December 2007
Mon 31
- The Malta Football Association announced that the two BOV Premier League matches which were due to be played on Sunday at the Hibernians Ground on Sunday will now be played on Thursday 3rd January.
The two games - Mqabba vs Hibernians and Valletta vs Msida St. Joseph - which were called off due to a water-logged pitch, will now be played at 18:00 and 20:00 respectively at the Centenary Stadium.
- Thirty-three year old striker Adrian Mifsud joins Hibernians from Floriana on loan till the end of the season.
Mifsud had already spent four-and-a-half years with Hibernians, joining them mid-way through season 1999/2000 from Rabat Ajax. With the Paolites, he scored 79 goals in 111 Premier League matches. He was voted Footballer of the Year in 2002 and was the Premier League top scorer in 2002/03 together with Danilo Doncic and Michael Galea.
Adrian Mifsud had started his career with Sta. Venera Lightnings, joining Rabat Ajax in 1995 with whom he made his Premier League debut. In summer 2004, he moved to Sliema Wanderers. However after playing just seventeen matches in his first year with the Blues, early the following season, Mifsud was loaned to Floriana with whom he had an excellent season, scoring fifteen goals in 21 matches. Once again he spent last season with the Greens, scoring nine in twenty matches.
Sun 30
- Premier League Hamrun S. vs Marsaxlokk, Birkirkara vs Sliema W., Mqabba vs Hibernians and Valletta vs Msida SJ postponed
- First Division Marsa vs Dingli S. and Mosta vs St. George's postponed
- Second & Third Division Knock-Out Ghaxaq vs Balzan Y. 1-1 (3-5 pen), Mgarr U. vs Sta. Venera L. 1-0
- The Malta Football Association announced that the two BOV Premier League matches Hamrun Spartans vs Marsaxlokk and Sliema Wanderers vs Birkirkara will be played at the Centenary Stadium, kick-off at 14:00 and 16:00 respectively.
These games were originally scheduled for Saturday at the National Stadium but were postponed by twenty-four hours following the torrential rain which hit the Maltese islands. A change of venue was however necessary.
The two BOV Premier League matches, due to be played on Sunday at the Hibernians Ground - Mqabba vs Hibernians and Valletta vs Msida St. Joseph - however have been called off due to a water-logged pitch. A new date for these games is yet to be announced.
Sat 29
- Premier League Hamrun S. vs Marsaxlokk and Birkirkara vs Sliema W. postponed
- Second & Third Division Knock-Out Rabat A. vs Xghajra T. 1-0, Melita vs Zurrieq 3-0 aet
- Gozo - Second Division SK Victoria W. vs Gharb R. abandoned, Xewkija T. vs Zebbug R. postponed
- The two BOV Premier League matches in programme on Saturday at the National Stadium have been postponed by twenty-four hours once again following the torrential rain which hit the Maltese islands.
Hamrun Spartans vs Marsaxlokk and Sliema Wanderers vs Birkirkara are now due to be played at the National Stadium on Sunday, kick-off at 14:00 and 16:00 respectively.
Another two BOV Premier League matches are due to be played on Sunday at the Hibernians Ground: Mqabba vs Hibernians and Valletta vs Msida St. Joseph.
Meanwhile the BOV First Division matches in programme on Sunday at the Victor Tedesco Stadium have been postponed. Rescheduling of the games Marsa vs Dingli Swallows and Mosta vs St. George's is yet to be announced.
- The Malta Football Association is organising a course for Trainee Referees commencing on Monday 14th January 2008.
Applicants, both males and females aged between 17 and 35 years, can obtain more details from the Head, Refereeing Department of the Malta Football Association, Millennium Stand, Level 2, National Stadium, Ta’ Qali, ATD 4000.
Alternatively, information can be obtained by email: tom.restall@mfa.com.mt
Fri 28
- Malta international attacking midfielder Udo Nwoko is on the verge of joining Premiership side Reading according to a report by The Daily Mirror.
The newspaper states that Nwoko has agreed to join the Royals after undergoing a medical and manager Steve Coppell is close to agreeing a £1.25million (€1.75m) fee with Portuguese club Leixoes.
The Nigerian-born striker had joined Leixoes in July from Hibernians. He scored on his debut in the BWin Liga against Benfica when he notched the equaliser for the newly-promoted side. Nwoko was once again on target in the game against Belenenses to earn another point for Leixoes away from home.
Nwoko told The Daily Mirror: "I hope the deal can be completed as Reading is a sensational club who would make me very welcome."
Setanta Sports reports that the arrival of Nwoko could mean the end for England Under-21 striker Leroy Lita, who is already fourth choice under Steve Coppell.
Reading are currently twelfth in the Premiership with 22 points from nineteen matches.
- Seven Premier League players were handed a one-match ban by the MFA Disciplinary Commissioner on Friday after the matches which were played in mid-week.
The seven players are: Christian Cassar (Floriana), Aaron Attard and Sean Sullivan (Hamrun), Pablo Cesar Doffo (Hibs), Miguel Montfort (Pietà), Roderick Bajada (Sliema) and Steve Bezzina (Valletta).
Christian Cassar, who was sent off in the game against Mqabba, is ruled out of the Greens' clash with Old Firm rivals Sliema on January 5. Aaron Attard and Sean Sullivan will be missing the game against Marsaxlokk on Saturday 29.
Roderick Bajada is ruled out of the clash between Birkirkara and Sliema, also on Saturday.
Pablo Cesar Doffo will be unavailable for the Paolites in the game against Mqabba on Sunday 30. Steve Bezzina will be missing the game Valletta vs Msida on Sunday while Miguel Montfort is ruled out of the game against Hamrun on Sunday 6.
An Under-14 player, Dylan Bugeja of Senglea Athletic was suspended for three years, until December 27th 2010, while the Senglea U-14 coach, Noel Frendo, was suspended for five years, until December 27th 2012. The Under-14 match between Zurrieq and Senglea had in fact been abandoned after the referee was assaulted.
Meanwhile in Division 2, Daniel Gravino (Melita), Ryan Newell (San Gwann) and Elton Camilleri (Zurrieq) were banned for one match while Sta. Venera official Johann Vella was suspended for two matches. Daniel Axisa (Xghajra) was handed a one-match ban in Division 3.
In the Youth League, Adon Grech (St. George's) was banned for three matches while Jean Paul Mercieca (Birzebbuga), Christopher Vella (Qormi) and Glenn Tanti (St. George's) were all handed a one-match ban.
- The Firetech Football Festival organised by the Hamrun Spartans Youth Nursery which was postponed on December 8 and was due to be held on January 2, will now be played on Saturday January 26th.
- Hibernians won the two football festivals for girls which were organised by the Malta Football Association on Thursday at the Centenary Stadium. These two tournaments were reserved for Under-13 and Under-16 girls.
Six teams took part in the Under-16 festival which was played on a league basis. Hibs won the five games to claim maximum points. Mgarr United placed second on 12 points, followed by Mosta on 9, Marsa and Nadur Youngsters on 3 points and Tarxien without any points.
Teams in the Under-13 category were divided into two groups with the top two teams qualifying for the semi-finals.
In Group A, Hibs placed first on 15 points, followed by Birkirkara Reds on 8, Marsa 6, Sta. Lucia 5, Tarxien 4 and Birzebbuga 1. Mgarr United won Group B with 11 points, ahead of Birkirkara Yellows on 10, Hamrun 9, Pembroke 7, St. Catherine and Nadur 3.
In the semi-finals, Hibernians beat Birkirkara Yellows 1-0 while Mgarr United defeated Birkirkara Reds 4-0. Hibs therefore met Mgarr in the final and following a goalless draw, the Paolites won 2-1 on penalties. In the final for third and fourth place, Birkirkara Yellows defeated Birkirkara Reds 3-0.
Thu 27
- Renaissance Productions Ltd has concluded negotiations with Juventus to secure the exclusive rights to represent the Juventus Soccer School (JSS) in the Maltese islands. The first Juventus Soccer School will be based at Don Bosco Oratory in Victoria, Gozo, directors Anton Tabone and Amabile Zammit announced.
The Juventus Soccer School will be officially launched by Marco Marchi, International Soccer Schools Manager at a special ceremony to be held on 12th January 2008 at Don Bosco Oratory. A 2-hour training session under the guidance of a Juventus Soccer University-certified coach for children aged 8-16 years, will precede to the opening ceremony. Two Juventus team players are also expected to be present.
Based on the success of Juventus' club in Italian and international football (13 million fans in Italy, 43 million fans in Europe, 170 million fans worldwide), and together with the positive values that JSS attempt to instil in the kids that enrol, RPL directors are confident that the Juventus Soccer School experience in Malta and Gozo will be extremely successful and beneficial to all young footballers.
The values of the JSS mission statement are to communicate and represent Juventus in every activity, in and off the pitch thereby creating a unique Juventus experience; to protect children safety through the creation of an internal policy of "Child Protection"; to select and coach the staff to respect and promote the high standards of Juventus Soccer School in teaching methods and general behaviour; to create the best environment in which learning takes place: less exasperation, more fun; and to develop the technical characteristics of the players.
The Juventus Soccer School is organised in partnership with "Nike" - the world's leading sports brand.
Every project undertaken by the JSS follows a specific technical sports program based on the JSS model. The curriculum is developed by the Juventus University 'Centro Studi' so as to respond to the specific technical and social requirements of each project. Juventus own the first Soccer University in the world. Courses at the University are addressed to coaches with a coaching certificate and to those who have a degree in physical education.
University courses are held at the Juventus Training Centre in Vinovo (Turin) but could also be held in the respective country where the Juventus Soccer School is based.
Juventus have been successfully organising Juventus Summer Camps in a number of different countries whereby courses are organised over a 2-week period during vacation time - generally in June/July/August. Boys and girls aged 8-16 years attend these camps accompanied by their respective families who take the opportunity to take a vacation during the time the kids are attending the Juventus Soccer School.
Thu 27
- Premier League Floriana vs Mqabba 4-1, Msida SJ vs Pietà H. 7-0
- Gozo - First Division Sannat L. vs Ghajnsielem 0-1
- The Malta Football Association announced that the two BOV First Division matches which were postponed last Sunday will now be played on Wednesday 2nd January at the Centenary Stadium.
The two matches, originally due to be played at the Hibs Ground on Sunday morning. will be played as follows:
18:00 Tarxien Rainbows vs Mosta
20:00 Senglea Athletic vs Vittoriosa Stars.
Wed 26
- Premier League Sliema W. vs Hamrun S. 1-1, Hibernians vs Valletta 0-0
Tue 25
- Birkirkara will be signing striker Amed Davy Sylla as their third foreigner when the January transfer window opens next week.
Sylla will replace Central African attacking midfielder Marcelin Tamboulas who turned out for the Stripes in the early part of the season.
Originally Birkirkara had signed William Boris Sandjo, another striker from the Central African Republic. However on his debut against Hibernians, Sandjo was unlucky to suffer a serious injury after just six minutes of play. He was then replaced by Tamboulas.
However the latter failed to turn up to Malta in November after visiting his country due to problems in obtaining the visa.
Twenty-five year old Amed Davy Sylla, who hails from the Ivory Coast, has been playing in the Faroe Islands for the past three years where he turned out for IF Fuglafjördur in 2005 and B36 Torshavn in the past two years.
Sylla was a member of the team which eliminated Birkirkara from the first qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League last year. In fact he had scored two of the goals for B36 in the 3-0 win at Ta' Qali.
He is expected to make his debut for the Stripes in the game against Marsaxlokk on January 5.
Mon 24
- The Ministry of Education signed an agreement with Luxol Sports Club with the aim of developing a piece of land which is part of the existing Pembroke Primary School known as Bice Mizzi Vassallo School. The area will be a welcome addition to the Club's existing facilities as this is earmarked for future sport-related development and projects in accordance with the Club's continued policy that highlights the need to continue to improve it's infrastructure in partnership with the Government's role of providing the land on which these policies could be implemented.
The facilities will also benefit the School since students will be using the facilities during school hours. Government is building a new primary school in Pembroke for which MEPA has just issued the relative building permits.
Luxol Sports Club currently run the largest football nursery and academy in Malta, catering for over 550 kids aged between the ages of 4 years and 14 years. In the past two years the Club has invested heavily in developing the Club's infrastructure, namely the construction of a small stadium with state of the art artificial surface and amenities. This pitch is applied for the benefit of all the Club’s nursery players and older teams, as well as providing an excellent venue for matches organised by the Youth FA and the Women's Football National league organised by the Malta Football Association.
Education Minister Louis Galea, who is also responsable for sport, said that the Government recognises the excellent contribution that sport organisations such as Luxol make to society and does its best to enable and empower them to progress. Minister Galea said that the sport infrastructure in schools is improving at a very fast pace. In line with government’s committment to making schools, learning centres within the community and buzzing hives of sport, cultural and educational activity government has been entering partnership agreements to ensure that facilities in schools can be used by other organisations after school hours.
At the same time organisations such as Luxol, who have excellent facilities to offer, are ideal partners where schools do not as yet have top-notch facilities. In this case – and in a number of other cases – the Ministry of Education is looking into the possible partnership agreements which could be reached for the mutual benefit of both schools and their students and the sport organisations, their members and the community at large.
“Several sport facility are not only very well equipped and have the necessary know-how but are usually under-utilised during school hours in the case of non-governmental facilities and outside school hours in the case of governmental ones. By forming mutually beneficial partnerships we aim to maximise utility and avoid duplication and wastage of our limited resources,” concluded Dr. Galea.
The agreement was signed by Francis Borg, Permanent Secretary, on behalf of the Government, and by Norman Darmanin Demajo, CEO, on behalf of Luxol Sports Club. Under the agreement, Luxol will be developing the assigned area at their own expense in sports facilities which will be exclusively accessible to Pembroke Primary School Children during school hours, and thereafter to Luxol members and sport activities and events.
- The Malta Football Association will be organising another two football festivals for girls in the Under-13 and Under-16 categories on Thursday 27th December at the Centenary Stadium, starting at 08:30.
The participants include new nurseries and Nadur Youngsters from Gozo.
Under-13 teams will be divided into two groups: Birkirkara Reds, Hibernians, Tarxien, Marsa, Sta. Lucia and Birzebbuga in Group A; Mgarr United, Birkirkara Yellows, Pembroke, St. Catherine's, Nadur and Hamrun in Group B.
Seven Under-16 teams will be taking part, namely Hibernians, Mgarr, Mosta, Marsa, Tarxien, Nadur and Zejtun.
The Under-16 tournament will be played on a league basis while the top two teams in each group of the Under-13 tournament will be playing in the semi-finals and then in the final and final for third and fourth place.
Sun 23
- Premier League Floriana vs Mqabba and Msida SJ vs Pietà H. postponed
- First Division Tarxien R. vs Mosta, Senglea A. vs Vittoriosa S. postponed
- Second Division Zurrieq vs St. Andrews 1-1, Sta. Venera L. vs Balzan Y. 1-3
- Third Division Section A Ghaxaq vs Xghajra T. 0-3
- Third Division Section B Gzira U. vs Kalkara 6-0
- Gozo - First Division Xaghra U. vs Qala SJ 1-1, Victoria H. vs Kercem A. 3-2
- The Malta Football Association announced new dates for the BOV Premier League matches which were called off this weekend.
These are now to be played as follows:
Wednesday 26th December (National Stadium)
18:00 Sliema Wanderers vs Hamrun Spartans
20:00 Hibernians vs Valletta
Thursday 27th December (Centenary Stadium)
18:00 Floriana vs Mqabba
20:00 Msida St. Joseph vs Pietà Hotspurs
Wednesday's games were originally due to be played on Saturday at the National Stadium while Thursday's games were planned to be played at the Victor Tedesco Stadium on Sunday. However both programmes were called off due to inclement weather.
Meanwhile the BOV First Division matches in programme at the Hibs Ground on Sunday morning have also been called off. The two matches were Tarxien Rainbows vs Mosta and Senglea Athletic vs Vittoriosa Stars.
New fixtures for the First Division matches are yet to be announced.
Sat 22
- Premier League Sliema W. vs Hamrun S. and Hibernians vs Valletta postponed
- Second Division Mgarr U. vs Melita 0-0, San Gwann vs Lija A. 4-0
- Gozo - Second Division Munxar F. vs Xewkija T. 1-1, St. Lawrence S. vs Oratory Y. 1-0
- Msida St. Joseph FC inagurated their new training ground which are located at the Hamrun Boys' Junior Lyceum - Il-Liceo.
This new training ground for Msida St. Joseph was made possible thanks to an agreement between the government and the club. Thanks to such agreements, sports facilities in schools could be used by students during the day and by football clubs and their nurseries after school hours. A similar agreement has already been signed with Kirkop United who are using school facilities in Kirkop and another agreement has just been signed with St. Andrews.
The government invested Lm50,000 (€116,468) to install the artificial turf pitch and the fencing around the pitch.
The training ground was inaugurated by the Minister for Education Dr Louis Galea in the presence of Minister for Rural Affairs and the Environment George Pullicino, members of parliament, MFA president Dr Joe Mifsud and Youth FA Secretary General Joe Micallef.
A football tournament for young players was held before the inauguration.
Thu 20
- Malta will be facing Austria in a friendly match on May 30, just nine days before the Austrians host Croatia in the first game from the EURO 2008 finals. This was revealed by MFA president Dr Joe Mifsud during the programme MFA Magazine on Thursday.
Malta and Austria met last February in a friendly match at Ta' Qali in a game which marked the 50th anniversary of participation in international football for the national team. The game ended in a 1-1 draw with Malta's goal being scored by captain Gilbert Agius.
Dr Mifsud also revealed the participants in the 14th edition of the Malta International Football Tournament which will be held between February 2 and 6 at the National Stadium.
The three countries which will be taking part are Armenia, Belarus and Iceland.
Armenia defeated Malta in two friendly matches in July 1994 in Yerevan and Ta' Qali last September.
Belarus will be taking part in the tournament for the second time after participating in 2004. On that occasion, Belarus won 4-0. The two countries also met in the qualifiers leading to EURO 96. After a 1-1 draw in Belarus, Malta lost 0-2 at Ta' Qali.
Iceland took part twice in the tournament, when it was known as the Rothmans Tournament, back in 1992 and 1994. The two countries met twelve times with Malta winning twice, losing nine times and another match ending in a draw.
Malta will be playing another friendly match on March 26 and another in August. The national team's opponents in these two matches are yet to be announced.
Meanwhile a meeting will be held in Copenhagen on January 6th during which officials and national coaches from Portugal, Sweden, Denmark, Hungary, Albania and Malta will meet in attempt to prepare the fixtures for Group 1 of the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
World Cup qualifiers will be played on the following days 6/10 September 2008, 11/15 October 2008, 28 March 2009, 1 April 2009, 6/10 June 2009, 5/9 September 2008 and 10/14 October.
Fri 19
- Three Premier League players were suspended for one match following last Wednesday's matches from the BOV Premier League.
Birkirkara midfielder Paul Fenech is ruled out of the Stripes' clash with Sliema Wanderers on Saturday 29. Mqabba's Mark Anthony Psaila will be missing the game against his former team Floriana next Sunday while Msida's Andrew Spiteri will be unavailable for the game against Pietà Hotspurs on Sunday.
In Division 3, Randolph Penza (Luqa) and Gharghur trio Daniel Borg, Karl Vella Petroni and Christian Glass were banned for one match while Gharghur coach Mario Mifsud was suspended for two matches.
Thu 20
- First Division St. George's vs Qormi 0-0, St. Patrick vs Mellieha 1-1
- Gozo - First Division Ghajnsielem vs Nadur Y. 1-2
- All Juventus supporters will have the opportunity of a lifetime to see all the team players at a SKY CLUB event in Paceville, being organised by Renaissance Productions Ltd and sponsored by GO. The event is being held on Monday, 7th January at 20:30.
At this star studded event, which will take the format of a variety show on stage, all the Juventus team players accompanied by the management will be present. This event is unique as it is very seldom that Juventus accept to be present with all their players at the same social function. However, given the great anticipation for the team’s visit to Malta, the Juventus management did not wish to disappoint its Maltese fan base and have accepted RPL’s invitation to participate with the full squad.
For this event, RPL have also recruited the services of Marco Dejana, more commonly known to all Juventus fans as DJ NANA’. Mr Dejana is the personality that colourfully animates and presents the Juventus squad before and after all football matches at Stadio Olimpico in Torino. DJ NANA’ will be presenting the SKY CLUB event and also animating the Valletta vs Juventus match at Ta’ Qali on 9th January 2008.
The SKY CLUB event is being exclusively sponsored by GO. Admission Tickets @ Lm 10.00 (Eur 23.29), as well as tickets for the Match Valletta vs Juventus, are available from Juventus Club (Malta) / Fenech Homes in Hamrun Tel. 7948 0851; L-Amerikan in Valletta Tel 9945 8140, Simon Estates in Naxxar - Labour Ave or Le Meridien - St. Julians Tel. 7942 9090, Giftime Shop, Main Road – Hamrun Tel 9949 8660 and Bargate Bookshop in Victoria, Gozo, Tel. 99447625. Ticket Hotline Tel. 7988 8828.
Meanwhile children under the age of 10 years accompanied by two adults will be entitled to purchase tickets to the Betfair Cup 2008, Valletta vs Juventus match of 9th January 2008 at a special price of Lm2 (Eur 4.65). This price is applicable in conjunction with the purchase of 2 normal tickets in every section of the National Stadium, except in the VIP section. This offer is open only for a limited amount of tickets.
In the meantime, a dedicated email address has been set up to enable customers to order and purchase their tickets online. The email address is juventusmalta@gmail.com
Tickets to the Valletta vs Juventus match are being sold from all GO Mobile Outlets, Juventus Club (Malta)/Fenech Homes in Hamrun Tel. 7948 0851; L-Amerikan in Valletta Tel 9945 8140, Simon Estates in Naxxar - Labour Ave or Le Meridien - St. Julians Tel. 7942 9090, Giftime Shop, Main Road – Hamrun Tel 9949 8660 and Bargate Bookshop in Victoria, Gozo, Tel. 99447625. Ticket Hotline Tel. 7988 8828.
Tickets prices are Lm10 (EUR 23.29) (exclusively from GO Mobile Outlets) and Lm12 (EUR 27.95) in the North and South stand, Lm25 (EUR 58.23) at the Millennium Stand, Lm35 (EUR 81.53) in West Stand enclosure and Lm45 (EUR 104.82) in the VIP stand.
Wed 19
- Premier League Marsaxlokk vs Msida SJ 5-0, Mqabba vs Birkirkara 1-4
- Gozo - First Division Qala SJ vs Kercem A. 1-1
- MFA president Dr Joe Mifsud described 2007 as one of the best years the association has ever had. Dr Mifsud was speaking in the traditional end-of-the-year address to the Council of the Malta Football Association on Tuesday.
The MFA president mentioned the main highlights of the past year, namely his re-election to the UEFA Executive Committee in January, the celebrations marking fifty years of international football, the record number of points obtained by Malta in the EURO 2008 qualifiers and the encouraging results of the other national teams. At the Annual General Meeting which was held in July, all officials were confirmed, except for one who has been replaced by Dr Peter Fenech who has been working hard since his appointment as Vice-President.
However he pointed out that at club level, participation of Maltese clubs in European competitions proved to be quite disappointing.
Dr Mifsud highlighted the work done by the Council, the Executive Committee and the Boards and Committees of the Association and that done in the refereeing and coaching sectors.
The MFA president said the relocation of the new MFA Headquarters which are now housed at the Millennium Stand, Ta’ Qali was another milestone for the association. This helped improve the services offered by the association and also the working conditions of MFA staff.
Following the installation of the FIFA Two-Star artificial turf at the Centenary Stadium, facilities at this stadium, which is once again managed by Mr Tony Zarb, will continue to be improved in the coming weeks and months with the installation of a scoreboard and seats for spectators. Seats at the North and South sides at the National Stadium will also be replaced. The National Team Headquarters at the former MFA Gymnasium will soon be completed.
Dr Mifsud said that improving facilities is one of the main objectives of the association for 2008. A total of 30 clubs have applied to benefit from UEFA grants for the improvement of facilities, costing approximately Lm 4 million. The first applications could be submitted to UEFA early next year. The UEFA Mini-Pitches project should be completed in the coming weeks with the installation of the last batch of mini-pitches.
In his conclusion, the MFA president said that results like the one obtained against Turkey make a strong impact in Europe and said that the fact that more players are moving abroad mean that local football is making progress.
After extending his best wishes for Christmas and the New Year, Dr Mifsud ended by thanking all Council members, MFA Officials, Board and Committee members and staff for their dedicated work during the year and promised that 2008 will herald more and improved output for the good of football.
- BOV First Division matches will no longer be played on Sunday mornings as from January following a request by the Hibernians Ground Management Board.
Clubs agreed and therefore the Council of the Malta Football Association decided that as from January, all First Division matches in programme at the Hibernians Ground and the Victor Tedesco Stadium on Sunday mornings or public holidays will be played in the afternoon.
- Three Premier League players were handed a one-match ban following last Saturday's matches.
Floriana had Mark Gauci and Julian Briffa suspended and therefore these are ruled out of the Greens' next game against Mqabba on Sunday.
Hibernians midfielder Edafe Uzeh was also banned for one match and will be missing the game against Valletta on Saturday.
In Division 2, Daniel Scerri (Lija), William Camilleri (Mgarr), Chris Bernard Farrugia (Naxxar), Clayton Giordmaina (San Gwann) and Joseph Lia (Zurrieq) were all suspended for one match. Martin Briffa of Qrendi was also handed a one-match ban in Division 3.
Zebbug Rangers were hit worst in the Youth League with Aaron Chetcuti suspended for four matches, Noel Aquilina and Philip Seguna banned for three matches each and Kersten Sciberras suspended for two matches. Johann Camilleri (Marsa) was also suspended for two matches. Mario Cremona (Attard), Lee James Agius (Hamrun), Clifford Farrugia (Marsaxlokk), Owen Vella (Mosta) and Daniel Galea (St. George's) were handed a one match ban.
- 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 second time in Malta, a four day Football Stage at the New Infetti Artificial Pitches in Bontadini Street, Birkirkara.
This event will consists mainly of six training sessions of an hour and a half , 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. All participating players will receive a full training kit, technical report and various Atalanta BC merchandise.
Mr Massimo Biffi, Mr Marco Paredi and Mr Andrea Pandolfi, three professional coaches who work with youth teams at Atalanta in Zigonia will be amongst the coaches present during this stage. 51 children will be participating is this year’s stage It is surely the ideal gift for this Christmas and a memorable experience for all football lovers!
Birkirkara FC Youth Nursery and Atalanta BC Settore Giovanile expresses its gratitude towards Eurosport, Vodafone Malta, Paul Target, Calleja Second Step Stationery and AllSports International who has made it possible for these children to enjoy this memorable 4 day training stage.
Tue 18
- MFA president Dr Joe Mifsud revealed that Malta will be playing a 'prestigious friendly match' on May 30, just a few days before the EURO 2008 kicks-off.
The MFA president said this was the result of an invitation by another country to play a warm-up match ahead of the European Championship. The name of the country was not revealed.
Two years ago, Malta was invited for a friendly match by Japan just a few days before the kick-off of the 2006 FIFA World Cup.
For this invitation to be accepted, some changes to the fixtures of the final two rounds of the BOV Premier League, the semi-finals and final of the U*BET FA Trophy and the quick-KENO Second & Third Division Knock-Out final were necessary.
BOV Premier League matches in programme on May 10, 11 and 12 have been anticipated to May 8, 9 and 10. Matches in programme on May 15, 16 and 18 will be played on Tuesday 13, Thursday 15 and Friday 16.
The U*BET FA Trophy semi-finals will be played on Monday 19 and Tuesday 20 rather than Friday 23 and Saturday 24 with the final being played on Saturday 24.
The final of the quick-KENO Second & Third Division Knock-Out will also be played on Saturday 24 May.
The First Division Knock-Out final will be played on Saturday 31 May.
- Malta will have a new referee and a new assistant referee on the FIFA panel next year. This was revealed during a meeting of the Council of the Malta Football Association which was held on Tuesday during which four referees, eight assistant referees and one female referee were presented with the FIFA badges.
FIFA has in fact approved all the match officials nominated by the Malta Football Association.
The new referee on the FIFA panel is Marco Borg. Joe Attard, Chris Lautier and Anton Zammit were confirmed while Adrian Casha, who had missed most of last season due to an injury, was not nominated.
The eight assistant referees on the FIFA panel are Philip Agius, Konrad Borg, Alan Camilleri, Joe Camilleri, Mariano Debono, Charles Micallef, Edward Spiteri and Ingmar Spiteri. Edward Spiteri is the only new face among the assistant referees. He replaces Joe Rapa who quit refereeing earlier this year.
Esther Azzopardi was confirmed on the FIFA panel as women's referee.
There are no longer any Futsal referees on the FIFA panel after Ian Miller moved abroad and Norman Vella failed to pass the physical test.
Before the presentation, MFA president Dr Joe Mifsud said their nomination was the result of their hard work and efficiency both in domestic matches and a good record abroad, in the case of those referees who were confirmed on the FIFA panel.
Dr Mifsud urged referees to continue to take training seriously and show good conduct on and off the pitch. He appealed to these match officials to show they really deserve the posts.
The MFA president finally asked match officials to make sure to report any approach by club officials, players or other people in order to influence their performance.
"If you don't have the courage to report such acts, it's better if you quit refereeing," concluded Dr Mifsud.
Mon 17
- The Malta Football Association announced new dates for the BOV Premier League and the BOV First Division matches which were postponed on Sunday.
The two BOV Premier League matches will now be played at the Centenary Stadium on Wednesday 19 as follows:
18:00 Marsaxlokk v Msida SJ
20:00 Mqabba v Birkirkara
On the other hand, the BOV First Division matches will be played on Thursday 20 at the Centenary Stadium as well:
18:00 St. George’s v Qormi
20:00 St. Patrick v Mellieha
The BOV Second Division match between Balzan Youths and Sirens which was due to be played on Wednesday 19 has now been postponed to Tuesday January 8, kick-off at 18:00 at the Centenary Stadium.
- Malta ended its commitments for 2007 in the 136th place in the final FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking for this year. In December 2006, Malta was 119th.
Over the past twelve months, Malta played twelve matches - nine from Group C of the EURO 2008 qualifiers and three friendly matches. Malta obtained three draws and lost the other nine matches.
Following a 1-1 draw with Austria in the game which marked fifty years of participation in international football, Dusan Fitzel's side claimed an important point in a 1-1 draw with Moldova away from home in March. A few days later, Malta was unlucky to end empty-handed at Ta' Qali losing 0-1 to Greece. Two away fixtures followed with Malta losing 4-0 to Norway and 1-0 to Bosnia-Herzegovina.
The national team played a friendly match away from home to Albania, losing 3-0 but on September 8, Malta managed to hold Turkey in a 2-2 draw at Ta' Qali. In another friendly match, Malta lost to Armenia 0-1.
The team then suffered four defeats in the final four matches from the EURO 2008 qualifiers. Malta lost 2-0 to Hungary in Budapest, 2-3 to Moldova at Ta' Qali, 5-0 to Greece in Athens and 1-4 to Norway at Ta' Qali.
Among the other European countries, Malta is ranked 48th. Ahead of Malta are Kazakhstan (112), Azerbaijan (115), Liechtenstein (122) and Estonia (124). Five countries are behind Malta, namely Luxembourg (149), Montenegro (172), Andorra (175), Faroe Islands (194) and San Marino (197).
- The Birkirkara FC Youth Nursery is once again organising the Christmas Football Tournament between the 26th and the 30th December. This is the seventeenth year that the Birkirkara Nursery is organising such a tournament which now established itself as one of the most important tournaments in youth football. More than 300 boys from twelve nurseries will be participating in this years tournament.
The draws of the 17th Birkirkara FC Youth Nursery Christmas Tournament were held at the nursery premises on Friday 7th December 2007.
After an introductory speech, Nursery Chairman Henry Bray stated that it is a great honour for Birkirkara FC Youth Nursery to organise its 17th 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, Eurosport, Italgreen, All Sports International and Gatorade 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 8 teams in the Under 11.
The draws are as follows:
Under 13:
Group A: Paola Hibs, San Gwann FC, St. Patrick FC, Pieta H. and Hamrun S.
Group B: St. Andrews, Birkirkara FC, Floriana FC, Valletta and St. George’s
Under 11:
Group 1: Rabat Depiro, Hamrun S., Pieta H. and St. Andrews
Group 2: Birkirkara FC, San Gwann FC, Naxxar L. and Paola Hibs
The tournament kicks off on December 26 at 09.00am. There will be a march pass by all the participating nurseries from the St. Mary Parish Church on Boxing Day at 19:00 accompanied by St. Helen's Band. A spectacular opening ceremony will follow at the Infetti Training Grounds.
Albinoleffe’s Serie B player Gabriele Perico will be the guest of honour for this Tournament.
- Two Maltese players - Andrei Agius and Daniel Bogdanovic faced each other on Sunday in a match from the Italian Serie C2 Girone C as Bogdanovic's Cisco Roma hosted Igea Virtus of Andrei Agius. Cisco Roma won 2-0.
The Malta Under-21 defender, who is on loan with Igea Virtus from Messina, played the whole ninety minutes while Bogadanovic was included as a substitute twenty minutes in the second half.
Cisco Roma are currently seventh on 25 points and Igea Virtus ninth on 23 points. Benevento and Pescina VdG lead the table with 40 points.
In England, Michael Mifsud played the whole ninety minutes in Coventry's 1-1 draw with Southampton at the Ricoh Arena.
Coventry are currently fourteenth on 29 points in the League Championship.
Luke Dimech also played the whole ninety minutes in the 0-2 defeat to Stockport in the Cheshire derby in League Two.
In Portugal, the injured Udo Nwoko missed Leixões' 2-1 win over União Leiria.
Former Msida St. Joseph midfielder Ousseni Zongo is on the books of União Leiria. However he was not included as he is facing an order of expulsion from the country after the visa with which he had entered the country has now expired.
Andre Schembri's Eintracht Braunschweig and Justin Haber's Haidari FC were not in action during the weekend.
Sun 16
- Premier League Marsaxlokk vs Msida SJ and Mqabba vs Birkirkara postponed
- First Division St. George's vs Qormi and St. Patrick vs Mellieha postponed
- Second Division Sirens vs Birzebbuga SP 0-1, St. Andrews vs Naxxar L. 0-1
- Third Division Section A Qrendi vs Zejtun C. 1-0
- Third Division Section B Luqa SA vs Gharghur 1-2
- Gozo - First Division Victoria H. vs Sannat L. 0-0, Qala SJ vs Kercem A. postponed
Sat 15
- Premier League Valletta vs Pietà H. 3-0, Hibernians vs Floriana 1-1
- Second Division Rabat A. vs Sta. Venera L. 2-0, Lija A. vs Zurrieq 3-1
- Gozo - Second Division Zebbug R. vs Gharb R. 5-4, SK Victoria W. vs St. Lawrence S. 3-0
Fri 14
- Birkirkara midfielder George Mallia was suspended for one match by the MFA Disciplinary Commissioner on Friday.
Mallia is therefore ruled out of the game against Mqabba on Sunday.
Jean Paul Abela (Zejtun) was also suspended for one match.
- The MFA Technical Centre will be organising a coaching course for YDD coaches who would like to upgrade their YDD qualification to UEFA ‘C’. Coaches are to note that the UEFA ‘C’ has now replaced both the YDD and the CCC courses.
This is a one-off opportunity which YDD holders are encouraged to avail themselves of.
The course, which is open to all YDD coaches, is being held on Saturday 19 and Sunday 20 January 2008.
Applicants are requested to send a passport-size photo, a photocopy of the YDD Certificate and a letter of recommendation by the present club or nursery on the club letter-head.
Applications will be accepted on a first-come-first-served basis and are to be received by not later than Monday 14 January 2008.
Forms are already available from the MFA Technical Centre, Ta’ Qali, and can be collected during office hours.
Thu 13
- First Division Mosta vs Marsa 0-3, Dingli S. vs Senglea A. 0-1
- Second Division Balzan Y. vs Mgarr U. 4-1, Melita vs San Gwann 2-1
- Third Division Section A Attard vs Zebbug R. 0-2, Siggiewi vs Fgura U. 2-1
- Gozo - First Division Kercem A. vs Ghajnsielem 1-1, Nadur Y. vs Xaghra U. 2-0
- The next instructional meeting organised by the Malta Football Coaches Association for all its members is to be held on Monday 17th December at 7.30 pm at the Juventus supporters club, Triq Madre Maria Theresa Spinelli, B'Kara.
The speakers for this meeting will be Mr. Andrew Decelis and Mr. Ivan Riolo, physical education lecturers at the university of Malta.
As this theoretical meeting will be different from all previous meetings and because of the number of participants expected to be present we kindly ask you to be seated by 7.30 pm.
The committee of the MFCA is inviting its members for 'drinks' immediately after the meeting.
Wed 12
- Former Malta international midfielder Jonathan Holland signed for Scottish side Nairn County, a team which plays in the Highland League - one division below the Scottish Third Division.
The 29-year-old midfielder is a product of Floriana, making his Premier League debut in season 1994/95. After ten years with the Greens, he moved to England where he played for Bradford Park Avenue in the Northern Premier League. He returned to Malta mid-way through season 2005/06, joining Birkirkara with whom he won the BOV Premier League. The last appearance for Holland with during the UEFA Intertoto Cup matches against NK Maribor last June.
He then moved to the UK where he had trials with Ross County and Elgin City. Now he has signed an 18-month contract with Nairn County.
- Seven players were handed a one-match ban by the MFA Disciplinary Commissioner following last weekend's matches from the BOV Premier League.
The worst hit were Marsaxlokk who had two players suspended - Cleavon Frendo and Renato Garcia Conceicao. They are ruled out of next Sunday's match against Msida St. Joseph.
Floriana's Zoran Levnaic will be missing the game against Hibernians on Saturday. Sebastian Monesterolo (Valletta) and Svetlan Kondev (Pietà) are out of the other game on Saturday between Valletta and Pietà.
Mqabba's Claudio Calleja is ruled out of the game against Birkirkara on Sunday while Ryan Fenech of Hamrun will be missing the game against Sliema on Saturday 22.
Pietà Hotspurs kit-manager Michael Vella was suspended for two matches.
In Division 1, Kurt Zammit (Qormi) was suspended for one match while Dylan Falzon (Rabat), Glenn Micallef (Sta. Venera) and Joseph Mallia (Sirens) were banned for one match in Division 2.
Elton Bugeja (Gudja) and Jovil Abela (Xghajra) were suspended for one game in Division 3 while Christopher Vella (Qormi) was handed a one-match ban in the Youth League.
Mon 10
- Pieta nursery for the first time ever organised a Parents football Tournament on Saturday 8th December. Parents were teamed up according to their son's age category and around 100 parents forming 10 teams took part in this tournament. Both men and women teams took part. During this tournament various small sided games were organised for the kids and a each kid participated by giving a donation in aid of Istrina.
In the name of Pieta Hotspurs Youth Nursery we sincerely would like to thank all the parents and boys who participated in this tournament, coaches and committe who worked so hard for this activity. Besides we would like to thank St. John's Ambulance Volunteers, the Police Commissioner for giving us the opportunity to have the dogs and motors section amongst us and Pieta Local Council.
Sun 9
- Premier League Pietà H. vs Marsaxlokk 0-1, Hamrun S. vs Mqabba 3-0
- First Division Qormi vs Tarxien R. 4-1, Vittoriosa S. vs St. Patrick 0-2
- Second Division Birzebbuga SP vs St. Andrews 4-1, Sta. Venera L. vs Sirens 2-1
- Third Division Section A Xghajra T. vs Mtarfa 4-3
- Third Division Section B Kirkop U. vs Gozo 2-3
- Gozo - Second Division Xewkija T. vs SK Victoria W. 0-2, Oratory Y. vs Munxar F. 2-3
- Champions and Onvol First Division leaders Nadur Youngsters continued to strengthen their squad with the signing of Serbian stopper/midfielder Aleksandar Simoncic.
Simoncic had already played for Nadur in the past four years. He won two Gozitan Championships - one as coach, the GFA Cup, the Independence Cup three times - one as coach, the Jum il-Helsien Cup two times and one Super Cup.
He was player/coach during the 2004-05 season and Nadur Youngsters coach (due to an injury that kept him out of play all season) during last season. At the end of last season he tried his luck in the USA, but has now returned back. Simoncic has now signed a three-year contract for Nadur Youngsters.
Born in Belgrade, in January 1977, Alex is a free-kick specialist. He started football in the Zemun school of football and has played for FC Zemun and, FC Obilic in Serbia, Panionios in Greece and FC Ginde in China before moving to Gozo.
Sat 8
- Premier League Birkirkara vs Hibernians 0-2, Floriana vs Valletta 0-4
- Second Division Naxxar L. vs Lija A. 0-1, Mgarr U. vs Rabat A. 0-4
- Third Division Section A Mdina K. vs Ghaxaq 1-1
- Third Division Section B Sta. Lucia vs Pembroke A. 0-3
- Malta international striker Andre Schembri scored one of the goals for Eintracht Braunschweig in the 3-1 win over VfL Wolfsburg II on Saturday.
Schembri scored the third goal on the 72nd minute.
Eintracht are now twelfth in the Regionalliga Nord table.
In England, Michael Mifsud's Coventry City's clash with Sheffield United was abandoned after just 27 minutes due to a waterlogged pitch.
Luke Dimech's Macclesfield Town were held in a 2-2 draw by Barnet in League Two.
Udo Nwoko was not included in Leixões's 4-0 win over Torreense in a fourth round qualifier from the Portuguese Cup.
Fri 7
- Third Division Section A Zejtun C. vs Siggiewi 1-0
- Third Division Section B Gudja U. vs Gzira U. 0-2
- Msida St. Joseph FC unveiled their new official sponsor for season 2007/08 - Satariano, during a press conference which was held at the Satariano showroom in Valley Road Birkirkara.
Msida SJ President Mr. Robert Farrugia thanked the ever so popular brand of Satariano for the trust they showed in the young team of Msida St Joseph Football Club.
On behalf of the company, Mr. Joe Satariano said that Satariano has been sponsoring Msida SJFC in different ways for the last 5 years and it has been their pleasure that this year they are increasing its boundaries so that it is the Main Sponsor of the Club.
Msida's coach Mr. Patrick Curmi thanked as well Satariano Ltd for its sponsor and he concluded by saying that the players and technical staff are confident that they can finish the season on a good note by confirming their status in the Premier League.
Meanwhile president Robert Farrugia announced that the club's new training grounds at the Hamrun Boys' Junior Lyceum will be officially opened on Saturday 22nd December at around 12:30. Everyone is invited for the opening.
Also present for the press conference were Vice-President Mr. Charles Debono and Financial Director Mr. Alan Abela-Wadge.
Thu 6
- Gozo - First Division Xaghra U. vs Victoria H. 0-1, Sannat L. vs Qala SJ 6-1
Wed 5
- The national team is one of the nominees for the one of the MOC Sports Awards - an annual event organised by the Maltese Olympic Committee which is in its sixth edition and will be hosted at the Excelsior Grand Hotel on Friday, 14th December.
This annual gala event mixes sport, excitement and entertainment; it is the premier event that honours sportsmen and women across all sports each year. Athletes are nominated on the basis of their achievements for the past year. The organizing committee takes into consideration a number of factors including level of international competition, number of participants, from what country the participants come from and obviously their final outcome. All athletes nominated are winners. On the actual night their achievement is then given further recognition with trophies given out for various categories which include: Platinum Award, Gold Award, Silver Award and Bronze Award.
The National Football Team took part in the UEFA European 2008 Championship qualifying round managing to score more goals than they did in any previous preliminary group matches. Malta managed to total five points, one more than the previous tally and score ten goals to surpass the previous total; with encouraging performances, including a prestigious 2-1 home win against Hungary and a 2-2 draw against Turkey.
The players who formed the national team were: Gilbert Agius, Ian Azzopardi, Roderick Bajada, Etienne Barbara, Daniel Bogdanovic, Roderick Briffa, Ian Ciantar, Andrew Cohen, Luke Dimech, Justin Haber, George Mallia, Claude Mattocks, Michael Mifsud, Josef Mifsud, Mario Muscat, Jamie Pace, Peter Pullicino, Brian Said, Kevin Sammut, Terence Scerri, Andre Schembri, Gareth Sciberras, Kenneth Scicluna, Steve Wellman, Ivan Woods and Udo Nwoko.
This year’s event is once again sponsored by the Malta International Airport plc as part of its ‘Supporting Malta’s Sport’ policy that promotes a better and healthier lifestyle among the Maltese society, instills a greater sense of national pride and assists in the development of young talented athletes. In addition the Gold Award is sponsored by Cisk Excel, the Silver Award by BioFreeze and the Bronze Award by Allcare Insurance Brokers.
The sixth edition of the MOC Sports Awards promises to be another high profile and elegant evening for Malta’s athletes. Sport has a powerful role to play; through our athletes’ attempts, successes and dedication they inspire and show our society how important practicing sport is. Accordingly, the general public is invited to follow this event live on Education 22 at 20:00.
It will be hosted by well known TV presenters Charles Saliba and Andreana Spiteri. This year’s event will also include a special international guest none other than World Olympic champion Sergey Bubka. George Curmi affectionately known as “Il-Puse” well known violinist along with his fellow musician Yuri will be entertaining the stars of the show and viewers alike.
- Six Premier League players were handed a one-match ban by the MFA Disciplinary Commissioner after last weekend's matches.
Msida St. Joseph were the worst hit with no less than four players suspended, namely Dino Cachia, Njongo Lobe Priso and Stefano Grima who were all sent off in the game against Sliema Wanderers and goalkeeper Manuel Bartolo who received a fourth yellow card. The four of them are therefore ruled out of the game against Marsaxlokk on December 16.
Birkirkara defender Ron Hartvig and Sliema Wanderers midfielder Nesko Milovanovic also collected their fourth yellow card and are ruled out of the games against Hibernians and Hamrun Spartans respectively.
Hamrun coach Marco Gerada, who was sent off in the game against Hibs, was banned for two matches.
In Division 2, Alan Borg (San Gwann) and Anthony Galea (St. Andrews) were suspended for one game while Kirsten Buhagiar (Kirkop) and Nazzareno Abela (Zebbug) were banned for one game in Division 3. Xghajra coach Carmel Cassar was handed a one-match ban.
In the Youth League, Tarquin Vella (Ghaxaq) was suspended for three months while Edward Falzon (Floriana), Sandro Galea (Rabat), Miguel Francica (San Gwann), Anthony Micallef (Sirens), Mark Scerri (Sliema), Joseph John Cutajar (Tarxien) and Edward Grech (Vittoriosa) were suspended for one match.
- The MFA Technical Centre will be organising another instructional meeting on Monday 10th December 2007.
This will be for holders of UEFA ‘A’ and ‘B’, ‘A’ and ‘B’ Licence Coaches.
The meeting will commence at 17.30 hrs and is planned to be a practical session.
Tue 4
- For the tenth consecutive year and on the occasion of the twentieth anniversary, Hamrun Spartans FC Youth Nursery is once again organising the Christmas Football Festival at the Victor Tedesco Stadium. This year's Football Festival, sponsored by Fire Tech, will be held on Saturday December 8th, where twenty-two teams will be participating in three categories - Under-7, Under-9 and Under-11.
This Football Festival is now considered as one of the most intensive, organised in Malta since thirty-five matches of non-stop football are played with duration of thirty minutes each, during the same day. More than 252 boys and girls from twelve nurseries will participate in this event.
The nurseries taking part in this year's Football Festival are Birkirkara, Floriana, Lija-Iklin, St. Andrews, Melita, Mosta, Paola Hibs, San Gwann, St. Patrick, Sliema Wanderers, Valletta and Hamrun Spartans.
Due to the professional organisation of the Festival and due to the fact that all nurseries are played on natural turf, its popularity now has established itself in the nurseries'calendar of events. Proof of this is the fact that this year's festival was also fully registered within a couple of weeks from the opening of applications.
Whilst acknowledging the competitive spirit by which participants take part, the organisers believe the scope of such Football Festivals remain first and foremost that of delivering to the young players a positive experience in an appropriate and conductive environment.
The draws resulted as follows:
Under 7 (2000): Group A - Hamrun Reds, Melita, Floriana; Group B: Hamrun Blacks, San Gwann, Mosta.
Under 9 (1998): Group A - Hamrun Reds, St. Andrews, Floriana, Birkirkara; Group B - Hamrun Blacks, San Gwann, Valletta, Sliema Wanderers.
Under 11 (1996): Group A - Valletta, Lija-Iklin, Mosta, Hamrun Spartans; Group B - St. Patrick, Paola Hibs, Floriana, San Gwann.
Matches in the Under-7 category will be played on a 5-a-side basis while matches in the Under-9 and Under-11 categories will be played on a 7-a-side basis.
For the fourth year, Firetech Ltd, a company specialising in fire fighting, safety and security systems, will be the main sponsor of this Football Festival.
The Hamrun Spartans Youth Nursery expresses its gratitude towards Firetech Ltd who has made it possible for these young players and their parents to enjoy this memorable day. The committee would also like to show their appreciation to the Hamrun Spartans FC, the Ground Management Committee, the Amateur, Youth & Grassroots Committee, The Youth FA and all the applicant nurseries.
- Malta international striker Michael Mifsud scored twice for Coventry as he returned for the Sky Blues after serving a three-match ban. Coventry won 4-2 away to West Brom.
Ironically playing against the team against which he was sent off three weeks ago, Mifsud scored doubled the score for Coventry after Leon Best had put them ahead. West Brom made a good comeback to level matters with two goals in the first twenty minutes of the second half. However another two goals by Best and Mifsud gave the Sky Blues the three points.
Coventry are now eleventh on 25 points, five behind Stoke and Wolves who are joint-fifth.
With Mifsud unavailable, Coventry had played three matches, losing 2-0 to Norwich and following a 1-1 draw with Scunthorpe, the Sky Blues were once again on the losing end as they suffered a 0-1 home defeat to Sheffield United.
Meanwhile the club's future is in doubt after the board of Coventry City have confirmed they intend to put the cash-strapped club into administration.
The Sky Blues are currently negotiating a takeover which they anticipate will be completed shortly, but they revealed in a statement on Monday afternoon that they had "filed in court notices of intent to go into administration".
"This is merely a legal process protecting the Bank and its creditors and should speed up the potential takeover of the Club and therefore take Coventry City into a solvent financial situation."
The Sky Blues are in a perilous financial state with estimated debts of £38 million.
"This legal notice gives Coventry City a 10-day window to complete the takeover talks with Ray Ranson and Sisu Capital, along with all other parties," the statement added.
"Following recent speculation, the club can confirm can that staff and player wages have now been paid and we look forward to a successful conclusion of the takeover in the near future."
Administration would mean the Sky Blues incur a 10-point deduction, plunging the club into the bottom three. Coventry would also face the prospect of having to sell their best players besides having further implications for the future of manager Iain Dowie who has already indicated that he would consider his position.
Mon 3
- quick Keno Second & Third Division Knock-out holders Balzan Youths were drawn against Third Division side Ghaxaq in the quarter-finals of the competition. The draw was held on Monday at the MFA Headquarters, Ta' Qali.
Balzan Youths beat the challenge offered by Attard, San Gwann and Gudja United to reach this stage. On the other hand, Ghaxaq won Group 5 which included Zebbug Rangers, Lija Athletic and Sta. Lucia.
Mgarr United, winners of Group 2 which included Luqa St. Andrew's, Naxxar Lions and Mdina Knights, take on Sta. Venera Lightnings who eliminated Kalkara and Qrendi in Group 7.
Another attractive fixture is the clash between another two Second Division sides - Melita and Zurrieq. Melita won Group 1 in style with easy wins over Mtarfa and Kirkop United besides a narrow win over neighbours St. Andrews. On the other hand, Zurrieq won Group 6 which included Gharghur, Siggiewi and Zejtun Corinthians.
In the other quarter-final, Rabat Ajax take on Third Division side Xghajra Tornados. The Magpies overcame the challenge offered by Birzebbuga St. Peter's, Fgura United and Gzira United in Group 2 while Xghajra won Group 8 which included Pembroke Athleta and Sirens.
The Quarter-Finals will be played on Saturday 29th and Sunday 30th December at the Centenary Stadium.
Sun 2
- Premier League Hamrun S. vs Hibernians 2-2, Msida SJ vs Sliema W. 1-4
- First Division St. Patrick vs Dingli S. 0-2, Mellieha vs St. George's 0-1
- Second Division Balzan Y. vs Melita 3-2, Zurrieq vs San Gwann 1-2
- Third Division Section A Zebbug R. vs Qrendi 3-0
- Third Division Section B Kalkara vs Gharghur 0-5, Gozo vs Pembroke A. 2-0
Sat 1
- Premier League Birkirkara vs Floriana 3-2, Valletta vs Marsaxlokk 6-0
- Second Division St. Andrews vs Sta. Venera L. 1-2, Lija A. vs Birzebbuga SP 0-1
- Gozo - Second Division Gharb R. vs Oratory Y. 3-3, St. Lawrence S. vs Zebbug R. 1-0
- Malta will be represented by three clubs in the UEFA Cup as from season 2009/10 following changes in the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Cup and the abolition of the UEFA Intertoto Cup were approved during a UEFA Executive Committee meeting in Lucerne, Switzerland, on Friday.
Depending on Malta's ranking, if Malta is ranked 47th or better, the local champions will avoid playing in the Preliminary Round of the UEFA Champions League and will play in the First Qualifying Round. In the access list for the 2007/2008 competitions, Malta held the 44th place while in the access list for next season, Malta is ranked 50th.
On the other hand, the teams placing second and third in the Premier League would take part in the First Qualifying Round of the UEFA Cup while the FA Trophy winners will enter the Second Qualifying Round.
The UEFA Cup First Qualifying Round will be played during the third and fourth week of June while the Second Qualifying Round will be played in the first and second week of July. The UEFA Champions League First Qualifying Round will be played in the third and fourth week of July.
There will be no changes to the main part of UEFA Champions League which will continue to feature 32 teams split into eight groups of four in the group stage, followed by the knockout phase. The eight sides that finish in third place in their groups will move into the knockout phase of the UEFA Cup – which also has an amended format.
However, the UEFA Champions League access list between 2009 and 2012 will change accordingly: 22 teams go through directly to the group stage instead of 16. The six additional clubs will be the third-placed sides from the associations ranked between 1 and 3 in the ranking list, and the champions of countries ranked from 10 to 12.
Ten teams will qualify through a double qualifying route – one is reserved for the champions of the associations ranked from 13 to 53, including Malta, with the exception of Liechtenstein. Five clubs will qualify via this route. The other path is reserved for the non-champions of associations rated between 1 and 15.
The UEFA Champions League final from 2009/10 will be played on a Saturday. Matches in the first knockout round, featuring 16 clubs, will be split over four weeks instead of two, using dates reserved for UEFA club competitions in February and March.
The UEFA Cup between 2009 and 2012 will feature 48 sides, split into 12 groups of four; the top two teams in each group will qualify for the knockout phase and be joined by the eight clubs that finish the group stage of the UEFA Champions League in third place. The knockout stage, with 32 sides and four rounds, will lead to the final, played in a single match at a neutral venue. The first round – currently knockout – will become part of the qualifying phase.
Only the title-holders will qualify directly for the UEFA Cup group stage, with all other clubs having to qualify. The qualifying process will consist of four rounds, with 37 additional slots compared to the present situation, to accommodate sides that currently qualify for the UEFA Intertoto Cup (from the associations ranked 9 to 15 and 22 to 51, except Liechtenstein). Losing teams in the UEFA Champions League second qualifying round and third qualifying round will move into the UEFA Cup fourth qualifying round and group phase respectively.
Under the format decisions, the UEFA Intertoto Cup, UEFA's summer competition which has provided places in the UEFA Cup, will be abolished.
- Second Division side Balzan Youths unveiled a new three-year shirt sponsorship deal with Investors Mutual.
Investors Mutual is an Australian-based funds management company which was set up by Maltese-Australian Anton Tagliaferro, a former Balzan Youths player. The company - considered as one of the top hundred companies in Australia - manages in excess of AUD 6 billion on behalf of Australian investors.
In his last visit to Malta, Tagliaferro had visited the Balzan Youths premises where he met some of the people involved with the club back in 1976, such as committee member Frankie Monreal. At that time, Tagliaferro was a member of the team which won the Under-18 Championship two years in a row.
He pledged his support to the club through the sponsorship of the new facilities of the club - the plans for which have already been presented to MEPA, youth coaching programmes and equipment for the club's nursery.
During the same press conference, Mr Lapira on behalf of The Plaza also presented a sponsorship to the club. The logo of the complex will be at the back of the Balzan Youths shirt.
On behalf of the committee, club president Mr George Borg thanked the sponsors for their support.
- Rabat Ajax Supporters Club are organising a One-Day 5-a-side Tournament on Thursday 13th December at the Depiro Pitches, Mtarfa.
Registration forms could be obtained from Rabat Ajax Football Club, Ta' Gulinu, Mark's Supermarket, Il-Merill and Paul's Salon. More information could by obtained by phone on 99804500 or email info@rabatajaxsc.com
The participation fee is Lm 35 and the closing date is 7th December.