December 2006
Sun 31
- Gozo - First Division Ghajnsielem vs Xewkija T. 1-1, Kercem A. vs Sannat L. 1-1
Sat 30
- Premier League Pietà H. vs St. George's 0-0, Floriana vs Marsaxlokk 0-1
- First Division San Gwann vs Qormi 2-1, Vittoriosa S. vs Hamrun S. 0-1
- Second & Third Division Knock-Out Rabat A. vs Melita 3-1, Balzan Y. vs Mellieha 2-1
- Gozo - First Division Nadur Y. vs Xaghra U. 0-0
Fri 29
- Premier League Sliema W. vs Birkirkara 1-0, Valletta vs Msida SJ 1-1
Fri 29
- Five Premier League players will be missing the next game after being handed a one-match ban by the MFA Disciplinary Commissioner.
The worst hit were Valletta who had Massimo Grima and Ian Zammit suspended. They will be missing Friday's match against Msida St. Joseph.
William Camenzuli of Birkirkara is ruled out of the game against Sliema Wanderers on Friday while Ryan Camilleri of Pietà Hotspurs will be missing the game against St. George's on Saturday.
Marsa's Nicholas Fasanelli will be unavailable for the next game against Floriana on January 7th.
Other players to be suspended for one match include Victor Fiteni (Dingli) in the Second & Third Division Knock-Out and Darren Camilleri (St. George's) in the Youth League. Also in the Youth League, Josef Dalli (St. George's) and Rabat Ajax coach Carmelo Camilleri were suspended for two matches.
Wed 27
- Gozo - First Division Qala SJ vs Kercem A. 0-3
- MFA president Dr Joe Mifsud reviewed a busy year for the Malta Football Association in his traditional end-of-the-year speech during the last meeting of the Council of the MFA for this year.
Dr Mifsud said that interest in the game increased marked by an increase in the number of spectators for league matches.
Over the past year, the association worked hard on a number of projects, namely the pitch of the Centenary Stadium, the new MFA Headquarters and the UEFA mini-pitches.
Works of the first two projects, which will cost around Lm 500,000 in all, are well underway. The new pitch of the Centenary Stadium will be laid in time for next season while the new MFA Headquarters at the Millennium Stand, Ta' Qali will be inaugurated this summer.
As regards the UEFA mini-pitches, a number of pitches have already been installed and the rest will be completed by the end of 2007.
The national teams obtained a number of positive results, with the main highlight being the senior side's 2-1 win over Hungary in October. At youth level, the Under-17 and Under-19 sides registered positive results in UEFA mini-tournaments while the women's team obtained its first positive results this year.
The association appointed two new national coaches - Dusan Fitzel for the senior national team and Michal Striz for the futsal national team.
The MFA president went on to say that although Malta is a small country, it is giving a valid contribution abroad through referees controlling international matches and officials forming part of UEFA boards.
He mentioned the difficulties which were encountered, particularly the dispute over the television rights. Alternative arrangements were made with BOV Premier matches now being filmed by Smash Television.
Over the next six months, the association will be working on renewing or securing new sponsorship agreements as the present agreements are set to expire.
It will be a busy year for the national teams, mainly for the senior side's commitments in the EURO 2008 qualifiers. The futsal national team will be taking part in an international competition for the first time.
Another important event for the association will be the 50th anniversary from the first international game. This event will be marked by a number of activities including a friendly match between Malta and Austria in February.
Dr Mifsud concluded that all this would not be possible without the hard work by club committees and nursery officials.
"All these are working with one goal in mind - football. That's why football is the number one sport in Malta," concluded Dr Mifsud.
- Proposed amendments to the MFA Statute will be discussed during an Extraordinary General Meeting of the Malta Football Association which will be held on February 9.
These amendments deal mainly with the powers and function of the Council and the Executive Committee, the abolition of the Arbitration Board and the amalgamation of its functions with that of the Players, Coaches and Member Clubs Complaints Board and the setup of the Arbitration Tribunal as required by UEFA and FIFA regulations.
One of the main objectives of these amendments is that the Council will no longer be considered as a disciplinary body and disciplinary action will only be taken by other competent bodies.
The Arbitration Board will be abolished and the Independent Arbitration Tribunal will be set-up. This will be the last and final instance, provided that an appeal from a first decision has already been made and decided by the Appeals Board.
There will be a list of at least five competent persons who could act as Chairman of the Tribunal and a list of at least ten persons to act as members of the Tribunal. In any arbitration procedure, the Tribunal shall consist of a Chairman and two other members. The plaintiff and the defendant will nominate the two members, each party nominating its own member from the approved list. These two members will then have to agree on a Chairman from the approved list. Otherwise it will be up to the Council to appoint a chairman.
The Tribunal will deal with complaints by players, coaches or players' agents against a club; complaints by a club against players, coaches or players' agents; complaints by a club or member association against another club or member association; cases of disciplinary decisions imposing a suspension of over two years on a person, club or member association, a fine of over Lm 1,000 on a member club or a deduction of five or more points on a member club.
These amendments were explained in detail during the last two meetings of the Council of the Malta Football Association which were held in November and December. The amendments will be discussed on February 9 and, if approved, will be implemented as from July 1, 2007.
- Two countries who are set to face Malta next year in matches from Group C of the UEFA EURO 2008 qualifying campaign named new coaches at the end of last week. Moldova and Bosnia-Herzegovina have appointed Igor Dobrovolski and Fuad Muzurovic respectively as their new coaches.
Anatol Teslev has stepped down as coach of the Moldovan national team with former Soviet Union player Igor Dobrovolski being named as his replacement.
The 39-year-old Dobrovolski has been charged with leading Moldova until the end of the UEFA EURO 2008 qualifying campaign, with the option of a further two-year contract.
"There is no sense in talking about how many points we will get and where we will finish in our group," said the new coach, who is a former player of Dinamo Moscow, Genoa, Olympique Marseille and Atletico Madrid. "The most important thing for me is to create a team and start earning points from match to match." Moldova are currently bottom of Group C with one point from four games.
Fuad Muzurovic has been appointed coach of Bosnia-Herzegovina for a second time. Muzurovic was the first coach of the national side following independence, leading the team for five years between 1992 and 1997.
Muzurovic replaces Blaz Sliskovic who was sacked after a poor start to Bosnia-Herzegovina's UEFA EURO 2008 qualifying campaign. He inherits a team with a record of one win and four points from four Group C games. His first match back in charge will be a qualifier against Norway in Oslo on 24 March.
In October, Hungary coach Peter Bozsik had also resigned in the wake of the 2-1 defeat to Malta at Ta' Qali on October 11th. That loss underlined the problems facing Hungary in Group C after home defeats to Norway and Turkey and a win over Bosnia-Herzegovina.
He was replaced by the coach of the Hungarian Under-19 team, Peter Varhidi.
Malta faces Moldova on March 24 away from home. Four days later, Malta hosts Greece at Ta' Qali. In June, the national team plays two matches away from home in Norway (2nd) and Bosnia-Herzegovina (6th).
Malta then hosts Turkey on September 9. An away fixture to Hungary is scheduled against Hungary on October 13 and then the national team meets Moldova at Ta' Qali four days later. The last two games are against Greece on November 17 away from home and Norway at Ta' Qali four days later.
Turkey and Greece claimed maximum points from the first three matches, leading the way ahead of Norway (6 pts - 3 matches), Bosnia-Herzegovina (4 pts - 4 matches), Malta (3 pts - 3 matches), Hungary (3 pts - four matches) and Moldova (1 pt - 4 matches).
Sun 24
- Gozo - First Division Sannat L. vs Nadur Y. 1-2, Qala SJ vs Kercem A. postponed
Sat 23
- Premier League Msida SJ vs Pietà H. 3-1, Marsa vs Sliema W. 2-1
- First Division Mqabba vs Tarxien R. 2-2, Mosta vs Senglea A. 2-2
- Second & Third Division Knock-Out Lija A. vs Birzebbuga SP 0-1, Dingli S. vs Gudja U. 1-0
- Gozo - First Division Xaghra U. vs Ghajnsielem 0-1
Fri 22
- Premier League Birkirkara vs Sliema W. 3-2, Marsxlokk vs Valletta 1-0
- Details about AC Milan's visit to Malta early next month were revealed by Birkirkara FC chairman Victor Zammit during a press conference which was held at the club's premises on Friday.
The Milan squad will be arriving in Malta in the evening on January 2nd and will have a one-week training camp between the 3rd and 10th January. The main highlight of this visit is the friendly match between local champions Birkirkara and Milan.
Zammit said that this was the third time that Birkirkara were hosting such a top club following the visit of Juventus, made possible also thanks to the help of Sliema Wanderers, and the visit of Manchester United. Man Utd's visit was part of the celebrations of the first league championship title won by Birkirkara in 2000.
Initial contacts were established by international secretary John Borg, who is also a member of the UEFA Club Forum, with AC Milan official Umberto Gandini. Milan were considering other options for this training camp, the other two venues being Dubai and Kuwait. Before discussing with Milan, Birkirkara were considering inviting Juventus to Malta but the bianconeri were only able to travel here for a very short period of time and therefore the idea was scrapped.
A delegation from Milan visited the island to inspect the facilities available, namely the training ground and hotels. They were pleasantly impressed and a deal was struck.
Since the rossoneri were unable to conduct a proper training camp in summer due to their participation in the preliminary round of the UEFA Champions League as a result of the sentences derived from the Calciopoli scandal, Milan will be having an intensive training camp here in Malta.
The full squad is expected to travel to Malta, except for Alessandro Nesta and Serginho. Among the players who will therefore travel to Malta are Paolo Maldini, Alessandro Costacurta, Kaka, Filippo Inzaghi, Alberto Gilardino, Clarence Seedorf, Andrea Pirlo and Gennaro Gattuso amongst others.
The friendly between Birkirkara FC and AC Milan will be played on Tuesday January 9th at the National Stadium, kick-off at 19:30. Tickets for the game are available from the Milan Supporters Club in Malta and Gozo, Birkirkara Football Club, Birkirkara FC Supporters Club, La Stalla Pizzeria - Bugibba, Geraldu Kiosk - Valletta, Misha - Sliema amongst other establishments.
Tickets cost Lm 25 for VIP Enclosure, Lm 15 for Enclosure, Lm 10 Millennium Stand and Lm 5 for North and South Stand.
Doors will be open at 18:00 and entertainment will be provided by top local singers namely Hooligan, Natasha and Charlene, Ali and Lis, J Anvil and the Big Brothers Brass Band.
A standing reception will be held at the Radisson Golden Sands Resort - the same hotel where the Milan squad will be staying - on January 4th at 20:00. A limited number of tickets for this reception, for which the players and officials will be attending, are available. More details may be obtained by phoning Mark Gauci on 7944 7474.
Due to the Trofeo Luigi Berlusconi being played on Saturday January 6th, the Milan squad will travel to Milan that morning at 09:30 and after playing the game at 17:00 will return to Malta on Sunday morning at 01:30.
Victor Zammit said this visit was also possible thanks to the help of a number of sponsors the National Lotteries Good Causes Fund, the Malta Tourism Authority and the Malta International Airport.
Thanks to an initiative of Parliamentary Secretary Tonio Fenech, a substantial number of tickets will be distributed to nurseries while another hundred complimentary tickets for the Millennium Stand will be made available for people with special needs.
Fenech said that now due to the format of European competitions, it is very difficult for local clubs to be drawn with top European clubs, Birkirkara should be praised for this initiative of luring to Malta such a big club.
The Malta Tourism Authority is considering this event as one which would be promoting Malta and giving it wide exposure since there will be live links from Malta on the Milan Channel while the game between Birkirkara and Milan will be screened on a number of foreign TV stations.
Michele Peresso Ltd will be presenting trophies for the two teams and mementos for all players.
During the training camp, local supporters will not be able to attend the training sessions which will be held at the MFA Training Ground behind closed doors.
On the occasion of AC Milan's visit to Malta, Birkirkara FC, in collaboration with the Stripes Supporters Club, will be issuing a souvenir set which consists of a badge, lanyard, mug and souvenir programme for the price of Lm 5.
Thu 21
- Esther Farrugia is the first Maltese female referee to be included in the FIFA panel of women's referees for 2007 as approved by the international body.
Farrugia, who is one of three new match officials to be included in the FIFA panel, is yet to control her first match in the Premier League but has controlled several matches from Division 1 for the last couple of years together with a match from the FA Trophy.
The other new match officials are assistant referee Mariano Debono and futsal referee Norman Vella.
Malta will therefore have four referees and eight assistant referees, one female referee and two futsal referees.
The four referees which were confirmed for another year are Joe Attard, Adrian Casha, Chris Lautier and Anton Zammit. Seven assistant referees were confirmed, namely Philip Agius, Konrad Borg, Alan Camilleri, Joe Camilleri, Charles Micallef, Joe Rapa and Ingmar Spiteri. Mariano Debono replaces Nicky Debattista who moved abroad.
The two futsal referees are Dr Ian Miller and Norman Vella.
The fifteen referees were presented with the FIFA badges by MFA president Dr Joe Mifsud during a meeting of the Council of the Malta Football Association on Thursday.
Dr Mifsud said that the nomination to the FIFA panel is a sign of recognition of the high level of these referees on domestic level. He reminded the referees that only by maintaining such a high level that they could retain their post on the FIFA lists.
The MFA president went on to say that by forming part of the UEFA Referees Convention, Malta will need to strive much more to maintain high standards of refereeing. Local referees do well in physical tests and when given international appointments, the points awarded by the match inspectors are usually high.
Dr Joe Mifsud highlighted the importance of integrity and capability in refereeing. He concluded by saying that referees should be persons of integrity and that they should have an unblemished character in every area of their life.
- Four Premier League players were suspended for one match by the MFA Disciplinary Commissioner on Thursday.
Marsaxlokk duo Kevin Sammut and Jamie Pace were handed a one-match ban after collecting a fourth yellow card and will therefore miss the game against Birkirkara.
Pietà midfielder Svetlan Kondev is ruled out of Saturday's game against Msida while Larry Lagana of St. George's will be missing the game against Pietà on Saturday 30.
Other players to be suspended include Qormi duo Thomas Paris and Joseph Saliba and Simon Zerafa of St. Patrick.
Charles Vassallo (Ta' Xbiex) was banned for two matches while Gzira United official Jason Camilleri was suspended for three months.
In the Youth League, Simon Portelli (Mosta) was suspended for three matches while Timothy Attard Montaldo (Dingli), Christopher Pace (Mosta) and Matthew Borda (Msida) were all banned for two matches. Wayne Muscat (Balzan), Kyle Schembri (Birzebbuga), Godfrey Galea (Dingli), Daniel Cremona (Lija), Hubert Farrugia (Mqabba), Keiston Theuma and Jean Paul Zammit (Msida), Keith Magro (San Gwann), Fredrick Tabone (St. Andrews), Conrad Chetcuti and Steve Buhagiar (Tarxien), Elliott Lauri (Valletta) and Matthew Cilia (Zebbug) were suspended for one match.
Tue 19
- Premier League St. George's vs Birkirkara 0-1, Sliema W. vs Floriana 2-0
Mon 18
- The BOV Premier League matches postponed from Sunday have now been re-scheduled for Tuesday, 19th December 2006 at the National Stadium. They will be played as follows: 18:00 St George's v Birkirkara; 20:00 Sliema W. v Floriana
The order of matches to be played at Ta' Qali on Friday, 22nd December 2006 has been changed. The programme is now:
18:00 Birkirkara v Hibernians
20:00 Marsaxlokk v Valletta
- Malta ended the calendar year 2006 in the 119th place in the FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking list which was published on Monday. At the end of last year, Malta was 118th.
This year, Malta played eight matches. Following the appointment of Dusan Fitzel as national coach, Malta hosted the Coca-Cola & Multiplus International Tournament in February/March, suffering two 0-2 defeats to Moldova and Georgia. In June, the national team lost narrowly to World Cup finalists Japan 1-0 in Dusseldorf, Germany.
Following a 3-0 defeat to Slovakia in a friendly match in Bratislava in August, Malta played three matches from Group C of the EURO 2008 qualifying round. After a 2-5 defeat to Bosnia-Herzegovina, Malta lost 2-0 to Turkey in Frankfurt, Germany. Then on October 11, Malta hosted Hungary, beating them 2-1 thanks to a brace by Andre Schembri.
The last game for 2006 was a friendly match against Lithuania last month where Malta lost 1-4 at the Hibs Ground.
Amongst the other European countries, Malta is 44th. Just ahead of Malta are Moldova (86th, down 1), Albania (87, down 1), Latvia (90, down 1), Iceland (93), Georgia (94, up 1) and Estonia (106, down 1). Behind Malta are Armenia (123), Azerbaijan (125), Kazakhstan (135), Liechtenstein (158), Andorra (164), Faroe Islands (181), Luxembourg (186) and San Marino (194).
Sun 17
- Premier League St. George's vs Birkirkara and Sliema W. vs Floriana postponed
- First Division St. Patrick vs San Gwann 3-0, Hamrun S. vs Qormi 1-1
- Second Division Gudja U. vs Rabat A. 0-4, Balzan Y. vs Gozo 6-0
- Third Division Gharghur vs Sirens 1-1, Ghaxaq vs Ta' Xbiex 7-0
- Gozo - First Division Xaghra U. vs Ghajnsielem and Sannat L. vs Nadur Y. postponed
- The two matches from the BOV Premier League which were scheduled to be played at the National Stadium this afternoon have been called off due to inclement weather.
Revised dates for the two matches - St. George's vs Birkirkara and Sliema Wanderers vs Floriana are yet to be announced.
Meanwhile in Gozo, matches from the Onvol First Division were also postponed.
Sat 16
- Premier League Pietà H. vs Marsaxlokk 0-1, Hibernians vs Marsa 4-0
- Third Division Luqa SA vs Gzira U., Attard vs Zurrieq
- Gozo - Second Division Zebbug R. vs Victoria H. 2-3, Gharb R. vs SK Victoria W. 1-3
Fri 15
- Third Division Kirkop U. vs Zejtun C. 2-3, Fgura U. vs Santa Lucia 3-1
- Hibernians striker Udo Nwoko was suspended for two matches after being sent off in the Paolites' 1-3 defeat to Sliema Wanderers on Wednesday.
Nwoko is therefore ruled out of Saturday's match against Marsa and the clash with Birkirkara on Friday 22.
For the game against Marsa, Hibs will also be without Edmond Agius who was suspended for one match after receiving a fourth yellow card.
Sliema defender Ian Ciantar and Valletta midfielder Edafe Uzeh were also handed a one-match ban.
Ciantar is ruled out of the game against Floriana on Sunday while Uzeh will be missing the game against Marsaxlokk on Friday 22.
In Division 1, Evano Briffa and Ryan Fenech (Hamrun) and Malcolm Buttigieg (San Gwann) were also banned for one match.
Other players to be suspended for one match include Luke Bonnici (Lija), Jonathan Mifsud (Melita), William Borg (Mellieha), Emanuel Muscat (Rabat) and Antoine Muscat (Xghajra). Martin Camilleri (Mdina) was suspended for two matches.
Thu 14
- First Division San Gwann vs Hamrun S. 0-3
Wed 13
- Premier League Sliema W. vs Hibernians 3-1, Floriana vs Valletta 1-2
- First Division Senglea A. vs Mqabba 0-2, Naxxar L. vs Vittoriosa S. 1-2
- Second Division Lija A. vs Mellieha 1-3, Zebbug R. vs Dingli S. 0-0
- Third Division Mgarr U. vs Kalkara 0-0, Xghajra T. vs Mdina K. 1-1
- Gozo - First Division Nadur Y. vs Kercem A. 4-0, Xewkija T. vs Qala SJ 0-3
- Six Premier League players were suspended by the MFA Disciplinary Commissioner after Sunday's matches.
Floriana midfielder Manolito Micallef was suspended for two matches after being sent off in the Greens' 2-1 win over Hibernians. He will be missing the game against Valletta on Wednesday and that against Sliema on Sunday.
Pablo Doffo and Clayton Failla of Hibernians are ruled out of the game against Sliema on Wednesday after being suspended for one match.
Digger Okonkwo who was sent off in Pietà's 0-6 defeat to Valletta was handed a one match ban and is ruled out of the game against Marsaxlokk on Saturday.
Stefano Grima of Msida, who received a fourth yellow card on Sunday, is ruled out of the next game against Pietà on Saturday 23 while Mark Anthony Bonnici of Birkirkara, who was sent off, is now ruled out of the game against St. George's on Sunday.
Sun 10
- Milan will be spending a one-week training camp in Malta between January 2nd and 10th. The news was confirmed by the club's physical trainer Daniele Tognaccini.
The players will be getting an break between the 24th December and 1st January and will return to work on January 2nd when they meet at Milanello before flying to Malta for a training camp.
This summer, the team's preparation was disrupted as they had to take part in the qualifying round of UEFA Champions League after having 30 points deducted following the Calciopoli scandal.
"We will be working on the basics which will make the players able to cope with the team's commitments over the coming weeks. We will be focussing on strength and resistance and then on our return, we will be reducing the work-load. Our objective is to gradually recover the players' form in order to be able to be at our best at the right time in view of the Champions League and the fourth place in the Serie A. To reach our objectives, we cannot slow down," said Tognaccini.
Tognaccini is confident Milan will be another team after the Malta training camp. "In Malta, we will be able to do what we were unable to do so far. That's why everyone will see another Milan."
On January 6th, the team will have to travel back to Milan to play against Juventus in the Trofeo Berlusconi but they will return to Malta immediately after the game.
A friendly match will be played against champions Birkirkara on Monday 8 or Tuesday 9. The Milan squad travels back to Milan on January 10th.
Sun 10
- Premier League Valletta vs Pietà H. 6-0, Hibernians vs Floriana 1-2, Marsa vs St. George's 1-2, Birkirkara vs Msida SJ 1-3
- Second Division Rabat A. vs Melita 1-0, Sta. Venera L. vs St. Andrews 2-0, Gozo vs Birzebbuga SP 1-2
- Third Division Ta' Xbiex vs Siggiewi 1-6, Qrendi vs Pembroke A. 1-1
- Gozo - First Division Xaghra U. vs Sannat L. 2-3
Sat 9
- Third Division Zurrieq vs Gharghur 1-1, Sirens vs Ghaxaq 2-1
- Gozo - Second Division SK Victoria W. vs St. Lawrence S. 1-1, Zebbug R. vs Oratory Y. 1-4
- On Monday, 13th November 2006, Premier School of Football held the first informative talk for Season 2006/2007 for boys who attend the school and their parents. The talk which was well attended, treated the subject of ‘Positive Discipline’.
Mr Alex Delia delivered a talk and slide presentation on the subject stressing the importance to lead and correct children with an open hand rather than with a pointed finger. Discipline was defined as the bridge between goals and accomplishment and the different ways to discipline children were outlined and explained.
During this meeting Mr Delia announced that the school has managed to attract the assistance of two main sponsors, namely Attard Bros and Alberta.
At the end of this meeting, awards for the school’s most improved players for the months of September and October were given.
Fri 8
- Premier League Valletta vs Pietà H. and Hibernians vs Floriana postponed
- First Division Tarxien R. vs St. Patrick 3-3, San Gwann vs Hamrun S. postponed
- Second Division Mellieha vs Gudja U. 2-0, Balzan Y. vs Zebbug R. 1-1
- Third Division Luqa SA vs Fgura U. 0-2, Gzira U. vs Attard 2-0
- The BOV Premier League matches in programme on Friday at the National Stadium have been posptponed and re-scheduled for next Sunday at the same time.
The two matches - Valletta vs Pietà Hotspurs and Hibernians vs Floriana - will therefore be played at 14:00 and 16:00 respectively.
During the same afternoon, another two matches will be in programme at the Hibs Ground.
Sunday's programme is therefore as follows:
12:45 (Hibs Ground) Marsa vs St. George's
14:45 (Hibs Ground) Birkirkara vs Msida SJ
14:00 (National Stadium) Valletta vs Pietà H.
16:00 (National Stadium) Hibernians vs Floriana
Thu 7
- In a second Under-19 friendly international played at the Ta' Qali Training Grounds on Thursday, Malta lost to Georgia 2-0.
The Maltese suffered an early goal netted after two mintes and then conceded a second seven minutes after the interval.
Despite playing with a man less after having had a player sent off late in the opening half, Georgia were technically superior and rarely allowed Malta to create any scoring opportunities.
In the first friendly played at the same venue on Tuesday, Malta went down to Georgia by three clear goals.
- Maltese officials have been invited to control the Under 21 international friendly match between Italy and Luxembourg being played at Vibo Valentia on Tuesday, December 12, 2006.
FIFA Referee Mr Joe Attard has been appointed as Referee. He will be assisted by Messrs Charles Micallef and Joe Rapa.
- On Tuesday 5th December, the MFA Appeals Board reversed a decision of the MFA Control and Disciplinary Board whereby Birzebbuga St Peter's FC had been found guilty of racist behaviour by their fans and fined Lm 7,000.
In a statement, Birzebbuga St Peter's FC expressed their satisfaction at the outcome of this issue.
"There was never any doubt in the club officials' minds that the club would not be found guilty of such deplorable behaviour. Instead, the club reiterates its position in condemning these acts, whether through football or otherwise. Despite the club's limitations, its members have always sought a high standard administration putting the core values of sport at its foundation.
Furthermore, a word of appreciation goes to those who stood by the club through their support in the course of the disciplinary process."
Wed 6
- BOV First Division side Mosta FC appointed former Michael Molzahn as their new coach.
In a statement, Mosta FC announced that Alex Delia had tendered his resignation from his post as coach on Monday and that the Committee has now reached an agreement with the former Marsa coach to take over the team as from Thursday.
Vincent Carbonaro remains in the Mosta FC coaching staff as Technical Director.
After being relegated from the Premier League at the end of last season, the Blues had a most disappointing campaign in Division 1 so far, collecting just six points from seven matches - two wins over St. Patrick and San Gwann and five defeats to Mqabba, Naxxar, Hamrun, Qormi and Vittoriosa. However they managed to eliminate Premier League side Floriana from the first round of the U*BET FA Trophy.
Michael Molzahn, who had led Marsa to promotion from the First Division to the Premier League, quit the club in October after the Red-Blues had won just two points in draws with St. George's and Pietà Hotspurs, losing the other six matches.
- The MFA Technical Centre will be organising another instructional meeting on Monday 11th December 2006 for holders of UEFA 'A', UEFA 'B', 'A' and 'B' Licence coaches.
This is planned to be a theoretical session by Dr David Attard, National Team Doctor.
The meeting will commence at 17:30 hrs
- The Malta Football Coaches Association is organizing an Instructional Meeting for its members on Monday 11th December, 2006.
The lecturer for this meeting will be Mr. Hadrian Vassallo who will talk about The Psychology of Youths in Nurseries.
The meeting will be held at the Juventus Club in Birkirkara and will start at 19:30. It will be valid for all coaches holding C and YDD Coaching Diplomas.
- BOV Premier League leaders Marsaxlokk will be without two players after both were suspended for one game by the MFA Disciplinary Commissioner.
Cleavon Frendo and Stephen Wellman were sent off in the Southseasiders' 2-2 draw with Birkirkara and are now ruled out of the next game against wooden-spoonists Pietà Hotspurs on December 16.
Msida defender Stacey Vella was also suspended for one game and will be missing the next match against Birkirkara on Sunday. Msida president Antoine Portelli, who was acting as team-manager, was suspended for two matches.
In Division 1, Ryan Mifsud (Mosta) and Vittoriosa duo Robert Adami and Uchenna Anyanwu were handed a one-match ban.
Fabio Cauchi (Dingli) and Peter Paul Buttigieg (Gozo) were suspended for one match in Division 2.
In the Youth League, Terence Vella (Gudja) and Noel Aquilina (Zebbug) were suspended for three and five matches respectively. Clifford Farrugia (Marsaxlokk), Clyde Camoin (Mqabba) and Daniel Zammit (Zurrieq) were suspended for one match.
Tue 5
- The Malta Under-19 side suffered a 0-3 defeat to Georgia in a friendly match at the MFA Training Grounds on Tuesday.
At the end of the first half, the score was still 0-0.
Another friendly match against Georgia is scheduled for Thursday 7th at the same venue.
- The Birkirkara FC Youth Nursery is once again organising the Christmas Football Tournament between the 26th and the 30th December. This is the sixteenth year that the Birkirkara Nursery is organising such a tournament which now established itself as one of the most important tournaments in youth football.
The draws of the 16th Birkirkara FC Youth Nursery Christmas Tournament were held at the nursery premises on Thursday 30th November 2006.
After an introductory speech, Nursery Chairman Henry Bray stated that it is a great honour for Birkirkara FC Youth Nursery to organise its 16th Christmas Tournament. He emphasized the importance of fair play during these five days of the tournament. The tournament should be a football festival, delegates, parents and coaches should not exert extra pressure on the players. Henry Bray thanked the Birkirkara Local Council and Pepsi the sponsors of the tournament.
The draw was attended by Nurseries delegates. There are 10 teams that are going to participate in the Under 13 and 6 teams in the Under 11.
The draws are as follows:
Under 13:
Group A: Qormi FC, Sliema W., Lija Iklin YN, Hamrun S. and Birkirkara FC
Group B: Naxxar L., St. Patrick FC, St. Andrews, Floriana FC and San Gwann FC
Under 11:
Sliema W., Naxxar L., Hamrun S., St. Andrews SC, San Gwann FC and Birkirkara FC
The tournament kicks off on December 26 at 09:00. There will be a march pass by all the participating nurseries from the Birkirkara Football Club in Valley Road on Boxing Day at 19:00 accompanied by St. Helen's Band. A spectacular opening ceremony will follow at the Infetti Training Grounds.
- During this Christmas period, precisely between 27th and 30th December 2006, Italian Serie A team, Atalanta B.C. in collaboration with Birkirkara F.C. Youth Nursery will be organising for the very first time in Malta, a four day Football Stage at the New Infetti Artificial Pitches in Bontadini Street, Birkirkara.
This event is open to all Maltese children aged between 8 and 10 (born in 1996, 1997 and 1998) and consists mainly of an hour and a half daily training session delivered by professional Italian youth coaches working at Atalanta B.C. These coaches are amongst those who educated, prepared and launched players in Serie A namely Under-21 internationals Pazzini, Montolivo and Defendi and also guided and trained others who made history in football like Donadoni, Cabrini, Scirea, Inzaghi, Vieri and lots more.
The fee of Lm 30 per participant includes:
- four training sessions (1½ hour each) under the guidance of Italian youth coaches
- full Diadora training kit
- technical report
- various Atalanta B.C. merchandise
Mr Stefano Bonaccorso and Mr Andrea Pandolfi, two professional coaches who work with youth teams at Atalanta in Zigonia will be amongst the coaches present during this stage, with the former tutor involved also at FIGC Youth sector level.
The number of children participating is on a first come first served basis. Therefore, all those interested in attending may contact Mr Henry Bray (99468248) or Mr Franco Agius (79438515) for further details. It is surely the ideal gift for this Christmas and a memorable experience for all football lovers!
Mon 4
- The draws for the quarter-finals of the quick Keno Second and Third Division Knock-Out Competition were held on Monday at the MFA Headquarters, Valletta.
BOV Second Division leaders Dingli Swallows take on Gudja United. Lija Athletic face Birzebbuga St. Peter's. Rabat Ajax meet Melita while Balzan Youths take on Mellieha.
The quarter-finals will be played on Saturday 23rd and Saturday 30th December 2006 at the Centenary Stadium.
Sun 3
- Premier League Msida SJ vs Marsa 1-1, St. George's vs Sliema W. 2-3
- First Division Qormi vs Naxxar L. 3-0, Vittoriosa S. vs Mosta 3-1
- Second Division Dingli S. vs Lija A. 1-0, Sta. Venera L. vs Gozo 1-1
- Third Division Zejtun C. vs Xghajra T. 3-2, Sta. Lucia vs Kirkop U. 2-1
- Gozo - First Division Kercem A. vs Xewkija T. 1-1, Qala SJ vs Ghajnsielem 1-1
- Italian giants AC Milan are set to come for a training camp in Malta early next month after being invited by champions Birkirkara. During this training camp, Milan would be playing a friendly match against the Stripes.
Initial contacts with Milan were established by Birkirkara's international secretary John Borg, who is also a member of the UEFA Club Forum, with organisational director Umberto Gandini. An agreement between the two clubs could be finalised next week.
Milan will probably travel to Malta on January 2 and play the game against Birkirkara on January 8.
This will not be the first high-profile friendly match for Birkirkara. In August 2000, Birkirkara had invited Manchester United for a friendly match and two years before, Birkirkara players were part of a Malta League XI which hosted Juventus in another friendly match.
Sat 2
- Premier League Floriana vs Pietà H. 4-0, Marsaxlokk vs Birkirkara 2-2
- Second Division St. Andrews vs Rabat A. 0-2, Melita vs Mellieha 1-1
- Gozo - Second Division SK Victoria W. vs Oratory Y. 2-1, Victoria H. vs Gharb R. 3-2
- The MFA Technical Centre will be organising another Club Coach Certificate (CCC) Course at Ta' Qali Technical Centre from the 4th to the 7th January 2007, both days included. The introductory session will be on the 3rd January in the evening.
Application forms are available from the Technical Centre at Ta' Qali during office hours.
Closing date for applications will be on Thursday 28th December 2006.
A passport-size photo, a photocopy of the YDD certificate and a signed certificate by the current employing club or nursery are also required.
Applications will be accepted on a first-come-first-served basis.
Fri 1
- Third Division Kalkara vs Qrendi 0-0, Mdina K. vs Mgarr U. 1-4