July 1999

Wed 28

• Champions League - Second Qualifying Round SK Rapid Wien (AUT) vs Valletta 3-0
• Friendly Match Poland Under 21 vs Malta 1-3. Maltese goals by Chucks Nwoko 32' and 38' and Joe Brincat 46'.
• Friendly Match Pietà H. vs Mosta 7-2 -- three goals by Martin Deanov.

Sun 25

• The Valletta FC squad left Malta today for Vienna to face Rapid Wien next week. The only change in the squad is the inclusion of Joe Zarb who had suffered a serious eye injury last April. He has now resumed training but although he is a member of the 19-man squad, he is not expected to be included next Wednesday.

Sat 24

• The Malta Football Association Annual General Meeting was held today at the Holiday Inn Crowne Plaza in Sliema. Several interesting facts emerged. One of the most shocking facts is the reduction of the number of spectators for Premier League football. Whereas last season, a total of over 90,000 spectators watched Premier matches, this season only 65,696 spectators attended at Ta' Qali, Hamrun and Corradino for an average of 487 spectators per match. The income from the Premier League gates was Lm128,400 of which Lm44,000 goes to the ten Premier clubs. Considering that the MFA finishes the year with a balance of Lm704,696 in favour, it is quite clear that the association is in a healthy financial position. It now has Lm960,040 in tangible assets. Last season's income was Lm542,600, the sources being revenue from international matches, UEFA subsidy, sponsorships and other income from the Ta' Qali gym/clinic and technical complex. The total expenditure was of over Lm340,000.
• The new Centenary Stadium, which will be inaugurated next month, will cost Lm607,000, that is three times as much as was originally planned. The Centenary Cup, in which clubs from the MFA and other member associations will take part, and a number of friendly international matches will mark the event.

Fri 23

• The Maltese national team squad leaves Malta today for a 10-day training camp in Poland. The squad is made up of 18 players of whom there are no Valletta players. The players are: Abela, Carabott, Muscat, Sultana, Vella (Hibs); Barry, Busuttil, Camilleri, Dimech (Sliema); Bencini, Brincat, Galea, Nwoko (Birkirkara), Holland, Said (Floriana), Debono, Okonkwo (Naxxar) and Mifsud (Rabat). Malta will play the Polish Under 21 side on the 28th July.
• N. Ireland Milk Cup International Youth Tournament - Final 5th-6th Places Malta U/17 - Sunderland (ENG) 0-0 (3-4 after penalty shoot-out). The three penalties for Malta were scored by Etienne Barbara, Gordon Failla and Keith Micallef.

Thu 22

• The following are the draws for the Lowenbrau Cup which will be played on the 2nd, 5th and 7th August. This competition is usually played between the three teams taking part in the major UEFA competitions but since Valletta are engaged in the Second Qualifying Round of the Champions League, they were replaced by Floriana. The first match will see Floriana facing Birkirkara. The loser will meet Sliema in the second match and the winner of the first match will play against Sliema on the 7th August.
• During a press conference, MFA President Dr Joe Mifsud announced that as from next season, clubs who apply to take part in the Intertoto Cup must earmark a ground where they intend to play their matches. Otherwise they have to withdraw from the competition. This follows the issue raised by Floriana for the Second Round second leg match.
• N. Ireland Milk Cup International Youth Tournament - Quarter-Finals County Down (NIR) vs Malta U/17 2-1. Malta loses after that the Irish side were awarded a hotly disputed penalty by the Irish referee. The Maltese goal was by Etienne Barbara.
• N. Ireland Milk Cup International Youth Tournament - 5th-8th Places Dundalk (NIR) vs Malta U/17 0-2. Goals by Antoine Sacco and Kevin Borg.
• The one-week training camp in Sicily for the Malta U-21 national squad which was due to start this week had to be cancelled. It seems that the training camp was called off because the fees that the Italians were asking were three times as much as those that were agreed upon earlier.

Wed 21

• Champions League - First Qualifying Round Valletta vs Barry Town (WAL) 3-2
• The MFA Players' Complaints Board has rejected the appeal by Drasko Braunovic. This means that Braunovic is still a Valletta player and has to start attending training sessions. The player was not attending training sessions and for this reason, Valletta have already fined him a month's salary. The player had earlier claimed that he was ready to leave Malta and join some amateur club in Yugoslavia if he is not allowed to join Birkirkara from Valletta.
• Malta moves one place down in the FIFA World Rankings published today. The only European counties that stand behind Malta are Luxembourg, Liechtenstein and Andorra.
• N. Ireland Milk Cup International Youth Tournament Atletico Madrid (SPA) vs Malta U/17 2-2. Goals by Rabat midfielder Keith Micallef.

Tue 20

• N. Ireland Milk Cup International Youth Tournament County Tyrone (NIR) vs Malta U/17 2-2. Goals by Lee Lombardi and Etienne Barbara.

Mon 19

• N. Ireland Milk Cup International Youth Tournament Hibernian (SCO) vs Malta U/17 1-1. Goal by Etienne Barbara.
• The MFA and the three clubs which took part in last season's UEFA competitions received in all Lm155,000. Valletta received Lm39,500 for their participation in the Champions League. Birkirkara and Hibernians received Lm21,000 for taking part in the UEFA Cup and Cup Winners' Cup respectively. On the other hand, the MFA received Lm52,500.

Fri 16

• Malta's Under 17 team will be taking part in the Milk Cup International Youth Tournament in Northern Ireland. The Maltese team under the guide of coach Leonard Farrugia will play in Group 6 together with Atletico Madrid (Spain), Hibernian (Scotland) and Co. Tyrone (N. Ireland).

Thu 15

• Referee Alfred Micallef was not given permission to take legal action against Birkirkara striker Chucks Nwoko following the incidents after the Super Cup final.
• The ban on Floriana, Hibernians and Naxxar Lions to negotiate transfers of players has been lifted by the MFA.

Wed 14

• Champions League - First Qualifying Round Barry Town (WAL) vs Valletta 0-0

Tue 13

• The following are the draws for the Rothmans Premier League as the draws were made today at the MFA headquarters. The Premier League will kick off on the 24th August with the match Floriana-Naxxar and Rabat-Hibernians. The other opening matches are Birkirkara-Zurrieq, Valletta-Sliema and Gozo-Pietà. However since Birkirkara and Sliema are involved in the UEFA competitions, there have been some changes and so these three matches will be played, two on the 1st September and the other on the 21st September, therefore after that Day 2 will be played on the 28th and 29th August.
• The Division 1 league will start on the 11th September. The first matches are Hamrun-Tarxien, Lija-Xghajra, Gzira-St. Andrews, Marsa vs St. Patrick and Zebbug-Mosta. In Division 2, the opening matches are Attard-Ghaxaq, Mellieha-Siggiewi, Qormi-Pembroke, Marsaxlokk-Sta. Lucia, Melita-Mqabba, St. George's-Dingli and Sta. Venera bye. In Division 3, the opening matches are Gudja-Birzebbuga, Sirens-Zejtun, Kirkop-Gharghur, San Gwann-Vittoriosa, Luqa-Mgarr, Ta' Xbiex-Msida, Senglea-Fgura and Balzan bye.

Mon 12

• Three young Sliema players, Michael Mifsud, Joseph Farrugia and Kevin Sammut, will be leaving Malta next Thursday to go for a two-week trial with European Champions Manchester United. This opportunity is the result of the recent co-operation agreement between the Directors of Manchester United and the MFA through the intervention and assistance of the MUSC (Malta).

Sat 10

• UEFA Intertoto Cup - Second Round Floriana vs FC Jokerit (FIN) 1-1
• A 19-man Valletta FC squad will be leaving Malta tomorrow for Wales where next Wednesday they will be meeting Welsh champions Barry Town in the First Qualifying Round of the Champions League. Included in the squad are the club's latest signings namely Sinisa Radak, John Buttigieg, Edward Azzopardi, Daniel Theuma and Thierry Howoand, together with three players who returned from a loan with other clubs, Sean Sullivan, Ivan Woods and Jeremy Agius.
• A match between two selections of players coming from Divisions 2 and 3 will inaugurate the MFA Centenary Stadium on the 13th August. The stadium is nearing completion. All the construction work is ready while the laying of the synthetic pitch will start over the coming days.

Fri 9

• Floriana's squad for the Intertoto Cup Second Round second leg against FC Jokerit will include a new player. Dutch striker Peter Burg of Den Bosch, Second Division champions in the Netherlands, will play for the Greens for just the Intertoto Cup matches.

Wed 7

• Floriana's dream of signing Hristo Stoichkov for the second leg of the Intertoto Cup Second Round faded away as his agents asked the Greens to make an insurance policy over a possible injury for 22 million USD.

Sun 4

• UEFA Intertoto Cup - Second Round FC Jokerit (FIN) vs Floriana 2-1

Sat 3

• UEFA announced the prize-money for national associations and clubs participating in the UEFA Champions League 1999/2000. The clubs which will be taking part, for example Valletta will be awarded about Lm21,000 for each round that they take part in and another Lm39,000 since they are the local champions. The MFA, like the other national associations, will benefit from about Lm79,000 each.

Fri 2

• The Floriana squad which will travel to Finland to play the first leg of the UEFA Intertoto Cup Second Round against FC Jokerit, will include a surprise. Mark Miller who has just joined the club as Trainer, is also one of the players in the 18-man squad.
• In a friendly match, Valletta FC beat the African All Stars, a selection of African players who play in Malta, 2-1. The Citizens' line-up included the latest signings namely Radak, Azzopardi, Theuma and Buttigieg. Missing were Reggie Cini, Kris Laferla and Joe Camilleri. Nenad Veselji scored the two goals for the Citizens and Benneth Njoku for the African selection.