April 2003

Wed 30

• EURO 2004 Malta vs Slovenia 1-3
• Gozo - GFA Cup Ghajnsielem vs Gharb R. 10-0

Tue 29

• UEFA Under 21 Malta vs Slovenia 0-0
• After suffering five defeats in the first five matches, including a heavy 6-0 defefat to France in Lille last month, Mata will be eyeing a positive result when they host Slovenia.
  Malta coach Siegfried Held said it is now the time for Malta to start collecting its first points. Although he admits Slovenia is a first-class team, he does not rule out the possibility that his players could collect their first point. "If all our players give their hundred per cent, we could obtain a positive result."
  A major setback for Held was an injury sustained by Sliema Wanderers midfielder Joe Brincat on Tuesday. Brincat, who was set to return after missing the France clash, will therefore start on the bench.
  On the other hand, Noel Turner of Sliema Wanderers and Lokomotiv Sofia midfielder Stefan Giglio will be given a starting berth. Losing their place from the team which faced France are Carlo Mamo and a striker between Chucks Nwoko and Daniel Bogdanovic.
  Giglio has been absent from the national team since November as he was suffering from an injury besides serving a one-match suspension against France.
  The final squad as named by Held:
  goalkeepers Saviour Darmanin (Pietŕ) and Mario Muscat (Hibs);
  defenders William Camenzuli (Birkirkara), David Carabott (Valletta), Ian Ciantar (Sliema), Darren Debono (Valletta), Luke Dimech (Birkirkara), Carlo Mamo and Brian Said (Sliema) and Simon Vella (Airdrie); midfielders Joe Brincat (Sliema), Stefan Giglio (Lokomotiv Sofia), Noel Turner (Sliema) and
  forwards Daniel Bogdanovic (Cherno More), Malcolm Licari (Pietŕ), George Mallia (Birkirkara), Michael Mifsud (Kaiserslautern) and Chucks Nwoko (Birkirkara).
  The Slovenian A-squad arrived in Malta on Tuesday morning and leaves after the game at midnight.
  The nineteen players selected by Prašnikar are:
  goalkeepers Mladen Dabanovic (Lokeren - BEL), Marko Simeunovic (Olympiakos Nicosia - CYP);
  defenders Spasoje Bulajic (FSV Mainz 05 - GER), Fabijan Cipot (Al Sadd Sports Club - QAT), Matej Šnofl (CMC Publikum), Muamer Vugdalic (Shakhtar Donetsk - UKR);
  midfielder Nastja Ceh (Club Brugge KV - BEL), Saša Gajser (Olympiakos Nikozija), Amir Karic (Maribor Pivov. Laško), Robert Koren (CMC Publikum), Miran Pavlin (Vega Olimpija), Mladen Rudonja (Vega Olimpija), Goran Šukalo (SpVgg Unterhaching - GER), Zlatko Zahovic (Benfica - POR), Anton Zlogar (Vega Olimpija) and
  forwards Sebastjan Cimerotic (Lecce), Marko Kmetec (Vega Olimpija), Ermin Rakovic (Maribor Pivov.Laško), Ermin Šiljak (Panionios GS - GRE).
  The match officials for Wednesday's game referee Attila Hanacsek, assistant referees Andras Hrabovsky and Peter Kovacs and fourth official Ferenc Bede from the Hungarian FA.

Mon 28

• Malta U-21 will be searching for the first goals and points as Mark Miller's side hosts Slovenia at the Hibernians Ground on Tuesday, kick-off at 17:45.
  After playing five matches, Malta lies at the bottom of the table without any points. Malta lost 1-0 in Slovenia, 0-1 to Israel and 0-3 to France at Ta' Qali and 2-0 to France in Lille. Slovenia, on the other hand, played three matches beating Malta and Cyprus at home and losing 0-1 in France.
  Miller was very pleased with the performance of his players in Lille and is therefore not expected to make much changes from the team which lost to France. The only forced change is the replacement of Etienne Barbara who has now been dropped from the Under-21 squad as a disciplinary measure.
  Malta's line-up is therefore expected to be: Justin Haber, Kurt Farrugia, Ian Azzopardi, Clifton Ciantar, Lee Lombardi, Gareth Sciberras, Kevin Sammut, Roderick Briffa, Christian Cassar, Antoine Zahra, Roderick Bajada.
  
  The referee is Darius Miezelis, assisted by referees Darius Risgirskas and Edmundas Vencius and fourth official Darius Kancelskis from the FA of Lithuania.
• National coach Sigi Held dropped four players as he named the final squad for Wednesday's EURO 2004 qualifier against Slovenia.
  Midfielders David Camilleri of Sliema, Jonathan Holland of Floriana and Miguel Mifsud of Hibernians together with Pietŕ Hotspurs striker Malcolm Licari failed to make it to the final squad.
  The squad is therefore made up of:
  goalkeepers Saviour Darmanin (Pietŕ) and Mario Muscat (Hibs);
  defenders William Camenzuli (Birkirkara), David Carabott (Valletta), Ian Ciantar (Sliema), Darren Debono (Valletta), Luke Dimech (Birkirkara), Carlo Mamo and Brian Said (Sliema) and Simon Vella (Airdrie);
  midfielders Joe Brincat (Sliema), Stefan Giglio (Lokomotiv Sofia), Noel Turner (Sliema) and
  forwards Daniel Bogdanovic (Cherno More), Malcolm Licari (Pietŕ), George Mallia (Birkirkara), Michael Mifsud (Kaiserslautern) and Chucks Nwoko (Birkirkara).

Sun 27

• First Division Xghajra T. vs Mqabba 2-5
• Second Division Tarxien R. vs Dingli S. 2-0, Mellieha vs Attard 4-1
• Third Division Gharghur vs St. George's 1-4, Fgura U. vs Ghaxaq 1-0
• Women's League Melita vs Hibernians 0-3, Birkirkara vs Raiders 4-1
• Gozo - First Division Xaghra U. vs Zebbug R. 2-7

Sat 26

• First Division Naxxar L. vs Senglea A. 2-1, Rabat A. vs Msida SJ 1-5
• Second Division Gzira U. vs Vittoriosa S. 1-3
• Gozo - First Division Victoria H. vs Ghajnsielem 3-0
• Gozo - Second Division St. Lawrence S. vs Kercem A. 2-2, Gharb R. vs Sannat L. 1-6
• MFA president Dr Joe Mifsud issued a serious warning to Premier clubs about the difficulties which they could face in order to obtain a UEFA licence. Clubs without a UEFA licence would be unable to take part in all UEFA competitions as from season 2004-05.
  Speaking during last Friday's press-conference, Dr Mifsud said the Malta Football Association had been trying to improve the level of the game in several ways. In the present situation, the association thought that the number of clubs in the Premier League had to be reduced to 8. However after holding meetings with clubs from all divisions, clubs rejected this proposal.
  According to Mifsud, had the clubs, especially the top ones, adhered to the MFA regulations which were meant to prepare them to the new licensing system, the situation would not have been so bad for some of them.
  
  The local body had introduced a licensing system a few years back which was meant to prepare clubs for the UEFA licence.
  The MFA cannot be lenient in the issue of the licences and has to abide strictly by the conditions stipulated by UEFA. Otherwise the MFA could risk losing the right to issue the licenses and then clubs would have to apply directly to the European body.
  According to Mifsud, licenses are meant to improve the level of football by making the clubs healthier. Clubs need to satisfy five key criteria, namely legal, financial, administrative, infrastructural and sporting criteria. In his opinion the biggest difficulty for local clubs will be that of satisfying the financial criteria. In fact, for a licence to be issued a club would have to honour all contractual obligations, and not just salaries, to all non-amateur players and coaches by the end of a season. The clubs' accounts should be audited by a certified public auditor. The procedure will be based on local principles of accounting but as from 2006, additional financial criteria will be introduced.
  Clubs will have to fulfil certain requirements as regards personnel: for example, each club should have under contract a general manager, a doctor, a physiotherapist, a media officer and a financial officer. Other criteria concern the youth and training policies.
  The MFA president complained that some clubs seem to have not realised yet that they need to abide by these regulations as from next season.
  Clubs should present their applications by mid-January 2004.
  Meanwhile Dr Mifsud also spoke about some issues which will affect Malta when it formally joins the European Union in May 2004. He said a meeting will be staged on May 20 for associations from the ten new EU members.
  Mifsud said that the most obvious consequence is the removal of regulations regarding foreigners, at least those coming from EU countries.
  Foreign (non-amateur) players are free to come to Malta and seek a job here. Only if there is a large influx of foreign players, the exemption obtained by the government could be applied.
  Mifsud announced that UEFA is currently lobbying with the EU in favour of the introduction of a protocol in the EU convention which would give sports a specific status, not to be considered just as any other job.
• Malta international striker Michael Mifsud had his contract with Bundesliga side 1. FC Kaiserslautern extended till June 2004. According to the new contract, Mifsud's status is now that of a "professional".
  For the past two years, Mifsud was registered as a "non-amateur player without licence". Last season, he was a regular choice for Kaiserslautern's amateur side which plays in the Regionalliga Sud.
  However this year he made 17 appearances so far with the senior side especially since new Eric Gerets took over as new coach.

Fri 25

• Third Division Sta. Lucia vs Pembroke A. 0-0, Sirens vs Siggiewi 6-1
• National coach Siegfried Held and Under-21 counterpart Mark Miller stressed on the importance that Malta starts collecting its first points in the EURO 2004 and the UEFA Under-21 Championship respectively when Malta hosts Slovenia next week.
  Speaking during a press-conference, MFA president Dr Joe Mifsud said Malta needs to obtain a positive result after a most disappointing result in the last outing against France.
  "Although even Slovenia suffered a heavy 5-0 defeat against France, this does not mean that we are on the same level as Slovenia. But if we take our chances, there is a greater possibility that we achieve a positive result," Mifsud argued.
  Sigi Held said that following the French "disaster", it was the time for Malta to start collecting its first points. Held is aware of the strength of the visiting side. "Slovenia is a first-class team. Most of their players play top level football. But if all our players give their hundred per cent, we could obtain a positive result."
  Missing for Malta will be Jeffrey Chetcuti who serves a one-match ban. Darren Debono and Joe Brincat are close to full recovery from injuries and have resumed training.
  Mark Miller said he was quite happy with his players' performance in France. "Against France, the players, most of whom have just been promoted from the Under-19 squad, gave their 110%. You have to be realistic when playing against such teams - trying to limit the number of goals and counter-attack."
  Although the Maltese youngsters are yet to score a first goal or obtain a first point, the Under-21 mentor is confident that if the players repeat themselves against Slovenia, a positive result is possible.
  The match officials for the game between the senior sides are: referee Attila Hanacsek, assistant referees Andras Hrabovsky and Peter Kovacs and fourth official Ferenc Bede from the Hungarian FA. On the other hand, the officials for the U-21 game are referee Darius Miezelis, assistant referees Darius Risgirskas and Edmundas Vencius and fourth official Darius Kancelskis.
  The Slovenian A-squad arrives in Malta on Tuesday 29 at 10:30 and leaves after the game at midnight.
  Match ticket prices for Malta vs Slovenia are as follows:
  West Stand A and C - Lm 4
  Millennium Stand - Lm 3
  Ladies, Kartanzjan holders and persons with Special Needs Card (in West Side C and Millennium Stand only) - Lm 2
  Persons on Wheelchairs (in Millennium Stand - accompanying persons to pay normal price) - Free
  Children under 12 (in West Side C and Millennium Stand only) - Lm 1
  The authorized tickets retailers are:
  Geraldu Kiosk (Valletta), Eros Stationery (Paceville), Star Tourism (Bugibba), Scribbles Stationery (Birkirkara) and National Stadium (Ta' Qali).
  The Malta Football Association is organising a lottery for the benefit of residents of Malta and Gozo purchasing any ticket (except children's tickets) of the game against Slovenia. To participate, one must fill the appropriate stub included in the ticket and deposit it in one of the appropriate containers provided at all Stadium entrances. The lottery draw will take place during the half-time of the match. The prizes are: a Balay Automatic Washing Machine, a Vacuum Cleaner and a Microwave Oven.
  Tickets for the U-21 match cost Lm 1 and will be available at the gates.

Thu 24

• GFA Cup Zebbug R. vs Xewkija T. 3-2

Wed 23

• Three Premier League players were handed a suspension by the MFA Disciplinary Commissioner.
  The season is over for Giacomo Paniccia of Pietŕ Hotspurs who was suspended for two matches and will therefore miss the Hotspurs' remaining fixtures against Hibernians and Marsaxlokk.
  Marsaxlokk midfielder Trevor Templeman and Valletta's Bulgarian midfielder Milen Penchev were both suspended for one match. Templeman will miss the game against Birkirkara while Penchev will be unavailable for the game against champions Sliema.
• The 6-0 defeat in Lille cost Malta another two places in the FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking. Malta lies in the 127th place in the ranking list as published on Wednesday.
  Malta hosts Slovenia in a week's time and then Cyprus on June 7.
  France's win over Malta and Israel was not enough to dislodge Spain from second place behind leaders Brazil. Germany and the Netheerlands move up one place to 4th and 5th respectively while Argentina are now sixth. England, Turkey, Mexico and the United States complete the top ten.

Tue 22

• Lokomotiv Sofia midfielder Stefan Giglio is set to return as Malta hosts Slovenia on Wednesday in another match from the EURO 2004 qualifying round. In fact Giglio was included in the provisional 22-man squad named by national coach Siegfried Held.
  Giglio missed the last two games for Malta against Kazakhstan and France. In February, he was left out of the squad against Kazakhstan as a disciplinary measure while last month, Stefan Giglio could not play against France in Lille as he served a one-match ban. But even without the ban, the player would have been unavailable as he was recovering from an injury in the Achilles tendon. He returned to the field-of-play just a couple of weeks ago in Lokomotiv's 2-0 win over Marek Dupnitsa in the Bulgarian Premier League.
  The squad also includes Joe Brincat of Sliema Wanderers as the veteran midfielder was suffering from an injury. On the other hand, one player who is sure of missing the Slovenia clash is Jeffrey Chetcuti who was handed a one-match ban by UEFA after collecting a second yellow card.
  The squad is made up of:
  goalkeepers Saviour Darmanin (Pietŕ) and Mario Muscat (Hibs);
  defenders William Camenzuli (Birkirkara), David Carabott (Valletta), Ian Ciantar (Sliema), Darren Debono (Valletta), Luke Dimech (Birkirkara), Carlo Mamo and Brian Said (Sliema) and Simon Vella (Airdrie);
  midfielders Joe Brincat and David Camilleri (Sliema), Stefan Giglio (Lokomotiv Sofia), Jonathan Holland (Floriana), Miguel Mifsud (Hibernians), Noel Turner (Sliema) and
  forwards Daniel Bogdanovic (Cherno More), Malcolm Licari (Pietŕ), George Mallia (Birkirkara), Adrian Mifsud (Hibernians), Michael Mifsud (Kaiserslautern) and Chucks Nwoko (Birkirkara).
  Out of these players, Held would have to drop four players.
  Under 21 national coach Mark Miller named a provisional squad of 24 players. The players are:
  goalkeepers Kristian Calleja (Lija), Justin Haber and Reuben Gauci (Floriana);
  defenders Ian Azzopardi and Clifton Ciantar (Floriana), Lee Lombardi (Pietŕ), Ryan Mintoff (Hibernians), Gareth Sciberras (Pietŕ), Kurt Farrugia (Marsaxlokk), Alex Muscat (Lija), Shaun Tellus (Balzan) and Kurt Zammit (Valletta);
  midfielders Shaun Bajada (Floriana), Roderick Bajada (Hamrun), Jonathan Bondin (Valletta), Mauro Brincat (Hamrun), Christian Cassar (Floriana) and Kevin Sammut (Sliema) and
  forwards Nicholas Baldacchino (Floriana), Roderick Briffa (Birkirkara), Trevor Cilia and Jean Pierre Mifsud Triganza (Floriana), Antoine Sacco (Valletta) and Antoine Zahra (Hibernians).
• No less than 51 non-amateur players have written to the Malta Football Association requesting the right of transfer. Among these players are a number of national team players including Gilbert Agius and Darren Debono of Valletta, Sliema captain Noel Turner and Birkirkara midfielder George Mallia.
  According to MFA regulations, players would have to inform the association in writing, their intention to leave a club. But still, this does not necessarily mean that all the players want to leave their respective clubs. Most of the time, they use this as a precautionary measure.
  The list of players includes several Premier League players. Valletta, Hamrun Spartans and Pietŕ Hotspurs have the largest number of players on this list.
  Besides Agius and Debono, other Valletta players include foreigners Chris Oretan and Rumen Galabov together with Ivan Zammit, Edward Azzopardi and Sharlon Pace. Pace is currently on loan with Pietŕ.
  Hamrun have goalkeepers Ivan Casha and Daniel Dengaky together with Charlo Magro, Graham Bencini, Jonathan Magri Overend and Nicky Fasanelli while the Pietŕ players are Malcolm Licari, Lee Lombardi, Kevin Mamo, Ivan Woods and foreigners Mauro Di Lello and Giacomo Paniccia.
  Besides Turner, there are another two Sliema players - Ian Ciantar and Trevor Templeman (currently on loan with Marsaxlokk), whose contract expires at the end of this season. Four Hibs players - Essien Mbong, Adrian Ciantar, Ranier Farrugia, and Aaron Xuereb - have written to the association while George Mallia is the only Birkirkara player to have requested the right-of-transfer.
• GFA Cup Victoria H. vs Nadur Y. 1-4
• Promising young Maltese soccer stars will compete next month for the chance to sharpen their skills on the pitch - with help from Dubai's Emirates Airline.
  Talented young players born in 1990 and 1991 are being invited to battle it out in the second Emirates Airline Young Footballer Challenge 2003, hosted by Chelsea Supporters Club - Malta on Saturday 31st May.
  During the presentation of the sponsorship, Emirates' Senior Station Assistant Edward Custň said: "Emirates Airline is delighted to be sponsoring this original football event for young footballers for the second year running continuing its association with Chelsea Supporters Club - Malta. Young aspiring footballers require all the encouragement they can get. We are very pleased by the professional way in which Chelsea Supporters Club - Malta organises this Challenge and we hope that the most nurseries will take part in this event."
  CSCM's President Mr Joe Anastasi, thanked Mr Custň and said: "We are proud to have established close ties with Emirates. We look forward to continuing and strengthening our partnership over the coming years as each edition of this Challenge goes from strength to strength.
  "We hope to see many young stars of the future developing their skills in this exhilarating sport".
  Each Youth Nursery selects two top players, one born in 1990 and the other the following year, who will be tested on three techniques to ensure they meet set minimum standards. Application forms and regulations have been mailed to all Youth Nursery Clubs in Malta and Gozo.
  Clubs are reminded that the closing date for entries is Wednesday, 30 April 2003. Further application forms or enquiries may be obtained from the Challenge Coordinator, Mr Chris Micallef on Tel. 21 311 434 or Mr Anthony Stephens on Tel. 21 312 661.

Mon 21

• Third Division Gudja U. vs Kirkop U. 0-1, Birzebbuga SP vs Sta. Venera L. 1-2

Sun 20

• Premier League Valletta vs Marsaxlokk 2-1, Hibernians vs Sliema W. 5-2
• Second Division Zebbug R. vs Mellieha 0-2, Dingli S. vs St. Andrews 2-1
• Gozo - Second Division Oratory Y. vs Sannat L. 0-5, Gharb R. vs S.K. Victoria W. 5-1
• Malta international striker Michael Mifsud played for 16 minutes in Kaiserslautern's 2-1 defeat to Hannover. The Red Devils are currently eleventh with 35 points from 29 matches.
• Franz Beckenbauer has rejected newspaper allegations which claimed Germany influenced the 2006 World Cup vote by offering countries friendlies against Bayern Munich.
  German newspaper Sueddeutsche Zeitung has alleged that the football associations of Malta, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago each received between $250,000 and $300,000 from TV rights for friendlies that Bayern agreed to play. Bayern played in Malta in January 2001.
  All four associations had a vote when it came to deciding who should host the finals.
  However the organisers of the 2006 World Cup say it was a "normal business" practice for Bayern to negotiate similar deals and that it had not affected the vote.
  Former Bayern president Beckenbauer was the man behind Germany's World Cup bid, but he denied any wrongdoing.
  "Whoever says you can get a World Cup with friendlies has no idea what he's talking about," Beckenbauer told the Bild am Sonntag newspaper.

Sat 19

• Premier League Marsa vs Mosta 5-1, Birkirkara vs Pietŕ H. 2-0
• First Division Lija A. vs Gozo 2-3, Balzan Y. vs St. Patrick 2-1
• Third Division Ta' Xbiex vs Mgarr U. 0-0, Zejtun C. vs Melita 0-0
  The Third Division championship is yet to be decided as Zejtun Corinthians and Melita shared the spoils in a goalless draw in the top-of-the-table clash.
  Zejtun and Melita are now on the 34-point mark, three ahead of St. George's. But the Cospicua side has a game in hand and will be facing Gharghur in the final match.
  If St. George's fail to win, a decider between Zejtun and Melita would be necessary for the Third Division championship which also means automatic promotion. The loser would have to fight for the remaining place in Division 2 in a promotion pool together with St. George's, Kirkop United and Fgura United.
  But if St. George's beat Gharghur, they would join Zejtun and Melita on 34 points. Direct encounters would be taken into account. St. George's won two matches while Zejtun and Melita drew one and lost another. The better goal difference would then be taken into account and therefore Zejtun would face St. George's in a championship decider while Melita would have to take part in the play-offs.
• Gozo - First Division Nadur Y. vs Qala SJ 5-1
• The coaches of the Slovenia A and U-21 teams announced their squads during a press-conference which was held on Thursday.
  Back in the squad is Sebastjan Cimirotic. The Lecce striker missed the 4-1 win over Cyprus as he was injured. Missing from the squad is Mile Acimovic of Tottenham.
  Slovenia lie second in Group 1 with six points from three games, but are nine behind leaders France and only two ahead of third-placed Israel. The Slovenians began the qualifying campaign positively, but after opening with a 3-0 win against Malta, they were defeated 5-0 in France in their second game. However, they moved up to second place after defeating Cyprus.
  The nineteen players selected by Prašnikar are:
  goalkeepers Mladen Dabanovic (Lokeren - BEL), Marko Simeunovic (Olympiakos Nicosia - CYP);
  defenders Spasoje Bulajic (FSV Mainz 05 - GER), Fabijan Cipot (Al Sadd Sports Club - QAT), Matej Šnofl (CMC Publikum), Muamer Vugdalic (Shakhtar Donetsk - UKR);
  midfielder Nastja Ceh (Club Brugge KV - BEL), Saša Gajser (Olympiakos Nikozija), Amir Karic (Maribor Pivov. Laško), Robert Koren (CMC Publikum), Miran Pavlin (Vega Olimpija), Mladen Rudonja (Vega Olimpija), Goran Šukalo (SpVgg Unterhaching - GER), Zlatko Zahovic (Benfica - POR), Anton Zlogar (Vega Olimpija) and
  forwards Sebastjan Cimerotic (Lecce), Marko Kmetec (Vega Olimpija), Ermin Rakovic (Maribor Pivov.Laško), Ermin Šiljak (Panionios GS - GRE).
  The Under 21 side is made up of:
  goalkeepers Damir Botonjic, Aleš Luk;
  defenders Janez Aljancic, Boštjan Cesar, Branko Ilic, Marko Navodnik, Uroš Plaznik;
  midfielders Dominik Beršnjak, Rusmin Dedic, Matjaz Lunder, Aleš Mejac, Amel Mujakovic, Rok Petric, Dejan Plastovski, Janez Zavrl, Denis Zilavec and
  forwards Klemen Lavric, Ljubiša Štrbac, Borut Tisnikar and Mitja Zatkovic.

Thu 17

• English Premiership side Bolton Wanderers will be visiting Malta in the last week of July for a one-week training camp during which they will be taking part in a triangular tournament after accepting an invitation by Floriana FC.
  Bolton will arrive in Malta on July 26 and will stay until August 2. The triangular tournament which will be held on July 27, 29 and 31, will be staged at the Hibernians Ground. Besides Bolton, Floriana and another team, probably a local selection, will take part.
  The training camp will probably be held at the Marsa Sports Grounds, although the possibility of the use of the Independence Arena or Ta' Qali is not ruled out.
  The Wanderers' squad features world-class players like Youri Djorkaeff, Jay Jay Okocha, Bruno Ngotty and Ivan Campo, among others. Bolton are currently fourth from bottom in the Premier League with 35 points from 33 matches.

Wed 16

• Premier League Hamrun S. vs Floriana 0-0, Valletta vs Birkirkara 2-0
• Second Division Siggiewi vs Ghaxaq 1-1, Pembroke A. vs St. George's 0-2
• Gozo - Second Division Kercem A. vs SK Victoria W. 1-1
• Michel Platini favours a reform in the Champions League, which he deems has become a circus closed to all but the elite clubs. The former French international was speaking to German weekly Welt am Sonntag.
  "I want to reform the European Cup. I want a single competition with 256 teams who meet each other on the basis of direct knockout."
  "Today the European Cup is a closed circus. The more matches there are the more certain it is that a big fish wins. But Bayern Munich should also play in Malta and Georgia."
  He observed that in its ten-year existence the Champions League had only come to 32 cities. "That´s a long way from the idea of football bringing people together," said Platini.
  Michel Platini is currently a member of the executive committee of both UEFA and FIFA.

Tue 15

• Premier League Marsaxlokk vs Hibernians 0-2, Pietŕ H. vs Sliema W. 1-2
• Second Division Attard vs Gzira U. 1-2, Luqa SA vs Zurrieq 0-2
• Gozo - First Division Zebbug R. vs Ghajnsielem 1-0

Sun 13

• Malta international midfielder Stefan Giglio returned for Lokomotiv Sofia on Saturday as they defeated Marek Dupnitsa 2-0. This win puts Lokomotiv one point behind Marek but leaves them in tenth place.
  Giglio, who had been recovering from an injury in the achilles tendon for the past three months, played for the last 12 minutes when he was included as a substitute.
  Meanwhile Daniel Bogdanovic's Cherno More Varna registered a surprise 2-1 away win over leaders CSKA Sofia. CSKA were suffering their first defeat of the season. Cherno More are currently fifth in the table. Bogdanovic was missing for Cherno More after sustaining an injury in a training session on Friday.

Thu 10

• The Coaches Licencing Committee of the Malta Football Association notifies that, as per the 'Regulations for the Control of Football Coaches affiliated to the Malta Football Association', coaches wishing to apply for or renew their Coaching Licence for Season 2003/04 must do so on the prescribed Form M which must reach the General Secretary of the MFA (280, St. Paul Street, Valletta VLT 07) by not later than the 30th April, 2003, accompanied by a passport size photo and the relative Licence Fee (Lm2 - Youth Development and Foundation; Lm5 - 'C' Licence; Lm7 - 'B' Licence and UEFA 'B'; Lm10 - 'A' Licence and UEFA 'A' Licence).
  According to the above regulations, a coach has the right to acquire a Licence in the category in which he is qualified if (a) this is recognised by the MFA and (b) he/she has abided by the directives of the Coaching Licensing Committee.
  Applications received after the closing date (30.04.03) will be only be considered if accompanied with a doubled Licence fee.
• The MFA Technical Centre notifies all UEFA A and B Licence Coaches and MFA A and B Licence coaches that the Instructional Meeting scheduled for Monday, 14th April, 2003, has been postponed to Saturday, 10th May, 2003 when foreign lecturers participating in the UEFA 'A' Licence course being organised by the MFA will conduct this Meeting.

Thu 10

• Five Premier League players were handed a one-match ban by the MFA Disciplinary Commissioner.
  These are Hibernians midfielder Chukunyere Ndubisi, George Cutajar and Stefano Grima of Marsa, Marsaxlokk defender Richard Buhagiar and Anatole Debono of Pietŕ Hotspurs.
  Ndubisi and Buhagiar will miss next Tuesday's Premier League clash between Marsaxlokk and Hibernians. Cutajar and Grima will be unavailable for Marsa's next Relegation Pool clash with Mosta. Anatole Debono will miss the game against Sliema Wanderers.
  In Division 1, four Senglea Athletic players were suspended for three matches: Eric Lia, Timmy Thomas, John Fsadni and Erin Azzopardi. These players were reported following the end-of-match-brawl last Saturday against Lija. Andrea Zammit Tabona of Lija was suspended for one match, just like Franco Magrin of Gozo FC, Owen Lombardi (Mqabba), Jonathan Mifsud (Naxxar) and Kevin Tonna (Xghajra).

Tue 8

• Second Division San Gwann vs Vittoriosa S. 1-1
• The club representing Malta in the 2003 UEFA Intertoto Cup will be facing a team from Finland following the draw which was made on Monday at the House of European Football in Nyon, Switzerland.
  The Maltese team was drawn to play at home in the first round against Finland's first team. The first round will be held over the weekends June 21/22 and June 28/29. The team which qualifies was paired with the second team from Greece. The team which manages to reach the third round will be facing the first Italian team.
  The club from Finland will most probably be AC Allianssi Vantaa. AC Allianssi were born from the ashes of Atlantis FC last year. The club is based in Vantaa, a region with a population of a million people in the Greater Helsinki.
  AC Allianssi, who are coached by Ari Tiittanen, have four national team players – Rami Rantanen, Kari Rissanen, Petteri Kaijasilta and Sami Ylä-Jussila.
  Allianssi placed fourth in the Finnish Premier Division, 24 points behind champions HJK Helsinki. MyPa Anjalankoski and Haka Valkeakoski - Valletta's opponents in the Champions League a couple of years ago placed second and third respectively with 60 and 52 points.

Mon 7

• Third Division Melita vs Sta. Venera L. 3-0, Mgarr U. vs Kirkop U. 2-3
• The change in format on which there were several discussions over the past weeks will not take place. During a meeting of the Council of the Malta Football Association, council members present rejected what seemed to be an interesting proposal to reduce the number of teams in Divisions 2 and 3 and create a new division.
  The only change is the automatic promotion of a second team from Division 3 and the inclusion of a team from Division 2 in the play-offs for promotion from Division 3.
  The Third Division Clubs Standing Committee was against the introduction of a fifth category and put forward two proposals:
  (i) three clubs are promoted from Division 3 and three clubs are relegated from Division 2 and
  (ii) Division 2 and Division 3 with fourteen teams each, played on a one-round basis, with three clubs promted from Division 3 and three clubs are relegated from Division 2.
  The second proposal was soon rejected as many argued that it was not possible to have a Second Division League with 14 clubs played on one round where they would play just 13 matches. Another argument against this proposal was that if on the other hand, teams were to increase in Division 2 and the league was played on a two-round basis, expenses would have increased.
  Another proposal was the set-up of another division so that the Premier, First, Second and Third Division had ten teams each with the remaining teams playing in a "Third Division B". This new division was set to have more "relaxed" conditions with clubs not needing a licence to take part in this league.
  It was proposed that at the end of season 2003/04, three teams were to be relegated to Division 3 and two were to be promoted to Division 2. Eight teams from Division 3 were to be relegated to Division 3B. The following season, another three were to be relegated from Division 2 to 3 and two promoted from Division 3 to 2.
  An agreement was reached that a vote should be taken on this proposal and that of having three teams promoted from Division 3.
  However the first motion was defeated as there were only a couple of votes in favour. Therefore as from next season, two teams will be automatically promoted from Division 3. Three clubs from Division 3 (teams placing third, fourth and fifth) and one from Division 2 (team placing tenth) will take part in the Promotion Play-Offs.
• Chelsea Supporters Club - Malta (CSCM) will be hosting the second edition of the Emirates Airline Young Footballer Challenge 2003. The Challenge, sponsored by Emirates and running for the second consecutive year, will take place at the Centenary Stadium at Ta' Qali on Saturday, 31st May 2003.
  During the event's briefing held specifically for the Youth Nurseries at Kennedy Nova Hotel in Gzira, CSCM officials gave details about the Emirates Airline Young Footballer Challenge 2003. This competition offers the opportunity to individual young footballers born in 1990 and 1991 to compete for the Emirates Airline Young Footballer Challenge 2003.
  Last year, the first edition, was won by Matthew Schembri, a young player from Sliema Wanderers FC Youth Nursery. He had been coached by Albert Cristiano, who coached the Under 12s and was represented by Sliema Wanderers Head Coach, Marco Grech. The runner-up was Malcolm Vella, who also won the Under 11 category. Malcolm was coached by his father, Joe Vella from Kercem Ajax Youth Nursery.
  Emirates, the Dubai-based international airline, which operates three direct flights weekly from Dubai to Malta, is the official sponsor of Chelsea Football Club. Emirates' deal with Chelsea FC is worth Ł24 million, which runs for four years until 2004/5 season. This is said to be one of the biggest sponsorships in the world of international football.
  Malta was among the first to benefit from this sponsorship scheme through the launch of Emirates Airline Young Footballer Challenge 2002. The concept of this challenge was developed in Malta by the Chelsea Supporters Club - Malta in collaboration with Emirates Airline.
  The President of CSCM, Joe Anastasi explained that this event provides an opportunity for young aspiring footballers to test their skills individually rather than working as a team. He said: "The Challenge is designed to develop individual talent of the young 10 to 12 year olds registered with Nursery Clubs in Malta and Gozo. Each child competes among the best players of same age group from every participating Youth Nursery."
  "Chelsea FC has once again extended its support for the Emirates Airline Young Footballer Challenge 2003. CFC intends to send again an Official from the Youth Training Academy to assist the adjudicating panel, consisting of three established Maltese coaches We augur that this year's Emirates Airline Young Footballer Challenge attracts more children from Youth Nurseries. Last year's event was a great success and all the young footballers enjoyed the Challenge," said Joe Anastasi.
  Emirates' Senior Station Assistant, Edward Custň, said: "We are delighted to be able to support this exciting initiative for young aspiring footballers in Malta. We hope that many children will participate in the Emirates Airline Young Footballer Challenge 2003 and that we will see some stars of the future develop their skills in the exhilarating sport.
  "Emirates has invested in several sport events, especially football. The airline is currently Event Partner for the FIFA World Youth Championship being currently held between March 25 and April 16. It is the Official Partner of the FIFA World Cup which will take place in Germany in 2006."
  CSCM Official, Chris Micallef, who is the Challenge coordinator, gave details of the competition. It will cover three techniques on which young players will be tested. Each nursery will be asked to select two top players: one born in 1990 and another player born in 1991. These two players need to master the techniques according to set Minimum Standards regulations at their respective nursery.
  Nominations from nursery clubs will be accepted on the respective application form. These forms together with the Rules & Regulations will be mailed to each Youth Nursery in Malta and Gozo. The closing date of entries is Wednesday, 30th April 2003.
  "The Challenge will close with the presentation of Emirates Airline Young Footballer Challenge 2003 Shield, presented to the coach of the overall winning Nursery Club. Two young footballer winners (1990 & 1991) will each receive a Trophy and a prize of Lm100 worth of Chelsea branded goods. In addition, each winning Nursery Club will receive Lm100 worth of goods, a better incentive than the prize awarded last year," concluded Chris Micallef. Certificates will be presented to all participants.

Sun 6

• Premier League Pietŕ H. vs Valletta 0-5, Birkirkara vs Hibernians 2-1
• First Division Gozo vs Balzan Y. 1-2, Mqabba vs Naxxar L. 0-0, Msida SJ vs Xghajra T. 5-1
• Second Division Zurrieq vs Dingli S. 2-1, Mellieha vs Luqa SA 5-0
• Third Division Sirens vs Fgura U. 1-0, Sta. Lucia vs Gharghur 1-0
• Women's League Birkirkara vs Mosta 0-1, Rabat A. vs Melita 0-3, Hibernians vs Raiders 3-0
• Gozo - Second Division St. Lawrence S. vs Sannat L. 1-3

Sat 5

• Premier League Hamrun S. vs Marsa 1-1, Marsaxlokk vs Sliema W. 0-1
• Second Division Gzira U. vs Zebbug R. 0-0
• Gozo - First Division Nadur Y. vs Victoria H. 2-0

Fri 4

• Third Division Zejtun C. vs Birzebbuga SP 8-1, Ta' Xbiex vs Gudja U. 1-3
• Air Malta Cabin Crew are the Futsal First Division Champions 2002/2003. In the final match on Thursday, they defeated Altacare 1-0.
  Air Malta Cabin Crew have been participating in the Futsal League for the past five years. The competition has been organised by the Malta Football Association for the past three years.
  After a goalless first half during which both teams seemed to be balancing each other, Air Malta Cabin Crew's Franco Sant scored a well calculated goal, which finally gave them the championship.
  Air Malta CC were joint-first in Section A of the First Division but then lost 7-3 to Swing Kids in the decider. However in the play-offs semi-final, they managed to beat Section B winners King of Shaves 4-3 (after penalties).
  Altacare had won the championship over the past three years, under the name of Vivapharmaceutica.
• Clive Psaila of Second Division side Luqa St. Andrew's was suspended for one year (until April 3, 2004) after being sent off in last Sunday's clash with Gzira United.
  Psaila assaulted referee Alan Camilleri when the latter awarded a penalty to Gzira.
  Another player, goalkeeper Manuel Bartolo of San Gwann was also banned for one year after being sent off in a Youth League match.

Wed 2

• The draws for the final stages of the HSBC Youth Knock-Out Competitions were held on Wednesday evening at the MFA Headquarters in Valletta.
  The quarter-final draws in the Youth A Knock-Out were: St. Patrick vs Hibernians, Mosta vs Valletta, Birkirkara vs Pietŕ Hotspurs and Lija Athletic vs Qormi.
  In the Youths B Knock-Out, the quarter-finals are: Mellieha vs St. George's, Pembroke Athleta vs Melita, Kirkop United vs Gzira United and Zebbug Rangers vs Attard.