August 2002
Sat 31
- Premier League Hamrun S. vs Mosta 2-2, Valletta vs Marsa 6-0
- Gozo - Independence Cup Kercem A. vs SK Victoria W. 1-1 (3-1 pen)
Fri 30
- Slovenia will almost be in full strength as they prepare to face Malta in the first match from group 1 of the EURO 2004 qualifiers. Coach Bojan Prasnikar announced the list of players during a press conference on Thursday.
There are no new players in the squad with the only players to miss the game are Nastja Ceh who is serving a suspension after being sent off in the World Cup game against Paraguay and the injured Goran Sankovic.
Prasnikar said Malta's recent 5-0 defeat to Macedonia gives a wrong impression of the real potential Malta has got. He was very cautious about Malta saying, "The Maltese have been a very tough opponent to Macedonia in the first half and only because of many substitutions in the first team, they were defeated with a big score. They plays very aggressively in the defence and have a lively midfield with one attacking midfielder besides two forwards. We will have to be fully concentrated to win this match."
The 20-man squad selected by Prasnikar is made up of:
goalkeepers: Mladen Dabanovic (Lokeren), Marko Simeunovic (Olympiakos Nicosia);
defenders: Spasoje Bulajic (FSV Mainz), Fabijan Cipot (Maribor), Aleksander Knavs (Kaiserslautern), Matej Mavric (Gorica), Muamer Vugdalic (Maribor);
midfielders: Milenko Acimovic (Tottenham Hotspur), Suad Filekovic (Maribor), Sasa Gajser (Olympiakos Nicosia), Amir Karic (Ipswich Town), Miran Pavlin (Porto), Aleksnder Radosavljevic (Shinnik Jaroslavi), Goran Sukalo (SpVgg Unterhaching), Zlatko Zahovic (Benfica), Anton Zlogar (Olimpija Ljubljana) and
forwards: Sebastjan Cimirotic (Lecce), Patrik Ipavec(Koper), Ermin Rakovic (Maribor), Ermin Siljak (Panionios).
The senior sides face each other on September 7 at the Central Stadium in Ljubljana while the Under 21 sides meet a day earlier at the ZSD Stadium in the Slovenian capital.
Thu 29
- Italian national team players Francesco Toldo, Francesco Coco and Luigi Di Biagio were included in Inter's provisional 20-man squad for next Tuesday's friendly match against the MFA XI which will mark the inauguration of the Millennium Stand at the National Stadium.
FC Internazionale coach Hector Cuper included a number of international players despite their teams will be playing in EURO 2004 qualifiers or international friendly matches on Saturday 6.
Missing from the Inter squad are Daniele Adani, Fabio Cannavaro, Carlos Gamarra, Javier Farinos, Cristiano Zanetti, Christian Vieri and Ronaldo, who is in the middle of a controversy as he aims to leave the club to join Real Madrid.
The provisional squad is made up of:
goalkeepers Francesco Toldo and Alberto Fontana;
defenders Francesco Coco, Ivan Ramiro Cordoba, Luca Franchini, Marco
Materazzi, Gonzalo Sorondo, Nelson David Vivas, Javier Zanetti;
midfielders Matias Almeyda, Nicola Beati, Sergio Conceicao, Stephane
Dalmat, Luigi Di Biagio, Andres Guglielminpietro, Domenico Morfeo, Giovanni
Pasquale and;
strikers Bernardo Corradi, Mohammed Kallon and Alvaro Recoba.
- Twenty-five year old Austrialian midfielder/forward Danial Cummins is the third foreigner for Pietà Hotspurs.
Cummins, who played with Paramatta Melita Eagles and was therefore a colleague of Pietà's other Australian player, Mirko Jurilj, was a regular scorer for the Maltese-Australian side helping them to win the NSW Premier League championship.
The signing of Cummins and that of Lee Lombardi, earlier this week, should fill the void which coach Ray 'Zazu' Farrugia felt his team had in defence and midfield.
- Maltese FIFA Referee Mr Anton Zammit will control the UEFA Cup match between Servette and Spartak in Geneve, Switzerland on Thursday. He will be assisted by Messrs Ronnie Farrugia and Gaetano Degabriele. Mr Lorry Sammut will be the Fourth Official.
Mr Philip Agius, has been invited to attend a Seminar for the Top 40 Assistant Referees in Europe. He attended a similar course last season during which he was appointed as Assistant Referee in several key matches in the Champions League.
Another local FIFA Referee, Mr Joe Attard, will travel to Russia next week to control matches in the European U/19 Mini-Tournament between the 4th and 8th September, 2002. Home side Russia, France, Luxembourg and Albania will participate in this qualification tournament. Mr Ingmar Spiteri has also been appointed to perform duties as Assistant Referee.
Wed 28
- Fgura Tournament St. George's vs Kirkop U. 1-2
- Birkirkara coach Stephen Azzopardi said Birkirkara will be aiming for a positive result as the Stripes host Metalurh Zaporizhzhya in the second leg of the UEFA Cup qualifying round at Ta' Qali on Thursday.
In the first leg in Ukraine, Metalurh won 3-0. A result which hardly leaves any chance for the Stripes to qualify for the first round proper of the competition
Speaking during a press conference held at the Grand Mercure Coralia San Antonio Hotel in Bugibba, Azzopardi said that he and his players are looking forward for Thursday's game as they aim to do better than they did two weeks ago. "In Ukraine, the conditions were difficult and Metalurh were superior in most departments. But now two weeks have passed and we are prepared better." The target is to get a positive result, possibly a win. A win would be the first one for the Stripes in Europe.
Missing for Birkirkara, besides Antoine Zahra and Hubert Suda, is the injured Michael Spiteri. Matthew Calascione and Sunday Eboh are also nursing slight injuries but should recover in time.
Azzopardi said the loss of Spiteri has affected his plans since the Malta international defender was due to start the game. However, the Birkirkara coach argued that since he has been working on a system of rotation of players, Spiteri's absence will not change the team's objectives.
Metalurh Zaporizhya coach Oleg Taran said he is not intentioned to change his plans despite a comfortable three-goal cushion and will therefore adopt an offensive approach.
Birkirkara chairman Victor Zammit said that after winning the Trophy and the Super Cup, his dream of helping Birkirkara win all the honours football in Malta could offer, has come true. He said that heavy investment was needed, especially in the beginning, in order to build a strong team. Over the past six years the club spent over Lm600,000. However this season, the club spent just over Lm20,000 in signing Justin Haber, George Mallia and Jaroslav Marx.
The chairman and coach Stephen Azzopardi discussed a three-year plan in which there will be only minor changes in the squad. Players like Alan Tabone, Roderick Briffa and Roderick Farrugia returned with the club.
Zammit said the club was bold enough to retain players who had shown extreme loyalty to the club over the years unlike some other prima-donnas. Aware of the financial difficulties every club in Malta faces, the club offered new three-year contracts meaning that all the players in the squad are now bound with Birkirkara until 2005.
Two new boards have been set-up in order to help the club reduce the deficit since each year a club spends around Lm200,000 and for example Birkirkara earned only Lm140,000. The Projects Board is analysing two proposals for the use of the hall at the club premises while the Marketing Board will be raising funds through innovative projects. Victor Zammit concluded by thanking the sponsors McDonald's, Cisk Export, Men Only and Teamsport.
Speaking about the Marketing Board, Peter Busuttil said that they are looking at ways and means how to offer new innovative services and products to the supporters and the football enthusiast in general. Besides the recently-launched SMS Alert service, a new magazine will be launched as well.
The club's website www.birkirkarafc.com will be relaunched in the coming days with a new design.
- Defender Chris Okoh is unavailable for Sliema as they face KS Polonia Warszawa in the second leg of the UEFA Cup qualifying round on Thursday. In the first leg at Ta' Qali, Sliema lost 1-3.
Okoh, who sustained a slight injury in the opening Premier League match against Pietà Hotspurs in which the Wanderers were held in a 2-2 draw, failed to recover in time and will therefore miss the game. On the other hand, Noel Turner and Ian Ciantar, who were both not fully fit, should be in the starting line-up.
- Newly-promoted Mosta are interested in signing former Rabat Ajax and Marsa midfielder Roderick Asciak as they aim to add experience in midfield. Asciak had a good season last year when he was on loan with Marsa.
In the mean time, Mosta registered their third foreigner - Brazilian defender Cristiano Goncalves de Oliveira. He is expected to make his debut on Saturday as Mosta face Hamrun Spartans.
- Marsa have released Nigerian striker Christian Sylvester and will be signing once again teenage striker Anthony Evi Parker.
Sylvester failed to impress in the first match against Birkirkara which the Red Blues lost 0-6 with the Nigerian player committing an own goal early in the game.
Evi Parker returns with Marsa after having played nine matches and scoring two goals in the early part of last season. He was then released and joined Nadur Youngsters in Gozo with whom he won the GFA First Division championship. Evi Parker will be making his return for Marsa on Saturday in their second league match against Valletta.
Also back for Marsa in the game against Valletta will be defenders Nikolai Slavtchev and Brian Bonnici. Slavtchev was suspended while Bonnici has now registered with the club from Xghajra after the prohibition on Xghajra was lifted by the MFA. This also means that goalkeeper Maurizio Valastro will also make his debut with Xghajra on Saturday.
- Pietà Hotspurs signed Malta Under 21 defender Lee Lombardi. Lombardi was a free agent after his contract with St. Andrews had expired.
However Lee Lombardi, who was also attracting the interest of champions Hibernians, will be able to play for the Hotspurs only in a month's time as he is currently recovering from an injury.
In the mean time, Pietà are searching for a third foreigner. The only two foreigners currently on their books are Australian defender/midfielder Mirko Jurilj and Italian defender Mauro Di Lello.
Tue 27
- Fgura Tournament Fgura U. vs Tarxien R. 2-2
- Pre-sale of match tickets for the Millenium Stand Inauguration Match between the MFA XI and top Italian side FC Inter which will be held at the National Stadium, Ta' Qali on Tuesday September 3 will commence on Wednesday 28th August 2002 from the following authorised retail outlets: Geraldu Kiosk (Republic Street, Valletta), Sultana Stationery (Merchants Street, Valletta), Eros Stationery (Wilga Street, Paceville), Scribbles Stationery (Psaila Street, B'Kara), Star Tourism (Pioneer Road, Bugibba), Playcraft (Main Square, Paola), il-Fornaio (Blata l-Bajda), Whitefrost Ltd, 196 Main Street (Qormi), Inter Club Malta (Sta. Venera) and the National Stadium, Ta' Qali.
Match ticket prices are as follows: West Stand, Side B (Enclosure) - Lm15.00, West Stand, Side A & C (Enclosure) - Lm10.00, Millenium Stand, Side B - Lm10.00, Millenium Stand, Side A & C - Lm7.00,
North & South Stands, Adults - Lm4.00 and North & South Stands, Children Under 12 - Lm2.00.
Mon 26
- Premier League Mosta vs Valletta 0-4
- Fgura Tournament Zebbug R. vs Luqa SA 1-1
- Sliema Wanderers leave Malta on Tuesday destination Warsaw where they will be facing KS Polonia Warszawa in the second leg of the UEFA Cup qualifying round. In the first leg at Ta' Qali, Sliema lost 1-3.
Worrying coach Edward Aquilina are the conditions of Chris Okoh, Ian Ciantar and Noel Turner. Okoh sustained a slight injury in the opening Premier League match against Pietà Hotspurs in which the Wanderers were held in a 2-2 draw. Turner was sick while Ian Ciantar, who should be back after serving a one-match suspension is not fully fit.
Malta international midfielder Joe Brincat is still ruled out through an injury while Brazilian defender Renato Garcia Conceicao who had joined the Blues specifically for these matches is unavailable after being sent off in the first leg.
The good news is that Carlo Mamo is back for Sliema despite he is serving a ban in domestic competitions.
The players who are expected to make the trip are:
goalkeepers Jason Cordina, Murphy Akanji;
defenders Jeffrey Chetcuti, Brian Said, Chris Okoh, Ian Ciantar, Carlo Mamo, Josef Mifsud;
midfielders Noel Turner, Kevin Sammut, Massimo Grima, David Camilleri, Rupert Mangion and
strikers Eduardo do Nascimento, Danilo Doncic, Nenad Veselji, Shawn Tellus.
Sun 25
- Premier League Marsaxlokk vs Hibernians 0-4, Floriana vs Hamrun S. 0-1
- Although Michael Mifsud had managed to put Kaiserslautern Amateure ahead after 25 minutes, his goal was not enough for the Reds to spare the third successive defeat in the Regionalliga Sud. The 4-1 defeat to Jahn Regensburg puts Kaiserslautern back in the lower part of the table.
Meanwhile Stefan Giglio's Lokomotiv Sofia lost 2-1 to Lokomotiv Plovdiv in a match from the Bulgarian Premier League.
Sat 24
- Premier League Pietà H. vs Sliema W. 2-2, Marsa vs Birkirkara 0-6
Fri 23
- The Millennium Stand at the National Stadium will be inaugurated on Tuesday September 3. The inauguration ceremony will be followed by a match between the national team and top Italian side Inter.
This was announced by MFA president Dr Joe Mifsud during a press conference in which he spoke at length about the inauguration.
Dr Mifsud said that the stand will be inaugurated by the President of the Republic Prof Guido de Marco and will be blessed by Archbishop Joseph Mercieca. The MFA president said both have accepted the invitation as they are aware of the role football plays in society.
For the time being, only the stand for the spectators and the central part of the stand will be inaugurated. Next in line are the swimming pool and the gymnasium operating on two floors which should be opened by the end of the year.
The MFA president said the opening of the Millennium Stand could be described as "a dream comes true". He said the project goes back to 1986 when the East Stand began subsiding. This became more evident leading to the MFA to discuss with the government what had to be done to solve the problem since at that time the stadium was only rented to the association.
In December 1997, the government leased the stadium to the MFA and the association soon started working on the project of the stand. It was demolished in August 1999 and Architect Ludovico Micallef became responsible of the technical part of the project. Scottish firm Miller Partnerships was entrusted with the design and local architects Sant & Mugliett developed further the plans. The architects were assisted bby draughtsman Paul Caruana while Works Manager Joe Azzopardi monitored the works.
Dr Mifsud said the project has been developed in a much better way than it was initially thought. He said the Millennium Stand, which will be able to host 5,200 spectators on the stands, compares very well wuth those in stadiums abroad and appealed to the public to make sure no vandalism takes place in the stand.
The opening ceremony will be followed by an inauguaration match between the MFA XI and FC Internazionale of Italy. Following a request by Inter the game and hence the opening ceremony will be held on Tuesday 3 and not Wednesday 4 as it was earlier reported.
The Inter FC contingent will arrive in Malta on the day of the matchat 11:30am on a special chartered flight and will depart to the airport after the match. On arrival, the players and officials will be taken from the airport apron direct to the hotel.
Match ticket prices for the game are as follows: West Stand B - Lm 15; West Stand A & C - Millennium Stand B - Lm 10; Millennium Stand A & C - Lm 7; North & South Stands - Lm 4 and North & South Stands Children Under 12 - Lm 2.
- Speaking during a press-conference, MFA president Dr Joe Mifsud said that the negative results against Macedonia showed clearly both national teams had to work harder. Mifsud said sometimes "we need a shock to realise the need to work harder."
Referring to criticism that the matches against Macedonia should not have been held, he said that he matches were held on days which are scheduled for international matches in the international football calendar. Being a small country, Malta has to play friendly matches on such days as otherwise it would be difficult to attract other countries.
As regards the forthcoming EURO 2004 fixtures, the MFA president said that Malta is aiming to do better. On the other hand, the MFA hopes that the Under 21 squad repeats the results and performances of the previous edition although, unlike the senior squad, this team is constrained by age-limits which leads to the changing of several players from one edition to another.
- The Malta Football Association will be joining national associations, their leagues and clubs in celebrating Fair Play as FIFA celebrates Fair Play Day 2002 this weekend.
Speaking during a press conference, MFA president Dr Joe Mifsud said whenever there is a suspision of lack of fair play, the MFA will take serios action. Allegations of corruption will be investigated and those proved guilty will face a life-ban. He appealed for those who have evidence of such cases to speak out.
But Dr Mifsud said Fair Play is not only corruption but also cheating, shirt-pulling, diving, trying to trick referees and doping to enhance performances.
In a message for the occasion, which will be read before this weekend's Premier league matches, the MFA president says:
"Following the introduction of the first Fair Play Day by FIFA in 1997, FIFA is dedicating the 24th and 25th August 2002 for the celebration of Fair Play all over the world. This coincides with the U/19 Women's World Championship which are bing held in Canada and the opening of the Premier League 2002/03.
"Therefore on the occasion it is appriopriate to appeal to players coaches, referees, club officials and supporters to practice Fair Play, not only on this occasion but throughout the season, as this is essential for the development of the game.
"Although the concept of Fair Play is not new, it is of utmost importance to emphasise on the importance of Fair Play for all those involved in the game.
"I am sure all those who really love football will join me and the Council Members of the MFA in doing their part in making the game in Malta full of examples of Fair Play and and condemning all those that go against the concept of Fair Play."
- Birkirkara FC would like to encourage its faithful supporters and the general sporting public to attend for the UEFA Cup 1st Qualifying round 2nd Leg match between Birkirkara FC vs FC Metalurh Zaporizhya due to be played on Thursday, 29th August, 2002 at the Ta’ Qali, National Stadium. The match will kick-off at 8.45pm.
Although the 3-0 deficit obtained in the 1st leg match played on the 15th August has jeopardised the qualification to the next round, our young squad led by coach Stephen Azzopardi is looking forward to a positive performance in front of its crowd. A win against the visiting Ukrainians would help to build on the positive results obtained by Maltese clubs in UEFA competitions in recent years whilst also pride our club with the first win in this competition.
In order to attract and also reward the Maltese football enthusiasts the entrance fees have been harmonised with the local competition prices i.e. Enclosure – Lm 3, North & South Stands – Lm 1.50, Ladies Lm 1.50 while for children under 12 years of age the entrance is free.
In a press release the club encourages the local sporting public to support Birkirkara as they represent our country in such prestigious competition to obtain a positive result which would honour us and all.
- Floriana FC will have two new foreigners in squad following the departure of Edoardo do Nascimento who joined Sliema and Rufin Oba who moved to Belgium. One of these foreigners is young Cameroon midfielder Isaac Mopi who made two appearences for Birkirkara last season before joining the Floriana youths with whom he won the Youth League title. The other foreigner is Grigol Gvazava, a striker from Georgia who played for Margveti Zestaphoni and Georgia Tbilisi.
- Fgura Tournament Ta' Xbiex vs Zejtun C. 1-10
Thu 22
- During a press-conference, Marsa FC presented their new players and sponsors. The new players in squad are goalkeepers Jimmy Micallef and Maurizio Valastro; defender Dennis Baldacchino, midfielders Sandro Gambin and Gordon Camenzuli and strikers Kenneth Abela and Malcolm Tirchett. Players who were already on loan with the club like George Cutajar, Chris Borg, Brian Bonnici, Stefano Grima and Kurt Formosa were confirmed while Daniel Gatt, Johann Zammit and Jason Grech returned with the club after being on loan.
- Balzan Youths won the Maurice Debono Sirens Tournament 2002 after beating hosts Sirens 2-0 in the last game on Thursday. The Youths remained unbeating in the tournament, beating Mqabba 1-0 and holding Rabat Ajax in a 2-2 draw last Monday.
Meanwhile the first round of matches in the Magi Arredamenti Fgura United Pre-Season Tournament came to an end on Wednesday with Third Division side Kirkop United humiliating Luqa St. Andrew's from Division 2 in a 9-0 win in Group B.
Alistair Camilleri scored three of the goals with Josef Mansueto and Steven Cachia notching a brace each. Alex Cassar and Jean Paul Zammit scored the other two goals. Luqa had James Briffa sent off midway in the first half. In another match from Group B, Zebbug Rangers and St. George's shared the points in a 1-1 draw, goals by Tristan Camilleri and Keith Darmanin.
After that hosts Fgura had defeated Ta' Xbiex 3-0, Zejtun Corinthians beat Tarxien Rainbows 1-0 in another match from Group A. Stavros Scicluna scored the only goal.
- In a surprise move, Marsa FC released the naturalised Maltese striker Igor Stefanovic. The Yugoslav-born player played regularly for the Red-Blues since joining them in season 2000/01 in the First Division with whom he won the First Division championship.
Stefanovic arrived in Malta in 1994 and after two years with the Greens he moved to Mosta in Division 1. He returned back with the Greens in 1997 but after one year, he joined Birkirkara. However after a handful of matches, he signed for Naxxar Lions later on that season. In 1999, he played for Gozo FC in the Premier League and when the islanders were relegated to Division 1, Stefanovic joined Marsa.
- Following their dramatic win of the Cisk Export Beach Soccer Tour last month, Wiggles are now off to Monopoli in Italy. On Saturday 24th August, on Monopoli's Callo Paradiso beach, Wiggles will be challenging three other Italian beach soccer teams, Monopoli, Pulsatto and Beach Sporting Club. Wiggles are Sandro Rapinett, Fabio Cauchi, Noel Borg, Jeffrey Zammit, Marco Buttigieg, Stephen Said, Kurt Formosa and Patrick Xuereb.
This will be the second participation of a Maltese team in an international beach soccer competition following the participation of another Maltese squad in the 1st Magnum Cup 'Coppa di Capitanata', organised by the Italia Beach Soccer Association and supported by the 'Comune di Foggia'. The Maltese team, made up of ex-international players John Bonello, John Buttigieg, Edwin Camilleri, Raymond Vella, Charles Scerri, Silvio Vella and Alex Azzopardi, competed against an Italian and an Argentinian team. Stefano Tacconi, Sebino Nela, Claudio Valigi, Antonio Di Gennaro, Carlo Perrone, Marizio Iorio and Pietro Maiellaro played for Italy while Argentina was represented by Massiniliano Ferrero, Pablo Zanetti, Massimilan Chirdo, Pedro Pablo Pasculli, Sebastian Conti, Leonardo Testone and Mario Reveruzzi.
In the first match against Italy, Malta ended the match 8-8 but lost by golden goal. Another dramatic draw of 9-9 was obtained against the Argentinians but this time, Malta won following a penalty shoot-out. Italy beat Argentina in the final thus winning the tournament.
The event formed part of European Beach Soccer Golden League's ongoing efforts to promote beach soccer throughout Italy through a number of tournaments with prestigious beach soccer teams. Although applying beach soccer rules, the tournament was not played on sand but in stadiums, generating large numbers of spectators.
Wed 21
- International Friendly Macedonia vs Malta 5-0
- Fgura Tournament Kirkop U. vs Luqa SA 9-0
- Champions Hibernians made their first signing of the season when they managed to take on board Naxxar Lions midfielder Victor Bellia. The former Malta Under 21 midfielder has been playing regularly for Naxxar for the past five years in the Premier League after making his debut in season 1995-96. Bellia joins Hibernians on a one-year loan after Naxxar were relegated to Division 1 at the end of last season.
- Thirty-two year old Bulgarian midfielder Milen Penchev was confirmed as the second foreigner for Valletta. In his career, Penchev played top-level football in Bulgarian sides Levski Sofia, Shumen, Chernomorets and Dobrudzha.
The Citizens are yet to choose a third foreigner. They currently have Nigerian striker Ganny Alagally Kolawole on trial after he was not retained by Marsaxlokk. Earlier they had another Nigerian striker, Sunday Esi Oduko. However it would be no surprise if the Citizens were to decide not to sign another foreign player.
Tue 20
- Under 21 Friendly Macedonia vs Malta 2-0
- Fgura Tournament Zejtun C. vs Tarxien R. 1-0
- Malta will be facing Macedonia in a friendly match at the City Stadium of Skopje (kick-off at 20:00), hoping to extend the positive run to seven matches without defeat. Malta had suffered the last defeat against Northern Ireland in October. Since then Malta registered wins over Canada, Jordan, Moldova and Azerbaijan and draws with Lithuania and Andorra.
But more important is the preparation for the forthcoming EURO 2004 qualifiers against Slovenia on September 7 and against Israel and France in October.
Back in the national team following long-term injuries are former Valletta midfielder Stefan Giglio, now with Lokomotiv Sofia, and Valletta's David Carabott. Giglio has been out of the team for over eleven months after suffering an injury while playing for CSKA in Bulgaria. On the other hand, Carabott broke his leg in the final match of the Rothmans Tournament against Moldova a few minutes before he was due to lift the trophy. Both players are expected to be included in the starting line-up which should also include Luke Dimech who is still searching for a club in England after moving there last month.
Held is expected to field these players: Muscat, Carabott, Turner, Chetcuti, Debono, Dimech, Agius, Giglio, Theuma, Michael Mifsud, Nwoko. Also at his disposal are Haber, Camenzuli, Said, Holland, Mamo, Bogdanovic and Adrian Mifsud.
Meanwhile the two coaches of Malta and Macedonia, Sigi Held and Nikola Ilievski were forced to make a change in their squads. Pietà Hotspurs goalkeeper Saviour Darmanin is suffering from a shoulder injury and Justin Haber was drafted in the senior squad as the second goalkeeper. On the other hand, Aginaldo Braga was not allowed to join the Macedonian squad by his club Aris Salonika. Ilievski replaced him with Pance Stojanov of Belasica GC Strumica.
- These were hectic weeks for three Birkirkara players who have spent less than 36 hours in Malta since the beginning of the month.Goalkeeper Justin Haber, defender William Camenzuli and striker Chucks Nwoko had left Malta on July 31 as they were forming part of the national squad that went for a ten-day training camp in Germany.
The national squad arrived in Malta on Saturday 10 but on Sunday night, they joined the Birkirkara squad on a long trip to Ukraine, via Istanbul, where the Stripes faced Metalurh Zaporizhya in the first leg of the UEFA Cup qualifying round last Thursday.
The Birkirkara squad travelled back to Istanbul where they stayed for a couple of days before returning back to Malta on Monday morning. However at 13:00, they had to go to the Malta International Airport to join the national squads on their way to Skopje, Macedonia where the national teams will be playing two friendly matches.
Camenzuli and Nwoko are part of the senior squad while Haber forms part of the Under 21 side.
Mon 19
- Sirens Tournament Rabat A. vs Balzan Y. 2-2
- Fgura Tournament Zebbug R. vs St. George's 1-1
- Pietà Hotspurs won the Carlsberg Hibernians Tournament 2002 which was held at the Hibernians Ground, Corradino.
Pietà Hotspurs needed just a draw from the game against Marsaxlokk to claim the tournament. However they managed to win 1-0, a goal by Jamie Pace. In the other match, hosts Hibernians and Marsa shared the points in an interesting 3-3 draw. Former Hibs striker Malcolm Tichett put Marsa ahead but Hibs turned the score in their favour with a Terence Scerri brace and a goal by Miguel Mifsud. However in the dying minutes, another former Hibs player Kenneth Abela and Johann Zammit levelled the score for Marsa.
- The Malta Under-21 side, edition 2002-2004, will be making its debut on Tuesday in a friendly match against Macedonia at the City Stadium of Kicevo, kick-off at 17:00. Both sides will be using this friendly match in order to prepare for the forthcoming matches from the qualifying round of the UEFA Under 21 Championship.
For the first time, the team will be under the guidance of coach Mark Miller who took over from Ray 'Zazu' Farrugia in July when the latter chose not to renew his contract and join Pietà Hotspurs instead. The squad which travelled to Macedonia includes several new players, mostly former U-18 players.
Malta and Macedonia faced each other four times at U-21 level. In two friendly matches, Malta lost 0-1 in Krotovo in March 1996 and then 0-2 in November at the Victor Tedesco Stadium. Two years later, in two qualifying matches from the Under 21 Championships, Macedonia won 1-0 in Skopje in September 1998 but two months later, Malta registered its largest win beating Macedonia 5-1 at the Victor Tedesco Stadium.
- After naming a 20-man squad on Sunday, Malta national coach Sigi Held dropped another two players before the squads left Malta destination Skopje for next Wednesday's friendly international against Macedonia. Held dropped Birkirkara duo George Mallia and Michael Spiteri. The two players were unable to join the squad due to work pressure.
Meanwhile the coach of Macedonia, Nikola Ilievski named a 19-man squad for Wednesday's game. Ilievski left out Sasa Ciric, Goran Stavrevski and Toni Micevski - three of Macedonia's most experienced players.
The squad is made up of:
goalkeepers: Petar Milosevski (Malatyaspor), Jane Nikolovski (Slavia Sofia);
defenders: Goce Sedlovski (Dinamo Zagreb), Igor Mitreski (Spartak Moscow), Bobi Grncarov (OFK Beograd), Igor Sasa Nikolovski (Lierse SK);
midfielders: Aleksandar Mitrevski (Grasshoppers), Aginaldo Braga (Aris Salonika), Velice Shumulikovski (Synot), Robert Petrov (Lokomotiv Plovdiv), Robert Popov (Belasica GC Strumica), Artim Sakiri (CSKA Sofia), Danco Masev (Belasica GC Strumica), Vlatko Grozdanovski (Cementarnica 55 Skopje), Angel Panov (OFK Beograd) and
forwards: Georgi Hristov (Nijmegen), Goran Pandev (Spezia), Ace Stojkov (Spezia), Goce Tolevski (Napredok Kicevo).
Sun 18
- Malta national coach Sigi Held named a 20-man squad for next Wednesday's friendly international against Macedonia.
Out of the squad are the injured Joe Brincat of Sliema and Miguel Mifsud of Hibernians. Brincat who played 99 matches for the national team has been waiting since last February to make the 100th international appearance but injuries each time forced him out. Held also dropped Ian Ciantar and David Camilleri of Sliema and Malcolm Licari of Pietà.
On the other hand, back in the national team are Luke Dimech, Michael Mifsud and Stefan Giglio. Dimech is yet to secure a contract with an English club after moving there six weeks ago. Mifsud and Giglio will be playing for their clubs on Sunday before joining the national squad.
- Stefan Giglio's Lokomotiv Sofia lost 0-2 to his former team CSKA Sofia. On the other hand, Michael Mifsud's Kaiserslautern Amateure suffered a heavy 0-5 defeat to TSG Hoffenheim.
- Valletta FC registered an easy 4-0 win over the Malta Amateur team which will be representing Malta in the UEFA Regions Cup in October. Daniel Theuma, Chris Oretan, Daniel Bogdanovic and Trevor Theuma scored the four goals.
Meanwhile Pietà Hotspurs have secured the services of Valletta midfielder Sharlon Pace. The former Gzira United midfielder joins Pietà on a one-year loan. He had joined the Citizens two years ago but after a long-term injury, he played just twelve matches last season.
On the other hand, the official site of Valletta FC, www.vallettafcofficial.net, reports that the arrival of the midfielder from Azerbaijan, Makhmud Gurbanov, has been put on hold for the time being. The club has decided to first monitor the qualities of Bulgarian midfielder Milen Penchev, who is currently on trial with the club, and then take a decision whether to retain him or not before. Therefore if Penchev does not satisfies the club's expectations and is not retained, that the club will offer Gurbanov a trial.
Sat 17
- Former Xghajra Tornadoes, Sliema Wanderers and Qormi striker Uwa Ogbodo is Marsaxlokk's third foreigner. Ogbodo has already made two appearances for Marsaxlokk in the Carlsberg Tournament matches against Hibernians and Marsa. Last season Uwa Ogbodo played for Longford Town in Ireland. Marsaxlokk's other two foreigners are Nigerian defender Benneth Njoku and Czech midfielder Petr Bartes.
With the signing of Uwa Ogbodo, Marsaxlokk will have signed twelve players so far: Carmel Formosa (Pietà), Reggie Cini, Trevor Templeman, Brandon Zammit, Joseph Farrugia, Roger Walker and Pierre Grima (all from Sliema), Richard Buhagiar (Floriana), Justin Tellus (Birkirkara), Petr Bartes and Benneth Njoku (SK Victoria W.).
However that is not all as in the coming days, Marsaxlokk will be filing the registration of another two players. In fact, Birkirkara midfielder Michael Cutajar, who was expected to move to Gozo after being released by the Stripes, and Pietà Hotspurs defender Kurt Farrugia have also reached an agreement with the newly-promoted side.
Fri 16
- Pietà Hotspurs defeated hosts Hibernians 2-1 in the Carlsberg Tournament to register their second win in the tournament.
Jamie Pace put Pietà ahead midway in the first half. Andrew Cohen missed a penalty for Hibernians but five minutes from time, they managed to level the score thanks to Essien Mbong. However Australian midfielder Mirko Jurilj gave Pietà the three points just before the final whistle. In another match, Marsa and Marsaxlokk shared the points in a goalless draw.
- In a friendly match, Hamrun Spartans lost 0-2 to First Division side Msida St. Joseph. In earlier frienlies, Hamrun had defeated Naxxar 1-0, Qormi 3-1 and Ghajnsielem 4-1.
- Fgura United Tournament Fgura U. vs Ta' Xbiex 3-0
- The senior national team and the Under 21 side under the guidance of coaches Sigi Held and Mark Miller respectively, will be leaving Malta on Monday afternoon destination Skopje where Malta will be playing friendly matches against Macedonia. Both coaches will be using these matches as preparation for the forthcoming EURO 2004 fixtures. Malta plays Slovenia on September 7 at Ljubljana with the U-21 sides playing on a day earlier.
Mark Miller's Under 21 side faces Macedonia on Tuesday 20 at the City Stadium of Kicevo, kick-off at 17:00. The team will have a training session at the same venue on Tuesday morning. On the other hand, the senior side plays at the City Stadium in Skopje on Wednesday, kick-off at 20:00. SIgi Held will be conducting four training sessions: one on Monday, two on Tuesday and another on Wednesday morning.
Accompanying the national squad are MFA president Dr. Joe Mifsud who will also be the head of delegation, general secretary Joe Gauci, Hon. Treasurer Alex Manfre, deputy general secretary and media officer Louis Micallef, executive committee member Paul Sammut and council member George Carbone together with the national team's technical staff Ronnie Attard (National Teams Co-ordinator), Sigi Held (national coach), Michael Molzahn (staff coach), Dr. David Attard (team doctor), Tony Gambin (masseur) and Carmelo Gauci (kit manager).
The provisional squad is made up of:
goalkeepers Saviour Darmanin (Pietà) and Mario Muscat (Hibs);
defenders Jeffrey Chetcuti and Ian Ciantar (Sliema), Darren Debono (Valletta), Luke Dimech, Carlo Mamo and Brian Said (Sliema) and Michael Spiteri (Birkirkara);
midfielders Gilbert Agius (Valletta), Joe Brincat and David Camilleri (Sliema), WIlliam Camenzuli (Birkirkara), David Carabott (Valletta), Stefan Giglio (Lokomotiv Sofia), Jonathan Holland (Floriana), Daniel Theuma (Valletta) and Noel Turner (Sliema) and
forwards Daniel Bogdanovic (Valletta), Malcolm Licari (Pietà), Adrian Mifsud and Miguel Mifsud (Hibs), Michael Mifsud (Kaiserslautern), George Mallia and Chucks Nwoko (Birkirkara).
Accompanying the Under 21 squad are MFA senior vice-president Carmel Bartolo, team secretary Ivan Vella, council member Vincent Gauci, Alex Vella an MFA sponsor, U-21 national coach Mark Miller, team doctor Stephen Zammit and physiotherapist Joseph St John.
The Under 21 squad is made up of:
goalkeepers Reuben Gauci (Floriana), Justin Haber (Birkirkara);
defenders Ian Azzopardi and Clifton Ciantar (Floriana), Roderick Farrugia and Clint Micallef (Birkirkara), Ryan Mintoff (St. Andrew's), Shawn Tellus (Sliema) and Brandon Zammit (Marsaxlokk);
midfielders Etienne Barbara and Shaun Bajada (Floriana), Roderick Bajada (Hamrun), Jonathan Bondin (Valletta), Christian Cassar (Floriana), Gareth Sciberras (Pietà), and Kevin Sammut (Sliema) and
forwards Andrew Cohen and Antoine Zahra (Hibs).
The Maltese squads return back on Thursday morning, just a couple of days before the Premier League kicks-off.
Thu 15
- UEFA Cup Sliema W. vs Polonia Warszawa 1-3, Metalurh Zaporizhya vs Birkirkara 3-0
- Top Italian Serie A side Inter will be visiting Malta on September 4 to play a friendly match against a local selection to mark the inauguration of the new Millennium Stand at the National Stadium. However national team players will be unavailable for both Malta and Inter. The national team will be in Slovenia where the Under 21 national side plays on Friday and the senior side on Saturday.
Most of Inter's international players will also be unavailable. Italian national team players Francesco Toldo, Fabio Cannavaro, Francesco Coco, Gigi di Biagio, Marco Materazzi, Cristiano Zanetti and Christian Vieri are therefore possibly all ruled out since Italy faces Azerbaijan. Emre and Okan should form part of the Turkish squad while Francisco Javier Farinos will be with the Spanish national squad. Sergio Conceicao will be playing a friendly match for Portugal.
Hector Cuper's squad is expected in Malta in the morning and leaves just after the game.
Wed 14
- Malta lost two places in the FIFA World Rankings as published on Wednesday. Malta, who did not play any international matches over the past six weeks since the last rankings were published, in now 118th. Tahiti, Guinea, Singapore, Uganda, Malaysia, Panama and Azerbaijan lie just ahead of Malta.
Among the other European countries, Malta is 47th. Ahead of Malta are Lithuania (98th), Armenia (100th), Latvia (102nd), Kazakhstan (103rd), Moldova (105th) and Azerbaijan (117th). On the other hand, behind Malta are the Faroe Islands (123), Andorra (140), Luxembourg (147), Liechtenstein (150) and San Marino (161).
Malta plays Macedonia in a friendly match in Skopje on August 21. The national team then starts its EURO 2004 commitments with the away game against Slovenia on September 7.
- Pietà Hotspurs and host Hibernians registered wins over Marsa and Marsaxlokk respectively in the opening matches from the Carlsberg Tournament 2002 which is being held at the Hibernians Ground, Corradino.
In the first match, Marsa managed to take the lead thanks to new Nigerian striker Christian Sylvester but with goals by Malcolm Licari, a penalty by Ivan Woods and another goal by Licari, following a deflection by Asechemie, Pietà turned the score in their favour by the end of the first half. Sandro Gambin reduced the gap for Marsa for a final 3-2 score.
A depleted Hibernians side beat newly-promoted Marsaxlokk 1-0, a goal by Nigerian teenage striker Udochukwu Nwoko.
- During a press-conference, Sliema Wanderers presented their new signings. These are Joe Brincat, Chris Okoh, Brazilians Eduardo do Nascimento and Renato Garcia Conceicao, Gordian Ohaegbu and goalie Jason Cordina. Another new player for Sliema is Malta international defender Jeffrey Chetcuti, who however was not present.
Meanwhile Law. Quintano Ltd have extended their sponsorship of Sliema Wanderers through the brand Danone.
- A goal by Michael Mifsud was not enough for Kaiserslautern Amateure to spare a defeat against SpVgg Unterhaching in a match from the Regionalliga Sud. The Malta international striker put the Reds ahead on the hour but Unterhaching turned the score in their favour with three goals for a final 3-1 score. This was the first defeat after five matches for Kaiserslautern Amateure who are now ninth out of 19 teams.
Tue 13
- A Maltese lawyer is behind a multi-national company which has just bought Italian Serie B side Venezia. This new company takes over the ownership of the club from Maurizio Zamparini who bought Palermo from Roma president Franco Sensi.
A.C. Venezia 1907 is now officially owned by Turk Hasan Teoman and Anton Micallef, president and lawyer respectively of a multi-national company based in London, Vienna, Istanbul and the USA. The company deals with construction and real estate, fabrication and distribution of furniture and hotel-management. Hasan Teoman is the Managing Director and Partner of Teoman & Partner Consulting.
According to Italian newspaper, Il Gazzettino di Venezia, Dr Anton Micallef, who is expected in Venice on August 26, will be one of the three members of the board of directors which will be managing the club. The board will be made up of club president Franco Dal Cin, general manager Alessandro Castellini and Micallef, who will be representing the multi-national group. Teoman will be the president of the Venice Holding srl which controls the club arancioneroverde.
The new owners are bound to deposit 10 million euro and is bound to conclude the deal with Zamparini in a maximum of 90 days with the payment of 5 or 6 million euro. The new ownership's first target is to build a new stadium.
The club will be starting from scratch following the departure of 20 players and especially established ones such as Maniero, Marasco, Di Napoli, Bilica, Valtolina and De Franceschi. Coach Gianfranco Bellotto returns with the club.
- A hamstring injury suffered during the national team's training camp in Germany could cost Joe Brincat missing the first leg of the UEFA Cup qualifying round against Polonia Warszawa on Thursday. Brincat's injury is not the only one which is worrying Sliema Wanderers coach Edward Aquilina as another player, defender Jeffrey Chetcuti, suffered a shoulder injury also during the national team's training camp. The absence of Brincat and Chetcuti, two new players in the Sliema squad after signing from Birkirkara and Valletta respectively, would definitely be a major setback for the Blues.
- Sirens Tournament Mqabba vs Rabat Ajax 4-3
- In a friendly match, Floriana defeated Xghajra Tornadoes 4-1.
- Four Premier League clubs will be taking part in this year's edition of the Hibernians Tournament which will be held at the Hibernians Ground between August 14 and 19. Marsa, Pietà Hotspurs, newly-promoted Marsaxlokk and Hibernians will be playing in this pre-season tournament which will be held on a one-round league basis. In the first matches on Wednesday, Pietà Hotspurs face Marsa while Marsaxlokk take on Hibernians.
- The third edition of the Magi Arredamenti Fgura United Pre-Season Tournament kicks-off on Friday at the Pace Grasso Ground.
Taking part are eight teams coming from Divisions 2 and 3. Playing in Group A are Tarxien Rainbows from Division 2 and hosts Fgura United, Ta' Xbiex and Zejtun Corinthians from Division 3. Two Second Division clubs - Luqa St. Andrew's and Zebbug Rangers - and two from Division 3 - Kirkop United and St. George's - make up Group B.
The tournament will be played on a one-round league basis with the winners of the two groups facing each other in the final scheduled for September 11.
Mon 12
- The Birkirkara squad accompanied by coach Stephen Azzopardi, assistant coach Roger Camilleri and other club officials left Malta during the night between Sunday and Monday, destination Ukraine where the Stripes will be facing FC Metalurh Zaporizhzhya in the UEFA Cup qualifying round first leg on Thursday.
The journey is set to be a long one as the team has to travel to Istanbul, then catch an aeroplane to Kiev and finally travel for another nine-hours by coach to Dnipropetrovsk. In fact, Birkirkara will be playing at the Meteor Stadium in Dnipropetrovsk since Metalurh's stadium is not suitable to stage UEFA Cup matches.
Four players - William Camenzuli, Chucks Nwoko, George Mallia and Justin Haber - had arrived in Malta on Saturday after a ten-day training camp in Germany with the national team.
Birkirkara coach Stephen Azzopardi will be holding the first training session for the players on Tuesday where he will have the first opportunity to watch George Mallia in action with his new team-mates after the player could not even attend a single training session with the club after joining them from Floriana.
The team leaves Kiev on Friday and they will be spending two days in Istanbul where Azzopardi will be holding other training sessions in view of the Premier League which kicks-off a week later.
- Two foreign midfielders are expected in Malta this week where they should start a trial with Valletta. The two players come from Azerbaijan and Bulgaria.
Bulgarian 32-year old midfielder Milen Penchev Stefanov. Penchev, who played for Levski Sofia, Shumen, Chernomorets and Dobrudzha, among other clubs, arrived in Malta on Monday.
On the other hand, the midfielder from Azerbaijan is international Makhmud Gurbanov. 29-year old Gurbanov is a regular choice for the national team and plays for FC Shamkir.
Valletta have currently just one foreign player on their books - Chris Oretan. Maczerob Okoro was released after the Intertoto Cup matches while Kamil Dvorak left the club to return to his home-country. Earlier this month, a Nigerian player Sunday Esi Oduko joined the Citizens for a trial but he was not retained.
Sun 11
- Malta international midfielder Stefan Giglio was in top-form on hs debut for Lokomotiv Sofia scoring a goal. Giglio, who joined Lokomotiv, earlier this week on a one-year loan from CSKA, scored for Lokomotiv after just three minutes. The game against newly-promoted Rilski Sportist Samokov ended in a 1-1 draw.
- It was a busy weekend for Malta international striker Michael Mifsud with his club Kaiserslautern.
On Saturday, Mifsud was included as a substitute by coach Andreas Brehme in Kaiserslautern's 1-1 draw against VfB Stuttgart away from home. He replaced Miroslav Klose, scorer of the only goal for Kaiserslautern, four minutes from time.
On Sunday, Mifsud notched the equaliser for Kaiserslautern Amateure in the team's fourth league match in the Regionalliga Sud against Stuttgarter Kickers. Michael Mifsud made the score 1-1 on 76 minutes after the visitors had taken the lead on 17 minutes.
Kaiserslautern Amateure are still unbeaten with a win and three draws after four matches.
- In a friendly match, Sliema Wanderers defeated Rabat Ajax 5-1.
Sat 10
- Malta international midfielder Stefan Giglio is set to make his debut for his new club Lokomotiv Sofia this evening as the Bulgarian Premier League kicks off. Lokomotiv host Rilski Sportist Samokov.
Giglio's move from CSKA to Lokomotiv came quite as a surprise since he quickly recovered his old form on the return from a serious injury that left him on the sidelines for several months. In fact he scored two goals as a substitute in a cup game. However, the arrivals of Bulgarian Under-21 starlet Emil Gargorov from Lokomotiv Sofia, Portuguese player Joăo Paulo Brito and Macedonia captain Artim Sakiri, had put his first-team prospects under threat. And with coach Stoicho Mladenov aiming to sign a Brazilian striker, the club was forced to drop one of their overseas players.
The vice-president of Lokomotiv is former Birkirkara player Ivan Vassilev.
In the mean time, Michael Mifsud was included in Kaiserslautern's 19-man squad for their first league match on Saturday against Stuttgart away from home. He could also play for the Amateur side in the Regionalliga Sud when Kaiserslautern take on Stuttgarter Kickers.
Fri 9
- Valletta decided not to retain Nigerian striker Sunday Esi Oduko after the club was not satisfied with his performance in friendly matches. The decision was taken after last Tuesday's friendly match against St. Patrick which Valletta won 3-0.
Next Monday, a midfielder from Azerbaijan, Mahmud Gurbanov, will be joining the Citizens for a trial. The 29-year old midfielder Gurbanov, who is a regular choice for the national team, played for FC Shamkir. If he satisfies the club's expectancies, he will fill the void left Czech midfielder Kamil Dvorak who returned to his home country. Valletta currently have only one foreigner on their books - Nigerian striker Chris Oretan. They are reportedly interested in Marsa midfielder Minabo Asechemie. Valletta also have a young Nigerian player Ikechuwku Chibueze who is however set to play for the Youths' team.
- First Division side Lija Athletic won the 24th edition of the Gammari Muscat Mosta Tournament. In a decisive match, Lija defeated Zurrieq 3-1. Andrea Zammit Tabone, who was voted Best Player of the tournament, notched a brace with Michael Gatt scoring the other goal for Lija. Philip Farrugia scored the consolation goal for Zurrieq. Mosta place second with six points, Senglea third with two points and Zurrieq fourth with one point. Andrea Zammit Tabona is the tournament's top scorer with three goals.
- The Mosta F.C. Youth Nursery Under 14 team just returned from Holland where they participated in this year's Regio Haarlem Cup Tournament. This tournament is regarded as one of Europe's top football events with more than 350 teams from over 25 countries participating each year. This year's was the 17th edition and there were 13 age groups participating, from 8 year olds to 18 years olds, including two groups for girls and a ladies' group. Football is played over a 5-day period on 28 turf pitches in 3 different locations not far from Amsterdam.
The Mosta under 14 team led by their coach Joe Deguara altogether played seven matches, winning 3, losing 3 and drawing 1. They managed to top their group in the second stage of the competition winning their matches against teams from Holland, Denmark and Norway. They were eliminated in the semi-final stage losing 3-0 against a strong local team Westlandia F.C. - the eventual winners of the group. Their coach Joe Deguara said that he was very pleased with the performance of his team and it was unfortunate that they had to play their semi-final match on the same day they had played two other matches.
The group returned to Malta early on Sunday 28th July, very tired after a hectic 5 days and yet satisfied both with their performance in the tournament and even more with their unique experience in the Regio Haarlem tournament.
Meanwhile a strong contingent of 27 players from the Mosta F.C. Youth Nursery under 10 category travelled to Tunisia in June to take part in a football tournament with local nursery teams. The group was accompanied by 47 loudly-cheering parents and was led by the under 10 coach Paul Zammit, assisted by the group's second coach Pio Scriha.
The Mosta Nursery participated with 3 teams - aptly named Santa Maria, Blues and Mosta - in the 10-team tournament. Team Santa Maria finished ninth, Team Blues finished seventh, and Team Mosta won all their matches and finished second, undeservedly losing 3-2 against a local nursery team. A number of Mosta players caught the eye during the tournament and one of them, Tomislav Hegedus was awarded with a trophy for Best Goalkeeper of the Tournament.
This trip to Tunisia was a just reward to a group of talented and dedicated youngsters following their very successful season.
Thu 8
- Malta international midfielder Stefan Giglio joined Lokomotiv Sofia on a one-year loan from CSKA Sofia. After spending six months side-lined due to an injury, Giglio had returned back for CSKA in March. Coach Luigi Simoni was impressed by the Maltese international, saying that had Giglio played regularly for the team, they would have done much better in their league campaign. At the end of the season, Simoni was sacked and the newly-appointed coach Stoicho Mladenov seemed to favour other players with Giglio starting most friendly matches in the pre-season as a substitute.
This move should be beneficial for Giglio who is now expected to play regularly for Lokomotiv Sofia. Lokomotiv, who are considered to be the third club in matter of strength in the Bulgarian capital placed eighth in the Bulgarian Premier League last season.
- Floriana and newly-promoted Marsaxlokk shared the spoils in a goalless draw in a friendly match at the Independence Arena.
The Seasiders paraded some of their latest signings. So far Marsaxlokk have managed to sign Reggie Cini, Justin Tellus, Richard Buhagiar, Roger Walker, Pierre Grima, Benneth Njoku, Ganny Agally, Peter Betras, Joseph Farrugia, Trevor Templeman and Brandon Zammit. Buhagiar was sent off for Marsaxlokk midway in the second half.
In another "friendly" match at the St. Aloysius Sports Complex, Birkirkara defeated Pietà Hotspurs 1-0. Alan Tabone scored the only goal for the Stripes. Rough play lead the game to be abandoned during the second half.
This was the last friendly match for Birkirkara as they will be leaving Malta early next week as they face Metalurh Zaporizhzhya of Ukraine on Thursday.
Wed 7
- Champions League Hibernians vs Boavista 3-3
- The national teams who are currently on a training camp in Germany registered two wins in two friendly matches. After defeating third division side Haiger 3-0, goals by Daniel Bogdanovic, Malcolm Licari and an own goal, they beat German fourth division side 2-0, goals by Daniel Bogdanovic and Daniel Theuma.
- Birkirkara F.C. through its marketing board is the first Maltese soccer club to launch an SMS Alert service for all its faithful supporters. This service is aimed to keep its followers updated with all the hot news about their beloved team. The SMS Alert service will be christened after Thursday's friendly encounter against Pieta, scheduled at 18:00 CET at St. Aloysius Ground. To use this service, one can send a blank SMS to 613050 from its mobile set and an sms alert message will deliver the information back to the sender. The information will be updated once daily, with more frequency during UEFA match day. This service is available to all Vodafone subscribers at a charge of 10 cents per message.
Tue 6
- Mosta went on top of the table in the Gammari Muscat Mosta Tournament following a 3-0 win over First Division side Senglea Athletic. Giovanni Da Silva put Mosta ahead midway in the second half. Carlos Camenzuli doubled the score and Dyson Falzon secured the three points. In the last match, Lija Athletic face Zurrieq. Lija need a win to claim the tournament.
In the Maurice Debono Sirens Tournament, following an easy 8-1 win for Rabat Ajax over Sirens, Balzan Youths defeated Mqabba 1-0 in a clash between two First Division clubs. Mark Marlow scored the only goal.
- Valletta defeated St. Patrick 3-0 in a friendly match at the Centenary Stadium. Antoine Sacco notched a brace with Trevor Thomas scoring the other goal.
- Two international goalkeepers from Jamaica and Liberia are willing to move to Malta if any Premier League club expresses interest in obtaining their services. One is Donovan Ricketts, a Jamaican International goalkeeper who formed part of the Jamaican squad in the France 98 World Cup finals. He is now the first choice keeper. At 6ft 5ins tall, he is described as being very impressive and strong. This goalkeeper would also turn out to be a good investment for a local club in the event of a future transfer to another club in Europe of this excellent goalkeeper.
Another goalkeeper is Louis Crayton - the number one goalkeeper of Liberia, the country which produced the former PSG, Monaco, Milan, Chelsea and Marseille star George Weah. The 25-year old goalkeeper is based in Switzerland and now wants the opportunity to further expand his goalkeeping experience after playing for a number of clubs in Switzerland. Crayton is described as having a tremendous character.
A young striker who has just been released by Arsenal after 10 years learning the art of being a good striker is Carlin Etonga. His agent had this to say about Etonga "He will score goals at all levels. A young man with fantastic pace and strength."
Any club interested in obtaining the services of any of these players is asked to contact the editor on phone number 99862168 in order to put you in contact with the agent of these players.
Mon 5
- This year's edition of the Maurice Debono Sirens Tournament kicked-off with an easy 8-1 win for First Division side Rabat Ajax over hosts Sirens. Engoya Ulrich scored three goals, William Borg notched a brace with Joseph Farrugia, Emmanuel Muscat and Franco Degabriele scoring the other goals for Rabat. Patrick Zammit replied for Sirens.
- Maltese officials will be controlling matches from the UEFA Cup qualifying round and Under 19 mini-tournaments. Joe Attard will be controlling the first leg of the UEFA Cup qualfying round match between SK Tirana of Albania and National Bucharest of Romania on August 15. He will be assisted by assistant referees Philip Agius and Charles Micallef and fourth official Mark Spiteri.
Anton Zammit will control the second leg of the UEFA Cup qualifying round match between Servette of Switzerland and Spartak Yerevan of Armenia on August 29. He will be assisted by Ronnie Farrugia and Gejtu Degabriele. Lorry Sammut is the fourth official.
Joe Attard and assistant referee Ingmar Spiteri will be forming part of a pool of officials for a UEFA Under 19 mini-tournament in Russia. Anton Zammit and assistant referee James Vella Clarke will be controlling matches from another UEFA U-19 mini-tournament in Northern Ireland.
Sun 4
- Birkirkara defender Justin Tellus joined newly-promoted Marsaxlokk on a one-year loan. Tellus, who was on loan with Marsa last season, is the last in a series of players who joined the Seasiders on loan. Reggie Cini, Trevor Templeman, Joseph Farrugia, Pierre Grima and Brandon Zammit joined them from Sliema and Richard Buhagiar, who was on loan with Sliema, joined Marsaxlokk from Floriana. Marsaxlokk also secured the services of Roger Walker on a free transfer. As regards foreigners, after losing Angel Terzyski, Marsaxlokk will definitely have a Nigerian striker in squad Ganny Agally. Another Nigerian player, who already played Premier League football, Benneth Njoku (ex-Gozo FC and Naxxar Lions), is also set to join the First Division champions.
- Mosta registered a comfortable 4-0 win over Second Division side Zurrieq in the Gammari Muscat Mosta Tournament which resumed on Sunday. Young Dyson Falzon put the Blues ahead and veteran Paul Zammit doubled the score. Before the break, Stefan Farrugia converted a penalty to make it 3-0 for the hosts. Just before the final whistle, Kevin Loughborough scored the fourth goal for Mosta.
In another match, First Division sides Lija Athletic and Senglea Athletic shared the spoils in a 2-2 draw. Glenn Barry put Lija ahead but Lawrence Attard (ex-Msida) levelled the score for Senglea. Jean Paul Desira put Lija ahead but Kevin Tonna equalised in stoppage time.
Sat 3
- Newly-promoted Mosta FC terminated the contract of Bulgarian coach Borislav Giorev, just three weeks before the Premier League kicks-off. "Bobby" Giorev, who is also a former Mosta and Valletta player, has been coaching Mosta for the past couple of years after coaching other local clubs including Xghajra, St. Andrews and St. Patrick. He will be replaced by assistant coach and Under-19 coach Vince Carbonaro. Carbonaro is not new to the Premier League having coached Zurrieq in season 1999-2000.
- Malta will be taking part for the first time in a competition for women organised by UEFA. In fact, the Malta Football Association will be applying to take part in the Women's Championship qualifiers 2005. The Women's Championship is the equivalent of the UEFA European Championships for men. The qualifiers will be held in 2003 and 2004.
Although the MFA has been organizing women's competitions since 1995, the national team is yet to play its first full international match. At first, football was played on a 7-a-side and later 9-a-side basis and it was only three years ago that the MFA competitions started being played on an 11-a-side basis. Selections from the Women's League played friendly matches against foreign teams touring the island and for the past two years, Malta took part in the Sportitudo Trophy - a tournament held in Mozzacane, Italy.
- The Malta national team was held in a 3-3 draw by German amateur side Spiel Kolm. David Carabott who has just resumed training scored one of the goals. Gilbert Agius and William Camenzuli scored the other two goals.
- Malta international striker Michael Mifsud scored twice for Kaiserslautern Amateure as they registered their first win in the Regionalliga Sud defeating SV Elversberg 2-0 away from home. Mifsud put Kaiserslautern ahead after 5 minutes and doubled the score on 78 minutes.
This was the third match for Kaiserslautern. They registered two draws in the first two matches against Darmstadt 98 (2-2) and Eintracht Frankfurt Amateure (1-1).
- Floriana FC beat First Division side Rabat Ajax 8-1 in a friendly match at the Independence Arena, Floriana. Mario Caruana notched a hat-trick in the first half with Nicoḷ Baldacchino and Christian Cassar scoring the other goals in the first half. Engoya Onesime Ulrich had temporarily levelled the score 1-1. In the second half, Floriana added another three goals by Scottish trialist Gavin Redmond (2) and Isaac Mopi.
- Three First Division sides will be taking part in this year's edition of the Maurice Debono Sirens Tournament together with hosts Sirens. Balzan Youths, Mqabba and Rabat Ajax join Sirens in the tournament which kicks-off on August 5 and comes to an end on August 22.
- The MFA Technical Centre will be organising the second Instructional meeting for season 2000-03 for UEFA 'A' and 'B' Licence Coaches and for 'A' and 'B' Licence Coaches on Monday, 12th August, 2002 at the MFA Training Grounds at 18.30hrs. The Instructional meeting will be a Practical session conducted by Mr Stephen Grima.
Fri 2
- Malta international defender Luke Dimech made his first apperance for Lincoln City in a pre-season friendly match against Kings Lynn on Tuesday. For this game, Imps manager Keith Alexander selected a squad made up of trialists and scholars. Alexander was also Luke Dimech's coach when the latter used to play in the Lincoln City youth team.
Moses Jjunju, another player who is on trial with the club, scored the only goal which helped Lincoln overcome their Dr Martens League opponents.
Luke Dimech had earlier gone for a trial with Notts County but the former Sliema defender decided to leave them since the Magpies were unable to offer him a contract after the club was put into administration.
- Defender David Aquilina of First Division side Senglea Athletic was suspended for three months after testing positive in a doping test which was carried out after the Second Division match between Senglea Athletic and Msida St. Joseph, played on April 27. Aquilina will therefore miss the first few matches from the First Division League. Senglea were fined Lm 100.
Meanwhile Senglea Athletic have strengthened their squad for the coming season with the signing of Stephen Said (Sta. Venera), Dragomir Dragonov (Balzan), Anthony Gera (St. Andrew's), Andre Imbroll (Melita) and Lawrence Attard (Msida). Coach Joe Aquilina replaces Dennis Fenech who joined Valletta.
Thu 1
- The national squad under the guide of national coach Sigi Held leaves Malta on Wednesday for a 10-day training camp in Germany. With Hibs players ruled out due to their UEFA Champions League commitments and Michael Mifsud denied permission by Kaiserslautern to join the team, Held included four new players in squad. Goalkeepers Rueben Gauci and Justin Haber of Floriana and Birkirkara respectively together with Floriana midfielder Etienne Barbara and Kevin Sammut of Sliema were drafted in.
During their stay, Malta will be playing friendly matches against amateur sides Spiel Kolm on August 3, Spiel Haiger on August 6 and Spiel Kaufungen on August 7.
The squad will be back in Malta on August 10, therefore leaving just four days of preparation for Sliema Wanderers and Birkirkara players ahead of their UEFA Cup commitments. In fact, this training camp, which is usually held earlier in July, came in the worst period possible for these two clubs as their coaches will be lacking some of their key players ahead of the UEFA Cup matches. Birkirkara players have to leave Malta on August 11 to travel to Ukraine, a day after they arrive in Malta from Germany.
The players selected by Held are:
goalkeepers: Saviour Darmanin (Pietà), Rueben Gauci (Floriana) and Justin Haber (Birkirkara);
defenders David Carabott (Valletta), Ian Ciantar (Sliema), Jeffrey Chetcuti (Sliema), Darren Debono (Valletta), Carlo Mamo (Valletta), Brian Said (Sliema), Daniel Theuma (Valletta);
midfielders Etienne Barbara (Floriana), Joe Brincat (Sliema), William Camenzuli (Birkirkara), David Camilleri (Sliema), Jonathan Holland (Floriana), Kevin Sammut (Sliema), Noel Turner (Sliema) and
forwards Gilbert Agius (Valletta), Daniel Bogdanovic (Valletta), Malcolm Licari (Pietà) and Chucks Nwoko (Birkirkara) and George Mallia (Birkirkara).
- The 24th edition of the Gammari Muscat Mosta Tournament, undoubtedly the most prestigious summer tournament, kicked-off on Thursday with the first two matches.
In the first match, First Division side Senglea Athletics were held in a goalless draw by Zurrieq from Division 2. In the second game, Lija Athletic, who were relegated from the Premier League at the end of last season, defeated hosts Mosta, who on the other hand were promoted to the Premier League, 1-0. Andrea Zammit Tabone scored the only goal.
- Following the lifting of the prohibition of Floriana, Birkirkara finalised the transfer of George Mallia depositing his registration with the Malta Football Association. However Mallia will be unable to play for Birkirkara in Thursday's friendly match between the two teams as he left Malta on Wednesday afternoon to join the national team for the training camp in Germany. At one point he was not going but he managed to solve problems related to work.
The lifting of the prohibition on Floriana also means that the Greens could finally register their three signings for the coming season - Sandro Zammit Fava from Pietà and Rabat Ajax duo Cedric Caruana and Donovan Friggieri. Caruana and Friggieri join the Greens on loan.
- Floriana defeated Birkirkara 1-0 in a friendly match at the Independence Arena, Floriana. Claude Mattocks scored the only goal when he converted a penalty twenty minutes from time. Both sides lacked their national team players but for Birkirkara, two players were making their comeback. Michael Spiteri returned for the Stripes after a long-term injury while Mark Anthony Bonnici made his first appearance this season after signing a new contract last week.
In another friendly match, Valletta defeated First Division side Rabat Ajax 5-1 at the Centenary Stadium. Jerryton Agius notched a brace with Ivan Zammit (penalty), Trevor Thomas and Sunday Esi Oduko scoring the other three goals. Engoya Onesime Ulrich scored a consolation goal for Rabat.
Another two friendly matches were played on Wednesday. Hamrun Spartans defeated First Division side St. Patrick 3-0. A Tunisian player was included by Hamrun coach Atanas Marinov. In another friendly match, Marsa defeated Xghajra Tornadoes 4-1.
- As Nigerian midfielder Minabo Asechemie is attracting the interest of Valletta FC, Marsa stated that they are not interested in transferring the player to another club.
In a statement, Marsa said that Asechemie, who joined the club in November last year, will neither be sold nor loaned to another club. "The club is working hard to have a very competitive squad to enhance its chances of qualifying for the Premier League Championship Pool," the statement said.
Minabo Asechemie was earlier reported to be on the verge of joining an Italian club. However both Asechemie and Anthony Evi Parker are still in Malta. Marsa have another two Nigerian players on trial.
- In a friendly match, Sliema Wanderers defeated Marsaxlokk 2-0.