December 2005
Sat 31
- Gozo - First Division Nadur Y. vs Ghajnsielem 1-1, SK Victoria W. vs Xewkija T. 1-3
- Clubs will once again have the opportunity to enter the transfer market as the January transfer window opens on Monday.
The first transfer which will definitely be sealed is that of former Malta international captain David Carabott who will be joining Sliema Wanderers.
David Carabott has parted company with Msida St. Joseph just four months after joining the them on a free release. The one-year contract has been terminated by mutual agreement.
Sliema are favourites to secure the services of another Msida player - Roderick Bajada. The former Hamrun midfielder, who had joined Msida last season, could join the Blues in exchange for Lee Lombardi and cash.
Msida should have a new foreigner from Burkina Faso, Oussimi Zongo. A product of Anderlecht, Zongo, should fill the place of the third foreigner currently occupied by Maltese-Australian Shane Tagliaferro. Ibrahim Babatunde - a target for a number of clubs - should stay with the Saints.
Birkirkara may have one or two new foreigners as Czech goalkeeper David Simon and Bulgarian defender Emil Yantchev failed to impress over the past six months.
One of these could possibly be a goalkeeper as their bid to sign Omar Borg from Msida has so far been unsuccessful. The deal could have involved other players such as goalkeeper Bernard Paris and prolific scorer Jean Pierre Mifsud Triganza. However the Stripes are not willing to release Mifsud Triganza, even on loan for the rest of the season.
Birkirkara midfielder William Camenzuli has been attracting the interest of other clubs, especially Marsaxlokk. However the Stripes are not interested in selling Camenzuli. On the other hand, Chucks Nwoko could move elsewhere as he has failed to secure a place in the first team so far.
Marsaxlokk could sign Brazilian midfielder Andre Rocha Da Silva from Tarxien Rainbows if the latter agree to release him and especially if Chris Bart-Williams agreed to have his contract with the Southseasiders terminated. Goalkeeper Reuben Gauci was also linked with a move to another club after losing his place as the team's first goalkeeper.
Valletta are willing to strengthen their midfield with the options being a foreigner or a former Malta international midfielder. Ndubisi Chukunyere, who joined the club in October, could be on his way out if the club decides to sign a new foreigner.
Floriana could sign one or two new players, including possibly a new foreign player in order to strengthen the squad as a number of players are ruled out for a long term due to injuries. Hamrun Spartans could also strengthen their squad with the arrival of a couple of players.
Pietà Hotspurs are not expected to make any changes in squad and although defender David Camenzuli is attracting the interest of some clubs, he is expected to stay.
Finally, Hibernians and Mosta are not expected to enter the transfer market and their coaches, Robert Gatt and Charles Agius respectively, will be relying on the players they already have at their disposal.
A number of clubs were reportedly interested in goalkeepers Justin Haber and Saviour Darmanin, who are now playing for US Quevilly in France and Ghajnsielem respectively. However it seems that neither one is interested in moving back to the Premier League in January.
Fri 30
- Quadrangular Tournament for Top Clubs Birkirkara vs Hibernians 1-1 (3-4 pen)
- The MFA Technical Centre will be holding another Instructional Meeting on Monday, 9th Janaury, 2005, for holders of Foundation, Youth Development Diploma (YDD) and Club Coach Certificate (CCC) licence coaches. This meeting will commence at 17:30.
All coaches are requested to be punctual for this instructional session.
Tue 27
- Quadrangular Tournament for Top Clubs Sliema W. vs Hibernians 1-2
- The Malta Women's national team is ranked number 103 according to the FIFA Women's World Ranking which was published last week.
The FIFA Women's World Ranking currently features 123 teams, who are evaluated on a number of factors, including match results, home advantage, the significance of a match and the strength of the opposition. The ranking is published four times per year.
Over the past year, Malta played two matches against Croatia at Ta' Qali and against Slovenia away from home. Malta lost both matches 4-1.
The other teams in the same group of the FIFA Women's World Cup qualifying round with Malta are ranked as follows: Croatia 47th, Slovenia 70th and Bosnia-Herzegovina 85th.
Among other European countries, Malta is ranked 42nd, ahead of Armenia (108), Cyprus (115) and Macedonia (119).
Malta plays four matches next year. The first two games are away from home against Bosnia-Herzegovina and Croatia on March 25 and 29 respectively. Malta then hosts Slovenia on April 26 and Bosnia-Herzegovina on July 7.
Mon 26
- Quadrangular Tournament for Top Clubs Birkirkara vs Valletta 0-0 (4-2 pen)
Sat 24
- Gozo - First Division Sannat L. vs Xaghra U. 1-3, Kercem A. vs SK Victoria W. 3-1
Thu 22
- MFA president Dr Joe Mifsud said this year was quite a positive year for the association and football in Malta as a number of positive aspects in the latter half of 2005 cancelled out negative results in the first few months of the calendar year. Dr Mifsud was addressing the Council of the Malta Football Association during the traditional end-of-the year speech.
The MFA said the association had a number of objectives for this year, namely improving the level of domestic football and improving the performance of the national team, two infrastructural projects and the increase of revenue for the association and its clubs and the reduction of expenses.
During the first six months, the level of the domestic competition was not as good as one would have wished. Meanwhile the Council rejected a proposal to reduce the number of teams in the Premier League. A proposal which was meant to improve competitivity in the top division league.
However since the beginning of the new Premier League campaign, the competition is getting quite interesting with no teams dominating over others.
The national 'A' team and the Under-21 side obtained a number of positive results this year. Following a disappointing series of four defeats for the senior side, the team drew 1-1 with Northern Ireland and held Croatia and Bulgaria in two prestigious draws in the final two matches from the World Cup qualifying campaign. Malta climbed from 134th to 118th over the past twelve months.
Attendances improved, especially in the last game against Bulgaria which was definitely the largest attendance ever in the past few years.
Dr Mifsud said the association is now trying to find the right candidate to fill the post of national coach. "A coach who would build on what has been done in the past few years," said the MFA president.
The Under-21 side obtained the largest number of points ever in a European Under-21 Championship qualifying campaign.
As regards domestic competitions, the MFA president said there is more competitivity and attendances are on the increase although this depends mostly on which teams are doing well.
The two main infrastructural projects the association has been working on over the past months were the UEFA Jubilee Mini-Pitches and the new MFA Headquarters at the Millennium Stand, Ta' Qali.
Seven mini-pitches - four in Gozo and three in Malta - will be ordered in the coming days and the large majority will be installed by the end of 2006. On the other hand, tenders for the different services needed at the new MFA HQ will be issued in the coming weeks.
Over the past year, the Malta Football Association concluded two sponsorship agreements from which all member clubs will benefit. The agreements with both Bank of Valletta and Maltco Lotteries are both three-year deals.
A new TV rights contract (for international matches) and the transfer of the association's accounts to Bank of Valletta strengthened the association's financial position.
Dr Mifsud went on to say that to say that this together with a possible with a good draw in the EURO 2008 would enable the association to be in a position to change the pitch of the Centenary Stadium.
The MFA aims at installing artificial turf of the latest technology which is approved by UEFA and FIFA for hosting international matches. The Centenary Stadium would therefore be in a position to host Women's national team matches and UEFA Youth mini-tournaments.
The MFA president concluded his speech by thanking the Council and Board members, sponsors, the media, players and especially national team players, referees, officials and the police for their work throughout the past calendar year and said that if all those involved in the game will work hard once again, 2006 will deifinitely be another good year for football in Malta.
- The Malta Under-21 side is ranked number 44th out of 52 countries ahead of the UEFA European Under-21 Championships 2006/2007. The draws for this competition will be held in Montreux - Switzerland on Friday January 27.
The coefficient ranking system is being introduced for the first time for this competition. Coefficients are based 50 per cent each on 2002-04 qualifying and 2004-06 qualifying.
Malta will be taking part in the Preliminary Round in which eight teams cross swords with another eight teams in a two-legged play-off which will be played next summer.
The eight teams which qualify will join the remaining teams in the main draw. There will be groups of three teams each and the tournament will be played on a one-round basis. Each team will play one game at home and another away from home.
The fixtures for each group will be as follows: B vs C, C vs A and A vs B. If Malta reaches this round, it will be among one of the teams in Pot C. Therefore Malta will be meeting the second-strongest side in the group away from home and will then host the strongest side at home. These matches will be played by the first week of September 2006.
The winner of each group reaches the next stage from which the teams for the final tournament will emerge.
- Four Referees, eight Assistant Referees and two Futsal Referees were presented with the FIFA Badges by MFA President Dr Joe Mifsud after being confirmed on the FIFA list for 2006.
The thirteen officials are Messrs. Joe Attard, Adrian Casha, Anton Zammit and Christopher Lautier - referees; Philip Agius, Konrad Borg, Alan Camilleri, Joe Camilleri, Nicholas Debattista, Charlie Micallef, Joe Rapa and Ingmar Spiteri - Assistant Referees and Konrad Borg and Ian Miller - Futsal Referees.
In a short speech, Dr Mifsud reminded these referees that impartiality and consistency are the keys to good refereeing.
"One understands their difficulties. They do commit mistakes but the most important thing is that these mistakes are not due to gross negligence. In such case, the association takes sanctions against referees although such decisions are not published."
The MFA president criticised club officials who use referees as scapegoats, claiming impartiality. He said that if the Referees Board was not satisfied with the impartiality of some referee or another, he would be expelled.
"There has to be a good level of refereeing in order to improve the level of the game. A referee needs to be consistent, especially during the same game."
Dr Mifsud concluded by thanking referees for the service they are giving to the game, reminding them that although the association is satisfied with their performance so far, their is no guarantee they will be FIFA referees for ever.
Thu 22
- Pietà Hotspurs defender David Camenzuli and Sliema Wanderers midfielder Stefan Giglio were handed a one-match ban after being sent off during the weekend.
Camenzuli will be missing the game against Birkirkara on January 7. Giglio is also ruled out of the direct clash with Birkirkara on January 3.
Meanwhile Simon Muscat (Naxxar) and Patrick Muscat (St. George's) were banned for one match in Division 1 while Clayton Caruana (Gzira) and Jeffrey Fenech (Pembroke) were suspended for one match in the Second & Third Division Knock-Out.
Johann Micallef (Dingli) was suspended for two matches in the Youth League. Mauro Bianco (Fgura), Gordon Debono and Jurgen Cassar (Qormi) were banned for one match in the same competition.
Tue 20
- New fixtures were announced for the two BOV Premier League matches which were called off on December 13. These have now been re-scheduled to Tuesday January 3.
The two matches in programme are Valletta vs Marsaxlokk and Birkirkara vs Sliema Wanderers. These will be played at the National Stadium at 18:00 and 20:00 respectively.
Mon 19
- Malta climbed another five places in the Coca-Cola FIFA World Ranking as published on Monday to end 2005 in the 118th place. An remarkable improvement over last year when Malta ended the calendar year in the 134th place.
The team managed by Horst Heese started the year with a 0-3 defeat to Norway in a friendly match. Malta then lost three competitive matches away from our shores - 3-0 against Croatia, 6-0 against Sweden and 4-1 against Iceland.
In August, Malta obtained a 1-1 draw in a friendly match against Northern Ireland. The national team then lost 4-0 to Hungary in Budapest. Malta then obtained two positive results - two 1-1 draws - against Croatia and Bulgaria, both matches at Ta' Qali.
With Horst Heese ending his term as Malta coach, a new national coach will have to be appointed. A new coach which would lead Malta through the EURO 2008 campaign. But before these competitive matches, Malta will be hosting the Malta International Football Tournament.
- Senglea Athletic president Mr Michael Mercieca tendered his resignation.
In a letter to the committee, Mercieca cited a number of reasons for which he was quitting the club. He says that there was lack of agreement over the club's target - that of winning the First Division Championship or at least promotion - and the way this target could be achieved.
Despite a very intensive transfer campaign, Senglea collected just eight points in eight matches and are eleven points behind leaders St. George's. Last Sunday, they lost 2-1 to Lija Athletic.
This was the second resignation of a key person in the Senglea Athletic committee following the resignation of secretary Daniel Genovese in September.
Sun 18
- Premier League Hamrun S. vs Hibernians 0-2, Sliema W. vs Valletta 3-0
- First Division Mqabba vs Naxxar L. 4-1, Lija A. vs Senglea A. 2-1
- Second & Third Division Knock-Out Zebbug R. vs Mellieha 2-1, Gharghur vs Qormi 1-2
- Third Division Kirkop U. vs Mgarr U. 0-1, Ta' Xbiex vs Ghaxaq 1-4
- Women's League Mosta vs Sta. Venera L. 0-0, Birkirkara vs Melita 0-0
- Gozo - First Division Ghajnsielem vs Kercem A. 0-1, Xewkija T. vs Nadur Y. 1-2
Sat 17
- Premier League Mosta vs Pietà H. 3-1, Floriana vs Msida SJ 0-0
- Second & Third Division Knock-Out Sirens vs Pembroke A. 0-1, Balzan Y. vs Gzira U. 1-1 aet (3-4 pen)
- Gozo - Second Division Zebbug R. vs Victoria H. 2-2, Gharb R. vs Qala SJ 0-3
Fri 16
- First Division St. George's vs Tarxien R. 1-0, San Gwann vs St. Andrews 3-0
- Keith Fabri of Floriana and Hamrun Spartans duo Rupert Mangion and Ivan Zammit were handed a one-match ban.
In Division 3, Liam Cutajar (Sta. Lucia) was suspended for one match as well. Ryan Blake Borg (Gzira) and Emanuel Cutajar (Sta. Lucia) were banned for one match in the Youth League.
- Premier Division club Msida St Joseph entered into a three-year sponsorship agreement with Eurosport.
The sponsorship consists of all the kit the club will require, even for training purposes. It consists of jackets, shoes, track suits, training kits, the preferred red kit and the second green outfit.
Ms Christina Sammut Peresso said Michele Peresso Ltd, operators of Eurosport, had sponsored clubs, associations and individuals in the past. “This is not our first sponsorship, but we just hope it will be the first in a series which will lead into the future with success,” she added.
Edward Calleja, vice-president of the club, thanked Eurosport for the sponsorship adding that supporters will be also able to buy the kits.
Calleja confirmed that there had been some approaches for some of their players but he insisted that the club aims at strengthening and not weakening the team. Over the past weeks, goalkeeper Omar Borg, Roderick Bajada and Nigerian striker Ibrahim Babatunde have been linked with other clubs. The club will be getting a new foreigner with two possible options - an Anderlecht product from Burkina Faso called Zongo and a Brazilian 23-year-old midfielder.
Thu 15
- Msida St. Joseph have terminated the contract of David Carabott by mutual agreement. The former national team captain had joined the Saints this summer and had signed a one-year contract. His new destination could be Sliema Wanderers.
Tue 13
- Premier League Valletta vs Marsaxlokk and Birkirkara vs Sliema W. postponed
- Second Division Gudja U. vs Qormi 1-2, Dingli S. vs Gzira U. 1-1
- Third Division Siggiewi vs Rabat A. 0-2, Sirens vs Santa Lucia 2-3
Mon 12
- New fixtures were announced for the BOV Premier League and the BOV First Division which were called off on Sunday due to waterlogged pitches at the Hibernians Ground and the Victor Tedesco Stadium.
The Premier League matches - Pietà Hotspurs vs Hamrun Spartans and Hibernians vs Floriana - which were due to be played at the Hibernians Ground will now be played at the Centenary Stadium on Wednesday 14 at 18:00 and 20:00 respectively.
On the other hand, the First Division matches - St. George's vs Tarxien Rainbows and San Gwann vs St. Andrews - which were originally scheduled at the Victor Tedesco Stadium will now be played on Friday 16 at 18:00 and 20:00 respectively.
The Youth League Section A matches - Birkirkara vs Hamrun Spartans and Valletta vs Hibernians - which were due to be played on Friday 16 have been postponed.
- The Birkirkara FC Youth Nursery with the collaboration of the Birkirkara Local Council, Italgreen (Italy) and Pepsi is once again organising the Christmas Football Tournament between the 26th and the 30th December.
This is the 15th edition of such a tournament organised by the Birkirkara Nursery. A tournament which has now established itself as one of the most important tournaments in youth football.
Taking part this year in Category Under 13 are Sliema, Valletta, Luxol, Pietà, Hibs, Birkirkara, Naxxar, Hamrun, St. Patrick and Msida, and in Category Under 11 are Hibs, Birkirkara, Pietà, San Gwann, Luxol and Sliema. The tournament kicks off with a march pass by all the participating nurseries from the Birkirkara Football Club in Valley Road on Boxing Day at 9.00am accompanied by St. Helen's Band. A spectacular opening ceremony will follow at the Infetti Training Grounds.
All games are to be played on the new Birkirkara F.C. Youth Nursery artificial pitch installed by Allsports International.
- The MFA Technical Centre will be organising another Club Coach Certificate (CCC) course at Ta’ Qali Technical Centre from the 5th January to the 8th January 2006, both days included. It is to be noted that there will be an introductory session on the 4th January in the evening.
Closing date for applications will be on Thursday 29th December 2005. A passport-size photo, a photocopy of the YDD certificate and a written proof of a one-year coaching experience with a Nursery or MFA club are also required.
Applications will be accepted on a first come first served basis. The application forms are available from the Technical Centre at Ta’ Qali, during office hours.
Please note that the dates of this course have been brought forward from those announced earlier.
Sun 11
- Premier League Pietà H. vs Hamrun S. and Hibernians vs Floriana postponed
- First Division St. George's vs Tarxien R. and San Gwann vs St. Andrews postponed
- Second Division Balzan Y. vs Attard 3-0, Vittoriosa S. vs Gozo w/o
- Third Division Luqa SA vs Fgura U. 1-1, Xghajra T. vs Birzebbuga SP 0-3
- Women's League Hibernians vs Birkirkara 2-0, Rabat A. vs Raiders 0-5
- Gozo - First Division Xaghra U. vs Xewkija T. 2-2, SK Victoria W. vs Sannat L. 1-1
Sat 10
- Third Division Sta. Venera L. vs Kalkara 2-1, Zurrieq vs Zejtun C. 2-2
- Gozo - Second Division Oratory Y. vs Zebbug R. 7-2, Gharb R. vs Victoria H. 1-4
Thu 8
- Premier League Msida SJ vs Valletta 0-1, Marsaxlokk vs Birkirkara 2-0
- Second Division Melita vs Zebbug R. 1-2, Gzira U. vs Gharghur 1-0
- Third Division Pembroke A. vs Sirens 0-1, Santa Lucia vs Kirkop U. 2-0
- Women's League Melita vs Mosta 2-1, Sta. Venera L. vs Qormi 4-0
- Gozo - GFA Cup Qala SJ vs Xewkija T. 2-4 aet, St. Lawrence S. vs Ghajnsielem 2-4 aet
Wed 7
- Two Premier League players - Riad Mynel Gango-Rtsa of Floriana and Aaron Xuereb of Hibernians - were banned for one match after collecting a fourth yellow card last weekend.
The two players will be missing the clash between Floriana and Hibernians on Sunday 11.
Other players to be suspended include Mark Anthony Psaila (Mqabba) for one match in Division 1, Ibrahim Tarik (Mellieha) and Johann Scicluna (Qormi) for two matches in Division 2 and Thomas Paris (Qormi) for one match.
Youth players Noel Cutajar (Kirkop), Gianluca Calabretta (Lija), Edward Herrera (Melita), Caruana Scicluna (Melita) and Mark Anthony Muscat (Zebbug) were suspended for one match in the Under-19 League.
- During a meeting of the committee of Msida St. Joseph, Mr Keith Abela Wadge was appointed as the new Secretary General of the club. Mr Keith Marshall was appointed as a member on the club's Executive Board.
Tue 6
- For the eighth successive year, Hamrun Spartans FC Youth Nursery will be organising the Christmas Football Festival at the Victor Tedesco Stadium on Thursday December 8. Twenty-two teams are taking part in three categories - Under-7, Under-9 and Under-12.
Thirty-six matches, each thirty-minutes long are played during the day. Around 264 boys and girls from 17 nurseries are taking part in this edition. The nurseries are: Attard, Birkirkara, Floriana, Melita, Mgarr United, Mosta, Msida St. Joseph, Naxxar Lions, Pietà Hotspurs, Rabat Depiro, San Gwann, Sta. Venera Lightnings, Sliema Wanderers, Valletta, Xewkija Tigers, Zebbug Rangers and Hamrun Spartans.
This football festival has gained popularity mainly due to the excellent organisation and due to the fact that matches are played on natural turf.
While encouraging the competitive spirt, the main objective of the tournament is to deliver a positive experience for children through Fair Play.
The main sponsor for the tournament is FIRE TECH LTD - a company specialising in fire-fighting, safety and security. The company is well-established in Malta and Libya.
The Hamrun Spartans YN would like to show its appreciation towards FIRE TECH for supporting this tournament and thanks the committee, ground management board and the Youth FA for issuing the permits and the nurseries for their participation in the FIRE TECH CHRISTMAS FOOTBALL FESTIVAL 2005.
Mon 5
- An instructional meeting will be organised at the Technical Centre, Ta Qali, on Monday 12th December 2005. This activity is intended for holders of UEFA 'A', UEFA 'B' and 'A' and 'B' Licence coaches.
The meeting is due to start at 17:30.
Sun 4
- Premier League Sliema W. vs Mosta 2-0, Hibernians vs Pietà H. 2-1
- First Division St. Patrick vs Mqabba 1-2, Senglea A. vs Marsa 0-0
- Second Division Qormi vs Balzan Y. 1-1, Mellieha vs Dingli S. 1-1
- Third Division Mgarr U. vs Siggiewi 0-1, Rabat A. vs Ta' Xbiex 3-0
- Women's League Raiders vs Qormi 8-1, Birkirkara vs Rabat A. 6-0
- Gozo - First Division Xewkija T. vs Sannat L. 0-3, Kercem A. vs Nadur Y. 0-1
Sat 3
- Premier League Birkirkara vs Msida SJ 4-1, Floriana vs Valletta 2-1
- Third Division Fgura U. vs Birzebbuga SP 0-0, Ghaxaq vs Xghajra T. 3-2
- Gozo - Second Division Zebbug R. vs Gharb R. 2-1, St. Lawrence S. vs Oratory Y. 2-1
Thu 1
- The draws for the qualifying round of the 2006/07 UEFA European Under-19 and Under-17 Championships were held in Cyprus on the third and final day of the 8th UEFA Youth Conference.
The Under-19 side was drawn in Group 8 together with France who won the UEFA European Under-19 Championship earlier this year. The other teams in the group are Denmark and Finland.
The Under-19 mini-tournament will be played in Denmark on the 15th, 17th and 20th October, 2006.
The top two in each of the 12 sections, together with the best third-placed side overall, progress to the Elite round, with the final tournament to be held in Austria in summer 2007.
The Under-17 side was drawn with Andorra, Italy and Serbia-Montenegro in Group 4. It was agreed that this Mini-Tournament will be held in Malta on the 17th, 19th and 22nd November, 2006.
The top two in each of the 12 sections, together with the best third-placed side overall, progress to the Elite round, with the final tournament to be held in Belgium in summer 2007.
- Melita coach Stephen D'Amato was suspended for two matches by the MFA Disciplinary Commissioner.
Keith Farrugia (Zebbug) and Romeo Schembri (Sirens) were suspended for one match.
Tarxien Rainbows U-19 coach Twanny Dalli and kit-manager Christian Scicluna were banned for two matches. Three Tarxien players were also suspended - Luke Portelli for two matches, Christian Pace and Jonathan Cortis for one match.
Other youth players to be suspended for one match include Plamen Petkov (Fgura) and Adon Grech (St. George's).