March 2003
Mon 31
- First Division Balzan Y. vs Rabat A. postponed, Lija A. vs Mqabba postponed, Xghajra T. vs St. Patrick 2-2, Naxxar L. vs Msida SJ 1-3
The two matches scheduled to be held at the Victor Tedesco Stadium on Monday morning between Balzan and Rabat, Lija and Mqabba were called off by the Ground Management following a slight rain shower during the night and early in the morning.
These matches will now be played as follows:
Tuesday, 1st April, 2003 (Centenary Stadium) - 18:30 Balzan Youths vs Rabat Ajax and
20:30 Lija Athletic vs Mqabba
- Second Division Tarxien R. vs San Gwann 3-1, Vittoriosa S. vs Attard 1-0
- Third Division Kirkop U. vs Pembroke A. 1-1, Sta. Venera L. vs Siggiewi 1-1
- Gozo - Tazza Jum il-Helsien Nadur Y. vs Ghajnsielem 3-0
Holders Nadur Youngsters retained the Tazza Jum il-Helsien in Gozo after defeating rivals Ghajnsielem 3-0 in the final. Nadur, who currently lead the First Division table by one point over the Blacks, took the lead thanks to a goal by Anthony Portelli during the first half. Ghajnsielem tried their best to equalise but the Youngsters doubled the score with a great goal by Emanuel Muscat. Anthony Portelli sealed the issue with a third goal after Reuben Mercieca was sent off for the Blacks.
- Gozo - GFA Cup Kercem A. vs St. Lawrence S. 1-0
Sun 30
- Second Division Luqa SA vs Gzira U. 2-3, Dingli S. vs Mellieha 6-3
- Third Division Gharghur vs Ta' Xbiex 2-0, Fgura U. vs Zejtun C. 2-0
- Women's League Mosta vs Melita 0-0, Raiders vs Rabat A. 2-0
- Gozo - GFA Cup Xaghra U. vs Gharb R. 2-3, Victoria H. vs SK Victoria W. 2-0
Sat 29
- EURO 2004 France vs Malta 6-0
- Third Division St. George's vs Mgarr U. 4-0, Ghaxaq vs Melita 1-3
- Gozo - First Division Nadur Y. vs Zebbug R. 5-0
- Gozo - GFA Cup Sannat L. vs Oratory Y. 4-1
Fri 28
- UEFA Under 21 Championship France vs Malta 2-0
- Malta faces a mammoth task as it takes on European champions France in a match from the EURO 2004 qualifying round at the Stade Felix Bollaert in Lens, kick-off at 20:45.
National coach Siegfried Held is expected to adopt an ultra-defensive plan as the only goal is that of avoiding a heavy defeat.
Held is expected to start with these eleven players: Mario Muscat, Ian Ciantar, Brian Said, Simon Vella, Carlo Mamo, David Carabott, Luke Dimech, George Mallia, Daniel Bogdanovic, Chucks Nwoko, Michael Mifsud. Also at his disposal are Saviour Darmanin, William Camenzuli, Jeffrey Chetcuti, David Camilleri, Noel Turner and Jonathan Holland.
Scotland-based Simon Vella should therefore retain his place in the starting line-up after returning for the national team in a friendly against Kazakhstan last month.
Together with the Airdrie United defender, there are two other foreign-based players - strikers
Michael Mifsud of Kaiserslautern and Daniel Bogdanovic of Bulgarian side
Cherno More Varna. Mifsud returns after missing the last game due to
disciplinary measures.
The German coach was forced to leave Joe Brincat, Adrian Mifsud and Daniel Theuma out of the squad as they are ruled injured. Stefan Giglio, who is also recovering from an injury, serves a one-match ban.
In the four matches played so far, two at home and two away, Malta suffered
four defeats, scoring one goal and conceding eleven.
The match officials for the game between the senior sides are referee Emil Bozinovski, assistants Bekim Bauta and Zoran Josifov and fourth official Delce Jakimovski from the Macedonia FA.
- France coach Jacques Santini called his players to show "concentration and respect" when they meet Malta on Saturday.
"An international match requires concentration and respect, whoever is the oppent. There are always uncertainties, one does not know what can happen. Therefore it is very important for us to be careful," said Santini.
Meanwhile Zinedine Zidane will lead France against Malta in Lens on Saturday and against Israel in Palermo next week after being handed the captain's armband for the next two EURO 2004 qualifiers.
"I'm happy to have the armband again and to have it for the next two matches," Zidane told a news conference on Friday. "I would see myself as a regular captain if Marcel Desailly decides to put an end to his international career.
"Several players like Bixente Lizarazu, Lilian Thuram or Fabien Barthez could have been named instead of me, but I have the feeling that captaincy fits the number 10 shirt better."
The 30-year-old Real Madrid playmaker has captained France three times in his 80 internationals but only once from the start of a match, in a 1-1 draw in Tunisia last August. Regular captain Desailly was left out of the squad because of injury problems.
Besides Desailly, midfielder Robert Pires of Arsenal is also set to miss the game as he is struggling to recover from an ankle injury.
Santini is therefore expected to field these players: Barthez, Thuram, Mexes, Gallas, Lizarazu, Pedretti, Makelele, Wiltord, Zidane, Marlet, Henry.
Thu 27
- Mark Miller's Under-21 side entertains France on Friday evening at the Stade Grimonprez Jooris in Lille, kick-off at 20:45. Miller hopes his players will be at their best after disappointing in their last outing when they were beaten 0-3 by Kazakhstan in a friendly last month.
Miller was forced to leave Clifton Ciantar out as the Floriana defender is suffering from an injury.
The starting line-up will be Justin Haber, Ian Azzopardi, Lee Lombardi, Gareth Sciberras, Kurt Farrugia, Roderick Bajada, Etienne Barbara, Christian Cassar, Kevin Sammut, Roderick Briffa, Antoine Zahra. Also at Miller's disposal are Omar Borg, Shaun Bajada, Jonathan Bondin, Mauro Brincat, Nicolo Baldacchino, Trevor Cilia and Jean Pierre Mifsud Triganza.
Malta played four matches so far losing the four of them against Slovenia 0-1 in Ljubljana, Israel 0-1 and France 0-3 at Ta' Qali and Cyprus 0-2 in Limassol.
Edgar Sorin Altmayer from the Romanian FA will control the U-21 clash. He will be assisted by Ioan Muresan and Marcel Savinu as assistant referees and Tiberiu Lajos as fourth official.
Wed 26
- First Division Mqabba vs Gozo 4-2
- Malta lost another place in the FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking as published on Wednesday. Malta now lies in the 125th place.
At the end of the year, Malta lied in the 121st place. Since then Malta played one match, a 2-2 draw with Kazakhstan.
At the top of the rankings, Spain moved second behind Brazil and ahead of France. Fourth are Argentina, followed by Germany, Netherlands, Turkey, Mexico, England and the USA.
- Joe Brincat has been dropped from the Malta squad which will be facing France at the Stade Felix Bollaert in Lens. Brincat failed to recover from a thigh injury he suffered in the FA Trophy quarter-final between Sliema Wanderers and Pietà Hotspurs.
Also missing from the 18-man squad which national coach Sigi Held named on Wednesday are Michael Spiteri and Hibernians duo Adrian Mifsud and Miguel Mifsud. Spiteri has decided to hang up his boots with immediate effect. On the other hand, Adrian Mifsud and Miguel Mifsud are both recovering from injuries.
The squad is therefore made up of:
goalkeepers Saviour Darmanin (Pietà) and Mario Muscat (Hibernians);
defenders William Camenzuli (Birkirkara), David Carabott (Valletta), Jeffrey Chetcuti and Ian Ciantar (Sliema), Darren Debono (Valletta), Luke Dimech (Birkirkara), Carlo Mamo and Brian Said (Sliema) and Simon Vella (Airdrie - SCO);
midfielders David Camilleri (Sliema), Jonathan Holland (Floriana) and Noel Turner (Sliema);
strikers Daniel Bogdanovic (Cherno More Varna - BUL), George Mallia (Birkirkara), Michael Mifsud (Kaiserslautern) and Chucks Nwoko (Birkirkara).
Meanwhile Under-21 coach Mark Miller also named the squad for the visit to France. Miller lost Clifton Ciantar as the Floriana defender is suffering from an injury. On the other hand, Omar Borg replaced Kristian Calleja as one of the two goalkeepers in the squad.
The 18 players selected by Miller are:
goalkeepers Omar Borg (Msida) and Justin Haber (Birkirkara);
defenders Ian Azzopardi (Floriana), Lee Lombardi and Gareth Sciberras (Pietà), Kurt Farrugia (Marsaxlokk)
midfielders Shaun Bajada (Floriana), Roderick Bajada (Hamrun), Etienne Barbara (Marsaxlokk), Jonathan Bondin (Valletta), Mauro Brincat (Hamrun), Christian Cassar (Floriana) and Kevin Sammut (Sliema) and
strikers Nicolo Baldacchino (Floriana), Roderick Briffa (Birkirkara), Trevor Cilia and Jean Pierre Mifsud Triganza (Floriana) and Antoine Zahra (Hibernians).
The two squads leave Malta on Thursday at 09:00. The U-21 squad returns on Saturday at 21:35 while the senior squad will be back in Malta on Sunday at 23:05.
The EURO 2004 qualifier will be held on Saturday while the Under 21 clash will be played on Friday. Both matches kick-off at 20:45.
The match officials for the game between the senior sides are referee Emil Bozinovski, assistants Bekim Bauta and Zoran Josifov and fourth official Delce Jakimovski from the Macedonia FA. On the other hand, Edgar Sorin Altmayer from the Romanian FA will control the U-21 clash. He will be assisted by Ioan Muresan and Marcel Savinu as assistant referees and Tiberiu Lajos as fourth official.
- Robert Micallef was elected as the new president of Premier League side Marsa FC during an extraordinary general meeting which was held on Sunday. Micallef, who will be serving as president for a period of three years, replaces Joseph Gauci. Darryl Grima was elected as the club's financial director.
- Pietà Hotspurs striker Jamie Pace was handed a two-match ban after being sent off in Friday's FA Trophy quarter-final against Sliema Wanderers. Since the Hotsurs were eliminated from the competition, he will have to serve this ban in Premier League matches. Etienne Barbara of Marsaxlokk was also suspended for one match.
Tue 25
- Third Division Zejtun C. vs Sirens 1-0
- Dingli Swallows FC Youth Nursery are organizing a penalty shoot out as part of its fund raising activities.
This activity is going to be held on Saturday 5th Aapril at the Dingli Swallows Football Ground. The kick off for this activity will be given at 08.30. A penalty can be kicked for every 25c donation. There will also be an open category for those over 19 years of age. Trophies will be given to the winners of each category.
For more info one can call on mobile numbers 79706487, 79593521, 99879543 or else telephone number 21456221.
Mon 24
- Birkirkara and Malta international defender Michael Spiteri has decided to quit football with immediate effect. The 34-year old has decided to hang up his boots after struggling to recover from a cruciate knee ligament injury due to which he made only a couple of appearances this season after missing most of last season.
After making a short appearance in the first leg of the UEFA Cup preliminary round clash with Metalurh Zaporizhya, Spiteri was forced to stay out of the field of play for almost six months, returning in the 0-1 defeat to Marsaxlokk two weeks ago.
Speaking to the club's official website www.birkirkarafc.com, Spiteri said "I felt that I cannot contribute to the Birkirkara team as much as the players who took part in that match did. Injuries have taken their toll on my career to an extent that I know that I cannot regain my full fitness. In view of this, I have resolved to quit football to make room for the up-and-coming players who certainly deserve their chance."
Spiteri, a product of Fgura United, played for eleven years with Hibernians before moving to Birkirkara in season 1999-2000. He won three league championships - two with Hibs and one with Birkirkara. He made his national team debut on November 5, 1993 in a friendly match against Egypt. He played 24 matches, scoring a goal.
Sun 23
- First Division Rabat A. vs Xghajra T. 3-0, Gozo vs Senglea A. 1-3, Msida SJ vs Lija A. 3-2, St. Patrick vs Naxxar L. 6-2
- Second Division Zebbug R. vs Vittoriosa S. 1-1
- Third Division Ta' Xbiex vs Pembroke A. 0-1, Gudja U. vs Sta. Lucia 2-0, Birzebbuga SP vs Sirens 1-2
- Women's League Rabat A. vs Mosta 0-2, Hibernians vs Birkirkara 0-0
- Gozo - Second Division Oratory Y. vs S.K. Victoria W. 1-1
Sat 22
- FA Trophy Floriana vs Marsaxlokk 2-0 aet, Valletta vs Hibernians 0-1
- Second Division Tarxien R. vs St. Andrews 1-1, San Gwann vs Attard 0-1
- Gozo - First Division Qala SJ vs Xewkija T. 3-3
- Gozo - Second Division St. Lawrence S. vs Gharb R. 1-2
Fri 21
- FA Trophy Sliema W. vs Pietà H. 2-1 aet, Mosta vs Birkirkara 0-5
- Newly appointed FIFA Referee, Mr Adrian D. Casha, will have his baptism as a FIFA Referees in the UEFA Under 17 Championship Second Round Mini-Tournament being held in Belgium between March 24 and 26. Taking part in the tournament are Italy, Germany, Azerbaijan and the host country, Belgium.
Casha, who will be assisted by Mr Joe Rapa as Asst. Referee, will control the matches Belgium vs Azerbaijan and Italy vs Azerbaijan besides acting as Fourth Official in the opening match between Belgium and Italy.
On April 1, Mr Joe Attard will be travelling to Albania to control the UEFA Under-21 Championship match between Albania and the Republic of Ireland. His assistants will be James Vella Clark and Konrad G. Borg while Lorry Sammut will act as Fourth Official.
Thu 20
- National coach Sigi Held and Under 21 coach Mark Miller named the provisional squads for next week's EURO 2004 and the Under 21 Championship qualifiers against France.
The Under 21 sides face each other on Friday at the Stade Grimonprez Jooris in Lille while the senior sides clash at the Stade Felix Bollaert in Lens on Saturday.
Kaiserslautern striker Michael Mifsud is back in the squad after being left out of the friendly against Kazakhstan last month due to disciplinary measures. Missing from the provisional squad is Lokomotiv Sofia midfielder Stefan Giglio who is recovering from an injury together with Valletta defender Daniel Theuma.
The squad is therefore made up of:
goalkeepers Saviour Darmanin (Pietà) and Mario Muscat (Hibernians);
defenders William Camenzuli (Birkirkara), David Carabott (Valletta), Jeffrey Chetcuti and Ian Ciantar (Sliema), Darren Debono (Valletta), Luke Dimech (Birkirkara), Carlo Mamo and Brian Said (Sliema), Michael Spiteri (Birkirkara) and Simon Vella (Airdrie - SCO);
midfielders Joe Brincat and David Camilleri (Sliema), Jonathan Holland (Floriana), Miguel Mifsud (Hibernians) and Noel Turner (Sliema);
strikers Daniel Bogdanovic (Cherno More Varna - BUL), George Mallia (Birkirkara), Adrian Mifsud (Hibernians), Michael Mifsud (Kaiserslautern) and Chucks Nwoko (Birkirkara).
Mark Miller selected the following players:
goalkeepers Kristian Calleja (Lija) and Justin Haber (Birkirkara);
defenders Ian Azzopardi and Clifton Ciantar (Floriana), Lee Lombardi and Gareth Sciberras (Pietà), Kurt Farrugia (Marsaxlokk) and Alex Muscat (Lija);
midfielders Shaun Bajada (Floriana), Roderick Bajada (Hamrun), Etienne Barbara (Marsaxlokk), Jonathan Bondin (Valletta), Mauro Brincat (Hamrun), Christian Cassar (Floriana) and Kevin Sammut (Sliema) and
strikers Roderick Briffa (Birkirkara), Trevor Cilia and Jean Pierre Mifsud Triganza (Floriana) and Antoine Zahra (Hibernians).
- Marsaxlokk defender Kurt Farrugia was handed a three match ban by the MFA Disciplinary Commissioner after being sent off in the match against Pietà Hotspurs on Tuesday.
Another Marsaxlokk player, Etienne Barbara, was suspended for one match. Barbara will miss the game against Sliema Wanderers while Farrugia will also be unavailable for the games against Hibernians and Valletta.
Floriana's Georgian midfielder Grigol Gvazava and Mosta defender Bryan Agius were also suspended for one match. These will miss the games against Hamrun and Marsa respectively.
- Jacques Santini named the French squad for the EURO 2004 qualifiers against Malta and Israel. France hosts Malta at the Stade Felix Bollaert in Lens on Saturday 29 and four days later, faces Israel in the neutral venue of Palermo.
Bayern Munich defender Bixente Lizarazu and Juventus striker David Trezeguet form part of the squad after missing the trip to Malta in October. But Chelsea duo Marcel Desailly and Emmanuel Petit were forced to miss both games through injury. The only new face in the squad is Monaco midfielder Jerome Rothen.
The players selected by Santini are:
goalkeepers Fabien Barthez (Manchester United) and Grégory Coupet (Olympique Lyonnais);
defenders William Gallas (Chelsea), Bixente Lizarazu (Bayern Munich), Philippe Mexes (AJ Auxerre), Willy Sagnol (Bayern Münich),
Mikaël Silvestre (Manchester United), Lilian Thuram (Juventus),
midfielders Claude Makelele (Real Madrid), Benoît Pedretti (Sochaux), Robert Pires (Arsenal), Jérôme Rothen (Monaco), Patrick Vieira (Arsenal), Sylvain Wiltord (Arsenal), Zinedine Zidane (Real Madrid) and Djibril Cisse (Auxerre) and
strikers Sidney Govou (Olympique Lyonnais), Thierry Henry (Arsenal), Steve Marlet (Fulham) and David Trezeguet (Juventus).
Wed 19
- First Division Gozo vs St. Patrick 1-1, Senglea A. vs Balzan Y. 0-3
The games were delayed by 50 minutes when the officials for the first game failed to turn up at the Centenary Stadium, apparently as they were not informed by the officer in charge. Another referee - Marco Borg was brought in while assistant referees Alan Camilleri and Joe Camilleri who were due to assist Kevin Azzopardi in the second game, had to work an extra hour-and-a-half to assist Marco Borg in the first game as well.
- Second & Third Division Knock-Out Tarxien R. vs Zejtun C. 2-1
- Gozo - First Division Victoria H. vs Xaghra U. 7-0
- Gozo - Second Division Gharb R. vs Kercem A. 1-2, Sannat L. vs SK Victoria W. 2-0
Sun 16
- Premier League Floriana vs Mosta and Pietà H. vs Marsaxlokk postponed
- First Division Senglea A. vs Balzan Y. and Mqabba vs Gozo postponed
- Second Division Gzira U. vs Dingli S. 0-2
- Third Division Fgura U. vs Sta. Venera L. 0-1, Gharghur vs Kirkop U. 2-1
- Women's League Melita vs Hibernians 0-1 abandoned, Birkirkara vs Raiders postponed
- The heavy downpours that hit the island on Saturday and Sunday caused the postponement of the matches scheduled in the Premier League and Division 1.
The Relegation Pool clash between Floriana and Mosta and Pietà Hotspurs vs Marsaxlokk from the Championship Pool, which were scheduled at the Hibernians Ground were called off due to a water-logged pitch.
For similar reasons, the two First Division matches Senglea A. vs Balzan Y. and Mqabba vs Gozo, due to be held at the Victor Tedesco Stadium, were also postponed.
- A new format is being proposed for the Second and Third Division Leagues. This emerged from last Thursday's meeting of the Council of the Malta Football Association.
The Third Division Standing Committee has put forward a proposal saying that the Second Division League and the Third Division League should each have 14 teams each. This proposal says that the two leagues should be played over two rounds. On the other hand, the Second Division & Third Division Knock-Out should be played over a knock-out right from the very first phase.
MFA president Dr Joe Mifsud said that no agreement has been reached yet over a change in the format in the Premier League and the First Division. This will be probably mean that the format in the top division will be retained at least for another couple of seasons.
An earlier proposal said that the number of teams in Divisions 2 and 3 had to be reduced to ten teams with the remaining clubs playing in a new Fourth Division.
Meanwhile the issue of relegation from Division 2 following the suspension of Qormi FC was discussed during last Thursday's Council meeting. It was decided that if at the end of the season, Qormi would be lying in any of the first ten places, Qormi together with the teams placing 11th and 12th will be relegated. Three teams would be promoted from Division 3. On the other hand, if Qormi will be occupying the 11th or 12th place, Qormi and the other team will be relegated. In this case two teams will be promoted.
Qormi are currently joint fifth with Zurrieq on 21 points. All their remaining matches are being given as walk-overs (0-2).
Sat 15
- Premier League Valletta vs Hibernians 0-0, Sliema W. vs Birkirkara 3-2
- Second Division Zurrieq vs Tarxien R. 0-2, Vittoriosa S. vs Luqa SA 0-2
- Gozo - Second Division Oratory Y. vs St. Lawrence S. 3-3
Fri 14
- Third Division Sirens vs Melita 2-4, Sta. Lucia vs Mgarr U. 2-1
- Michael Mifsud played for Kaiserslautern Amateure in the Regionalliga Sud in the 2-1 defeat to TSG Hoffenheim.
- Malta International Airport (MIA) plc and the Malta Football Association signed an agreement whereby MIA will be the official sponsor of the MFA and its National League for the 2003/04 football season.
The agreement was signed during a news conference at the MIA on Friday afternoon. Present for the conference were MIA Chief Executive Officer Peter Bolech, MFA President Joe Mifsud, Finance Minister John Dalli and MIA Chairman Lawrence Zammit.
MIA - Supporting Malta's Sports is the first of three MIA initiatives in line with its social commitment towards Malta and the Maltese. MIA CEO Peter Bolech said that the reason to promote sports is to add value to Maltese society.
MFA President Joe Mifsud said that this sponsorship will be of benefit also to football clubs, who will be showing the MIA logo on the sleeves of their kits. He added that when teams go abroad they will be treated as VIPs.
Dr Mifsud said that the current season was the first for many years without a sponsor. The new sponsorship is for one year but MIA has the option to extend it for a further two years. The MFA President added that the Association is discussing its league formats.
Finance Minister John Dalli said that the MIA's financial support will help the voluntary initiatives in the sport while Malta national team captain David Carabott said that having the backing of such a prestigious organisation gives footballers more motivation to make this game accessible to a wider audience.
Thanks to this agreement MIA employees will have access to MFA facilities, including an executive box at the National Stadium's new Millennium Stand.
Last year the Malta Mediterranean Links Consortium Ltd acquired 40 percent of MIA with the Austrian Vienna International Airport being the majority shareholder in the Consortium. For this reason, the first ever international match of the Malta national team against Austria was recalled.
- Following the series of protests filed over the registration of Luke Dimech, the Malta Football Association will have to change its regulations regarding transfers in order to bring them perfectly in line with FIFA regulations.
This emerged from the meeting of the Council of the Malta Football Association which was held on Thursday.
Hibernians had filed a protest arguing that Dimech had registered twice during the same season. However MFA president Dr Joe Mifsud declared the association has no such regulation. Valletta and Pietà followed the Paolites by lodging similar protests.
FIFA regulations state that a player should register for a minimum of one year (during a main transfer period in summer and a transfer window in January).
This rule was not adopted by the MFA in order to safeguard the interests of players and clubs. However the local body will now have to adopt these regulations in order to avoid such protests.
Discussions will be held in order to change the regulations so that they will be in line with those of FIFA.
The new regulations will most probably state that new registrations will only become valid once they are approved. The registrations will be examined during a period of scrutiny (which could be of seven days). This would mean that a player could only make his first appearance for his new club a week after his registration is filed.
Once a registration is approved, no club may lodge a protest over it.
Dr Mifsud concluded by warning that the association will not let anyone "use protests to create chaos".
- As expected, football will take a break during the weekend of the 12th and 13th April as the General Election is held in Malta.
A full Premier League programme, four matches in Division 1, two in Division 2 and four in Division 3 were due to be played on Saturday and Sunday.
The Premier League matches - Marsaxlokk vs Hibernians, Pietà vs Sliema, Hamrun vs Floriana and Valletta vs Birkirkara - will now be held on Tuesday 15 and Wednesday 16.
On the other hand, all the remaining First Division matches will probably be moved by one week in order to avoid changes in the sequence of matches. Therefore the league would come to an end on May 4 rather than April 27.
Meanwhile, the First Division match between St. Patrick and Gozo FC will be held on Wednesday March 19. The game was originally scheduled for February 16 but was called off due to a waterlogged pitch.
The game was then postponed to February 19 but the Gozitans were unable to travel for the game as the Gozo Channel was only performing a limited number of trips to Sa Maison rather than Cirkewwa.
Thu 13
- The protests lodged by Valletta and Pietà Hotspurs against the results of their Premier League matches against Birkirkara were not upheld by the MFA Protests Board.
Meanwhile a complaint lodged by Sliema Wanderers was also turned down by the MFA Players, Coaches & Member Clubs Complaints Board. The Wanderers alledged that he was in breach of contract as they had first right of refusal which according to them was not given. This case was heard on Tuesday and the board decided in favour of the player as there was no contractual obligation to do this.
Valletta's case was deemed to be identical to the one presented by Hibernians and which had been turned down last month after the board sought advice from FIFA.
On the other hand, the protest filed by Pietà could not be considered since 30 days had elapsed from the player's registration. Still the protest was lodged on the same basis as those of Hibs and Valletta and therefore the decision would have been similar.
Therefore the 7-2 win for Birkirkara over Valletta and the 1-1 draw between Pietà and Birkirkara are to stand.
Wed 12
- Hamrun Spartans will be without three players in the derby against Marsa after these were handed a one-match ban by the MFA Disciplinary Commissioner.
Jonathan Magri Overend, Mauro Brincat and Neville Galea, who all collected their fourth yellow card in the clash with Mosta, will therefore miss this important game which could mean a lot for Hamrun in their struggle to avoid relegation.
Other players to be suspended were Birkirkara defender Luke Dimech who will miss the clash with his former team Sliema and Hibs defender Aaron Xuereb who will be unavailable for the game against Valletta.
- The Malta Football Association and the Malta International Airport has reached an agreement thanks to which the MIA will become the official sponsor of the competitions organised by the MFA.
Details about the major sponsorship arrangement reached between the two organisations will be given during a news conference which will be addressed by Mr. Peter Bolech, Chief Executive Officer of Malta International Airport plc and Dr. Joe Mifsud, President of the Malta Football Association and which will be held on Friday. The Hon John Dalli, Minister of Finance, shall preside the news conference.
The Government of Malta last year sold 40% of its equity stake in MIA to the Malta Mediterranean Link Consortium Ltd and a few months ago, the Maltese public became the third group of investors through a Public Share offer.
The competitions organised by the Malta Football Association, namely the Premier League, the FA Trophy, the Super Cup, the First Division League, the Second Division League, the Third Division League and the Second and Third Division Knock-Out have been without a sponsor since the end of the sponsorship agreement with Rothmans last season.
- The Malta Football Association Technical Centre will be organizing two coaching courses in the coming months.
The Coaching Young Footballers Course will be held on Saturday 5 and Sunday 6 April. The closing date for this course is Tuesday April 1.
This course was due to be held later but the dates had to be brought forward by a week due to the General Elections.
Another course which will be held is the "A" License Coaching Course. This will be held between April 26 and May 11 - both days inclusive.
The closing date for these applications will be Monday, 14th April, 2003. Participants have to be physically fit and able to communicate in the English Language.
Applications for any of the two courses can be collected during office hours from the MFA Technical Centre, Ta' Qali (Att. Mr Nunzio Frendo). All applications will be considered on a first come first served basis.
Tue 11
- Second Division Vittoriosa S. vs Dingli S. 0-1
Mon 10
- Premier League Valletta vs Sliema W. 0-3, Hamrun S. vs Mosta 3-1
Sun 9
- First Division Naxxar L. vs Rabat A. 3-2, Lija A. vs St. Patrick 3-2
- Second Division St. Andrews vs San Gwann 0-1, Attard vs Zebbug R. 1-1
- Third Division Birzebbuga SP vs Ghaxaq 1-5, Gudja U. vs St. George's 1-1
- Women's League Hibernians vs Rabat A. 8-0, Raiders vs Mosta 2-3
- Gozo - First Division Victoria H. vs Xewkija T. 1-1, Ghajnsielem vs Qala SJ 6-0
Sat 8
- Michael Mifsud played for Kaiserslautern Amateure in the Regionalliga Sud as they drew 1-1 with SpVgg Unterhaching.
Fri 7
- Premier League Hibernians vs Pietà H. 2-1, Birkirkara vs Marsaxlokk 0-1
- Third Division Pembroke A. vs Gharghur 0-2, Siggiewi vs Fgura U. 1-1
Thu 6
- The Malta Football Association turned down a request by Valletta FC to replace the Chairman and members of the MFA Protests Board who will be hearing the protest lodged by the Citizens against the result of the Premier League match against Birkirkara.
According to Article 60 "The Protests Board" paragraph 1 (ii) of the Statute of the Malta FA, for the Protests' Board to consider any objection with regards to a member of the Board or the reserve members, this should be presented together with the protest. Since Valletta's objection was not presented together with the protest, this will not be considered.
The hearing is now set for Wednesday March 12 at the Headquarters of the MFA in Valletta.
Meanwhile, Birkirkara requested that the Premier League match between Birkirkara and Pieta should be replayed according to Competition Rules section 4 paragraph 19 of the Statute of the MFA.
In a letter signed by Club Chairman Victor Zammit, quoted on the club's official website www.birkirkarafc.com, Birkirkara emphasise "that the Club is suffering from the farcical situation where Valletta and Pieta filed their protest despite being aware of the outcome of the Hibernians protest." The letter states the unnecessarily pressure that has been made on Luke Dimech himself and the unnecessarily tension created in the whole clan of players.
Wed 5
- Sliema Wanderers goalkeeper Murphy Akanji and Hibernians striker Ndubisi Chukunyere were among a number of world-class stars who took part in a charity football match between the Africa Select XI and Rest of the World XI' on 4 March 2003 at the Reebok Stadium, Bolton.
The match was organised by The Kanu Heart Foundation, set up by Arsenal's Nwankwo Kanu, and formed part of the foundation's biggest fund raising event (Kanu Children in Need Africa - Making a Difference) since its inception two years ago.
The best footballers from across Africa and the rest of the world will be applying their skills in support for African children who are in desperate need of life saving operations.
Amongst the players who took part in the game were are Youri Djorkaeff, Hakan Sukur, Dwight Yorke, Andy Cole, Robert Pires, Patrick Vieira, Thierry Henry, Kanu, Marcel Desailly, Celestine Babayaro and Jay Jay Okocha. The Africa Select XI were managed by former Liverpool and England International John Barnes, whilst Bolton Wanderers manager Sam Allardyce took charge of the Rest of the World side.
The African Select XI won 7-4 with Nwankwo Kanu scoring two of the goals.
- Seven Premier League players were handed a one-match ban by the MFA Disciplinary Commissioner.
The worst hit were Floriana who had two players suspended. Defender Ian Azzopardi and midfielder Boyko Simeonov will be missing the clash with Mosta in ten days' time.
Chucks Nwoko and Etienne Barbara will be missing the clash between Birkirkara and Marsaxlokk on Friday after collecting their fourth yellow card during the weekend.
Against Sliema, Valletta will be without David Carabott who was suspended after being sent off on Sunday.
The other players to be suspended were Ridha Dardouri of Marsa and Digger Okonkwo of Pietà.
Tue 4
- Although the MFA Protests' Board last week had ruled against Hibernians' protest over the registration of Luke Dimech with Birkirkara, the controversy is far from being over. Pietà Hotspurs have now filed a protest against the result of last Saturday's clash with Birkirkara for the same reason.
Just as Hibernians and Valletta argued over the past weeks, the Hotspurs claim Luke Dimech was ineligible to play for Birkirkara as he obtained the international clearance twice during the same season.
Meanwhile, the protest lodged by Valletta was due to be heard on Monday but the case was postponed as the Citizens insisted on the reconstitution of the board.
Valletta had asked the Malta Football Association to appoint new members on the Protests' Board as they felt the current board members had a prejudice on the case having decided against the protest filed by Hibernians. The members of the Protests Board will be referring Valletta's request to the MFA which will now discuss whether new members will discuss the case.
Hibernians are now set to take the case to FIFA as they still feel Dimech's registration should not be deemed valid. When the MFA sought advice from FIFA, Gianpaolo Monteneri, Head of the FIFA Players' Status Legal Services, said that there were exceptions to Article 5.2 of the FIFA Regulations for the Status and Transfer of Players if the player was made redundant or had his contract terminated prematurely. The Paolites argue that this was not the case.
Meanwhile Pietà Hotspurs notified the MFA that they intended lodging a protest against the result of the match against the Stripes over the ineligibility of Luke Dimech.
The Stripes had asked the MFA to issue a ruling on Luke Dimech's case early in February but the matter was not discussed.
- The protest lodged by First Division side Msida St. Joseph over an alleged technical error by referee Lorry Sammut was not upheld by the MFA Protests Board on Monday.
Msida claimed that with the score 1-1 on 71 minutes, the referee seemed to have validated a goal by Charles Sciberras for Msida but then ordered a penalty as Daniel Nwoke was fouled in the action which led to the goal.
The 1-1 draw is therefore to stand. This result leaves Msida in second place in Division 1, one point behind leaders Senglea Athletic and one ahead of Balzan Youths.
Mon 3
- The Kanu Heart Foundation, set up by Arsenal's Nwankwo Kanu, is staging a charity football match between the Africa Select XI and Rest of the World XI' on 4 March 2003 at the Reebok Stadium, Bolton. The match forms part of the Kanu Heart Foundation's biggest fund raising event (Kanu Children in Need Africa - Making a Difference) since its inception two years ago.
The best footballers from across Africa and the rest of the world will be applying their skills in support for African children who are in desperate need of life saving operations.
Amongst the players who will be flying the flag for Africa and the rest of the world at the showpiece event are Thuram, Zola, Ronaldinho, Dwight Yorke, Andy Cole, Robert Pires, Patrick Vieira, Thierry Henry, Kanu, Marcel Desailly, Celestine Babayaro and Jay Jay Okocha. The Africa Select XI will be managed by former Liverpool and England International John Barnes, whilst Bolton Wanderers manager Sam Allardyce will take charge of the Rest of the World side.
But this game will also have a Maltese touch as Hibernians' Nigerian striker Ndubisi Chukunyere will be starring for the African Select XI.
- The MFA Technical Centre will be organising an Instructional Meeting for 'C' Licence, Foundation, Club Coach Certificate and Youth Development Diploma Coaches coaches on Monday, 10th March, 2003, at the MFA Training Grounds, Ta' Qali, at 18.30hrs.
The practical session will be conducted by the MFA Staff Coach, Mr Stephen Grima. All coaches are expected to wear the right attire for this practical session.
Sun 2
- Premier League Marsa vs Floriana 0-0, Marsaxlokk vs Valletta 1-1
- First Division Senglea A. vs Mqabba 0-0, Balzan Y. vs Xghajra T. 1-1
- Second Division Tarxien R. vs Mellieha 1-1, Luqa SA vs Attard 1-5
Sat 1
- Premier League Pieta H. vs Birkirkara 0-0, Sliema W. vs Hibernians 3-0
- Third Division Mgarr U. vs Gudja U. 0-6, Melita vs Birzebbuga SP 3-1
- Gozo - First Division Nadur Y. vs Xaghra U. 3-0, Qala SJ vs Zebbug R. 1-2
- First Division side Msida St. Joseph have filed a protest over what they claim to be a technical error by referee Lorry Sammut in Wednesday's clash with Gozo FC which ended in a 1-1 draw. The Saints are demanding a replay.
With the score 1-1 on 71 minutes, the referee seemed to have validated a goal by Charles Sciberras for Msida but then ordered a penalty as Daniel Nwoke was fouled in the action which led to the goal. Jesmond Delia's spot-kick was saved by Gozo FC goalie Jonathan Xuereb.
The match was played on Wednesday at the Centenary Stadium and not as originally scheduled at the Gozo Stadium on Sunday, as the ground officials of the Gozo Stadium deemed the pitch was unfit to host the game.
- No Premier League matches will be held on Referendum Day, March 8.
The two Premier League matches due to be played on Saturday 8 were anticipated to Friday 7 with the following programme: 18:00 Hibernians vs Pietà Hotspurs and 20:00 Birkirkara vs Marsaxlokk.
The two matches scheduled for Sunday 9 will be postponed to Monday 10, although this has not been confirmed officially yet.
In these two matches, Hamrun Spartans face Mosta and Valletta meet Sliema Wanderers.
Other matches from Divisions 1, 2 and 3 scheduled for Sunday will be going ahead as programmed.