartans were due to host Mosta.
Due to the postponement of these matches, the MFA had to announce new fixtures for the next ten days.
The new fixtures are as follows:
Tuesday 10: Pietà vs Birkirkara, Floriana vs Hibernians
Wednesday 11: Marsxlokk vs Sliema, Mosta vs Hamrun
Saturday 14: Hamrun vs Valletta, Sliema vs Floriana
Sunday 15: Pietà vs Marsa, Hibernians vs Mosta
Tuesday 17: Birkirkara vs Marsaxlokk
The three First Division matches in programme this Sunday were also postponed. St. Patrick vs Balzan Y. and Senglea A. vs Naxxar L. will be held on Thursday 12 while Gozo vs Lija Athletic will be held on another date.
Fri 6
- Premier League Marsa vs Mosta 1-1, Hamrun S. vs Marsaxlokk 1-4
- The Malta national team was drawn with Romania, Ireland, Bosnia and Croatia as it prepares to take part in the UEFA European Women's Championship for the first time. The draws for the UEFA Women's Championship 2003/05 were held in Nyon, Switzerland on Thursday.
Thirty-four UEFA member associations entered a team for the competition with 20 teams competing in the first category who were drawn into four groups of five and the 14 challengers in the second category who were drawn into two groups of five and one group of four. Malta, together with other newcomers like Armenia and Kazakhstan, found itself in the second strength category and was drawn in Group 5. The strongest side in the group is Romania, who were also seeded.
The winners of the second strength groups and the best runner-up will play a home-and-away play-off against teams finishing bottom of the four first-strength groups in order to decide where teams compete in the next qualifying competition.
2003/05 UEFA European Women's Championship
1st strength category
Group 1: Sweden Italy Finland Switzerland Yugoslavia; Group 2: Norway Denmark Spain The Netherlands Belgium; Group 3: Russia France Iceland Hungary Poland and Group 4: Germany Ukraine Portugal Czech Republic Scotland.
2nd strength category
Group 5: Romania Republic of Ireland MALTA Bosnia-Herzegovina Croatia; Group 6: Belarus Israel Estonia Kazakhstan Wales and
Group 7: Slovakia Greece Austria Armenia
Thu 5
- During a press-conference, Valletta FC gave their version of facts of the incidents which took place at the end of the Premier League clash with neighbours Floriana after which six of their players were suspended. Valletta president Joe Caruana Curran started by saying that the club is against any kind of incidents which take place on and off the pitch.
Caruana Curran said he could not understand how referee Adrian Casha, who he referred to as "Harry Potter", could have seen all the incidents that took place in such a short time. He implied that Casha must have seen the incidents on TV before actually writing the report. According to the Valletta president, in the referee's report, Casha wrote that the incidents lasted four minutes. However, Caruana Curran said that according to the video footage, which was also shown during the news-conference, they only lasted one minute and 43 seconds.
The Malta Football Association Disciplinary Commissioner relied only on Adrian Casha's report and no video-evidence was brought in.
The Valletta president argued that this was not the first time, the club had "problems" with Adrian Casha. In fact, the club will be writing to the Malta Football Association requesting that Casha is no longer appointed to control matches involving them. The club has now decided to withdraw its representative from the MFA Security Board and not to appoint stewards.
Caruana Curran said it was clear that Floriana supporters were the first to provoke. However police failed to take action against them.
He said Trevor Thomas had admitted his involvement in the incidents and the club will be taking disciplinary action against him.
- An Extraordinary General Meeting of Hamrun Spartans will be held on Sunday December 8 at the club's premises in Dun Nerik Cordina Perez Street, Hamrun starting at 9:00. The caretaker committee will be presenting the group of persons who will be forming part of the new Executive Committee of the club for the remaining part of the season.
Wed 4
- First Division Naxxar L. vs Mqabba 1-1, Xghajra T. vs Msida SJ 0-4
- No less than six Valletta FC players were handed a suspension following last Saturday's free-for-all fight that took place at the end of the clash with neighbours and eternal rivals Floriana.
Trevor Thomas was suspended for four matches while Edward Azzopardi, Karl Bonnici, Daniel Bogdanovic, Daniel Theuma and Sean Sullivan were all suspended for two matches. The MFA Disciplinary Commissioner also suspended Floriana's Grigol Gvazava for two matches.
Seconds before the final whistle, Valletta midfielder Milen Penchev fell to the ground with a head wound following an aerial duel with Floriana defender Ian Azzopardi after the latter probably hit the Bulgarian player accidentally. This incident sparked a brawl between the two sets of players with a number of players taking a most active part.
Azzopardi, Bonnici, Bogdanovic, Theuma and Sullivan will miss the next two matches against Marsa and Hamrun. On the other hand, Thomas will miss these two games plus those against Hibernians and Sliema. Gvazava will miss the next two Floriana games against Hibernians and Sliema.
Another two players were suspended after being sent off on Saturday. Birkirkara's William Camenzuli and Sliema's Massimo Grima were handed a one-match ban and will miss the games against Pietà and Marsaxlokk respectively.
- Al-Qaeda planned to attack the Israeli national team when they were in Malta in October, Israeli media reported. Israel coach Avraham Grant told Army Radio that he had been informed before the October 12 match that a Tunisian man with suspected links to al-Qaeda who had been arrested the day before could have been behind an attack on the match.
Hamadi Bawahia, a Tunisian who lived in Italy, was arrested in Paceville one day before Malta played Israel after a tip-off from the Carabinieri in Milan. The 36-year-old Tunisian is believed to have formed part of an al Qaeda cell that was dismantled by the Italian authorities a few days earlier. The Carabinieri had arrested four Tunisians who were allegedly planning an attack on unspecified targets in Europe.
Israeli daily Yediot Ahronot has now reported that Italian officials were investigating the possibility that the alleged al-Qaeda members were planning an attack on the football match.
The Israeli newspaper said Italian police had intercepted a call between alleged members of a terrorist cell in which one said: "All is ready for the match, the ground is ready, we shall win."
Avraham Grant was reported as saying, "We didn't understand that there was a specific warning. We did not realise they planned an attack."
Gavri Levy, president of the FA of Israel, said he was afraid the report of the alleged plan would make other teams even more reluctant to play Israel. "With these reports they will say that every country that [agrees to play Israel] is endangered by attacks from al-Qaeda, and that will be bad for us," he told Army Radio.
The Israel FA and UEFA are currently trying to find a location for Israel's "home" matches as the European football governing body had decided that the team cannot play its home matches in Israel for security reasons. Their remaining "home" matches will now be held at Watford's Vicarage Road ground in London after Tottenham Hotspurs rejected a request to use White Hart Lane. Malta is due to play Israel on September 10, 2003.
Tue 3
- Premier League Marsa vs Mosta 1-1, Hamrun S. vs Marsaxlokk 1-4
Mon 2
- The Birkirkara F.C. Youth Nursery with the collaboration of Birkirkara Local Council and Pepsi shall be organising the 12th International Christmas Pepsi Football Tournament between the 26th and 30th December 2002. As usual, this tournament is focused on two particular categories, that is, Under 11 and Under 13 groups.
Participating teams are Birkirkara F.C., Valletta F.C., Paola Hibs, Pieta H., Sliema W., St. Andrews, St. Patrick, Hamrun S., Balzan Y., Mellieha S.C., Floriana F.C., Sta. Venera, and Tirana F.C. (Albania). For the Under 13 section and Birkirkara F.C., Valletta F.C., Paola Hibs, Pieta H., Sliema W., St. Andrews, St. Patrick and Hamrun S. in the under 11 category.
The draws are scheduled for Thursday 5th December at 7.00pm. at the club.
Sun 1
- Second Division Zebbug R. vs Gzira U. 2-1, Qormi vs St. Andrews 0-0
- Third Division St. George's vs Fgura U. 1-1, Mgarr U. vs Zejtun C. 0-1
- Women's League Birkirkara vs Mosta 1-0, Rabat A. vs Melita 0-2
- Gozo - First Division Xaghra U. vs Nadur Y. 2-2, Zebbug R. vs Qala SJ 4-0
- The new Committee of Hamrun Spartans F.C. has kept its promise to the players and advanced the sum of Lm10,000 as part of their overdue salaries. It is the intention of the Committee to affect another substantial amount by mid-December, and if the supporters contribute financially, as the committee is confident that they will, another payment will be made by the end of 2002 and thus payments to players will be up-to-date or nearly there.
However, Mr Edgar Bonnici Cachia stated that he is working hard, especially following the numerous promises of financial assistance made to him personally, in order for the Club to be in a position to pay debts to other Clubs and ex-players, and the prohibition imposed by M.F.A. will be lifted, thus paving the way for the Club to strenghten its squad, especially in view of the high number of long injuries suffered so far.
Antoine Attard, Administrator of the Club, who was the prime mover in ousting the Committee led by Mr Tedesco, has made a number of appeals on TV and radio programmes, as well as the local press, in order for the supporters to unite behind the Committee and support the team especially in the forthcoming 3 crucial matches vs M'Xlokk, Mosta and Marsa. He is inviting supporters to at least enrol as members (Lm6 per annum membership fee); the Club belongs to all the Hamrunizi and not merely the Committee - therefore everyone should participate and assist.
The Club requires help in a number of sectors and Hamrunizi are being requested to assist in - legal matters, accountancy, ground maintenance, kit manager assistance, nursery, fund raising activities, internet services, PR and publications. The sooner these posts are filled, the sooner can the Committee can concentrate on football per se and the needs of the team.
- First Division side Senglea Athletic will be organising a Mass Rally for supporters ahead of their next league game against Naxxar Lions. The rally will be held at the club on Friday December 6 at 20:00. President Dr. Vincent Zammit and secretary Daniel Genovese will be addressing the rally.
- The Premier League and First Division matches that were scheduled for Sunday were postponed following the heavy rains that fell on the island on Saturday evening and during the night.
Two Premier League matches were due to be played at the Victor Tedesco Stadium. The matches between Marsa and Mosta, Hamrun Spartans and Marsaxlokk have now been postponed to next Tuesday at the Centenary Stadium at 18:00 and 20:00 respectively.
The Hibs Management Board also thought it was unwise to host the First Division matches betweeen Naxxar Lions and Mqabba, Xghajra Tornadoes and Msida St. Joseph. The pitch at the Hibs Ground was due to be used for the first time after the reseeding process has been concluded.