January 2008
Thu 31
- Clubs had until Thursday to strengthen their squads as the January transfer window closed at 19:00 hrs.
Hibernians signed the services of Cameroon former Under-23 international midfielder Abada Narcisse Fish. Fish played for SK Tirana in Albania last season and had moved to Flamurtari Vlorë in summer.
The other two foreigners on the books of Hibernians are Argentinean midfielder Pablo Cesar Doffo and Nigerian midfielder Edafe Uzeh.
Mqabba striker John Paul Muscat joined Tarxien Rainbows in Division 1. However they signed Eliott Navarro from Lija Athletic and Nigerian-born midfielder Morgan Onyorah. The latter had played for Lija and St. Andrews before moving to Gozo.
St. George's signed Kurt Formosa from Hibernians while Qormi signed Mario Caruana from Floriana. Trevor Thomas moved to Zebbug Rangers from Vittoriosa.
- Malta international striker Udo Nwoko told maltafootball.com that he had never spoken to British media and therefore, at no point did he state what was claimed on Setanta Sports on 29th January 2008.
Nwoko said that if something has been said by his original agent, based in England, and the agent who is in contact with Reading, this should never have been quoted that he was saying such thing.
The Nigerian-born midfielder said that his agent told him that he could not move to another club during the January Transfer window as FIFA and FA rules do not allow a player to register with three clubs in one season. After he spend the last six months on loan with Marsaxlokk, he returned with Hibernians where he registered again to play against Vojvodina, in the UEFA Cup qualifying round.
His second registration was when he registered for Leixões. A third registration therefore would not be possible.
Setanta Sports had reported that Nwoko had passed a medical with The Royals but that complications over an agent scuppered the move.
Wed 30
- Three Premier League players were handed a one-match ban by the MFA Disciplinary Commissioner after last weekend's matches from the BOV Premier League.
The three players are Edmond Agius (Hibernians), Andrew Spiteri (Msida) and Josef Mifsud (Valletta).
Edond Agius and Andrew Spiteri will be missing the game between Msida and Hibernians on Saturday 16. Josef MIfsud is ruled out of the game against Birkirkara on Sunday 17.
In Division 1, Paul Vella (Mellieha) was suspended for two matches. Silvio Sciberras and Christian Grech (St. George's) and Larry Lagana (Vittoriosa) were banned for one match.
Second Division side Birzebbuga St. Peter's had three players banned for one match - Michael Ciappara, Donald Gatt and Edward Azzopardi. Jeremy Gatt Coleiro (St. Andrews) was suspended for one match in Division 2 while Mark Tanti (Fgura) was banned for one match in Division 3.
In the Youth League, Marco Micallef (Dingli), Juan Galdes (Gudja), Domenic Sciberras (Gzira), Alexander Cassar and Nicholas Zammit (Marsa), Ishmael Cutajar and James Scerri (Mosta) and Christian Zammit (St. Patrick) were suspended for one match.
Mosta Under-19 coach Vincent Carbonaro was banned for three matches.
- The MFA Technical Centre will be organising another UEFA ‘B’ Diploma Course at Ta’ Qali Technical Centre.
The course will be in two phases:
Phase 1 - From Saturday 29th March to Sunday 6th April 2008, both days included.
Phase 2 – From Monday 28th April to Sunday 4th May 2008, both days included.
Before participation is approved, applicants will have to undergo a Pre-Assessment Test on Thursday 13th March 2008.
Application forms are available from the Technical Centre at Ta’ Qali during office hours.
A passport-size photo, a photocopy of the last coaching certificate (CCC Certificate) a CV of coaching experience, a signed certificate by current club/nursery employing the applicant and a medical certificate are also required.
Former and current national team players with 25 caps in the last ten years are also eligible.
Applications will be accepted on a first-come-first-served basis.
Closing date for applications will be Monday 10th March 2008.
- The tenth edition of the Fire Tech Football Festival organized by Hamrun Spartans Youth Nursery was organised with success last Saturday, 26 January 2008.
All football matches were played on the natural turf of the Victor Tedesco Stadium, Hamrun in excellent weather conditions. All matches were controlled by referees from the Malta Football Referees Association.
A total of 22 teams from 13 different nurseries took part in the Festival. The Fair Play awards were given to Mosta in the Under 7 category, to Valletta in the Under 9 category and to Naxxar Lions in the Under 11 category. In accordance with Youth FA guidelines, trophies were not distributed to the winning teams. Instead, a wooden pencil holder was given to all the players of all the participating teams.
For full results, one may visit the Hamrun nursery website on www.hamrunnursery.com
The Hamrun Spartans Youth Nursery would like to thank the sponsors of this event, FireTech Limited, for making the organization of the festival possible. The nursery would also like to thank all participating nurseries for their co-operation.
The next event to be organized by the Hamrun nursery is the Tony Bajada Memorial to be held during the Easter holidays in March. There is a good possibility that a foreign team will take part in the Festival. More information is also available in the nursery's website.
Tue 29
- The Sliema Football Nursery will be organizing the annual football tournament, held during the carnival school holidays. In commemoration of its 25th Anniversary and to honour its founder, as from this year the Tournament will be known as the Guzi Fava Carnival Tournament.
This football festival will be held at St. Aloysius College football ground from Saturday 2nd February in the afternoon till Tuesday 5th February and Under-10, 11, 12 and 13 teams coming from various local football nurseries will be participating. In the Under-12 age group, the football nursery of Villafrati from Palermo will also take part after accepting an invitation from the Sliema Nursery.
Commenting on this Tournament, Sliema Nursery Chairman, Toni Meli remarked that this is a much sought-after event as the players can give their best on the excellent ground at St. Aloysius and although all matches are keenly contested, an atmosphere of fair play usually prevails during this tournament.
Mr. Meli thanked the Youth FA and MFRA for their cooperation and the sponsors without whom such as event could not be organized.
- Upon instructions by FIFA, the Malta Football Association will be holding an exam for those interested in becoming licensed Players' Agents. The exam will be held on Monday 31st March at 10:00.
Those interested in sitting for this exam should fill in the application form issued by the MFA and send it to the secretary general of the MFA together with the relevant documents. Application forms should reach the MFA headquarters by March 10.
Application forms and copies of the Players' Agents Regulations may be obtained from the MFA Headquarters, Millenium Stand, Floor 2, National Stadium, Ta’ Qali.
Sun 27
- Premier League Mqabba vs Marsaxlokk 0-2, Hibernians vs Pietà H. 2-0
- First Division Mellieha vs Mosta 1-2, Vittoriosa S. vs St. George's 2-0
- Second Division Melita vs St. Andrews 1-0, Birzebbuga SP vs Sta. Venera L. 0-1
- Third Division Section A Zebbug R. vs Fgura U. 0-0, Attard vs Mtarfa 10-1
- Gozo - First Division Sannat L. vs Kercem A. 3-1, Nadur Y. vs Victoria H. 1-4
- Football dominated the Konkors Sportivi Nazzjonali 2007 as Michael Mifsud, the Malta national team and Dr Joe Mifsud claimed three of the awards at stake.
Malta international striker Michael Mifsud won the Sportsman of the Year award with 377 points ahead of athlete Darren Gilford, Gary Curmi (Drag Racing), Mark Spiteri (Tenpin Bowling) and Nikolai Portelli (athletics).
Mifsud had an excellent 2007 after he joined Coventry City. He scored four goals in the remaining months of the season 2006/07. Between August and December, he scored another thirteen goals, including a brace against Manchester United in the Carling Cup. He was also a key player for the national team in the
He was also a key player for the national team, scoring goals in the 2-3 defeat to Moldova and the 1-4 defeat to Norway.
Meanwhile the national team was voted Team of the Year after collecting 285 points. The women's rugby team placed second followed by the Under-18 women's basketball team, the Snooker Masters team and the women's squash team.
The national team obtained prestiguous results over the past twelve months, holding Austria in a 1-1 draw in February, Moldova 1-1 in Chisinau in March and Turkey 2-2 at Ta' Qali in September. Malta was also unlucky to suffer narrow defeats to Greece at Ta' Qali and Bosnia-Herzegovina in June away from home.
MFA president Dr Joe Mifsud was voted Official of the Year. Dr Mifsud won the award ahead of Anthony Chircop (Athletics), Anthony Debono (Horse-racing), Terry Camilleri (Snooker) and Marvic Micallef (Volleyball).
In January, Dr Mifsud was re-elected to the UEFA Executive Committee in the elections which were held at the XXXI Ordinary UEFA Congress in Dusseldorf, Germany. For Dr Mifsud it was yet another successful venture to obtain a seat in the highest UEFA echelons. His will be a four-year term after having been on the Executive Committee since 1994. At the end of this new term, Dr Mifsud would have served for a staggering seventeen years.
In July, during the MFA's Annual General Meeting, Dr Joe Mifsud was confirmed as the President of the Malta Football Association for another three years after beating rival candidate Norman Darmanin Demajo. At the end of this three year term, Dr Mifsud would have served for a total of eighteen years as MFA president.
Athlete Francesca Xuereb won the awards for Best Sportswoman and Best Under-17 Athlete.
Sat 26
- Premier League Msida SJ vs Birkirkara 0-0, Sliema W. vs Valletta 2-2
- Second Division Rabat A. vs Zurrieq 2-0, Balzan Y. vs Naxxar L. 7-0
- Malta international striker Michael Mifsud notched the winner for Coventry as they defeated Milwall 2-1 in the FA Cup fourth round at the Ricoh Arena.
Coventry went into the game having lost five of their last six Championship matches but took the lead thanks to a Stephen Hughes free-kick.
On-loan Arsenal starlet Jay Simpson levelled matters for the League One side towards the end of the first half but Coventry regained the lead early in the second half.
A shot by Dele Adebola hit the post and off the rebound, Michael Mifsud had the simple task of side-footing the ball into the empty net for his 16th goal of the season.
Fri 25
- Third Division Section A Zejtun C. vs Mdina K. 2-2, Siggiewi vs Xghajra T. 1-0
- Midfielders Shaun Bajada of Birkirkara and Ryan Fenech of Hamrun Spartans are two new faces in the Malta squad for next month's Malta International Tournament. The tournament will serve as preparation for the national team ahead of the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifiers which get underway in September.
Taking part in the tournament besides Malta are Armenia, Belarus and Iceland. Malta takes on Armenia on Saturday 2nd February, Iceland on Monday 4th and Belarus on Wednesday 6th.
Speaking during a press conference on Friday, Malta coach Dusan Fitzel admitted that playing three games in just six days is no easy task. He said that the team had just resumed training a couple of weeks ago after a long break at the end of the EURO 2008 qualifying campaign.
Fitzel said that unlike two years ago when he had just been appointed as national coach, he now knows much more about the players. For the tournament, he will have a 28-man squad and is hoping to make use of all the players at his disposal.
Also in view of the fact that most players will be involved in crucial Premier League matches the following week, Fitzel is planning to use the players for no more than a game-and-a-half each. According to the national coach, this should be enough for the players to show they deserve to play for the national team.
Eintracht Braunschweig striker Andre Schembri should be the only player to miss the tournament as he will be on a training camp with his club in Turkey. Justin Haber, Luke Dimech, Udo Nwoko and Michael Mifsud should join the squad on Sunday or Monday and therefore will definitely miss the first game against Armenia.
The Malta squad is made up of:
goalkeepers Omar Borg (Birkirkara), Justin Haber (Haidari - GRE), Andrew Hogg (Valletta), Mario Muscat (Hibernians);
defenders Ian Azzopardi (Sliema), Roderick Briffa (Sliema), Luke Dimech (Macclesfield - ENG), Josef Mifsud (Valletta), Peter Pullicino (Marsaxlokk), Brian Said (Sliema), Stephen Wellman (Marsaxlokk), Kenneth Scicluna (Valletta), Aaron Xuereb (Hibernians);
midfielders Roderick Bajada (Sliema), Shaun Bajada (Birkirkara), Cleavon Frendo (Marsaxlokk), George Mallia (Birkirkara), Udo Nwoko (Leixoes - POR), Jamie Pace (Marsaxlokk), Kevin Sammut (Marsaxlokk), Gareth Sciberras (Marsaxlokk);
forwards Gilbert Agius (Valletta), Etienne Barbara (Sliema), Andrew Cohen (Hibernians), Ryan Fenech (Hamrun), Michael Mifsud (Coventry - ENG), Terence Scerri (Hibernians), Ivan Woods (Sliema).
All matches will be controlled by international referees and assistant referees. These include referees Magnus Porisson from Iceland, Alexander Kulbakov from Belarus and Ararat Tshagharyan from Armenia.
The complete programme of matches is as follows:
Match 1: Belarus vs Iceland - Saturday 2nd February - Kick-Off 15:00
Referee: Chris Lautier. Assistant Referees: Philip Agius, Ingmar Spiteri. Fourth Official: Marco Borg.
Match 2: Malta vs Armenia - Saturday 2nd February - Kick-Off 17:15
Referee: Magnus Porisson (ICE). Assistant Referees: Konrad Borg, Alan Camilleri. Fourth Official: Alexey Kulbakov (BLR).
Match 3: Belarus vs Armenia - Monday 4th February - Kick-Off 17:30
Referee: Anton Zammit. Assistant Referees: Alan Camilleri, Charles Micallef. Fourth Official: Joe Attard.
Match 4: Malta vs Iceland - Monday 4th February - Kick-Off 19:45
Referee: Alexey Kulbakov (BLR). Assistant Referees: Philip Agius, Joseph Camilleri. Fourth Official: Ararat Tshagharyan (ARM).
Match 5: Iceland vs Armenia - Wednesday 6th February - Kick-Off 17:30
Referee: Joe Attard. Assistant Referees: Konrad Borg, Edward Spiteri. Fourth Official: Chris Lautier
Match 6: Malta vs Belarus - Wednesday 6th February - Kick-Off 19:45
Referee: Ararat Tshagharyan (ARM). Assistant Referees: Ingmar Spiteri, Mariano Debono. Fourth Official: Magnus Porisson (ICE).
Ticket prices for the tournament will be:
North and South Stands - One-day ticket €5; Three-day ticket €10
Millennium Stand - One-day ticket €7; Three-day ticket €15
West Stand (Enclosure) - One-day ticket €10; Three-day ticket €25
Tickets can be purchased from the following outlets:
TeamSport – Iklin & Sliema; Geraldu Kiosk, Valletta; Eros Stationery, Paceville; all Vodafone outlets; Gym at Millennium Stand, Ta’ Qali and Star Tourism, Bugibba.
The tournament will be sponsored by Coca-Cola and Vodafone. As part of their sponsorship, tickets for the tournament will be available at a discounted price from Vodafone outlets.
On the presentation of any label from any Coca-Cola product (1.5 litres and 0.5 litres plastic bottles) at any Vodafone outlet, one will get a discount on tickets for the Millennium Stand and West Stand as follows:
Millennium Stand - One-day ticket €5; Three-day ticket €12
West Stand - One-day ticket €8; Three-day ticket €20.
The same discounts will be offered to current Vodafone clients who buy the tickets from the Vodafone outlets.
Armenia squad
Goalkeepers: Mayis Azizyan (Ulysses), Roman Berezovski (Khimki - RUS), Feliks Hakobyan (Mika).
Defenders: Robert Arzumanyan (Randers - DEN), Artak Andrikyan (Pyunik), Karen Dokhoyan (Pyunik), Hovhannes Grigoryan (Banants), Sargis Hovsepyan (Pyunik), Hraryr Mkoyan (Ararat), Aghvan Mkrtchyan (Gomel).
Midfielders: Ararat Arkelyan (Banants), Karen Aleksanyan (Banants), Artavazd Karamyan (Politechnica Timisoara - ROM), Romik Khachatryan (APOP Kinyras - CYP), Henrikh Mkhitaryan (Pyunik), Vahagan Minasyan (Ararat), Karlen Mkrtchyan (Pyunik), Levon Pachajyan (GAIS - SWE), Norayr Sahakyan (Pyunik).
Forwards: Gevorg Ghazaryan (Pyunik), Ara Hakobyan (Zimbru - MOL), Arman Karamyan (Politechnica Timisoara - ROM), Samvel Melkonyan (Banants).
Coach: Jan Poulsen
Belarus squad
Goalkeeepers: Anton Amelchenko (FC Moscow), Yury Zhevnov (FC Moscow), Dzmitry Lentsevich (Gomel), Siarhei Veremko (BATE Borisov).
Defenders: Sergei Omelyanchuk (Rostov), Pavel Plaskonny (Khimki), Raman Kirnkin (Torpedo Zhodino), Artsiom Radzkou (Khimki), Egor Filipenko (Spartak Moscow), Kiril Pavluchek (Dinamo Minsk), Mikalai Asipovich (MTZ-RIPO Minsk), Ihar Shytau (Torpedo Zhodino).
Midfielders: Vladimir Korytko (Chernomorets), Timofei Kalachev (Krylya Sovetov), Aleksandr Hleb (Arsenal), Aleksandr Kulchy (Rostov), Ihar Stasevich (BATE Borisov), Nikolai Kashevsky (Metalurg Zaporizhya), Maksim Romashchenko (Torpedo Moscow), Sirhei Kryvets (BATE Borisov), Anton Putsila (Hamburg), Aliaksandr Paulau (Dnepr Mogilev).
Midfielders: Henadzi Blizniuk (BATE Borisov), Sergei Kornilenko (Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk), Vitaly Bulyga (Tom Tomsk), Vitaly Kutuzov (Piza), Aleksei Skvernyuk (Krylya Sovetov), Vitali Radzionau (BATE Borisov), Raman Vasiliuk (Gomel), Viachaslau Hleb (MTZ-RIPO Minsk).
Coach: Bernd Stange
Iceland squad
Goalkeepers: Fjalar Thorgeirsson (Fylkir), Kjartan Sturluson (Valur), Stefan Logi Magnusson (KR).
Defenders: Hermann Hreirdarsson (Portsmouth), Kristjan Orn Sigurdsson (Brann), Gretar Rafn Steinsson (Bolton), Hjalmar Jonsson (Goteborg), Ragnar Sigurdsson (Goteborg), Atli Sveinn Thorarinsson (Valur), Birkir Mar Saevarsson (Valur), Bjarni Olafur Eiriksson (Valur), Sverrir Gardarsson (FH).
Midfielders: Johannes Karl Gudjonsson (Burnley), Bjarni Gudjonsson (IA), Stefan Gislason (Brondby), Olafur Ingi Skulason (Helsingborgs), Baldur Ingimar Adalsteinsson (Valur), Theodor Elmar Bjarnason (Lyn Oslo), David Thor Vidarsson (FH), Aron Einar Gunnarsson (AZ Alkmaar), Bjarni Thor Vidarsson (Everton), Eyjolfur Hedinsson (GAIS), JOnas Gudni Saevarsson (KR), Palmi Rafn Palmason (Valur).
Forwards: Helgi Sigurdsson (Valur), Tryggvi Gudmundsson (FH), Veigar Pall Gunnarsson (Stabaek), Gunnar Heidar Thorvaldsson (Valerenga), Emil Hallfredsson (Reggina), Matthias Gudmundsson (FH).
Coach: Olafur Johannesson
- In February, the Malta Under-21 side and the Futsal national team will be playing important matches in the UEFA Under-21 Championship qualifiers and FIFA Futsal World Cup qualifiers respectively.
The Under-21 side hosts Wales in another match from Group 10 of the UEFA Under-21 Championship on Tuesday 5th February at the Hibernians Ground, Corradino.
The team's morale is high after they managed to collect their first three points in a 2-1 win over Bosnia Herzegovina in November. Three points which put Malta on level points with Bosnia, at the bottom of the table.
However Malta's task will be no easy one considering that Wales are coming from two fine wins - a 4-0 win over Bosnia and a 4-2 win over France.
"Three months have passed since we played our last game. Against Bosnia, we had a great performance. Wales are a strong British team. They are not coming here for a party as they feel they can win the group. We now hope to spoil their party," said Under-21 coach Mark Miller.
"The objective is to get a positive result but it is very difficult. However I believe in my boys especially when they play at the Hibs Ground. If the players believe in themselves and play well, we can do it," concluded Miller.
Missing from the squad is Hibernians midfielder Edmond Agius who was banned for one match.
The Malta squad will be made up of:
goalkeepers Michael Falzon (Hamrun), Miguel Montfort (Pietà), Luke Woods (Wealdstone United);
defenders Steven Bezzina (Valletta), Steve Borg (Mosta), Ryan Camilleri (Pietà), Jonathan Caruana (Hibernians), Clayton Failla (Hibernians), Tyron Farrugia (Msida), Clifford Gatt Baldacchino (Mqabba), Edward Herrera (Pietà), Duncan Pisani (Floriana);
midfielders Andrei Agius (Igea Virtus), Matthew Bartolo (Sliema), Dyson Falzon (Valletta), Paul Fenech (Birkirkara), Roderick Fenech (Hamrun), Ryan Fenech (Hamrun), John Mintoff (Mqabba);
forwards Angus Buhagiar (Tarxien), Stephen Meilak (Hamrun), Ian Zammit (Valletta).
Meanwhile the Futsal national team, under the guidance of Michael Striz, will be hosting the Group 7 mini-tournament of the FIFA Futsal World Cup 2008 first qualifying round.
Taking part in the mini-tournament, which will be played at the Corradino Sports Pavilion between February 28 and March 2, are Albania, Greece and Slovenia.
Striz said UEFA's decision to cancel the preliminary rounds meant that Malta had to be drawn with very strong teams. He is in fact worried most about the games against Greece and Slovenia while he thinks Albania are more or less on the same level as the local side.
The national Futsal coach said the most important thing during this mini-tournament will be that of improving performance.
The programme of matches will be as follows:
28-Feb 17:00 Slovenia vs Albania; 19:00 Malta vs Greece.
29-Feb 18:00 Malta vs Albania; 20:00 Greece vs Slovenia.
02-Mar 18:00 Albania vs Greece; 20:00 Slovenia vs Malta.
- Hibernians and Birkirkara continue to dominate the Women's First Division as they end the first phase in first and second place respectively.
The Paolites are the only team with maximum points having won all eight first round matches. Champions Birkirkara, on the other hand, dropped their only points in a defeat to Hibs.
Hibernians scored 65 goals, an average of more than eight goals per match, and suffered only one goal. Birkirkara scored 54, an average of almost seven goals per game.
Just like last season, at the end of this first phase, teams will be divided into two sections.
Joining Hibernians and Birkirkara in the top section are Mosta, Melita and Sliema Raiders who ended their first round commitments on 16, 14 and 11 points respectively.
Playing in the other section are Mgarr United, Sta. Venera Yellow Blues, Pembroke Athleta and Lija Athletic.
Mgarr collected eight points in two wins over Sta. Venera and Pembroke and draws with Lija and Raiders. Sta. Venera Yellow Blues, who replaced Sta. Venera Lightnings, registered two wins over Lija and Pembroke.
Pembroke Athleta collected three points in a 2-1 win over Lija Athletic while the latter grabbed their only point so far in a draw with Mgarr.
In the second phase, the two sections will be played on two rounds.
- Only five local clubs applied to take part in the last edition of the UEFA Intertoto Cup which will be held in summer.
Birkirkara, Hamrun Spartans, Hibernians, Marsaxlokk and Valletta have applied to represent Malta in the competition should they place third or fourth in the BOV Premier League. Floriana and Sliema Wanderers, on the other hand, did not apply.
Next year, Malta will once again be represented with one team in the UEFA Champions League, two teams - the FA Trophy winners and the BOV Premier League runners-up - in the UEFA Cup and another team in the UEFA Intertoto Cup.
As from 2009/10, Malta will be represented by three clubs in the UEFA Cup following changes in the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Cup and the abolition of the UEFA Intertoto Cup were approved by the UEFA Executive Committee in December.
In two year's time, depending on 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.
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.
- Changes to BOV Premier League fixtures were made necessary for the weekend 16/17 February due to the fact that the feast of St. Paul in Valletta will be celebrated on February 16.
The two matches originally scheduled for Saturday 16 at the National Stadium - Hamrun Spartans vs Floriana and Valletta vs Birkirkara have been postponed to Sunday 17 at the same venue at 14:00 and 16:00 respectively.
On the other hand, the two matches which were due to be played on Sunday at the Hibs Ground were anticipated by twenty-four hours. Msida St. Joseph vs Hibernians and Sliema Wanderers vs Pietà Hotspurs will therefore be played at the Hibs Ground on Saturday 16 at 13:30 and 15:30 respectively.
Thu 24
- Gozo - Second Division Zebbug R. vs Munxar F. 1-1
Wed 23
- First Division Marsa vs St. Patrick 1-0, Senglea A. vs Mellieha 4-0
- Brazilian striker Carlos Eduardo Ventura 'Duda' is Sliema Wanderers' third foreigner. Duda replaces Aleksandar Madzar who joins Marsaxlokk.
A product of Corinthians Alagoano, Duda moved to Portugal where he played for six years, turning out for top level clubs Benfica, Rio Ave, Porto and Boavista where he spent four years. While on the books of Boavista, he played in Malta against Hibernians in the second qualifying round of the Champions League in summer 2002.
In the past couple of years, Duda played in Brazil for Corinthians Alagoano and then for Associação Atlética Luziânia.
Duda is the second new foreigner for Sliema after they replaced Nesko Milovanovic a couple of weeks ago with Brazilian midfielder Andre Rocha Da Silva who joined the club from Marsaxlokk.
Meanwhile Marsaxlokk secured the services of Montenegrin striker Aleksandar Madzar as the club's third foreigner.
Madzar who played for Red Star Belgrade and FC Vozdovac in Serbia, AE Pafos in Cyprus, Zaglebie Sosnowiec in Poland and Vaslui in Romania arrived in Malta last year, joining the Blues during the January transfer window. He scored seven goals in thirteen matches last season. This year, he had scored four goals.
Marsaxlokk had earlier this month released Brazilian duo Andre Rocha Da Silva and Wendell Gomes. They signed Julio Alcorse from Hibernians.
- Malta Under-21 midfielder Ryan Fenech will be staying with Hamrun Spartans despite speculation linking him with a move elsewhere.
This was confirmed by a statement issued by the club and published on the official website.
The statement states that the player had opted to stay with the club. It adds that Valletta FC were also informed that the player will be staying with Hamrun in a letter dated January 18th.
The club emphasises that discussions between Valletta president Mr Victor Sciriha and Mr Manuel Fenech were not on an official level as Mr Fenech was speaking as the player's father and not in his position as a Hamrun Spartans official.
With the possibility of Ryan Fenech leaving Hamrun in this transfer window now being ruled out, it will be no surprise if next summer, Valletta will make a strong bid for the player, who is expected to be part of the national 'A' squad for the Malta International Tournament.
- Five Premier League players were handed a one-match ban by the MFA Disciplinary Commissioner following last weekend's matches.
The five players are: Yala Bolasie (Floriana), Edafe Uzeh and Mario Muscat (Hibs), Italo Donizete Nogueira and Claudio Calleja (Mqabba).
Muscat and Uzeh are ruled out of the next Hibs game against Pietà Hotspurs on Sunday. Italo Nogueira and Claudio Calleja will be unavailable for the game against Marsaxlokk also on Sunday.
Bolasie, on the other hand, will be missing the game against Msida on Saturday 10th February.
In Division 1, Jason Cachia and Uchenna Anyanwu (Dingli), Antonio Saliba and Massimo Grima (Mosta), Clyde Camoin (Qormi) and Andrew Decesare (Tarxien) were all banned for one match.
Michael Martin (Melita), Antoine Zahra (San Gwann) and Steve Falzon (St. Andrews) were suspended for one game in Division 2 while Stefan Busuttil (Kirkop) was suspended for two matches in Division 3.
In the Youth League, Bronwen Bugeja (Hibs), George Gribbon (Melita), Owen Calleja (Mellieha) and Dylan Kokavessis (Pietà) were handed a one-match ban.
Tue 22
- The Malta Football Coaches Association would like to inform its members that the next instructional meeting which was scheduled to be held next Monday 28th January 2008 for coaches holding UEFA 'A', MFA 'A', UEFA 'B' and MFA 'B' has been postponed for a later date.
Mon 21
- Third Division Section A Qrendi vs Mtarfa 1-2, Attard vs Fgura U. 1-1
- Birkirkara FC are among the founding members of the European Club Association - a new body aimed at representing the interests of clubs at European level.
Following last week's joint announcement by FIFA and UEFA, the European Club Association (ECA) was formally created. UEFA and ECA signed a Memorandum of Understanding which means that UEFA recognises the ECA as the sole body representing the interests of clubs at European level – and the ECA recognises UEFA as the governing body of football at European level, and FIFA as the governing body of football at worldwide level.
The ECA, as an independent autonomous body representing the European clubs, is drawn from all of UEFA's 53 member associations. The ECA shall in principle be composed of 103 clubs, with the precise number of clubs from each member association established every two years at the end of the UEFA season on the basis of the UEFA ranking of its member associations according to the following principles. Malta will be represented by one club.
A transitional board would represent the ECA and its 16 founding members until the next general assembly meets at the end of the season, when elections for a new Executive Board will be held. The ECA Board will comprise eleven members, plus the four representatives appointed by the Executive Board to the UEFA Professional Football Strategy Council. The ECA will also provide half of the members of the UEFA Club Competitions Committee.
The transitional ECA Board is made up of chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (Bayern München), vice-chairman Joan Laporta (Barcelona); Umberto Gandini (Milan), Peter Kenyon (Chelsea), Marteen Fontein (Ajax) and Jean-Michel Aulas (Olympique Lyon). The 16 founding member clubs are: Real Madrid, Barcelona, Milan, Juventus, Olympique Lyonnais, Rangers, Manchester United, Chelsea, Bayern München, Ajax, Porto, Olympiacos, Anderlecht, Birkirkara, Dinamo Zagreb and København.
Birkirkara FC's John Borg was elected to the board of the European Club Forum which has now been replaced by the European Club Association.
As part of the Memorandum of Understanding it was agreed to distribute every four years an amount from the UEFA European Championship to national associations for them to pass on to their clubs who have contributed to the successful staging of a European Championship.
- Msida St. Joseph continued to strengthen their squad with the signing of Under-21 international defender Kenneth Spiteri.
A product of Hibernians, Spiteri joined Birkirkara in summer but was named in the Stripes' starting line-up only once.
Floriana were also reportedly interested in signing Spiteri but he opted to sign for Msida.
He joined his new team mates for the first training session on Monday and is expected to make his debut against Birkirkara on Saturday.
Sun 20
- Premier League Pietà H. vs Floriana 1-3, Sliema W. vs Mqabba 4-0
- First Division St. George's vs Dingli S. 4-2, Senglea A. vs Marsa 5-2
- Second Division Sirens vs San Gwann 1-4, Mgarr U. vs Birzebbuga SP 3-1
- Third Division Section A Zebbug R. vs Zejtun C. 1-0
- Third Division Section B Gozo vs Sta. Lucia 2-1, Gudja U. vs Kirkop U. 5-1
- Gozo - Second Division Oratory Y. vs SK Victoria W. 2-1
- Malta will be hosting Liechtenstein in a friendly match at Ta' Qali on March 26. This was announced in a statement by the Liechtenstein Football Association.
This game will serve as part of the national team's preparation in view of the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifiers which get underway in September. Malta was drawn in Group 1 together with Portugal, Sweden, Denmark, Hungary and Albania.
Next month, Malta hosts Armenia, Iceland and Belarus in the Malta International Tournament, due to be played between February 2 and 6. Malta will then entertain Austria at the Ernst Happel Stadion in Vienna on May 30. Another friendly should be played in August.
This will only be the second clash between the two countries. On June 14th, 1981, Malta and Liechtenstein met in a match from the President's Cup in Korea. The game ended in a 1-1 draw.
In the EURO 2008 qualifiers, Liechtenstein registered two wins - beating Latvia 1-0 and Iceland 3-0, holding Iceland in a 1-1 draw in Reykjavik.
Next month, Liechtenstein will be going for a training camp in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. They will also play a friendly match against the UAE Under-23 side.
Sat 19
- Premier League Marsaxlokk vs Hibernians 5-0, Valletta vs Hamrun S. 4-1
- First Division Qormi vs Mosta 3-3, Tarxien R. vs Vittoriosa S. 3-2
Fri 18
- Second Division St. Andrews vs Lija A. 0-0, Sta. Venera L. vs Melita 2-4
- Malta international midfielder Udochukwu Nwoko will not join Reading as the club confirmed it is no longer interested in the player.
In a report on the club's official website, Steve Coppell revealed the club's possible moves in the transfer market. The report also "confirmed they do not want to sign Udo Nwoko."
On Wednesday, skysports.com had reported that the Royals were close to agreeing a deal, which was believed to be in the region of £550,000 (€ 768,500) plus added incentives.
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.
In Malta, Nwoko played for Hibernians, going on loan with Xewkija Tigers in Gozo, Mosta and Marsaxlokk.
- Msida St. Joseph secured the services of goalkeeper Matthew Camilleri.
The former Floriana and Sliema Wanderers goalkeeper will start training with his new club as from next Monday.
A product of Floriana, Camilleri made his Premier League debut with the Greens in season 1996/97. He spent some months on loan with Tarxien Rainbows in 1998/99. He also spent an 18-month loan spell with Sliema starting January 2005.
Wed 16
- First Division Marsa vs Dingli S. 0-3, Mosta vs St. George's 2-0
- Malta retained the 136th place in the FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking which was published on Wednesday.
Among the other European countries, Malta is still 48th. Just ahead of Malta are Latvia (85, up 1), Armenia (85, up 8), Iceland (87, up 3), Austria (90, up 4), Kazakhstan (108, up 4), Azerbaijan (116, down 1), Liechtenstein (118, up 4), Estonia (124). Behind Malta are Luxembourg (149), Montenegro (172), Andorra (175), Faroe Islands (193), San Marino (197).
Malta will be in action next month in the Malta International Tournament, facing Armenia on Saturday 2, Iceland on Monday 4 and Belarus on Wednesday 6.
- Malta international midfielder Udochukwu Nwoko is on the verge of joining Premier League club Reading, according to a report on Skysports.com. Nwoko underwent a medical test at the Madejski Stadium on Wednesday.
The Royals are said to be close to agreeing a deal, which according to the report is believed to be in the region of £550,000 (€ 768,500) plus added incentives. He is expected to sign a three-year contract with Reading.
Leixoes president Carlos Oliveira reportedly confirmed that the deal is close to completion.
Nwoko, who has made three appearances for Malta, has admitted he is looking forward to the prospect of playing in the Premier League.
"I know the Premier League from the television and it would be sensational to play there. I am very excited and Reading is a fighter club which is perfect for my style of play."
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.
In Malta, Nwoko played for Hibernians, going on loan with Xewkija Tigers in Gozo, Mosta and Marsaxlokk.
- Three Premier League players were handed a one-match ban after last weekend's matches from the BOV Premier League.
The three players are Owen Bugeja (Floriana), Terence Scerri (Hibs) and Stefano Grima (Msida).
Bugeja is ruled out of the game against Floriana on Sunday. Terence Scerri will be missing the game against Marsaxlokk on Saturday while Stefano Grima will be unavailable for the clash with Birkirkara on Saturday 26.
In Division 2, two players - Clive Formosa (Birzebbuga) and Kristian Galea (Sirens) were suspended for three matches and removed from captain for one year, until 15th January 2009.
Jeffrey Zammit (Birzebbuga) was suspended for one match in Division 2 while George Frendo (Mdina) was handed a two-match ban in Division 3. Alex Azzopardi (Xghajra) was suspended for one match.
In the Youth League, Tyrone Barbara (Mqabba), Tonio Farrugia and Steve Garrett (both of Zebbug) were banned for two matches while Edson Falzon (Dingli) and Kane Paul Farrugia (Sliema) were suspended for one match.
- The Malta Under-17 side suffered another 0-3 defeat to their Scottish counterparts in a friendly match at the MFA Training Grounds, Ta' Qali.
Scotland went ahead after 17 minutes through Ryan Martin and midway through the second half Gregg Wylde made it 2-0, with substitute Archie Campbell sealing his team’s victory in injury time.
Mark Spiteri was unlucky not to score when his fine header hit the post in the 20th minute of the first half.
Despite the defeat it was a good work-out for Oliver Spiteri’s side in view of Malta’s competitive commitments ahead of the UEFA U-17 Championship mini-tournament later this year.
This was the second of two matches played against Scotland, who combined their training camp with these two friendly encounters.
Malta’s starting line-up: Sam Bartolo, Dylan Sammut, Quinch Bregnam, Jean Paul Farrugia, Ansel Briffa, Matthew Tabone (capt), Ryan Sammut, Mark Spiteri, Niki Bezzina, Steve Pisani, Matthew Agius.
- The Malta Football Association announced that the two BOV First Division matches which were due to be played last Sunday have now been re-scheduled to Wednesday 23. The matches Marsa vs St. Patrick and Senglea Athletic vs Mellieha will now be played at the Centenary Stadium at 18:00 and 20:00 respectively.
- The last two months of 2007 proved to be two eventful months for Premier School of Football. Apart from the regular training sessions, the school also organized three social activities for all the boys and their parents. The first activity organized was an informative talk on Sports Psychology. Ms Adele Muscat, a qualified expert in the field, delivered a slide-presentation on the subject and answered questions put forward by the parents present. At the end of Ms Muscat's presentation, the school's organizers took the opportunity to present their main speaker with a memento to thank her for her participation.
The second activity took place at Vittoriosa where the boys together with their coaches and some accompanying parents visited the Malta at War museum. Fondazzjoni Wirt Artna organized a tour around the war shelters found in the museum followed by the viewing of the original Malta GC wartime documentary commissioned by King George VI during the war. This outing, which was both interesting and enjoyable, was well attended and appreciated by both the boys and their parents.
A children's Christmas Party was the latest activity organized. The event, which took place at the Razzett tal-Hbiberija, started off with a get-together for the boys where each boy was given his Christmas present. For the occasion the school invited national team player Andre Schembri. In a similar activity two years ago, Andre' had told the boys that his dream was to play professional football abroad. During this activity, he told the boys that today he is living the reality of his dream and is the living proof that dreams do come true. The boys were also given several football items among which featured also two footballs, one signed by Andre', and another one signed by the other foreign based Maltese player Michael Mifsud. The activity ended with the boys enjoying themselves at "The Enchanted Forrest".
Boys showing an interest to attend the school for the term commencing in February are presently being invited to attend a training session free of charge. Parents wishing to register their child are kindly requested to call on mobile numbers 99470423 or 99459607 for further details.
Tue 15
- Gozo - First Division Ghajnsielem vs Xaghra U. 0-2
- Malta international striker Michael Mifsud, the national team and MFA president Dr Joe Mifsud are among the nominees for the Sportivi Nazzjonali 2007, organised by the Ghaqda Kittieba Sport.
Michael Mifsud was nominated for the Sportsman of the Year award together with Gary Curmi (Drag Racing); Darren Gilford (athletics); Nikolai Portelli (athletics) and Mark Spiteri (Tenpin Bowling).
The national football team was nominated for the Team of the Year award together with the women’s Under-18 Basketball team; the women's Rugby national team, the Snooker Masters national team and the women’s Squash national team.
Dr Joe Mifsud, on the other hand, was among the nominees for the Official of the Year award together with Terry Camilleri (Snooker); Anthony Chircop (Athletics), Anthony Debono (Horse-racing) and Marvic Micallef (Volleyball).
- Thirty-three year old Brazilian striker Carlos Eduardo Ventura, known as Duda, could become Sliema Wanderers' third foreigner after joining the Blues for a trial.
A product of Corinthians Alagoano, Duda moved to Portugal where he played for six years, turning out for Benfica, Rio Ave, Porto, Alverca and Boavista where he spent four years.
While on the books of Boavista, he played in Malta against Hibernians in the second qualifying round of the Champions League in summer 2002.
In the past couple of years, Duda played in Brazil for Corinthians Alagoano and then for Associação Atlética Luziânia.
If Sliema decide to sign Duda, he would replace Aleksandar Madzar who started the last two Premier League games on the bench.
Another Brazilian player, Andre Rocha Da Silva replaced Serbian midfielder Nesko Milovanovic earlier this month.
- Nigerian central defender Sunday Eboh will be making his return to the Premier League as he is set to join Floriana.
After playing in Belgium and Germany, Eboh first played in Malta for Marsa in 2001 but after just a couple of months, he joined Birkirkara. After spending some time on loan with Marsa, he returned with Birkirkara in 2003/04 but was eventually released in December 2003. He then played for Victoria Hotspurs in Gozo before moving abroad.
Mon 14
- Under 17 International Friendly MALTA vs SCOTLAND 0-3
The Malta Under-17 side lost 0-3 to Scotland in the first match out of two friedly internationals at the MFA Training Grounds. These games are part of the team's preparation for the UEFA Under-17 Championship mini-tournament later this year.
The Maltese went behind in the first period through a goal netted by Gordon Smith, with David Mc Avliffe and Michael Halorann rounding the Scots’ victory after the change of ends.
Malta, under the charge of coach Edwin Camilleri, battled on bravely and at times showed good touches against superior opponents.
The match was controlled by referee Saviour Tanti.
The second match is due to be played on Wednesday at 18:00 at the same venue.
- Third Division Section A Siggiewi vs Ghaxaq 2-1
- Third Division Section B Kalkara vs Pembroke A. 0-3
- Birkirkara FC midfielder Shaun Bajada has been selected as the BOV Player of the Month for November and December 2007. He was presented with the winner’s trophy by John Galea, Manager of Bank of Valletta’s Birkirkara Branch.
The Stripes player has often been in the limelight this season, and his industry as a left-side midfielder often helps his team produce positive results, as was particularly evident in the last few weeks of the year. In several matches he provided his team-mates with excellent assistance and helped them score a number of goals for the team. His primary role as an assist however, has not stopped him from netting his own goals, as his three so far this season demonstrate.
Bank of Valletta is continuing to give a social dimension to the BOV Player of the Month Competition. Every month, BOV makes a contribution to a charitable institution chosen by the winning player. This month, Shaun Bajada chose Fondazzjoni Arka in Gozo to benefit from the donation.
- Malta international striker Udochukwu Nwoko has been given permission by Leixoes to travel to England for talks and a medical for a possible move to Premier League club Reading according to Leixoes president Carlos Oliveira, according to a report by Reuters.
On Saturday, Nwoko played for 71 minutes in Leixoes' prestigious 0-0 draw with Benfica away from home.
Leixoes are currently twelfth with 16 points from 16 matches.
In England, Michael Mifsud played the whole ninety minutes in Coventry's 2-0 defeat to Leicester. On the other hand, Luke Dimech was included as a substitute early in the second half in Macclesfield's 1-0 win over Peterborough.
Coventry fall into seventeenth place with 32 points from 26 matches. Macclesfield are currently eighteenth in League Two with 26 points from 26 matches.
In the Italian Serie C2 Girone C, Daniel Bogdanovic was included as a substitute in Cisco Roma's 1-0 win over Pescina while Igea Virtus of Andrei Agius defeated Celano away from home. Cisco Roma are fifth on 29 points, Igea Virtus are joint-seventh on 27 points.
Justin Haber's Haidari FC were held in a goalless draw by Agios Dimitrios and are now twelfth with 10 points from nine matches.
Sun 13
- Premier League Hamrun S. vs Msida SJ 1-2, Birkirkara vs Pietà H. 2-0
- First Division Marsa vs St. Patrick and Senglea A. vs Mellieha postponed
- Second Division Rabat A. vs Naxxar L. 2-0, Sirens vs Zurrieq 0-1
- Third Division Section A Mdina K. vs Xghajra T. 0-0
- Third Division Section B Gharghur vs Gzira U. 1-2
- Gozo - First Division Nadur Y. vs Sannat L. 3-3, Victoria H. vs Qala SJ 2-2
Sat 12
- Premier League Floriana vs Marsaxlokk 1-4, Hibernians vs Sliema W. 1-2
- Second Division Balzan Y. vs Birzebbuga SP 2-1, St. Andrews vs San Gwann 1-0
Fri 11
- Third Division Section A Zejtun C. vs Attard 0-4, Fgura U. vs Qrendi 2-0
- Juventus coach Claudio Ranieri hailed the five-day training camp which was held in Malta as a beautiful experience. Ranieri was speaking during a press conference before the team's departure, destination Catania, on Friday afternoon.
The Juventus coach said that the team had the opportunity to prepare well for forthcoming commitments, without any pressure. He said that the good weather conditions also contributed to the success of this training camp.
Ranieri was impressed by the warmth of local Juventus fans, saying that he now knows that a few kilometres away from Italy lies a big community of Juventus supporters.
Even if Inter lie eight points ahead of the bianconeri, the Juventus coach believes the battle for the title is still open.
"In a team like Juventus, players need to have the will to fight for the scudetto, until this is mathematically possible, in their DNA. They always need to give their 120%," said Ranieri.
As regards the friendly match against Valletta, the Citizens left a good impression on Claudio Ranieri. He said the Valletta players showed great personality.
"I am definitely disappointed with the result as I would have preferred winning the game but still, I am glad for what was sure a historic result for Valletta. They were a good 'sparring partner'. Now my players need to be fully focussed for Saturday's game against Catania. We are no longer on holiday."
When asked about transfers, the Juventus coach was quick to emphasise that he is happy with the players at his disposal. He mentioned players like Antonio Nocerino and Cristian Molinaro as two of the players are doing well. He singled out Cristiano Zanetti as a player who is having an "exceptional season."
Reinassance Productions Ltd director Dr Anton Tabone concluded by hoping that this training camp was just the start of a new partnership between RPL and Juventus, revealing that RPL has already discussed the possibility of other initiatives together with Juventus directors.
Thu 10
- Gozo - First Division Kercem A. vs Xaghra U. 1-2
- Gozo - Second Division Gharb R. vs Xewkija T. 1-4
- The Malta Football Association announced change of venues for matches from the BOV Premier League and the BOV First Division and new fixtures for First Division and Youth League matches.
The two BOV Premier League matches in programme on Sunday 13 January will be played at the Hibernians Ground and not the Victor Tedesco Stadium as originally scheduled. Hamrun Spartans vs Msida St. Joseph and Birkirkara vs Pietà Hotspurs kick-off at 13:00 and 15:00 respectively.
The BOV First Division League matches - Marsa vs St.Patrick and Senglea Athletic vs Mellieha will be played on January 13th at the Victor Tedesco Stadium and not at the Hibs Ground.
The BOV First Division League Marsa vs Dingli Swallows and Mosta vs St.George’s which were postponed on Sunday 30th December will be played on Wednesday 16th January at the Centenary Stadium at 18:00 and 20:00 respectively.
Meanwhile the two Youth League Section A matches Hamrun Spartans vs Birkirkara and San Gwann vs Floriana which were due to be played on Wednesday 16 will be played on Tuesday 15 at the Centenary Stadium at 18:00 and 20:00.
- A number of Juventus players paid a visit to children being recovered at the Mater Dei Hospital on Thursday morning.
Pavel Nedved, Nicola Legrottaglie, Vincenzo Iaquinta, Zdenek Grygera and team manager Gianluca Pessotto visited the children's wards, speaking to children and their parents.
No training session was held on Thursday morning but a recovery session was held in the afternoon.
A number of players were then expected to visit the premises of the Juventus Club Vero Amore in Birkirkara.
The Juventus squad leaves Malta on Friday at 18:00, destination Catania.
Wed 9
- After holding them in a 1-1 draw at the end of the ninety minutes, Valletta claimed the Betfair Cup after beating Juventus 4-3 on penalties.
It was an excellent performance by the Citizens who controlled their opponents well throughout the ninety minutes, notching the equaliser just a minute after Juventus had taken the lead.
Juventus managed to take the lead on 43 minutes when off a cross by Pavel Nedved from the left, Ruben Olivera headed home in style past goalie Andrew Hogg.
However the Citizens levelled matters a minute later when a Frank Temile effort hit the crossbar and off the rebound, Sebastian Monesterolo placed the ball at the back of the net from close range.
With the score 1-1 at the end of the ninety minutes, penalties had to decide which way the Betfair Cup was going. Vincenzo Iaquinta, Ian Zammit, Raffaele Palladino, Claude Mattocks, Tiago Mendes, Josef Mifsud all scored their penalties, then Antonio Nocerino hit wide, Dyson Falzon scored while Nicola Legrottaglie's penalty was saved by Darmanin.
- BOV First Division leaders Tarxien Rainbows sercured the services of Melita striker Matthew Borg I.
Matthew Borg was a regular striker with the Amateurs in Division 2, scoring eight goals so far.
The Rainbows lead the table in Division 1 with fourteen points, one ahead of Qormi and Senglea Athletic.
- Five Premier League players will be missing their next match after being handed a one-match ban by the MFA Disciplinary Commissioner on Wednesday.
The five players are Darko Krsteski (Floriana), Evano Briffa (Hamrun), Quilin Refalo (Pietà), Roderick Briffa (Sliema) and Gilbert Agius (Valletta).
Krsteski will miss next Saturday's game against Marsaxlokk while Roderick Briffa is ruled out of the clash with Hibernians, also on Saturday.
Evano Briffa is out of the clash between Hamrun and Msida on Sunday while Quilin Refalo will miss the game against Birkirkara.
Gilbert Agius is ruled out of the game between Valletta and Hamrun Spartans on Saturday 19.
In Division 1, Uchenna Anyanwu (Dingli), Kevin Cassar (Marsa), Joseph Chetcuti (Qormi), Kevin Mifsud (Senglea), Clayton Micallef (St. Patrick) and David Gauci (Vittoriosa) were all handed a one-match ban.
Donald Gatt (Birzebbuga), Nicky Gatt (Lija), Matthew Borg II (Melita), Emanuel Cutajar (Naxxar) and Kenneth Zammit (Sirens) were banned for one game in Division 2 while Reno Debono of Gudja was suspended for one game in Division 3.
In the Youth League, St. George's coach Joseph Bugeja was suspended for three matches, Zurrieq's Clayton Gatt was suspended for two matches and Josef Grech (St George's) was banned for one.
Tue 8
- Second Division Balzan Y. vs Sirens 4-0
- Gozo - First Division Ghajnsielem vs Victoria H. 3-3
- The fourteenth edition of the Malta International Football Tournament was launched during a press conference which was held at the Golden Tulip Vivaldi, St. Julian's. Taking part in this edition are Armenia, Belarus, Iceland and Malta.
The tournament will be played between Saturday 2nd and Wednesday 6th February and will be sponsored by Coca-Cola and Vodafone.
Addressing the press-conference, MFA president Dr Joe Mifsud said that once again 2008 will be a busy year for the national teams. The Malta International Tournament and the friendly against Austria will serve as preparation for the forthcoming 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
The Under-21 national team will be playing a UEFA Under-21 Championship qualifier against Wales next month while later this year, the Under-17 and Under-19 teams will be in action in the mini-tournaments. The Under-17 side will be playing two friendly matches next week against Scotland while a tournament will be held once again in Easter.
The Futsal national team will be in action in the FIFA Futsal World Cup qualifiers next month while the women's team will take part in another friendly mini-tournament in Estonia in spring. The amateur team, on the other hand, will take part in the UEFA Regions Cup.
Speaking about the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, Dr Mifsud said that before he, national coach Dusan Fitzel and national team secretary Ivan Vella travelled to Denmark to discuss the fixtures, they were aiming at avoiding as much as possible double-fixtures and in case of double-fixtures, trying to get first a home game and then an away game.
Dr Mifsud said that most of the dates proposed by the association were accepted and the request to use one of the dates which was indicated for friendly matches was accepted as well.
National coach Dusan Fitzel said he was glad that most of our proposals were accepted, especially the fact that Malta will play the first game against Portugal. He said this will hopefully be an occasion where local fans will fill the National Stadium to full capacity. Admitting that the opposition is definitely a very strong one, he hopes that like most big countries, Portugal will not be fully concentrated after the EURO 2008.
Fitzel said he was disappointed that Malta will have to play a very difficult game away from home against Denmark on October 11th and then host Hungary four days later. He was also concerned about having to play Sweden on June 10th.
The national coach said he has plenty of time to prepare for the World Cup campaign and in the mean time, he will give chance to new players, also in view of the fact that it will be difficult to release some of the foreign-based players for the tournament.
"I will be using mainly players from the Premier League and they will have the opportunity to show they deserve a place in the national team," said Fitzel.
Just like two years ago, the tournament will be sponsored by two companies with Vodafone joining Coca-Cola.
Speaking on behalf of Vodafone, Ms Alison Bezzina said that this sponsorship was not only related to the tournament but the company will be supporting the Malta Football Association for the coming twelve months.
Martin Agius from General Soft Drinks said that Coca-Cola is part of the football family around the world and therefore it was a natural choice for General Soft Drinks to support the association through this sponsorship. He said that this was the first of a series of initiatives which will lead to the EURO 2008.
Meanwhile the programme of matches will be as follows:
Saturday 2nd February: 15:00 Belarus vs Iceland ; 17:15 Malta vs Armenia
Monday 4th February: 17:30 Belarus vs Armenia; 19:45 Malta vs Iceland
Wednesday 6th February: 17:30 Iceland vs Armenia; 19:45 Malta vs Belarus
Ticket prices for the tournament will be:
North and South Stands - One-day ticket €5; Three-day ticket €10
Millennium Stand - One-day ticket €7; Three-day ticket €15
West Stand (Enclosure) - One-day ticket €10; Three-day ticket €25
Tickets can be purchased from the following outlets:
TeamSport – Iklin & Sliema; Geraldu Kiosk, Valletta; Eros Stationery, Paceville; all Vodafone outlets; Gym at Millennium Stand, Ta’ Qali and Star Tourism, Bugibba.
Meanwhile on the presentation of any lable from any Coca-Cola product (1.5 litres and 0.5 litres plastic bottles) at any Vodafone outlet, one will get a discount on tickets for the Millennium Stand and West Stand as follows:
Millennium Stand - One-day ticket €5; Three-day ticket €12
West Stand - One-day ticket €8; Three-day ticket €20
- MFA president Dr Joe Mifsud tackled the issue of the new ticket prices which were introduced as from January 1st and once again stressed that what the association did was not just convert the old ticket prices to Euro but raise the prices, for the first time in over seven years, in order to make up for the considerable increase in expenses over the past years.
Dr Mifsud said that back in October, the association had explained this clearly but somehow there are still people who are questioning why the new ticket prices are not equal to the old ticket prices in Maltese liri.
The MFA president said that over these past few years, the Water Services Corporation has increased the price of water pumped from the bore-hole at Ta’ Qali used for watering the pitch from 10c per cubic meter to 40c per cubic meter, the government imposed a surcharge of between 45% and 65%, which now stands at around 55%, on all the water and electricity bills, expenses for police and other security services has considerably increased, the MFA had absorbed the 3% increase in VAT imposed on stadium entrance tickets which increased from 15% to 18%, the wages of the MFA's full-time employees increased annually through the cost of living increases and the prices of several essential commodities, particularly diesel, have substantially increased.
- Dr Joe Mifsud announced that the association has decided to re-organise its media department and has appointed Mark Muscat as the new media officer.
Alex Vella, who previously held the post of media officer, will still be a part of the media department while Albert Fenech is the person in charge of publications.
Dr Mifsud announced that the revamped MFA website will be up-and-running early in March.
- Hamrun Spartans lost 1-2 to Italian Serie C2 side Gela Calcio in a friendly match at the Victor Tedesco Stadium. Rodrigo Franciel and Ciofani scored for Gela, Stephen Meilak replied for Hamrun.
- Juventus take on Valletta in a friendly match on Wednesday for the Betfair Cup, kick-off at 20:00. The match is part of a five-day training camp which the bianconeri are holding in Malta.
Claudio Ranieri is expected to use all the players in the squad except for injured duo Jorge Andrade and Mauro German Camoranesi. The list of players at Ranieri's disposal is therefore:
goalkeepers Emanuele Belardi, Gianluigi Buffon, Cristiano Novembre, Jess Vanstattan,
defenders Alessandro Birindelli, Jean Alain Boumsong, Giorgio Chiellini, Zdenek Grygera, Nicola Legrottaglie, Cristian Molinaro,
midfielders Sergio Almiron, Tiago Cardoso Mendes, Marco Marchionni, Pavel Nedved, Antonio Nocerino, Ruben Olivera, Hasan Salihamidzic, Cristiano Zanetti,
forwards Alessandro Del Piero, Vincenzo Iaquinta, Raffaele Palladino, David Trezeguet.
With the next Serie A clash for the bianconeri against Catania just three days away, Ranieri could try some tactics which he will adopt against the Sicilian side.
After holding two training sessions on Monday, Juventus held another two sessions on Tuesday with the afternoon session being held at the National Stadium. Hundreds of fans turned up at Ta' Qali to watch their favourite players in action.
This will be the fourth game for Juventus in Malta.
On September 15th, 1971, Marsa FC hosted Juventus in the first leg of the UEFA Cup first round at The Stadium - Gzira. In front of 13,570 spectators, Marsa did their best against world-class players like Haller, Anastasi and Cuccureddu but suffered a 0-6 defeat.
The bianconeri were back to Malta in September 1987, facing Valletta on Septmber 16th in the UEFA Cup first round first leg at the National Stadium. A brace by Michael Laudrup and another by Angelo Alessio gave the bianconeri, under the guidance of coach Rino Marchesi, a 4-0 win.
On Wednesday 30th December 1998, Juventus were the guests of the Malta League XI - a selection of Sliema Wanderers, Birkirkara and Naxxar players - in a friendly match for the Trofeo Malta at the National Stadium. Carmel Busuttil gave the local side the lead after just four minutes but Juventus hit back with goals by Alessio Tacchinardi on 27 minutes, Marco Rigoni on 39 and 45 minutes, Nicola Amoruso on 50 minutes and Simone Perrotta on 63 minutes to win 5-1.
Meanwhile remaining tickets for Wednesday's games will be sold on Wednesday at the ticket booths at the National Stadium as from 09:00. There are only a few Lm 12/€27.95 tickets left. Once these are sold out, tickets for the North and South sides will be sold at a last minute price of Lm 15/€34.94. Millennium Stand tickets are available for €58.20/Lm25, West Stand (Enclosure) for €81.50/Lm35 and VIP tickets for €104.80/Lm45.
Doors open at 17:45. Entertainment will be provided before the game.
- The Valletta Supporters’ Club together with Maltapost and Valletta FC are issuing a personalised stamp commemorating the encounter for the BetFair Cup that will be played on Wednesday, 9th January at the National Stadium in Ta’ Qali.
This personalised stamp will be available in a Souvenir envelope and carries a special hand postmark. The price of this personalized stamp is € 6.00 (Lm 2.58) and can be purchased from L-Amerikan in Republic Street Valletta, from Valletta Maltapost branch, Victoria Gozo Maltapost branch and from Ta’ Qali National Stadium during the match.
- The MFA Technical Centre is organising another instructional meeting on Monday 14th January 2008 for holders of Foundation, YDD and CCC Licence coaches.
The course will commence at 17:30 hrs.
Coaches are advised to be punctual for this instructional session.
Mon 7
- Third Division Section A Mtarfa vs Siggiewi 1-6
- Third Division Section B Kirkop U. vs Sta. Lucia
- The Juventus squad held its first training sessions on Monday at the MFA Training Grounds at Ta' Qali. The sessions were held behind closed doors but a number of fans used iron barriers as ladders in order to climb and be able to watch their favourite players.
Under the guidance of coach Claudio Ranieri and his assistants, the Juventus players had their first training session on Monday morning at around 10:00 and another in the afternoon at 15:00.
The Juventus squad is made up of the following players:
Jorge Andrade, Sergio Almiron, Emanuele Belardi, Alessandro Birindelli, Jean Alain Boumsong, Gianluigi Buffon, Mauro German Camoranesi, Tiago Cardoso Mendes, Giorgio Chiellini, Alessandro Del Piero, Zdenek Grygera, Vincenzo Iaquinta, Nicola Legrottaglie, Marco Marchionni, Cristian Molinaro, Pavel Nedved, Antonio Nocerino, Cristiano Novembre, Ruben Olivera, Raffaele Palladino, Hasan Salihamidzic, David Trezeguet, Jess Vanstattan, Cristiano Zanetti, Jonathan Zebina.
On Monday evening, the full squad was present for an activity which was held at the Sky Club in Paceville. Presenting the show were Marco Dejana, more commonly known as DJ Nanà, and Valeria Ciardiello. The former is the personality which animates and presents the Juventus squad before matches at the Stadio Olimpico while Valeria Ciardiello is a popular presenter of Juventus Channel.
Following the presentation of the squad, fans' favourites Alex Del Piero, Gianluigi Buffon, Pavel Nedved and David Trezeguet and coach Claudio Ranieri delivered short messages to those present.
Meanwhile the public will be able to attend the Juventus training session on Tuesday afternoon at the National Stadium which is expected to start at 16:00, an hour later than originally scheduled. Tickets will be available from the ticket booths at the West Side on the day. Entrance will be from the West Side A & C (Enclosure). Admission is €5.
Tickets for the match Valletta vs Juventus will also be available from the ticket booths at Ta' Qali on Tuesday during the training session and on Wednesday from 09:00 to 14:00. Due to the Euro changeover, the public is kindly requested to present the exact amount, either in Lm or in €, to avoid long waiting times.
Sun 6
- Premier League Mqabba vs Valletta 1-2, Pietà H. vs Hamrun S.
- First Division Mellieha vs Qormi 4-3, Vittoriosa S. vs Marsa 2-1
- Second Division Mgarr U. vs Sta. Venera L. 1-2, Melita vs Lija A. 2-0
- Third Division Section A Zebbug R. vs Mdina K. 3-0
- Third Division Section B Pembroke A. vs Gudja U. 1-1, Gozo vs Luqa SA 2-0
- Gozo - Second Division Munxar F. vs St. Lawrence S. 0-1
- The schedule of fixtures for Group 1 of the 2010 FIFA World Cup European qualifying round was announced on Sunday following a meeting which was hosted by the Danish FA - the Dansk Boldspil-Union in Copenhagen. Officials and coaches from the football associations of Portugal, Denmark, Sweden, Hungary, Albania and Malta were present for this meeting.
Qualifying matches are going to be played between September 6th, 2008 and October 14th, 2009.
Malta will be playing the first game at Ta' Qali, hosting Portugal on September 6th 2008. Four days later, Malta will play in Tirana against Albania.
The national team will play another game away from home, against Denmark on October 11th.
Malta then plays three home matches - against Hungary on October 15th, against Albania on February 11th 2009 and against Denmark on March 28th.
On April 1st, Malta faces Hungary away from home. Another away fixture is on June 10th against Sweden.
Malta hosts Sweden on September 9th, 2009 and then plays the last game away from home against Portugal on October 14, 2009
- The Juventus squad, accompanied by the club's high officials, arrived in Malta on Sunday at around 21:10 on a chartered Air Malta flight from Turin in view of the five-day training camp which will be held in Malta.
A contingent of over fifty players, technical staff, officials and other staff members travelled to Malta.
The full squad, including injured players, which travelled to Malta is made up of:
Jorge Andrade, Sergio Almiron, Emanuele Belardi, Alessandro Birindelli, Jean Alain Boumsong, Gianluigi Buffon, Mauro German Camoranesi, Tiago Cardoso Mendes, Giorgio Chiellini, Alessandro Del Piero, Zdenek Grygera, Vincenzo Iaquinta, Nicola Legrottaglie, Marco Marchionni, Cristian Molinaro, Pavel Nedved, Antonio Nocerino, Cristiano Novembre, Ruben Olivera, Raffaele Palladino, Hasan Salihamidzic, David Trezeguet, Jess Vanstattan, Cristiano Zanetti, Jonathan Zebina.
The rest of the contingent, led by director general Jean Claude Blanc, president Giovanni Cobolli Gigli, sporting director Alessio Secco and commercial director Marco Fassone, is made up of coach Claudio Ranieri, assistant coaches Christian Damiano and Paolo Benetti, physical trainers Riccardo Capanna and Riccardo Scanavino, goalkeepers' coach Giorgio Pellizzaro, physiotherapists Aldo Esposito and Luigi Pochettino, masseurs Mauro Caudana, Dario Garbiero and Franco Giacometto, the head of the medical staff Riccardo Agricola, team doctors Bartolomeo Goitre and Luca Stefanini, team manager Gianluca Pessotto, kit managers Luca Martini, Franco Monetta, Guerino Bozza, Roberto Ventimiglia and Luca Moro, Hendrik Leusink from the Sport Department, chef Ilio Mariani, consultant Peter Roberts, Barbara Borio and Cristiana Civita from the commercial department, Fabio Ellena and Marco Girotto from the press office, photographer Jonathan Moscrop and security officers Gabriele Adiletta and Giuseppe Canta.
After landing at the Malta International Airport, the players and officials were transferred to the Le Meridien St. Julian's where they will be accomodated for the next five days.
Juventus will be holding the first training sessions on Monday 7th, one at 10:00 and another at 15:00. These will be held behind close doors. However the public will be able to see the full squad at the Sky Club event in Paceville that same evening at 20:30. At this star-studded event, which will take the format of a variety show on stage, all the Juventus players accompanied by the management will be present.
This will be a unique event as Juventus seldom accept to be present with all the 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 accepted RPL's invitation to participate with the full squad.
For this event, RPL recruited the services of Marco Dejana, more commonly known as DJ Nanà. He is the personality that colourfully animates and presents the Juventus squad before matches at the Stadio Olimpico. DJ Nanà will be joined by Valeria Ciardello, the popular presenter of Juventus Channel, who will be also animating the Valletta vs Juventus match at Ta' Qali on Wednesday.
Admission Tickets for the Sky Club event are available for €23.29 (Lm 10) 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. Any remaining tickets will be available at the doors.
The public will also be able to attend the Juve training session on Tuesday afternoon at 15:00 which will be held at the National Stadium. Tickets will be available from the ticket booths at the West Side on the day from 14:00 onwards. Entrance will be from the West Side A & C (Enclosure). Admission is €5.
Tickets for the match Valletta vs Juventus will also be available from the ticket booths at Ta' Qali on Tuesday between 14:30 and 17:00 and on Wednesday from 09:00 to 14:00. Due to the Euro changeover, the public is kindly requested to present the exact amount, either in Lm or in €, to avoid long waiting times.
Few tickets for Children under 10 (one ticket being sold with every two adult tickets purchased in any section of the stadium) are still available while the Lm 10 (€ 23.29) promotional tickets are sold out. There are only a few Lm 12/€27.95 tickets left. Once these are sold out, tickets for the North and South sides will be sold at a last minute price of Lm 15/€34.94. Millennium Stand tickets are available for €58.20/Lm25, West Stand (Enclosure) for €81.50/Lm35 and VIP tickets for €104.80/Lm45. Tickets are available from the outlets mentioned above.
There will be access for persons with special needs using a wheelchair at the Millennium Stand. These will be given a complimentary ticket as long as the person accompanying them has paid a normal ticket. For more information, one should email the organisers on juventusmalta@gmail.com
On Thursday, a number of Juventus players will be visiting the Juventus Club Vero Amore following the afternoon training session while a reception will be held for members at the Le Meridien.
The bianconeri will leave Malta on Friday at 18:00.
- A number of players from the Pietà Hotspurs Youth Nursery had the opportunity to train and have a trial with Italian Serie A side Empoli.
The Italian club's youth sector is one of the most renowned nurseries in Italy which produced top level players like Vincenzo Montella.
Eight boys, from various categories, had this opportunity namely Under-16 players Matthew Agius, Benjamin Zammit and David Caruana, Under-12 players Kyle Cesare and Bedri Ryustemov and Under-11 players Matthew Grech, Clive Gauci and Ayrton Mizzi. Accompanying these youngsters were club secretary Mr. Frankie Ciantar, club treasurer Mr. Damian Saliba and head coach Mr. Godfrey Grima Head Coach.
They visited the premises of the club's youth sector and had the opportunity to follow various training sessions, getting to know more about their professional set up.
The premises at Centro Sportivo Monteboro consists of two full size pitches (natural turf and artificial turf) and various 8-a-side and 5-a-side synthetic pitches.
The Pietà officials met the technical director of the Empoli youth sector Mr. Andrea Innocenti who followed the young Pietà players attentively.
Sat 5
- Premier League Sliema W. vs Floriana 0-1, Marsaxlokk vs Birkirkara 3-1
- First Division Dingli S. vs Tarxien R. 1-3, St. Patrick vs Senglea A. 1-1
- Gozo - Second Division SK Victoria W. vs Gharb R. 8-0, Xewkija T. vs Zebbug R. 1-0
- Malta international striker Michael Mifsud scored twice as Coventry reached the FA Cup fourth round at the expense of Premier League side Blackburn at Ewood Park.
Mifsud put the Sky Blues ahead on 34 minutes. Ward converted a penalty and Adebola made it 3-0 seven minutes from time. Bentley pulled one back for Blackburn two minutes later but it was Michael Mifsud who added another one in stoppage time.
Coventry, who are currently 17th in the Championship, therefore managed to eliminate a team which is currently ninth in their Premier League. The Sky Blues had managed to stage a similar surprise eliminating Manchester United from the Carling Cup.
Fri 4
- Second Division Naxxar L. vs Sirens 1-0, Birzebbuga SP vs Rabat A. 0-2
- The Juventus squad, accompanied by the club's high officials, will be arriving in Malta on a chartered Air Malta flight from Turin on Sunday 6th January at 20:40. This was announced by the organisers of the Juventus' training camp in Malta, Reinassance Productions Ltd during a press conference which was held at Le Meridien St. Julian's where a detailed programme of the prestigious team's visit was revealed.
While encouraging Juventus fans to give their favourite team a warm welcome, RPL directors Dr Anton Tabone and Amabile Zammit appealed for the fans to co-operate with the police and security personnel. The team will pass through the MIA security gates and not through the arrivals lounge.
This decision was taken by the Malta International Airport and not by Juventus officials or RPL. It was claimed that during the arrival of such teams, damages amounting to thousands of liri had been caused.
Those who still turn up at the airport can accompany the branded Juventus coach along the streets to Le Meridien where the full squad and entire delegation will be accommodated during the whole week.
Juventus will be holding the first training sessions on Monday 7th, one at 10:00 and another at 15:00. These will be held behind close doors. However the public will be able to see the full squad at the Sky Club event in Paceville that same evening at 20:30. At this star-studded event, which will take the format of a variety show on stage, all the Juventus players accompanied by the management will be present.
This will be a unique event as Juventus seldom accept to be present with all the 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 accepted RPL's invitation to participate with the full squad.
For this event, RPL recruited the services of Marco Dejana, more commonly known as DJ Nanà. He is the personality that colourfully animates and presents the Juventus squad before matches at the Stadio Olimpico. DJ Nanà will be joined by Valeria Ciardello, the popular presenter of Juventus Channel, who will be also animating the Valletta vs Juventus match at Ta' Qali on Wednesday.
Admission Tickets for the Sky Club event are available for €23.29 (Lm 10) 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. Any remaining tickets will be available at the doors.
The public will also be able to attend the Juve training session on Tuesday afternoon at 15:00 which will be held at the National Stadium. Tickets will be available from the ticket booths at the West Side on the day from 14:00 onwards. Entrance will be from the West Side A & C (Enclosure). Admission is €5.
Tickets for the match Valletta vs Juventus will also be available from the ticket booths at Ta' Qali on Tuesday between 14:30 and 17:00 and on Wednesday from 09:00 to 14:00. Due to the Euro changeover, the public is kindly requested to present the exact amount, either in Lm or in €, to avoid long waiting times.
With just few days from the team's arrival, tickets for the welcome party at the Sky Club on Monday have been selling at an impressive rate and in the last two days have almost doubled the sales of the past two weeks. This is also true for the tickets of the game against Valletta for the Betfair Cup. So far around 8,000 tickets have been sold.
Few tickets for Children under 10 (one ticket being sold with every two adult tickets purchased in any section of the stadium) are still available while the Lm 10 (€ 23.29) promotional tickets are sold out. There are only a few Lm 12/€27.95 tickets left. Once these are sold out, tickets for the North and South sides will be sold at a last minute price of Lm 15/€34.94. Millennium Stand tickets are available for €58.20/Lm25, West Stand (Enclosure) for €81.50/Lm35 and VIP tickets for €104.80/Lm45. Tickets are available from the outlets mentioned above.
There will be access for persons with special needs using a wheelchair at the Millennium Stand. These will be given a complimentary ticket as long as the person accompanying them has paid a normal ticket. For more information, one should email the organisers on juventusmalta@gmail.com
On Thursday, a number of Juventus players will be visiting the Juventus Club Vero Amore following the afternoon training session while a reception will be held for members at the Le Meridien.
Juventus Club president Dr Michael Sciriha appealed for exemplary behaviour by fans, just as it was the case in the visit by goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon earlier this year. He asked supporters to participate in all activities being organised in order to make this Juventus visit a success. "If this turns out to be a successful visit, this would probably not be a one off occasion," said Dr Sciriha.
The bianconeri will leave Malta on Friday at 18:00.
- Four Premier League players were handed a one-match ban following the last programme of matches in the BOV Premier League.
These are Michael Galea (Birkirkara), Sharlon Pace (Sliema), Edafe Uzeh (Hibernians) and Manuel Bartolo (Msida).
Michael Galea is ruled out of the game against Marsaxlokk on Sunday while Sharlon Pace, who was sent off in the game against Birkirkara, will be missing the clash against Floriana.
Edafe Uzeh who received his fourth yellow card is ruled out of the game against Sliema Wanderers on Saturday 12 while Manuel Bartolo is out of the clash with Hamrun Spartans on Sunday 13.
In Division 1, Chris Cuschieri (Senglea) and Larry Lagana (Vittoriosa) were banned for one match. Mark Drago (Kalkara) was suspended for one game in Division 3.
Paul Celeste (Ghaxaq), Neil Caruana (Rabat), Glen Micallef (Sta. Venera) and Neil Attard (Xghajra) were all suspended for one match after being sent off in matches from the Second & Third Division Knock-Out.
- Sliema Wanderers secured the services of Brazilian midfielder Andre Rocha Da Silva despite the interest shown by Hibernians.
He was one of two Brazilian players released by champions Marsaxlokk earlier this week. In fact, the contracts of Da Silva and striker Wendell Soares Gomes were both terminated by mutual consent.
Da Silva was brought to Malta by Floriana in summer 2003. After just over two years with the Greens, he was released and then joined First Division side Tarxien Rainbows. He made his Premier League return with Marsaxlokk in summer 2006. However during last year's January transfer window, he joined Hibernians on loan in exchange for Udo Nwoko.
To sign Da Silva, Sliema had to release Serbian attacking midfielder Nesko Milovanovic. The other two foreigners at the club are Nigerian goalkeeper Murphy Akanji and Montenegrin striker Aleksandar Madzar.
However the future of Madzar is also in doubt as he failed to impress so far this season.
Andre Rocha Da Silva is the second major signing for the Blues as they have already signed defender Branko Nisevic.
Nisevic had already played for Sliema in the UEFA Cup qualifiers against Partizan Belgrade in August 2000. He then joined Hibernians where he played for three years before moving to Pietà Hotspurs. Mid-way through season 2004/05, Nisevic signed for Valletta. His contract with the Citizens expired at the end of last season.
- 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 14th January 2008.
Forms are already available from the MFA Technical Centre, Ta’ Qali, and can be collected during office hours.
- Four teams took part in a Girls' Under-13 Football Festival which was held in Pembroke on Thursday.
Tarxien Rainbows, Hamrun Spartans, Mgarr United and hosts Pembroke Athleta took part in the festival.
Pembroke and Mgarr ended their commitments with seven points each, Tarxien and Hamrun with one point.
Another two festivals will be held on Sat 26th January in Tarxien and another on Monday 4th February, organised by Hibs. Meanwhile the Malta Football Association will be organising another festival similar to the one held last week at the Centenary Stadium, on Easter Monday 24th March.
Thu 3
- Premier League Mqabba vs Hibernians 0-1, Valletta vs Msida SJ 3-1
- Gozo - First Division Qala SJ vs Nadur Y. 0-1
Wed 2
- First Division Tarxien R. vs Mosta 0-0, Senglea A. vs Vittoriosa S. 1-0
- Besides Italian giants Juventus who arrive in Malta on Sunday for a five-day training camp, another Italian team will be in Malta for a one-week training camp.
Serie C2 side Gela arrive on Thursday and will be holding a training camp at the Victor Tedesco Stadium, Hamrun until Friday 11.
Gela are expected to play a friendly match against Hamrun Spartans on Tuesday.
The Sicilian side is currently eleventh in the Serie C2 Girone C, the same division where Daniel Bogdanovic's Cisco Roma and Igea Virtus of Andrei Agius play. They are on level points with Igea Virtus, three points behind Cisco Roma.
Mon 1
- The Malta Football Association wishes to notify the public that as from January 1st 2008, it is advisable that payment for match entrance tickets at the different venues be made in Euro currency.
Those paying in Maltese currency can avail themselves of only one cashier at a particular gate which will be indicated. However, this might entail inconvenience due to queuing.
The entrance fees are as follows:
National Stadium - BOV Premier League
Enclosure (West Stand) - Male Adults: €8
Enclosure (West Stand) - Women, Children & Senior Citizens: €4
Millennium Stand - Male Adults: €5
Millennium Stand - Women, Children & Senior Citizens: €4
Hibernians Ground & Victor Tedesco Stadium - BOV First Division
Male Adults - €5
Women, Children and Senior Citizens - €2.50
Centenary Stadium - BOV Second and Third Division
Male Adults - €4
Women, Children & Senior Citizens - €2.50
The cooperation of the public is kindly solicited.
- Valletta defender Massimo Grima joined First Division side Mosta on loan till the end of the season.
A product of Pietà Hotspurs, Grima made his Premier League debut in season 1996/97. In summer 1998, he moved to Sliema Wanderers. He was loaned to Valletta mid-way through season 2003/04 and once again the following season before making his move to Valletta a permanent one in 2005/06.
This season, Grima was failing to command a place in the Citizens' starting line-up.
Mosta are currently fourth in the BOV First Division, four points behind leaders Qormi but with a game in hand.