February 2003
Fri 28
- Holders Birkirkara were handed quite an easy draw when they were paired with Premier League wooden-spoonists Mosta in the quarter-finals of the FA Trophy. The draws for the quarter-finals of the FA Trophy were held at the MFA Headquarters in Valletta on Friday.
Valletta will be facing champions Hibernians while Sliema Wanderers take on Pietà Hotspurs. In the other quarter-final, Floriana face Marsaxlokk.
Marsaxlokk, Pietà Hotspurs, Floriana and Mosta reached the quarter-finals after eliminating two teams in the first two rounds while Birkirkara, Sliema Wanderers, Hibernians and Valletta were given a bye.
The quarter finals will be held on Friday and Saturday, March 21 and 22 at the National Stadium.
In the meantime, Sirens are the first finalists for the Second and Third Division Knock-Out following the draw which was held on Friday. Following the suspension of Qormi FC, only three teams were left in the draw with the St. Paul's Bay side being given a bye. In the other semi-final, Tarxien Rainbows face Division 3 side Zejtun Corinthians. The semi-final will be played on March 19 at the Centenary Stadium.
- Malta international striker Daniel Bogdanovic was included as a substitute twenty minutes from time in Cherno More Varna's 4-0 win over Botev Plovdiv in Bulgaria.
- Third Division Kirkop U. vs Ta' Xbiex 3-1, Sta. Venera L. vs Zejtun C. 0-2
- The MFA would like to inform the public that following meetings with Police authorities, during which order and security were discussed, it was decided that for Saturday's Premier League matches at the National Stadium, supporters should stay as follows: Pietà Hotspurs vs Birkirkara (2.00pm)
Pietà Hotspurs supporters should stay in the West Stand Side C while Birkirkara supporters should stay in the West Stand Side A and the Millenium Stand Side C.
Sliema W. vs Hibernians (4.00pm)
Sliema Wanderers supporters should stay in the West Stand Side C while Hibernians supporters are to stay in the Millennium Stand Side A.
Wed 26
- The protest lodged by Hibernians over the alleged ineligibility of Luke Dimech to play for Birkirkara was not upheld by the MFA Protests' Board.
After that the first meeting of the board proved to be inconclusive, the meeting was adjourned to Wednesday, when the board decided that Luke Dimech's registration was not against FIFA regulations as alleged by Hibernians.
Although FIFA regulations state that a player cannot obtain the international clearance twice during the same season, the fact that he was out of contract with Shamrock Rovers made it possible for him to join another club.
In fact although according to the FIFA Regulations for the Status and Transfer of Players provides strict rules for the transfer of non-amateur players foreseing that the employment contracts are to be concluded for a minimum duration of one year, there are some exceptions since the strict application of these rules could lead to unfair situations. Therefore FIFA had established that it will allow the transfer of the player to another club despite the restrictions contained in art. 5.2 of the Regulations for the Status and Transfer of Players.
The 1-0 result in favour of Birkirkara is therefore to stand.
- Six Premier League players were suspended by the MFA Disciplinary Commissioner following last weekend's matches. The worst hit was Hibernians midfielder Ndubisi Chukunyere who was handed a two-match ban.
Marsa midfielder Nikolai Slavtchev, Pietà midfielder Giacomo Paniccia, Hibernians midfielder Adrian Ciantar, Mosta defender Cristiano De Oliveira, Birkirkara midfielder William Camenzuli were suspended for one match each.
Ciantar and Chukunyere will be missing the next league match for Hibernians against Sliema Wanderers. Chukunyere will also miss the Pietà clash in two weeks' time.
Camenzuli and Paniccia will be unavailable for the clash between Pietà and Birkirkara. Slavtchev will miss Marsa's next game against Floriana while Cristiano will be unavailable for the game between Mosta and Hamrun.
Hibernians coach Robert Gatt was fined Lm 25 after being sent off on Sunday.
- First Division Gozo vs Msida SJ 1-1
Tue 25
- The protest lodged by Hibernians over the alleged ineligibility of Luke Dimech to play for Birkirkara was discussed during a meeting of the MFA Protests' Board at the association's headquarters in Valletta. However one meeting was not enough and the board opted to continue discussing in another meeting on Wednesday evening.
Birkirkara have been arguing that they had every right to register Dimech after obtaining the International Transfer Certificate from the FA of Ireland. After leaving Sliema in summer, the Maltese international defender joined Shamrock Rovers in the Irish Premier League. The Irish League came to an end in January.
Depending on the outcome of this protest is another protest which Valletta have filed. Both Hibs and Valletta claim that Dimech could not sign for Birkirkara according to FIFA regulations.
Sun 23
- Premier League Mosta vs Marsa 0-1, Hibernians vs Marsaxlokk 2-0
- First Division Gozo vs Msida SJ postponed. Xghajra T. vs Naxxar L. 1-0, Rabat A. vs Lija A. 2-2
- Second Division San Gwann vs Zebbug R. 1-1, St. Andrews vs Zurrieq 0-3
- Third Division St. George's vs Sta. Lucia 3-0, Ghaxaq vs Sirens 3-1
- Women's League Mosta vs Hibernians 0-4, Birkirkara vs Melita 0-0
- Malta international striker Daniel Bogdanovic made his debut for Cherno more Varna when he was included as a substitute on 61 minutes in the defeat to Levski Sofia.
Sat 22
- Premier League Pietà H. vs Sliema W. 2-2, Birkirkara vs Valletta 7-2
- Second Division Gzira U. vs Tarxien R. 1-4
- Gozo - First Division Xewkija T. vs Ghajnsielem 0-4
- Gozo - Second Division Kercem A. vs St. Lawrence S. 2-0
Fri 21
- Third Division Birzebbuga SP vs Fgura U. 1-1, Gudja U. vs Gharghur 0-3
- Valletta FC informed the Malta Football Association that they intend filing a protest over Luke Dimech if he plays for Birkirkara on Saturday.
According to MFA regulations, a club must notify its intention of filing a protest.
Hibs had lodged a protest on Tuesday claiming that Luke Dimech's registration was invalid according to FIFA regulations. The protest will be heard next Tuesday.
- Roland Sollars has quit his post of Head Coach at Sirens FC.
The main motive behind his decision is due to personal reasons.
To-date, under his guidance, Sirens have managed to reach the semi-finals of the 2nd and 3rd Division Knock-out competition ousting two second division clubs along the way.
Sirens are currently eighth in Division 3 with 14 points from ten matches.
Thu 20
- The decision of the Board to Investigate Corrupt Practices of the Malta Football Association to suspend Qormi FC for the rest of the season and to relegate the team to Division 3 for season 2003-2004 was confirmed during a meeting of the Council of the MFA on Thursday.
The motion which was approved said that the board's decision had to be confirmed but the fine was to be reduced to Lm 1,000 (instead of Lm 1,500).
Qormi had lodged an appeal following the board's decision which was announced on February 6.
The Board found Qormi FC guilty of an attempt bribery when Gordon Mallia, a player of Zebbug Rangers, recorded a phone call by Carmel Falzon and Joseph Spiteri in which the former asked Mallia "Ghal nhar il-Hadd ser nirrangaw xi haga?". This occurred on September 26, just three days before the Second Division clash between Qormi and Zebbug.
In their appeal, Qormi FC stated that the club could not be found guilty of this act as Falzon and Spiteri acted on their own will and that there was no proof that they offered some sort of "consideration". The club also claimed that they could not automatically be found guilty of the two members' actions for which they were given the maximum penalty.
During Thursday's meeting, another two motions were put forward - one which said that Qormi had to lose 11 points and another one that said that Qormi were to continue playing for this season but had to be relegated at the end of the season. Both motions were rejected.
Wed 19
- First Division Msida SJ vs Senglea A. 0-1
- Hibernians filed a protest against the result of last Saturday's Championship Pool clash with Birkirkara.
Hibs claim Luke Dimech was ineligible to play for Birkirkara as his registration is invalid according to FIFA Regulations.
Birkirkara won 1-0, a goal by William Camenzuli.
- On the initiative of the Referees Board's Media Sub-Committee and with the co-operation of the Ghaqda Kittieba Sports, the Malta Football Association, will be organising a dialogue meeting for the sports media and football referees with the theme "Nifhmu Aktar lil Xulxin"
Opening the meeting will be an introduction by Mr Tom A. Restall, head of the Referees Department of the Malta Football Association.
The president of the Malta Football Referees Association, Patrick Fenech will be talking about what referees expect from the sports journalists. Alex Vella, football journalist for The Times will speak about the role of the journalist in football while Bernard Vassallo who is an international basketball referee and also, a journalist, will be speaking on the theme "The Referee and the Journalist".
Participants will be discussing Rule 12 of the Laws of the Game.
- Malta lost another place in the FIFA World Rankings despite the 2-2 draw with Kazakhstan last week. Malta lies in the 124th place.
Among the other European countries, Malta lies in the 48th place. Just ahead of Malta are Moldova (114), Azerbaijan and the Faroe Islands (117) and Kazakhstan (120) while Andorra (137), Liechtenstein (151), Luxembourg (152) and San Marino (161) are behind Malta.
At the top of the rankings are still Brazil, followed by France and Spain. Argentina move in fourth place while Germany lose a place and are now fifth, followed by the Netherlands, Turkey, England, Mexico, USA, Denmark, Portugal and Italy.
Tue 18
- Premier League Floriana vs Hamrun S. 1-1, Valletta vs Pietà H. 0-0
Sun 16
- Premier League Floriana vs Hamrun S. and Valletta vs Pietà H. postponed
- First Division Msida SJ vs Senglea A. and St. Patrick vs Gozo postponed
- Second Division Attard vs Dingli S. 0-1, Mellieha vs St. Andrews 1-0
- Third Division Melita vs Siggiewi 1-0, Mgarr U. vs Pembroke A. 0-2
- Gozo - First Division Xaghra U. vs Qala SJ 1-2
- Gozo - Second Division S.K. Victoria W. vs Gharb R. 1-4
- The two Premier League matches scheduled to be played at the Hibernians Ground on Sunday were postponed due to a waterlogged pitch.
The two matches will be played at the Centenary Stadium on Tuesday. The Relegation Pool clash between Floriana and Hamrun Spartans will be played at 18:00 while the Championship Pool game between Valletta and Pietà Hotspurs will be held at 20:00.
Meanwhile the two First Division matches scheduled to be played at the Victor Tedesco Stadium, Hamrun, have also been postponed and will be played on Wednesday 19 at the Centenary Stadium: 17:30 Msida St. Joseph vs Senglea Athletic and 19:30 St. Patrick vs Gozo.
- Nigerian striker Ndubisi Chukunyere returned Malta following a short trial with Russian Premier League side Shinnik Yaroslavl.
The Russian club had invited Chukunyere for a trial while they were on a training camp in Larnaca, Cyprus. He left Malta on Wednesday but had to return on Saturday morning in order to play for Hibernians in the important Championship Pool clash with Birkirkara.
However the bad weather that hit Cyprus made it impossible for the officials of Shinnik to assess Chukunyere's qualities as a friendly match which was scheduled to be held had to be called off.
Since Chukunyere had an agreement with Hibernians that he would return before the Birkirkara game, he had to travel back to Malta before the Russian club could see him in action.
The Nigerian striker had been attracting interest from foreign clubs over the past months. In January, a club from Qatar had tabled an offer for Chukunyere but this was turned down as Hibs asked for a million dollars.
Sat 15
- Premier League Sliema W. vs Marsaxlokk 3-0, Hibernians vs Birkirkara 0-1
- Second Division Zebbug R. vs Luqa SA 1-1, Zurrieq vs San Gwann 1-1
- Gozo - First Division Zebbug R. vs Victoria H. 2-0
- Gozo - Second Division Sannat L. vs Oratory Y. 1-0
- Valletta FC's appeal against the six-month suspension of Ivan Zammit was turned down as it was not formulated according to the MFA's guidelines.
- In a match from the Bundesliga, Michael Mifsud replaced Lincoln nine minutes from time in Kaiserslautern's 1-1 draw with Arminia Bielefeld away from home.
Fri 14
- Third Division Sirens vs Zejtun C. 0-1, Sta. Lucia vs Ta' Xbiex 1-0
Wed 12
- Friendly International Malta vs Kazakhstan 2-2
- The executive committee of Hamrun Spartans will be holding a rally for supporters on Thursday February 13 at the club. The rally starts at 19:00.
Members will be given details about the club's financial situation and the recent developments in the club.
New president Dr David Farrugia Sacco LL.D will be ready to answer questions by supporters.
Farrugia Sacco will be announcing the club's long-term plans and will speak about a number of initiatives which the club will be taking.
During the rally, for which the players will be present, there will be a presentation to Stefan Sultana, after he managed to establish a new record number of goals scored in the top division.
- Upon instructions by FIFA, the Malta Football Association will be holding an exam for those interested in becoming licensed Players' Agents. The exam will be held on March 27.
Those interested in sitting for this exam should fill in the application form issued by the MFA and send it to the secretary general of the MFA together with the relevant documents. Application forms should reach the MFA headquarters by March 3.
Application forms and copies of the Players' Agents Regulations may be obtained from the MFA Headquarters, 280 St. Paul's Street, Valletta.
Tue 11
- Under 21 Friendly Malta vs Kazakhstan 0-3
- Simon Vella and Daniel Bogdanovic are expected to be included in the starting line-up for Malta as the national team takes on Kazakhstan in a friendly match on Wednesday. Both players arrived in Malta on Monday and attended their first training sessions on Tuesday.
National coach Sigi Held will be using this match in order to prepare for the forthcoming EURO 2004 qualifiers against France in March, Slovenia in April and Cyprus in June.
For this game, Held opted to leave Lokomotiv Sofia midfielder Stefan Giglio and Kaiserslautern stirker Michael Mifsud out of the squad as a disciplinary measure after they failed to travel with the squad for the December 27 friendly against the Balearic Islands in Mallorca. Also missing for Malta are the injured Daniel Theuma and Gilbert Agius.
The starting line-up should be: Mario Muscat, Brian Said, Simon Vella, Carlo Mamo, David Carabott, Ian Ciantar, Luke Dimech, Joe Brincat, George Mallia, Chucks Nwoko, Daniel Bogdanovic.
Malta's opponent on Wednesday, Kazakhstan, is the newest member of UEFA. Becoming an independent state on 1992, Kazakhstan joined the Asian Football Confederation and participated in the qualifying rounds for the World Cup 1998 and 2002. However the fact that about 15% of Kazakhstan's territory is in Europe sparked the idea of the transition of the Football Union of Kazakhstan from AFC to UEFA. The change of a football "registration" was the basic purpose of the new management of the Football Union of Kazakhstan led by president Rakhat Aliyev. After consultations with FIFA, UEFA and AFC, the Football Union of Kazakhstan left AFC and submitted documents for to join UEFA. Kazakhstan became the full member of the European Football family at the Stockholm Congress, on 25 April 2002.
In the past season, the Kazakhstan clubs debuted in the European club tournaments. The three clubs were eliminated. In the Champions League, Zhenis Astana lost on the away-goals rule to Sheriff of Moldova (1-2 3-2). In the UEFA Cup, Kairat lost 0-5 on aggregate to Red Star Belgrade while Pukhov of Slovakia defeated Atyrau 2-0.
- Malta international striker Daniel Bogdanovic will join Bulgarian Premier League side Cherno More Varna after the player signed the document necessary for his release from Valletta.
Despite signing a two-and-a-half year contract with Cherno More, the player's registration could not be filed as the Malta Football Association was unable to issue the player's international transfer certificate before he was released formally by Valletta.
The Citizens had prepared the documents but Bogdanovic failed to turn up to sign the documents.
However on his return to Malta on Monday night, to play in the friendly against Kazakhstan, he was able to settle the problem with Valletta.
Mon 10
- Second Division Tarxien R. vs Vittoriosa S. 1-0, Qormi vs Attard 2-3
- Third Division Ghaxaq vs Sta. Venera L. 1-4, St. George's vs Kirkop U. 1-2
- Gozo - Second Division SK Victoria W. vs Kercem A. 0-2
Sun 9
- FA Trophy Mqabba vs Mosta 1-2 aet, Floriana vs Naxxar L. 5-0
- Second Division St. Andrews vs Gzira U. 2-2, Dingli S. vs Zebbug R. 0-0
- Third Division Gharghur vs Mgarr U. 1-0, Fgura U. vs Melita 1-0
- Women's League Melita vs Rabat A. 4-0, Raiders vs Hibernians 0-5
- Gozo - First Division Xewkija T. vs Zebbug R. 3-1, Ghajnsielem vs Nadur Y. 0-1
- Malta international striker Michael Mifsud has now conquered a regular place with Bundesliga wooden-spoonists Kaiserslautern.
On Saturday, he played the whole 90 minutes in the 2-0 win over Borussia Monchengladbach. Earlier this week, he had another good game when Kaiserslautern defeated VfL Bochum after the penalty shoot-out in the German Cup quarter-final. Mifsud was substituted after 111 minutes.
Kaiserslautern shared the bottom place in the table with Energie Cottbus on 17 points. Ahead of them are Nurnberg on 21 points, Bayer Leverkusen on 20 and Borussia Monchengladbach on 19 points.
- Valletta FC midfielder Ivan Zammit was handed a hefty six-month suspension by the MFA Disciplinary Commissioner. This suspension means that he will also be unavailable to play for Valletta FC during the same period.
Zammit, who was acting as team manager for the Valletta U-16 side in the game against Paola Hibs last Sunday, was reported for passing on offensive remarks to the referee.
Sat 8
- FA Trophy Msida SJ vs Marsaxlokk 2-4, Marsa vs Pietà H. 3-4
- Second Division San Gwann vs Luqa SA 7-2, Zurrieq vs Mellieha 1-0
- Gozo - Second Division Gharb R. vs Oratory Y. 2-0
Fri 7
- Lokomotiv Sofia midfielder Stefan Giglio and Kaiserslautern striker Michael Mifsud were both left out of the Malta national team squad which will be facing Kazakhstan in a friendly match on Wednesday at the National Stadium.
Speaking during a press conference at the MFA Technical Centre, Ta' Qali, national coach Sigi Held said that this was a disciplinary measure against the two players after both failed to turn up for the friendly match against the Balearic Islands in December although they were not injured.
On the other hand, Scotland-based Simon Vella was recalled in the squad after playing twice for Malta in last year's Rothmans Tournament. Vella, who is now a regular choice for Airdrie United was invited to form part of the Maltese squad that played against the Balearic Islands. However he was not released by the club as his team was playing an important league match in the same weekend.
MFA president Dr Joe Mifsud said Daniel Bogdanovic, who is currently in Turkey on a training camp with Cherno More Varna although the transfer has not been completed yet, was contacted by fax and he informed the association that he will be available to play.
The 20-man squad is made up of:
goalkeepers Saviour Darmanin (Pietà) and Mario Muscat (Hibernians)
defenders Jeffrey Chetcuti (Sliema), Ian Ciantar (Sliema), Darren Debono
(Valletta), Luke Dimech (Birkirkara), Carlo Mamo (Sliema), Brian Said
(Sliema) and Simon Vella (Airdrie);
midfielders Joe Brincat (Sliema), William Camenzuli (Birkirkara), David
Camilleri (Sliema), David Carabott (Valletta), Jonathan Holland (Floriana),
George Mallia (Birkirkara), and Noel Turner (Sliema) and
Daniel Bogdanovic (Valletta), Adrian Mifsud (Hibernians), Miguel Mifsud
(Hibernians) and Chucks Nwoko (Birkirkara).
Dr Mifsud said that little is known about Malta's opponents in this friendly match. Kazakhstan is the 52nd member of UEFA after they moved from the Asian federation last April. The Under-21 sides face each other on Tuesday at the Hibernians Ground (kick-off at 15:00) while the senior sides play on Wednesday at the National Stadium (kick-off at 18:15).
Under 21 coach Mark Miller complained that the players in his squad are not being given enough opportunity to play by their clubs. He said a number of new faces are part of the squad, namely Jean Pierre Mifsud Triganza, Nicolo Baldacchino and Christian Cassar of Floriana, Mauro Brincat of Hamrun and goalkeeper Kris Calleja of Lija. Clint Micallef and Andrew Cohen are not part of the squad as they are not attending training sessions.
The U-21 squad is made up of:
goalkeepers Kristian Calleja (Lija) and Justin Haber (Birkirkara);
defenders Jerryton Agius (Balzan), Etienne Barbara (Marsaxlokk), Clifton Ciantar (Floriana), Kurt Farrugia (Marsaxlokk), Lee Lombardi (Pietà);
midfielders Ian Azzopardi (Floriana), Shaun Bajada (Floriana), Jonathan Bondin (Valletta), Roderick Briffa (Birkirkara), Mauro Brincat (Hamrun), Trevor Cilia (Floriana), Kevin Sammut (Sliema), Gareth Sciberras (Pietà) and
strikers Nicolo Baldacchino (Floriana), Christian Cassar (Floriana), Jean Pierre Mifsud Triganza (Floriana) and Antoine Zahra (Hibernians).
The referee for the game between the senior sides is Rene Rogalla from the Swiss FA. He will be assisted by James Vella Clark, Joe Camilleri and fourth official Anton Zammit. Adrian D. Casha will be controlling the U-21 clash. He will be assisted by Konrad Borg, Alan Camilleri and fourth official Lorry Sammut.
The contingent from Kazakhstan is expected in Malta on Monday at 12.00am on Flight LH 3389 via Frankfurt)
- Speaking during a press conference, MFA president Dr Joe Mifsud said the present Premier League format is the best one possible.
The MFA executive committee held meetings with representatives from Premier League and Division 1 clubs, Division 2 and Division 3 clubs last week. During these meetings, a new eight-team Premier League format was proposed. Under this new format, clubs in the First Division had to be increased to 12 with the number of clubs in the Second, Third and a new Fourth Division were due to have 12, 10 and six teams respectively.
However the general feedback obtained by clubs was that they were against this proposal. In fact, a counter-proposal was put forward according to which all divisions should have ten teams.
This proposal will be discussed by the Executive Committee and then by the Council of the MFA.
Dr Mifsud said clubs should not consider only their good but also the good of the game.
The MFA president concluded by saying that the association will be carrying out surveys in order find out all possible options.
- New Kazakhstan coach Leonid Pakhomov included several young players while naming the squad for the friendly against Malta.
Since he was only appointed as coach in December and has not seen most of the players in action, Pakhomov, who is a former Russia U-21 coach, was assisted by U-21 coach Vladimir Fomichev in the selection of the squad.
The squad includes a number of players based in Russia and another based in Ukraine. Defender Nurmat Mirzabayev, Rostselmash Rostov midfielder Samat Smakov, Valeri Garkusha and Maxim Shevchenko return to the squad after a long absence. On the other hand, players like Evgeni Lovchev, Vitali Artemov, Daniyar Mukanov and Oleg Muslin could be making their debut. Muslin was born in Russia but has now obtained Kazakhstan citizenship in order to play for the former Soviet republic.
The squad is made up of: goalkeepers Yuriy Novikov (Irtysh Pavlador), Sergey Boichenko (Yelimai Semey), Igor Avdeev (Zhenis Astana), Nurmat Mirzabaev (Aktobe Lento), Sergey Kozulin (Zhenis Astana), Dmitriy Kishenko (Ekibastuzets Ekibastuz), Oleg Musin (Sokol Saratov - RUS), Vitaly Artemov (Shakhar Donetsk - UKR), Ruslan Baltiev (Dinamo Moscow - RUS), Dmitriy Byakov (Aktobe Lento), Samat Smakov (Rostselmash Rostov - RUS), Maxim Shevchenko (Lada - RUS), Andrey Karpovich (Rostselmash Rostov - RUS), Daniyar Mukanov (Tobol Kostanay), Evgeniy Lovchev (Zhenis Astana), Olveg Litvinenko (Yelimai Semey), Evgeny Tarasov (Sokol Saratov), Valeriy Garkusha (Tobol Kostanay).
- Maltese FIFA Referee Joe Attard has been appointed by the Malta FA to control the prestigious Friendly "A" International matches between Turkey and Ukraine which is being played in Izmir on Wednesday February 12. He will be assisted by Philip Agius and Ingmar Spiteri who will act as Assistant Referees.
Thu 6
- Second Division side Qormi will be relegated to Division 3 at the end of the season following the case of attempted bribery involving two former Qormi FC officials prior to the first round match against Zebbug Rangers on September 29.
This decision was taken by the Board to Investigate Corrupt Practices of the Malta Football Association following an inquiry. The club is expected to appeal from this decision.
Qormi were also fined Lm1,500 and the two club officials Carmel Falzon and Joseph Spiteri were banned for life. They may also be suspended till the end of the season
The two Qormi FC committee members had pleaded guilty in court in October. Magistrate Jacqueline Padovani Grima handed them a one-year jail term suspended for four years.
If Qormi fail to lodge an appeal by Monday February 17, Qormi FC will be suspended immediately.
- Despite beating Birkirkara 3-1 on Tuesday, Sliema Wanderers will be filing a protest over the eligibility of Luke Dimech.
Sliema claim they had an 'option' on Dimech when he returned back to Malta. The Wanderers are also saying that the transfer of Rufin Oba is irregular.
Meanwhile Birkirkara have asked the MFA to give a ruling regarding the transfer of Congolese striker Rufin Oba as Floriana have requested compensation from Birkirkara through the MFA. Birkirkara have also requested the association to investigate the transfer of Orosco Anonam to Sliema.
- Two goals in a 3-1 win over Marsaxlokk enabled Hamrun Spartans striker Stefan Sultana to establish a new record in the number of goals scored in top division football in Malta. He is now the all-time top scorer with 174 goals. Tony Nicholl held the previous record which stood on 173 goals.
Sultana, who is now 34 years old, started his career with Hamrun Spartans in season 1983-84. After playing for 15 years with Hamrun, he moved on to Hibernians where he stayed for four years before moving back to his first love last season.
The 174 goals were scored as follows: 1987-1988 Hamrun S. 5; 1988-1989 Hamrun S. 2;
1989-1990 Hamrun S. 11; 1990-1991 Hamrun S. 2; 1991-1992 Hamrun S. 22 (top-scorer); 1992-1993 Hamrun S. 18; 1993-1994 Hamrun S. 13;
1994-1995 Hamrun S. 13; 1995-1996 Hamrun S. 10; 1996-1997 Hamrun S. 23; 1997-1998 Hamrun S. 8; 1998-1999 Hamrun S. 2; 1998-1999 Hibernians 10; 1999-2000 Hibernians 6; 2000-2001 Hibernians 9; 2001-2002 Hamrun S. 11; 2002-2003 Hamrun S. 9
Stefan Sultana played 33 matches for the national team scoring four goals.
Wed 5
- Premier League Marsaxlokk vs Hamrun S. 1-3, Pietà H. vs Hibernians 0-1
Tue 4
- Premier League Floriana vs Valletta 1-2, Birkirkara vs Sliema W. 1-3
Mon 3
- First Division Lija A. vs Xghajra T. 1-0, Mqabba vs Balzan Y. 2-2
- Malta international striker Daniel Bogdanovic is still a Valletta player although the player signed a two-and-a-half year contract with Bulgarian Premier League side Cherno more Varna. The player failed to sign a document necessary for the Malta Football Association to issue his international transfer certificate.
Bogdanovic went to Bulgaria early last week but was due to return back before Friday. However the player failed to turn up and therefore the international clearance could not be issued in time before the final deadline for transfers on Friday.
The club has been trying to get in touch with the players for the past days but without success. It is yet unclear where the player is although he is probably on a training camp with the Bulgarian club. In fact on Wednesday, he was one of the scorers as Cherno more registered a 2-0 win over Dobrudzha in a friendly match.
A clause in Daniel Bogdanovic's contract with Valletta stated that the player would be released from his contract without any right for compensation in case he joins a foreign club.
- The MFA Technical Centre notifies that the Instructional Meeting for UEFA 'A', UEFA 'B', A and B Licence Coaches scheduled for Monday, 10th February, 2002, has been postponed for a later date.
Sun 2
- Premier League Marsaxlokk vs Hamrun S. and Pietà H. vs Hibernians postponed
- First Division Lija A. vs Xghajra T. and Mqabba vs Balzan Y. postponed
- Second Division Attard vs Tarxien R. 1-1, Vittoriosa S. vs St. Andrews 1-0
- Third Division Pembroke A. vs Gudja U. 1-0, Siggiewi vs Birzebbuga SP 0-4
- Women's League Rabat A. vs Raiders 0-2, Mosta vs Birkirkara 1-0
- Gozo - First Division Victoria H. vs Qala SJ 2-1, Xaghra U. vs Ghajnsielem 2-6
- All Premier League matches scheduled this weekend were postponed due to waterlogged pitches at the National Stadium and the Hibernians Ground.
Floriana vs Valletta and Birkirkara vs Sliema Wanderers, scheduled at the National Stadium on Saturday were postponed to Tuesday 4 at the National Stadium: Floriana vs Valletta at 18:00 and Birkirkara vs Sliema Wanderers at 20:00.
On the other hand, Sunday's matches will now be held on Wednesday: Marsaxlokk vs Hamrun Spartans at 18:00 and Pietà Hotspurs vs Hibernians at 20:00.
The two First Division matches scheduled for Sunday morning at the Victor Tedesco Stadium, Hamrun, have also been postponed and will be played on Monday 3 at the Centenary Stadium: 18:00 Lija A. vs Xghajra T. and 20:00 Mqabba vs Balzan Youths.
The four HSBC Youth League matches scheduled for Monday and Wednesday at the Centenary Stadium have now been postponed to a date still to be confirmed.
As usual, the matches scheduled for the Centenary Stadium were not affected by the weather. This makes one think seriously whether the Malta Football Association should invest on stadiums with synthetic turf pitches.
UEFA has been studying the development of artificial turf for football matches in recent years. In fact, four clubs around Europe will be installing an artificial turf in their stadium and play their domestic league matches on this turf for an entire season, with the consent of the national association and league concerned. These four clubs will be receiving a subsidy from UEFA of approximately €204,000, and in return they will be asked to co-operate with UEFA-appointed specialists who would undertake research into safety and medical aspects on the surfaces subsidised by UEFA. If the tests are positive, UEFA says it will officially introduce artificial turf in its competitions as from 2005.
The four venues are the Luzhniki stadium in Moscow, which already has an artificial turf pitch; the new Salzburg stadium in Austria; the Eyravallen stadium in Örebro, Sweden; and the Atatürk Stadium in the Turkish city of Denizli. The artificial turf surface at the Salzburg stadium should be ready by the spring, while the pitches in Sweden and Turkey are still at the planning and construction stage.
Sat 1
- Premier League Floriana vs Valletta and Birkirkara vs Sliema W. postponed
- Second Division Zebbug R. vs Qormi 1-1, Gzira U. vs Zurrieq 1-1
- Gozo - Second Division Sannat L. vs St. Lawrence S. 1-0
- A number of clubs managed to sign new players just before the final deadline of the January transfer window.
After having their prohibition removed, Marsa secured the services of Mosta midfileder Clive Mizzi, former Rabat, Birkirkara and Marsaxlokk striker Michael Cutajar and goalkeeper Anthony Mallia from Valletta. However they lost Alan Mifsud who joined Marsaxlokk.
The Southseasiders, who had already signed Reuben Debono from Birkirkara, signed Etienne Barbara earlier this week.
Zurrieq goalkeeper Mark Farrugia joined Floriana while Pietà registered two new players - Maltese-Australian Jean Paul Vella and Nigerian midfielder Vincent Obidimalor, who impressed a lot in the friendlies played by the Nigerian Stars, the team made up of Nigerian players based in Malta.
- Hamrun Spartans have set up three schemes in order to raise funds through donations by supporters. Scheme A consists of a donation of Lm200; Scheme B consists of a donation of Lm100 and Scheme C a donation of Lm50.
Sources very close to the organising committee state that all the former presidents of the Club will be asked to participate and encourage more Hamrunizi to participate.
Such action is in line with the President's strategy of winning back credibility and making everybody participate in the revival of the club.
The club is hoping to raise the sum of Lm25,000 through 20 donations of Lm250; 150 donations of Lm100 and 100 donations of Lm50.
The scheme will come to an end by the end of March.
- Michael Mifsud played for the last nine minutes in Kaiserslautern's 2-2 away draw to FC Schalke 04. Mifsud replaced Egyptian international Ramzy.