July 2005

Sat 30

• Hamrun Spartans inaugurated their new club premises in St. Joseph High Road on Sunday morning.
  Following short speeches by Hamrun Spartans president Jesmond Mangion, MFA president Dr Joe Mifsud and Minister for Education, Youth and Employment Dr Louis Galea, Dr Mifsud officially inaugurated the club which was then blessed by the parish priest of Hamrun.
  Meanwhile Hamrun Spartans have a number of new players in squad on their return to the Premier League. In fact after securing the services of Rupert Mangion from Sliema Wanderers, they signed three new foreign players.
  Nigerians Patrick Ndubisi Ndah, Iyabo Iyuaba and Ishaku Umore will be the club's three foreigners as Bulgarian defender Nikolai Slavtchev, who was on loan with the club last season, was not retained. Ndah played for Victoria Hotspurs in Gozo last season.
  The Spartans are also expected to sign Adam Mansueto. Mansueto played non-league football in England.
  Birkirkara defender Steve Sadowski joined Hamrun once again on another one-year loan.

Sat 30

• The Annual General Meeting of the Malta Football Association was held on Saturday morning at the Centenary Hall, Ta' Qali.
  On the agenda were the approval of the Minutes of the last Annual General Meeting, the Approval of the Report of Activities of the Association (Administrative Report) for the year 2004/2005, the approval of the Audited Accounts and Balance Sheet of the Association (Financial Report) for the year 2004/2005, the election of the Ordinary Members of the Executive Committee for the year 2005/2006 and the election of the External Auditor of the Association for the year 2005/2006.
  Attending the meeting was UEFA Executive member Marios N. Lefkaritis from Cyprus.
  The Administrative Report dealt with the activities of the Malta Football Association over the past season.
  It was another busy year for the association. Organizing competitions is one of the MFA's main tasks. The association worked hard in giving referees and coaches the necessary preparation; dealing with requests from member clubs, players and players' agents; licensing member clubs and football nurseries and making sure of proper maintenance at its facilities.
  The Council of the Malta FA discussed a number of important matters including the policy on a minimum number of home-grown players and the change in the National League format. The latter was however not approved.
  This proposal had been put forward by the Executive Committee of the Malta FA. The committee discussed a number of matters including the association's operations in the Technical Centre, the preparation of coaches, the development of facilities (including the Millennium Stand) and the strengthening of the MFA's financial position. The Executive also discussed a number of new projects including the MFA television programme, the UEFA Jubilee Mini-Pitches, the publication of a new version of the MFA Official Handbook - a hardcopy and a CD-Rom, the MFA website and the transfer of the Headquarters of the association from Valletta to the Millennium Stand.
  All clubs obtained the licence issued by the Licensing Department, although it was noted that once again a number of clubs did not apply in time. The Malta Football Association was confirmed as licensor following an audit carried out by a foreign company on behalf of UEFA.
  The Disciplinary Commissioner had to deal with no less than 6029 cases this season. The Board of Control and Discipline discussed 331 cases while one case was brought in front of the Board of Investigation of Corrupt Practices. The Players Coaches and Member Clubs Complaints Board decided on 128 cases while 14 cases were referred to the Arbitration Board. The Appeals Board had to deal with 18 cases.
  Several courses and instructional meetings were held for coaches, including the UEFA A Licence course for which there were also two foreign instructors.
  The administration of facilities is one of the main tasks of the association. Thanks to regular maintenance on the pitch of the National Stadium, no less than ninety nine matches were played there.
  Due to the increase in expenses, the Executive Committee decided that as from this season, the MFA Sports Facilities Board should receive a minimum of Lm 250 from each match in programme at the National Stadium
  521 matches were played at the Centenary Stadium. The stadium was also used for Football Festivals organized by the Youth FA and other football festivals organized by the Education Division. The pitch will have to be replaced in the very near future as it has already hosted about 3,000 matches over the past six years. However since this project will cost thousands of liri, the association will be discussing how to finance it.
  Another facility which is run by the association is the Pace Grasso Ground. This future of this ground is not clear as the area is part of a government housing project. Hopefully, a football ground would also form part of this project as it was promised.
  Regular maintenance was carried out at the MFA Training Grounds which host the training sessions of the national teams, referees' physical training, warm-up sessions for Premier clubs and training camps for foreign clubs.
  The referees' complement and their performances on the domestic and international fronts were satisfactory. Local referees were in charge of 20 matches away from our shores.
  Due to investment in infrastructure, the Malta Football Association had to obtain loans and therefore had a cash-flow problem. Therefore the target was to reduce expenses and increasing income at the same time. A decision was taken with respect to a minimum income for the Sports Facilities Board for matches played at the associations' facilities, an increase in the fee for football school and that the last payment of the refund of the Centenary Stadium contribution had to be delayed by one year.
  The association secured new sponsorships with Bank of Valletta for the National League and the Super Cup and with Maltco Lotteries for the FA Trophy and the Second & Third Division Knock-Out and after securing a sponsorship from the government for the Super 5 competition and the team participating in the UEFA Intertoto Cup, this will hopefully be renewed.
  New negotiations are taking place with Infront & Sports Media AG over television rights of international 'A' matches. A deal which should give a boost to the association's income and reduce cash-flow problems.
  The association transferred its accounts from HSBC to BOV. A move thanks to which the MFA gained a two-year moratorium over the loan-payments as the association's income from abroad which will be much larger.
  Throughout the season, the Malta Football Association organized a number of competitions. 1420 matches were played in all, including 378 youth matches, 58 in the women's league and knock-out and 369 in the futsal competitions. Eleven doping tests were carried out on 44 players. All players tested negative, except for one. However further results on this player's samples proved that he had tested positive due to a particular medical condition.
  There was an increase in the overall number of spectators 136,536 from 131,321 of the previous season. The figures for the different divisions were: Premier 56,422 (54,322 in 2003/2004), First Division 14,796 (8887 in 2003/2004), Second Division 8,769 (6,991 in 2003/2004) and Third Division 4,544 (from 4,656) and other competitions 19,937 (from 17,163 in 2003/2004).
  As regards the National Teams, the association was not satisfied with the performance of the 'A' team over the past season. The contract of present coach Horst Heese comes to an end after the three competitive matches in programme in September and October. The MFA will be trying to find a solution for the management of the team for the European Championship campaign, the draws for which will be held in January.
  The Under-21 side did much better, except for the home match against Hungary and the away clash with Sweden. As from next year, the format of the Under-21 competition will be changing as it will no longer be linked with the matches of the 'A' team.
  Malta took part in the Under-19 qualifiers (a draw and two defeats), the Under-17 qualifiers (a win and two defeats), the Women's Championship, the Regions Cup and the Mediterranean Games.
  Over the past season, the association ran its own television programme on Smash Television. The programme MFA Magazine is expected to continue next season.
  The Administrative Report was approved by the delegates.
  The Financial Report - the Audited Accounts and Balance Sheet of the Association - were then presented.
  The figures (rounded to the nearest Lm 1,000:
  National Team: Income Lm 17,000. Expenditure Lm 266,000 (including Lm 113,000 travelling expenses).
  The excess of expenditure over income after depreciation is Lm 251,000.
  Sports Facilities Board - Millennium Stand: Income Lm 59,000. Expenditure Lm 56,500.
  Due to a depreciation of Lm 165,000, the excess of expenditure over income after depreciation is Lm 162,000.
  Sports Facilities Board - Centenary Stadium: Income Lm 19,000. Expenditure Lm 13,000.
  Due to a depreciation of Lm 40,000, the excess of expenditure over income after depreciation is Lm 34,000.
  Sports Facilities Board - National Stadium: Income Lm 100,000 (including gates Lm 35,000; bar Lm 18,000; advertising Lm 32,000). Expenditure Lm 74,000 (including wages Lm 34,000; maintenance Lm 31,000)
  The excess of income over expenditure after depreciation Lm 5,000)
  Training Grounds: Income Lm 41,500. Expenditure Lm 72,000
  The excess of expenditure over income Lm 37,000.
  Malta Football Association - Operating Income: The major sources of income were: local matches Lm 8,000; international matches Lm 249,000, FIFA/UEFA subsidies/refunds Lm 416,000 and sponsors Lm 20,000. The total income amounted to Lm 737,000. Since there was a loss of Lm 36,000 at the Ta' Qali complex, the total operating income amounted to Lm 701,000.
  Malta Football Association - Income & Expenditure Account: The association's income amounted to Lm 701,000 (compared to Lm 665,000 in 2003/2004). The expenditure amounted to Lm 478,000 which includes Lm 251,000 for the national team. The excess of income over expenditure amounts to Lm 222,000 and Lm 150,000 after depreciation.
  The Balance Sheet shows fixed assets amounting to Lm 4,500,000 and Current Assests amounting to Lm 341,000.
  The Accumulated Funds amount to Lm 1,100,000, Creditors (amounts falling due after more than one year) Lm3,000,000 and Creditors (amounts within one year) Lm 792,000. Therefore the Total Accumulated Funds & Liabilities are Lm 4,900,000.
  The Financial Report was approved by the delegates.
  Meanwhile an election was only necessary for the posts of Council Members in representation of Member Clubs in general as there are three nominations for two seats.
  The three candidates were Mr. Charles Calleja, Mr. Raymond Micallef and Mr. Alfred Scerri. Calleja and Micallef were elected with 46 and 38 votes respectively; Scerri collected 26 votes.
  The members who will therefore fill the eleven (11) ordinary seats on the Executive Committee for the year 2005/2006 are:
  
  Council Members in representation of Member Clubs in the different Divisions:
  (i) Premier Division: Mr. Joseph Gauci (BKR) and Mr. Paul Spiteri
  (ii) First Division: Mr. Ivan Calamatta and Mr. Charles J. Scerri
  (iii) Second Division: Mr. Salvu Vella
  (iv) Third Division: Mr. Joseph Farrugia
  
  Council Members in representation of Member Clubs in general: Mr. Charles Calleja and Mr. Raymond Micallef
  
  Council Members in representation of The Youth F.A.: Mr. Joe Micallef
  
  Council Members in representation of the other Member Associations: Mr. Lawrence Callus and Mr. Joseph M. Cassar Naudi.
• Friendly Match Msida SJ vs Malta Under-17 3-2

Fri 29

• Applications from teams willing to take part in Futsal competitions for season 2005-2006 will be received at the MFA Headquarters, 280 St Paul's Street, Valletta by not later than Thursday 4th August 2005. Interested teams are requested to apply in due time.

Thu 28

• UEFA Cup APOEL vs Birkirkara 4-0, Hibernians vs Omonia 0-3
• Marsaxlokk have strengthened their side for the Premier League campaign with the signing of six players - four Maltese and two foreigners, namely Gareth Sciberras, Reuben Gauci, Kevin Sammut, Stephen Wellman, Nuno Gomes and Wendell Gomes. These new players were presented during a press conference at the premises of Carmelo Abela Marketing, Mriehel.
  Carmelo Abela Marketing are the sponsors of the Southseasiders for the third successive season. Marsaxlokk will once again carry the Mutti brand on their shirts.
  Addressing the press conference were Marsaxlokk president Mark Sciriha, team manager Peter Hartshorne and vice-president Mark Cutajar together with Frank Borg and Stephen Abela from Carmelo Abela Marketing.
  The new Marsaxlokk president said the team has been strengthened with the signing of the four international players. In fact, the four of them are part of the national squad which resumed training this week. Gareth Sciberras is also part of the Under-21 squad.
  Mr Sciriha said the four players signed long-term contracts and is confident they will give a major contribution to the club in its aim to reach its targets. He revealed that this was probably the last time the club made such a big investment as the club cannot afford changing half-team every year.
  "Immediate success is not what we are looking for. We only hope to improve our position each year. However a place in the European competitions is something which we should aim for," concluded the Marsaxlokk president.
  Once again, Marsaxlokk will be starting the season with new foreigners. So far, they have signed Portuguese defender Nuno Gomes and Brazilian striker Wendell Gomes. The latter played in the Portuguese second division last season.
  Team-manager Peter Hartshorne revealed that there is still a possibility of signing a third foreigner before the market closes at the end of the next month. However he ruled out the signing of other players as he said coach Atanas Marinov is satisfied with the nineteen players who are currently in squad.
  Steve Abela said the sponsorship of Marsaxlokk by Carmelo Abela Marketing is now based on a very good relationship between the two parties. Abela wished the new president to continue where Victor Sciriha had left in order to achieve more success for the club. He also appealed for more exposure in the media of brands who are sponsoring local clubs because this is what sponsors want in return.
• Friendly Match Hamrun S. vs Valletta 3-2, Pietà H. vs Mosta 1-1

Wed 27

• Although they hardly have any realistic chances of reaching the next round, Hibernians will be looking forward to obtaining a positive result as they host AC Omonia Nicosia in the second leg of the UEFA Cup first qualifying round on Thursday, kick-off at 21:00.
  In the first leg, Musawengosi Mguni put Omonia ahead on the half-hour. Jozef Kozlej doubled the score two minutes in the second half and Georgios Vakouftsis sealed the issue by converting a penalty five minutes from time.
  This will be the third visit to Malta for Omonia. In 1985, they defeated Rabat Ajax 5-0 in a preliminary round match of the Champions Cup while in 1995, they managed to beat Sliema Wanderers 2-1 in the qualifying round of the UEFA Cup. On both occasions, Omonia eliminated the Maltese clubs.
  Hibernians coach Robert Gatt is not expected to make any changes from the team which played in Nicosia and is therefore expected to name Mario Muscat, Peter Pullicino, Adrian Pulis, Aaron Xuereb, Ryan Mintoff, Essien Mbong, Terence Scerri, Andrew Cohen, Roderick Baldacchino, David Camilleri and Haruna Doda in the starting line-up.
• The second edition of Malta’s first sports reality show, Net Stars is on its way. This time the programme will feature 11-a-side football, highlighting the MFA third division league. Few days ago the production team of Net Stars officially confirmed that the programme amalgamated with Santa Lucia FC.
  On Monday 18th July, the council of the Malta Football Association approved the agreement between both parts. Two days later, the new coach of the club, Joe Micallef together with his assistant, Charles Micallef started training for almost 100 players that originally applied for this exciting adventure.
  It is a hard job for both coaches to select the final squad for this season. The President of Santa Lucia FC, Victor Scerri already said that his team main ambition is to win promotion for the second division league. Various players from around Malta opted to apply with Net Stars and test their talents. Net Television cameras are filming all training sessions conducted at the Santa Lucia FC ground. Training sessions are proving to be very hard for all players, but the majority of them are determined to make success out of this venture.
  Santa Lucia FC will play their first official matches in September when participating in the Second and Third Division Knock-Out competition. The team forms part of group 4 together with second division side, Qormi FC and third division clubs, Santa Venera Lightenings FC and Rabat Ajax FC.
  Net Stars will re-start on Net Television as from September. Currently another sports programme, Man Up+ is featuring the progress of all players every Monday night at 20:30.
  The minds behind such programme are Media.Link Communications sports journalists, Christian Micallef and Sandro Micallef. Both producers were also responsible for the first edition of Net Stars from September 2004 till June 2005. Christian and Sandro will be also presenting the programme every Tuesday night, with daily updates on Net Television.

Tue 26

• The Birkirkara squad left Malta on Tuesday morning, destination Nicosia, where the Stripes will be facing APOEL in the second leg of the UEFA Cup first qualifying round at the the GSP Stadium on Thursday.
  Birkirkara coach Stephen Azzopardi had to leave several players at home as they are ruled out injured. These include Michael Galea and Jean Pierre Mifsud Triganza, who also missed the first leg. Roderick Sammut is the latest addition to the injured-list.
  George Mallia, on the other hand, is back in squad although he is not yet fully fit.
  In the first leg, APOEL registered a 2-0 win thanks to goals by Stavros Georgiou on 72 minutes and Sasa Jovanovic eight minutes later. A result which leaves few doubts which side will make it to the second qualifying round of the competition.
• The BOV Premier League will kick-off on Friday August 5 with the matches Floriana vs Pietà H. and Birkirkara vs Valletta, kick-off at 18:30 and 20:30 respectively.
  Another two matches will be played on Saturday 6: Mosta vs Msida SJ and Hibernians vs Sliema W., kick-off at 17:30 and 19:30.
  Hamrun S. vs Marsaxlokk will be played on Thursday 11.
  The first round comes to an end on October 23. Till the end of October, all matches will be played at the National Stadium.
  From the third week of November onwards, matches will be played at three venues, the other two being the Victor Tedesco Stadium and the Hibernians Ground.
  No matches are scheduled to be held at the Centenary Stadium.
  The first phase comes to an end on February 12 but the second phase - the Championship and Relegation Pool - will only get underway on March 4.

Mon 25

• Friendly Match Floriana vs Mosta 1-0
• First Division side Senglea Athletic secured the services of no less than nine players in their bid to strengthen the squad as they target promotion to the Premier League.
  They signed Lawrence Attard, Neil Attard (Xghajra), Jason Borg, Clint Caruana (Sliema), Fabio Cauchi (Sta. Venera), Daniel Cosaitis (Hibs), David Gauci (Hibs), Anthony Gera (St. Andrews) and Mark Marlow.
  Kenneth Abela (Hibs), George Attard and Leonid McKay (Valletta) who already played for the club last season have been retained.
  The team will be starting pre-season training on Monday under the guidannce of new coach Dragan Zivkovic.
  For the second consecutive season, Time International Sports Ltd. (Urban Jungle) will be the club's kit-sponsor through Nike.
• First Division side St. George's started their preparation for the coming season under the guidance of coach Marco Gerada.
  Since last season, Keith Darmanin, is no longer with the club as he will be retained by Pietà Hotspurs while Vincent Camilleri, Ryan Farrugia and Nazzareno Abela joined Third Division side Birzebbuga St. Peter's on a one-year loan.
  The club welcomed back into its fold a number of players who were on loan with other clubs like Silvio Sciberras, Lawrence Mizzi, Martin Portelli, Chris Richard, Jovil Abela and Jeremy Gatt.
  Patrick Muscat, Trevor Thomas and Anthony Chimezie Ewurum will be staying with the club as well.
  
  Meanwhile the Cospicua side is hoping to sign Charles Cachia from neighbours Vittoriosa Stars.

Sat 23

• Friendly Match Msida SJ vs Mosta 3-0
• The Annual General Meeting of the Malta Football Association will be held on Saturday, 30th July, 2005 at 9.30 a.m. at The Centenary Hall, Centenary Stadium, Ta’ Qali.
  On the agenda is the approval of the Minutes of the last Annual General Meeting, the Approval of the Report of Activities of the Association (Administrative Report) for the year 2004/2005, the approval of the Audited Accounts and Balance Sheet of the Association (Financial Report) for the year 2004/2005, the election of the Ordinary Members of the Executive Committee for the year 2005/2006, the election of the External Auditor of the Association for the year 2005/2006 and additions and/or alterations to the MFA Statute.
  The candidates nominated to fill the eleven (11) ordinary seats on the Executive Committee for the year 2005/2006 are the following:
  Council Members in representation of Member Clubs in the different Divisions:
  (i) Premier Division [two (2) vacancies]: Mr. Joseph Gauci (BKR) and Mr. Paul Spiteri
  (ii) First Division [two (2) vacancies]: Mr. Ivan Calamatta and Mr. Charles J. Scerri
  (iii) Second Division [one (1) vacancy]: Mr. Salvu Vella
  (iv) Third Division [one (1) vacancy]: Mr. Joseph Farrugia
  Council Members in representation of Member Clubs in general [two (2) vacancies]: Mr. Charles Calleja, Mr. Raymond Micallef and Mr. Alfred Scerri
  Council Members in representation of The Youth F.A. [one (1) vacancy]: Mr. Joe Micallef
  Council Members in representation of the other Member Associations [two (2) vacancies]: Mr. Lawrence Callus and Mr. Joseph M. Cassar Naudi.
  Since the number of candidates is equal to the number of vacancies in almost all posts, an election is only necessary for the Council Members in representation of Member Clubs in general where there are three nominations for two seats.
• The Kalkara St Joseph Youth Nursery is receiving applications from parents of children, aged 6 upwards, who would like to join the Kalkara St Joseph nursery.
  Those interested should contact secretary Alex Farrugia on 99809861 or President Paul Grima on 21660141

Fri 22

• Sliema Wanderers midfielder Orosco Anonam received his first national team call but there was no place for Stefan Giglio in the 22-man squad named by national coach Horst Heese which will start training next Monday.
  Nigerian-born Anonam became a Maltese citizen earlier this year and was due to join the squad in March but an injury had ruled him out.
  Besides Giglio, other players to be dropped from the squad include Sliema defender Jeffrey Chetcuti and Marsaxlokk midfielder Jamie Pace.
  On the other hand, Sliema defender Ian Ciantar and Birkirkara midfielder Antoine Zahra return to the national team after recovering from long-term injuries.
  Reuben Gauci and Jonathan Bondin were confirmed in the squad after receiving their first national team call for the trip to Sweden and Iceland last month.
  As from Monday 25th July, the team will be training three times a week. This will last until the last World Cup qualifier in October. The frequency of the training sessions will be increased as the team’s Qualifying Group commitments approach.
  The morning sessions will be conducted by Horst Heese, who will be assisted by Mark Miller, while afternoon training will be under the supervision of the National Team coach flanked by the goalkeepers’ coach, John Bonello. Carmel Busuttil is no longer assistant coach after he failed to renew his contract with the national team.
  Malta will be playing a friendly match on August 17 against Northern Ireland. This will serve as preparation for the last three World Cup qualifiers in September and October. Malta plays Hungary in Budapest on September 3 and then hosts Croatia four days later. The last match is against Bulgaria on October 12 at Ta' Qali.
  The 22 players selected by Heese are:
  goalkeepers Reuben Gauci (Marsaxlokk), Justin Haber (Birkirkara);
  defenders Roderick Briffa (Birkirkara), Ian Ciantar (Sliema Wanderers), Luke Dimech (Chester City (England), Adrian Pulis (Hibernians), Peter Pullicino (Hibernians), Brian Said (Sliema Wanderers), Stephen Wellman (Marsaxlokk);
  midfielders Gilbert Agius (Valletta), Orosco Anonam (Sliema Wanderers), Jonathan Bondin (Valletta), Massimo Grima (Valletta), George Mallia (Birkirkara), Claude Mattocks (Sliema Wanderers), Kevin Sammut (Marsaxlokk), Gareth Sciberras (Marsaxlokk), Antoine Zahra (Birkirkara) and
  forwards Etienne Barbara (Birkirkara), Andrew Cohen (Hibernians), Michael Mifsud (Lillestrom (Norway), Ivan Woods (Sliema Wanderers).
• Valletta won the Carlsberg Tournament after beating hosts Hibernians 2-1 in the third and final match of the tournament.
  Jerry Ani missed a penalty for Valletta but the Citizens managed to take the lead with a goal by Massimo Grima on 32 minutes. Haruna Doda equalised for Hibernians twenty-three minutes in the second half but three minutes later Ian Zammit notched the winner for Valletta.
  Brazilian midfielder Sandro Costa Brazilino made a second-half appearance for Hibernians as a substitute.
  In the first match, Marsaxlokk and Pietà Hotspurs shared the spoils in a goalless draw.
  Stephen Wellman was making his debut for Marsaxlokk.
• Marsaxlokk secured the services of Stephen Wellman from Floriana. The former Zurrieq striker will be signing a five-year contract with the Southseasiders.
  So far Marsaxlokk have already signed goalkeeper Reuben Gauci and midfielders Gareth Sciberras and Kevin Sammut. They also have two new foreigners in squad - Portugese defender Nuno Gomes and Brazilian striker Wendell Gomes.
  In the coming days, Marsaxlokk could also sign Hibernians striker Antoine Zahra on a one-year loan deal.

Thu 21

• Three Maltese players were in action in friendly matches in the UK.
  Saviour Darmanin, who is on trial with English League Two side Wrexham, played in a friendly match against Hereford United at Edgar Street which ended in a 2-2 draw. Darmanin was included as a substitute, playing for half an hour. His performance was a good one considering, performing two good saves which denied Hereford victory.
  On Sunday, Luke Dimech and Jonathan Holland faced each other as Burton Albion, the club with which Jonathan Holland is on trial hosted Chester City in the opening match at the new Pirelli Stadium in Burton.
  Holland was included in the starting line-up while Luke Dimech was included as a substitute twenty minutes from time. Chester City won 1-0.
  On Tuesday, Dimech was in the Blues' starting line-up in a 9-0 win over Tavistock while on Wednesday, he was included as a substitute in Chester's 5-2 win over St. Blazey.

Wed 20

• Champions League FC Sheriff vs Sliema W. 2-0
• Malta retained the 137th place in the Coca-Cola FIFA World Ranking list as published on Wednesday. Among the other European countries, Malta is 48th.
  Cyprus are 40th (109), followed by Northern Ireland (112), Moldova (115, up 2), Azerbaijan (116), Armenia (119, up 2), Faroe Islands (126, up 2) and Andorra (135). Liechtenstein climbed two places and is now just one place behind Malta, followed by Kazakhstan (148), Luxembourg (155) and San Marino (162, down 1).
  Malta's next commitment is a friendly match on August 17 against Northern Ireland. This will serve as preparation for the last three World Cup qualifiers in September and October. Malta plays Hungary in Budapest on September 3 and then hosts Croatia four days later. The last match is against Bulgaria on October 12 at Ta' Qali.
• Valletta registered their second win in the Carlsberg Tournament, organised by Hibernians, after beating Pietà Hotspurs 5-1 on Wednesday.
  Jerry Ani put the Citizens ahead after just two minutes and ten minutes later, Dylan Zarb doubled the score. David Camenzuli pulled one back for Pietà five minutes from the end of the first half but Valletta increased the lead with goals by Jerry Ani on 58 minutes, Ian Zammit on 71 minutes and Massimo Grima five minutes from time.
  Making his first appearance for Pietà was goalkeeper Paul Psaila who played for Msida last season.
  In the first match, Marsaxlokk claimed their first three points beating hosts Hibernians 2-0.
  Brazilian forward Wendell Gomes put them ahead after just 5 minutes. Cleaven Frendo doubled the score on 72 minutes.
• Friendly Match Birkirkara vs Msida SJ 2-1
• The number of teams in the Youth League and the Women's League for next season will be increasing by two.
  Last season, 52 teams took part in the Youth League - ten each in sections A, B and C and twelve in Section D. Next year, Sta. Lucia and Xghajra Tornadoes will be taking part as well.
  Since there will be 14 teams in Section D, the league will be played on one round.
  The Youth League competition will be reserved for players under the age of 19 in sections B, C and D while the age limit for players in section A will be 18. To avoid the discrepancy in the age-limit in the Youth A Knock-Out, as from this season, the Youth A Knock-Out will be reserved for teams in Section A while the Youth B Knock-Out will be reserved for teams in sections B, C and D.
  In the Women's League, there will also be another two new teams - Sliema Wanderers and Qormi, for a total of nine teams.
  The Women's League will be played on just two rounds and therefore the format used last season will be not be held.

Tue 19

• MFA president Dr Joe Mifsud delivered the traditional end-of-season speech during the last meeting of the Council of the Malta Football Association for season 2004-2005 which was held on Monday.
  Dr Mifsud thanked all Council Members for their work and contribution through the various MFA boards and committees. The Council, which is one of the largest in Europe, held 12 meetings during the season.
  The MFA then spoke about the association's work over the past season. This included the recent sponsorship agreements reached with Bank of Valletta plc and Maltco Lotteries Limited - sponsorships from which the game and clubs, in particular, will benefit.
  Over the past season, the Malta Football Association had its own television programme. During the 39 programmes, the MFA had the opportunity to provide the general public a clear insight on the association's work. There are plans to continue with this programme next season.
  Infrastructural projects may have leave their mark on the association's finances. However the MFA believes it was the right decision to build the Centenary Stadium and the Millennium Stand. As regards the Centenary Stadium, the condition of the synthetic pitch deteriorated due to the hundreds of matches played every year. This matter will be discussed shortly.
  There have been developments with regards the installation of the UEFA Jubilee Mini-Pitches. Delays were mainly due to some applicants not satisfying all conditions or failing to produce necessary documents.
  Dr Mifsud went on to speak about the level of the game in Malta. Referring to the proposed change in the format of the National League put forward by the Executive of the Malta Football Association but which was rejected by the Council, the MFA president said, "We missed an opportunity. Hopefully, I am proved wrong and the league still gets more competitive."
  The association will still strive to make the competitions more attractive.
  Last season, there was a slight increase in the number of spectators for league matches. The MFA will be seeking to improve these figures as they are still far from those registered in the recent past.
  It was only in the Third Division that there was a decrease in the number of spectators. The MFA president revealed that one possibility could be that of playing Third Division matches in the clubs' grounds as long as the pitches are good enough to host such matches.
  The MFA president said one of the most important objective of an association is an excellent preparation for referees and coaches. The referees' complement and their performances on the domestic and international fronts were satisfactory. Improvement should remain an objective. Locally referees controlled around 1400 matches while local referees were in charge of 20 matches abroad.
  Courses and instructional meetings for coaches were held in order to keep abreast with new developments in this field. This was another objective of the MFA through its Technical Centre.
  The National Teams took part in several competitions and tournaments over the past season. Malta participated at senior level, Under-21, Under-19, Under-17, Women, Amateur (Regions Cup) and the Mediterranean Games.
  The senior team obtained a draw but there were a number of disappointing results and performances. As the main reasons, Dr Mifsud cited the limited number of players and the fact that other countries have several players playing top-level football abroad.
  On the other hand, results at youth level were far more encouraging.
  "Competing with honour in international competitions should be a major objective. Not taking part is not a solution," said the MFA president.
  Dr Mifsud concluded by thanking outgoing Council members for their work.
• Floriana FC secured the services of Mohamed Adama Diao, the younger brother of Liverpool star, Salif Diao. The defender from Senegal signed a two year deal with the Greens.
  The player had a successful 10-day trial with the Greens and was therefore offered a contract.
  Adama Diao is a central defender and last year played for Paris FC in the French second division. Earlier he played for Istres and US Gorée.
  Meanwhile Floriana FC confirmed that they have secured the services of Hamrun Spartans defender Keith Fabri on a three year deal.
• After suffering a heavy 1-4 defeat to FC Sheriff in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League first qualifying round clash at Ta' Qali, Sliema Wanderers will be hoping for a better performance on Wednesday at the Main Arena of the FC Sheriff Sport Complex in Tiraspol.
  Reaching the second qualifying round and hence setting-up a clash with Serbian giants Partizan Belgrade is something which seems beyond reach, considering the performance of FC Sheriff in the first leg. However, a good performance and perhaps a positive result in Tiraspol would act a morale booster for the Wanderers just a couple of weeks before the BOV Premier League kicks-off.
  Sliema coach Edward Aquilina is not expected to make any changes from the line-up of the first leg. The Wanderers should therefore start with:
  Murphy Akanji, Joe Brincat, Mauro Di Lello, Brian Said, Noel Turner, Daniel Bogdanovic, Danilo Doncic, Jeffrey Chetcuti, Ivan Woods, Orosco Anonam, Stefan Giglio.
  Also at his disposal are goalkeeper Matthew Farrugia, Lee Lombardi, Joseph Farrugia, Alex Muscat and Adrian Mifsud.
• The winners of the 4th edition of the Westin Malta Football Awards paid a courtesy visit to His Excellency the President of Malta Dr Edward Fenech Adami at the Office of the President in Valletta on Tuesday morning.
  Dr Fenech Adami was presented with a token signed by the winners to be auctioned in aid of the Malta Community Chest Fund.
• Goalkeeper Saviour Darmanin started a trial with English League Two side Wrexham.
  The Daily Post reports that Wrexham offered the former Malta international goalkeeper a chance to train with the club after a request by Liverpool.
  Last year, Saviour Darmanin coached young goalkeepers in camps organised by the Liverpool academy.
  The Welsh paper reports that the 28-year old is seeking to break into English football and contacted the Anfield club, who arranged for him to spend some time at Colliers Park.
  Wrexham manager Denis Smith said: "It gives the lad a chance to train with a professional club and I might stick him in against Newtown on Thursday evening."
  Darmanin had been playing for Pietà Hotspurs since 1994 but last season, he was loaned to Birkirkara in January. However the Stripes failed to offer him a new contract. His contract with Pietà expired in June.
  Meanwhile BBC Sport reported that former Malta international midfielder Jonathan Holland was attracting the interest of non-league club Burton Albion.
  Former Floriana coach Ron Fenton recommended Holland to Burton Albion manager Nigel Clough.
  Holland left Malta last year and joined another non-league side Bradford Park Avenue.

Mon 18

• Maltco Lotteries were unveiled as the official sponsors of the FA Trophy and the Second & Third Division Knock-Out for the coming three years after the signing of a sponsorship agreement during a press conference which was held at the Centenary Hall.
  The official names for the two competitions will be U*BET FA Trophy and Quick Keno Second & Third Division Knock-Out.
  Addressing the press conference were MFA president Dr Joe Mifsud, Intralot SA CEO Mr Constantinos Antonopoulos and Maltco Lotteries CEO Mr Yoannis Katakis.
  Dr Mifsud said the MFA was delighted to announce this sponsorship thanks to which the finalists of the FA Trophy will be receiving a handsome sum of money while all the participants of the Second & Third Division Knock-Out will be receiving cash prizes depending on the round reached.
  "After hard and prolonged discussions with the Company, an agreement was reached. By means of this agreement, as from season 2005/2006, the winner and the finalist of the F.A. Trophy Competition will be awarded a handsome sum of money by the Company whilst all the participants in the MFA Division II/III Knock-Out Competition will also be awarded cash prizes by the Company, the amount of which will depend on their advancement in the competition."
  "The Malta F.A. Trophy has a very long history and every Club would like to win it. Besides being a great honour to win this coveted trophy, the winner is assured of a place in the UEFA Cup in the coming season. Now, the winner, but also the runner-up Club, will be getting a prize in cash which is the highest ever for the winner and the finalist of such competition."
  "Also the MFA Division II/III Knock-Out Competition is important for the Second and Third Division Clubs. First of all, since the first phase of the Competition is played prior to the start of the Second and Third Division Leagues, it serves the participants well in the form of a pre-league competitive tournament. Furthermore, besides the honour of winning the competition, the winner and the runner-up will now also receive a handsome prize in cash as well."
  The MFA president revealed that the cash prizes will be the highest ever for both competitions and that the clubs will be receiving these cash prizes directly from Maltco Lotteries at the end of the season.
  Dr Mifsud augured the cooperation between the association and Maltco will be enhanced further and that a further agreement between the two parties would be reached.
  Intralot CEO Mr Antonopoulos said he was pleased that this agreement has been reached, continuing where the Department of Lotto had left.
  "It is a privilege for us to support the association's efforts for upgrading its competitions," said Mr Antonopoulos.
  The Intralot CEO went on to explain the strong bond between lotteries and football in Europe. In fact, in most European countries, lotteries are the major contributors of football associations while the UEFA Intertoto Cup is organised thanks to the support of the European Football Pool.
  "The relationship between football and lotteries goes even further. Football is the most popular sport. Both parties have realised that they have to work together for the improvement of the sport, aiming to disseminate and advance the spirit of noble competition," continued Mr Antonopoulos.
  "Intralot's social contribution has become an inseparable part of its corporate culture and sports has a prominent role in the company's sponsoring agenda. We are looking forward to this fruitful cooperation with the MFA that I am certain it will go beyond the pure sponsorship agreement," concluded the Intralot CEO.
  Maltco Lotteries CEO Mr Katakis said that the cash prizes should make the competitions more challenging and attractive. He went on to say that the company hopes to increase the sponsorship in future following the expiry of this first agreement.
  The draws for the two competitions followed.
  U*BET FA Trophy First Round:
  Marsaxlokk vs Lija A.
  St. George's vs Hamrun S.
  Floriana vs Tarxien R.
  St. Patrick vs Mosta
  Pietà H. vs San Gwann
  Mqabba vs Msida SJ
  St. Andrews vs Marsa
  Naxxar L. vs Senglea A.
  
  The first round will be played on October 29 and 30, November 5 and 6 at the Centenary Stadium.
  Quick Keno Second & Third Division Knock-Out
  Group 1: Xghajra T., Gzira U., Kirkop U., Gudja U.
  Group 2: Zebbug R., Siggiewi, Vittoriosa S., Mgarr U.
  Group 3: Kalkara, Dingli S., Ta' Xbiex, Mellieha
  Group 4: Qormi, Rabat A., Sta. Venera, Sta. Lucia
  Group 5: Sirens, Ghaxaq, Melita
  Group 6: Zejtun C., Birzebbuga SP, Balzan Y.
  Group 7: Pembroke A., Fgura U., Attard
  Group 8: Luqa SA, Zurrieq, Gharghur
  
  The preliminary round group stage will be played between September 4 and 21.
• Former national team goalkeeper David Cluett passed away on Sunday at the age of 39. Cluett died in a UK hospital.
  A product of Melita, Cluett joined Floriana in 1986 making his debut for the Greens in the Premier League match against Rabat Ajax.
  He was the Number 1 goalkeeper for Floriana for ten years. In the meantime, he made his debut for the national team in a European Championship qualifier against Portugal which ended in a 2-2 draw. He played 69 matches in all for the national team.
  In season 1999/2000, he once again returned to Premier League football, turning out for Gozo FC. The following season he played for Birkirkara before moving back to Floriana mid-way through the season.
  Last year, David Cluett was appointed goalkeepers' coach with Premier League side Msida St. Joseph.
  Msida St. Joseph issued the following statement: "The Committee of Msida St. Joseph FC would like to salute one of Malta’s great goalkeepers of all times. "
  "Club President Dr. Kevin Deguara said that it was an honour for the club to have had Cluett - a former national team goalkeeper – as Goalkeeper’s Coach at the Club over the past year."
  "The professional way in which he tackled all his commitments made him a gentleman and we are proud that he accepted our offer to become our Goalkeeper’s Coach."
  "We take this opportunity to offer our condolences to his family and friends, as we are sure that he will be missed. Malta’s football scene has lost one of its protagonists."
• Hibernians and Valletta had a winning start in the Carlsberg Tournament after beating Pietà Hotspurs and Marsaxlokk respectively.
  In the first match, Hibernians defeated Pietà Hotspurs 5-2. Haruna Doda put the Paolites ahead after just two minutes and Terence Scerri made it 2-0 on 16 minutes.
  The Hotspurs reduced the gap fourteen minutes in the second half with a goal by Martin Deanov but six minutes later, Hibs went 3-1 ahead thanks to another goal by Doda.
  Italian striker Carmelo Angelo Sciuto scored for Pietà to narrow the gap on 71 minutes but goals from Julian Vella on 77 minutes and Terence Scerri on the 90th sealed the issue for Hibernians.
  Making his first appearance for Hibernians were goalkeeper Alex Camilleri and young Benoir Fenech who both played for St. Patrick last season. Fenech was on loan with the Zabbar side.
  Pietà had the Deanov brothers in the starting line-up together with Italian striker Carmelo Angelo Sciuto.
  In the second game, Valletta defeated Marsaxlokk by the odd goal in five. Massimo Grima gave Valletta an early lead converting a penalty after just four minutes and Jerry Ani doubled the score on 29 minutes.
  Eight minutes after the break, Ian Zammit scored the third goal for Valletta.
  In the final minutes, Marsaxlokk scored twice thanks to Trevor Templeman on 88 minutes and Gareth Sciberras two minutes later.
  Jerry Ani was making his first appearance for the Citizens while Brazilian striker Wendell Gomes made his debut for Marsaxlokk. The Southseasiders also had Portugese defender Nuno Gomez in their starting line-up.

Sat 16

• Hibernians duo Andrew Cohen and Essien Mbong won two awards each in the 4th edition of the Westin Malta Football Awards which was held on Saturday at the Westin Dragonara Resort, St. Julian's.
  Andrew Cohen was voted Best Forward and Best Local Player while Essien Mbong was voted Best Midfielder and Best Foreign Player.
  Another Hibernians player, Mario Muscat claimed the award for the Best Goalkeeper.
  Champions Sliema Wanderers came next with Brian Said being voted Best Defender, Alex Muscat winning the award for the Most Promising Youngster and coach Edward Aquilina claiming the award for the Best Coach.
  Pietà Hotspurs midfielder Silvan Ciscaldi won the award for the Best Goal of the Season, a goal he had scored in the Premier League match between Pietà Hotspurs and Sliema Wanderers on February 4 which had ended in a 3-2 win for Sliema.
  Rebecca D'Agostino (Birkirkara) and Dorianne Theuma (Hibernians) shared the award for the Best Female Player.
  For this edition of the Westin Malta Football Awards, two new awards were introduced - one for the best futsal player and another for the best player in Gozo.
  Nebjosa Mijalovic of Hibernians won the award for the Best Futsal Player while Brian Meilak won the award for the Best Gozitan Player.
  Ivan Woods of Sliema and Gilbert Agius of Valletta were in a race neck-to-neck in the Powerade Public Best Player Award with the Valletta striker emerging as winner.
  Former Hamrun Spartans president Victor Tedesco was presented with a special award.
  Presenting the gala event were John Busuttil and Antonella Vassallo while the various awards were presented by sports journalists.
  This year's edition was being organised by Events Services in collaboration with the Kunsill Malti ghall-iSport.
• Valletta secured the services of Malta international defender/midfielder Massimo Grima.
  The player moves on a permanent transfer after being on loan with the Citizens for the past eighteen months.
  A product of Pietà, Grima played for two years for the Hotspurs in the Premier League before moving to Sliema in summer 1998. He was quite regular with the Blues for five years but during season 2003/2004, he was left on the sidelines and joined Valletta on loan in January 2004. Being no longer in the plans of Sliema coach Edward Aquilina, he asked to return with Valletta last year.
  Valletta were eager to retain the player for this season, maybe on another loan period. Sliema Wanderers, on the other hand, were only willing to transfer the player definitely.
  There were several discussions between the two clubs until the move was finally sealed.
  Valletta have so far signed Nigerian striker Jeremiah Ani from Naxxar Lions and defender Kevin Cassar. The former Hibernians defender was already on loan with the Citizens last season.
• The Mqabba FC Youth Nursery is receiving applications from parents of children (aged 4 upwards) willing to join the Mqabba nursery. Those interested should contract secretary Mark Bondin on 79051404.
  As from this season, the nursery will be enjoyed new facilities including the synthetic pitch which forms part of the Mqabba Football Club complex.

Fri 15

• The 4th edition of the Westin Malta Football Awards will be held on Saturday night at the Westin Dragonara Resort, St. Julian's.
  Various local sports journalists will be handing out the Awards to the winners of the thirteen categories.
  This year's edition, which will also be transmitted live on Net TV, will be anchored by Antonella Vassallo and John Busuttil.
  The 13 categories, which will be contested, are:
  Best Defender, Best Midfielder, Best Goalkeeper, Best Striker, Best Gozitan Player, Best Futsal Player, Best Female Player, Most Promising Youngster, Best Goal of the Season, Best Coach, Best Foreigner, Best Maltese Player, Powerade Public Best Player Award. A special career Award will also be presented during the show.
  In the meantime, a neck-to-neck competition is currently underway between Ivan Woods of Sliema and Gilbert Agius of Valletta both at the moment leading the Powerade Public Best Player Award which is solely being voted for by the general public by an sms voting procedure. The following players are contesting this Award and other players may be voted for by using the other number.
  50614001 Gilbert Agius
  50614002 Jeffrey Chetcuti
  50614003 Andrew Cohen
  50614004 Haruna Doda
  50614005 Reuben Gauci
  50614006 Ivan Woods
  50614007 You Choose !!
  This year's edition is being organised by Events Services in collaboration with the Kunsill Malti ghall-iSport.

Thu 14

• UEFA Cup Birkirkara vs APOEL 0-2, Omonia Nicosia vs Hibernians 3-0
• Coaches Mark Miller and Silvio Vella have selected the following players to form part of the Malta Under-21 squad for Season 2005-06:
  Goalkeepers: David Farrugia (Floriana), Christian Calleja (Marsa), Andrew Hogg (Pieta H.), Bernard Paris (B'Kara)
  Defenders: Alex Muscat (Sliema W.), Shaun Bajada (M'Xlokk), Shaun Tellus (M'Xlokk), Josef Mifsud (Msida SJ), Ryan Mintoff (Hibernians), Roderick Sammut (B'Kara), David Camenzuli (Pieta H.), Jonathan Caruana (Hibs), Clayton Failla (Hibs)
  Midfielders: Christian Cassar (Floriana), Trevor Cilia (Floriana), Roderick Bajada (Msida SJ), Gareth Sciberras (M'Xlokk), Andrei Agius (Sporting Mascalucia), Ryan Fenech (Hamrun S.), Matthew Bartolo (Hibernians), Paul Fenech (Msida SJ), Andre Schembri (M'Xlokk), Dyson Falzon (Mosta)
  Forwards: Thomas Caruana (St. Patrick), Cleavon Frendo (M'Xlokk), Nicolo Baldacchino (Floriana), Andrew Scerri (Sliema W.), Ian Zammit (Valletta)
  Training starts on the 18th July, 2005 at the MFA Technical Centre at 18.00hrs

Wed 13

• Birkirkara need to do much better than they did last week in the Euro Challenge Cup in order to obtain a positive result as they host APOEL FC in the first leg of the UEFA Cup first qualifying round on Thursday, kick-off at 21:00.
  Lacking several players for some reason or another, the Stripes disappointed in defeats to Sliema Wanderers and Hibernians.
  But since last week, Birkirkara received some good news, especially with the signing of a new contract by Precious Monye, one of the key figures in the Birkirkara squad over the last 18 months. They also secured the services of Czech goalkeeper David Simon who signed a one-year contract with the club with a further 2-year option.
  From last year's team, Lucian Dronca, Haruna Doda, Chucks Nwoko and Justin Haber are no longer in squad. The first two moved to Singapore and Hibernians respectively while Nwoko and Haber have so far refused to sign a new contract with the Stripes.
  Last season, APOEL placed second with 58 points, four points behind champions Anorthosis Famagusta and eleven points ahead of third-placed Omonia. APOEL won the championship 18 times and the Cup 17 times.
  In Europe, APOEL FC won 19 matches and drew 16 in 78 games in Europe. They managed to qualify for a second round eight times and a third round on another two occasions.
  Their best campaigns were in 1996 and 2002. In the UEFA Cup 1996, they defeated B71 of Faroe Islands and Iraklis Thessaloniki of Greece, only to lose to Spanish side Espanol.
  In 2002, APOEL eliminated Flora Tallinn (Estonia) and Maribor (Slovenia), missing out on the group stage of the Champions League after being eliminated by AEK Athens. They entered the first round of the UEFA Cup where they defeated Grazer AK 3-1 on aggregate but were then defeated by Hertha Berlin in the second round.
  After missing out on one of the major honours last season, APOEL made it a point to strengthen their squad with established players.
  They lost Greek striker Georgios Vakouftsis to AC Omonia but coach Marios Konstantinou wasted no time replacing Vakouftsis with ex-Olympiakos and Standard Liege forward Alexandros Kaklamanos.
  Last month, they secured the services of Australian midfielder Paul Okon. A player with vast experience in England and Italy, having played for Leeds, Middlesbrough, Watford, Lazio, Fiorentina and Vicenza. On the other hand, last week, APOEL signed Portuguese midfielder Ricardo Fernandes. Fernandes was on the books of some of Portugal's top clubs, namely Porto, Sporting Lisbon, Gil Vicente and Academica de Coimbra.
  Another new recruit is another Portugese midfielder Daniel Kenedy. However the 31-year-old, who has had spells at PSG, Maritimo, Benfica, Braga and Academica de Coimbra is ineligible to play against Birkirkara as he signed after the July 7 deadline.
• It will be no easy task for Hibernians as they face AC Omonia in the first leg of the UEFA Cup first qualifying round at the Neo GSP Stadium in Nicosia on Thursday, kick-off at 19:00 CET.
  A 21-man Hibernians squad left Malta on Tuesday afternoon. The players making the trip were:
  goalkeepers Mario Muscat, Michael Xuereb, Alex Camilleri;
  defenders Adrian Pulis, Aaron Xuereb, Ryan Mintoff, Edmond Agius, Jonathan Pearson, Julian Vella;
  midfielders Essien Mbong, Peter Pullicino, Roderick Baldacchino, Kenneth Spiteri, Matthew Bartolo, Clayton Failla, Ben Camilleri, David Camilleri and
  forwards Andrew Cohen, Terence Scerri, Antoine Zahra, Haruna Doda.
  Goalkeeper Alex Camilleri joined the club from St. Patrick on a one-year loan. He is the only new player besides Nigerian striker Haruna Doda. Julian Vella returns with the club after spending the last six months on loan with Lija Athletic.
  AC Omonia are not new to local clubs having been drawn twice with Maltese clubs in UEFA competitions. In 1985, they managed to eliminate Rabat Ajax in the first round of the Champions Cup, winning 5-0 both at Ta' Qali and in Nicosia. Ten years later, they defeated Sliema Wanderers in the qualifying round of the UEFA Cup beating them 3-0 in Nicosia and 2-1 at Ta' Qali.
  Omonia placed third in the Cypriot First Division with 47 points, fifteen points behind champions Anorthosis Famagusta and eleven behind APOEL. Omonia however won the Cup after beating Digenis Morfou 2-0 in the final. This was their twelfth success in the cup competition. They won the 19 times.
  In Europe, they registered 24 wins and obtained ten draws in 80 matches in Europe. Omonia managed to reach a second round of a European competition ten times, including the past two years.
  In 2003, they eliminated Irtysh Pavlodar (Kazakhstan) in the first qualifying round of the Champions League but then lost on aggregate to Polish side Wisla Krakow. Last year, they eliminated Sloga Jugomagnat Skopje of Macedonia in the qualifying round of the UEFA Cup, then losing to CSKA Sofia in the next round.
  This summer AC Omonia have already signed Greek striker Georgios Vakouftsis from APOEL FC. The 25-year-old joins on a two-year contract. But on the other hand, 37-year-old Vesko Mihajlovic announced his retirement to become team co-ordinator. On the other hand, 22-year-old Cypriot international Efstathios Aloneftis joined Larissa FC in Greece.
• First Division side Naxxar Lions have appointed Dennis Fenech as their new coach.
  Naxxar-born Fenech, former coach of Mellieha, Senglea Athletic and Valletta, will be assisted by Vince Laus who had guided the club over the past season. Laus is also the coach of the Under-19 side.
  A players' meeting will be held on Sunday 17 at the club at 10:30 and training will start on Monday.
  The Naxxar Lions committee will be formed as follows: President - Michael Zammit Tabona, Vice President - Domenic Chircop, Secretary - Dr. Mark Busuttil, Treasurer - Joseph Mifsud, Assistant Secretary - Dr. Martin Fenech, Assistant Treasurer - Anthony Borg, Team Manager - John Galea, Nursery Delegate - Victor Micallef, PRO and Website - Martin Attard, Premises Manager - Alfred Grech, Kit Manager - Melvin Micallef, Assistant Kit Manager - Simon Borg, Members - Martin Fedele, Darren Abela and Louis Camilleri.
  Meanwhile First Division side San Gwann have confirmed Noel Coleiro as their coach for the coming season 2005/06.
  A players' meeting will be held at the club's premises on Monday 25th at 7:30. Training starts the following day.
• Msida St. Joseph issued a statement to deny reports appearaing in some sections of the media with regards to the future of Malta Under-21 midfielder Roderick Bajada.
  The Committee of Msida St. Joseph categorically denies that there have been any discussions with Hamrun Spartans on the future of Roderick Bajada.
  "Some weeks ago, Hamrun have officially communicated with Msida to acquire the services of the midfielder, but it simply not true that there have been any talks on Bajada between the two clubs."
  "The Committee would also like to make clear that fact that there are no plans to sell any players currently registered with the Club, especially the three Under 21 international players. This unless there is a specific request for such a move by the players themselves to leave the Club."
  "This is being re-iterated so that there is no misunderstanding as to the situation of each and every player registered as such with the Club," concludes the statement which is signed by vice-president Antoine Portelli.

Tue 12

• Champions League Sliema W. vs FC Sheriff 1-4
• Thirty-year old midfielder Rupert Mangion will be returning with his first love, Hamrun Spartans after the Spartans reached an agreement with the Blues over his transfer.
  Mangion signed a three-year deal with the Spartans who will be making their return to the Premier League after one year in Division 1.
  A product of Hamrun Spartans, Mangion made his Premier League debut in season 1991/92. He played for Hamrun until summer 2001 when he moved to Sliema. He played regularly for the Blues until an injury ruled him out for most of last season. In fact he only made seven appearances in league matches last year.
  Meanwhile the Spartans are looking forward to strengthening the squad with the arrival of new foreigners as Bulgarian defender Nikolai Slavtchev will not be retained.
  Three Nigerian players are expected to be on trial. One of these is defender Patrick Ndubisi Ndah, who played for Victoria Hotspurs last season.
• Nigerian defender/midfielder Precious Monye will be staying with Birkirkara after agreeing a new two-year deal with the club.
  He is therefore eligible to play for the Stripes in next Thursday's UEFA Cup qualifier against APOEL Nicosia of Cyprus.
  Monye had joined Birkirkara in January 2004 after playing for several years in Hungary and Romania. He was also on the books of Italian sides Reggiana and Cosenza.
  Meanwhile a new player in the Birkirkara squad is Czech goalkeeper David Simon.
  The 31-year old goalkeeper signed a one-year contract with a further 2-year option. Simon is eligible to play for the Stripes on Thursday after they were granted permission by UEFA to sign a new goalkeeper.
  In fact with Justin Haber seeming to have no intention to stay with Birkirkara and move abroad, the only goalkeepers in the squad are Ivan Casha and youths' team goalkeeper Joshua Galea. Bernard Paris, on the other hand, is expected to move to another club on loan.

Mon 11

• Sliema Wanderers will be hosting FC Sheriff Tiraspol of Moldova in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League first qualifying round on Tuesday, kick-off at 20:00.
  The match was originally scheduled to be played at 18:30 but has now been delayed by one hour and a half due to the hot weather.
  The Wanderers will be hoping for a positive result which would keep alive hopes of setting-up a second qualifying round clash with Partizan Belgrade. However their task is a difficult one.
  Although Malta and Moldova met several times at international level, this will be the first time teams from the countries will be facing each other in a UEFA club competition.
  Sheriff Tiraspol won the Moldovan title for the fifth successive year, placing first 16 points ahead of runners-up Nistru Otaci and 25 points ahead of third-placed Dacia Chisinau. They won the Moldovan Cup three times.
  FC Sheriff's record in European is quite positive. In fact, during the past four years of participation in the Champions League, they always managed to reach the second qualifying round. They played a total of 16 matches - five wins, two draws and nine defeats. In the UEFA Cup, they took part twice, collecting three draws in four matches.
  In 2003, Sheriff even managed to win the Commonwealth of Independent States Cup - a tournament for the champions of all the states of the former Soviet Union.
  Last season, in the UEFA Champions League first qualifying round, Sheriff defeated Jeunesse Esch of Luxembourg 2-1 on aggregate. They were then eliminated by Rosenborg on a 4-1 aggregate.
  This summer, FC Sheriff have already secured the services of three new players. They signed two midfielders from Romania - Viorel Dinu and Cristian Ionescu. On the other hand, 19-year-old defender Ibrahim Gnanou will be third player from Burkina Faso to join the club after they signed Soumaila Tassembedo and Ben Idrissa Derme in winter.
  Over the past couple of weeks, FC Sheriff played a number of friendly matches. They defeated Gloria Buzau and Dinamo Bucharest with identical 2-0 wins.
  Coach Leonid Kuchuk has no injury worries but Ukrainian defender Oleg Gumenyuk is ruled out of the first leg as he serves a one-match ban after receiving a red card last season.
  Sliema coach Edward Aquilina is expected to field the same line-up used in the two Euro Challenge Cup matches against Birkirkara and Hibernians. Therefore the first eleven players should be: Murphy Akanji, Joe Brincat, Mauro Di Lello, Brian Said, Noel Turner, Daniel Bogdanovic, Danilo Doncic, Jeffrey Chetcuti, Ivan Woods, Orosco Anonam, Stefan Giglio.
  Young goalkeeper Matthew Farrugia, who was on loan with Mosta last season, will be the second goalkeeper.
  The last time Sliema reached a second round was in 2003 when Sliema defeated Skonto Riga 2-0 at the Hibs Ground and lost 1-3 in Riga. However in the second round, they were eliminated by a 10-1 aggregate by FC Copenhagen. Last season, they lost to FBK Kaunas of Lithuania 0-2 at Ta' Qali and 4-1 in Lithuania.
• Two Maltese FIFA referees have been appointed to control matches in the European Club 2005-2006 competitions.
  Joe Attard is to referee the UEFA Champions League first Qualifying Round match between F91 Dudelange and NK Zrinjski to be played in Luxembourg on July 13. He will be assisted by Philip Agius and Joseph Camilleri while Kevin Azzopardi will act as Fourth Official.
  Chris Lautier will be in charge of the first Qualifying Round UEFA Cup Winners Cup match between KS Teuta and NK Siroki Brijeg in Durres, Albania on July 14. His assistants will be Charles Micallef and Joe Rapa, while Clayton Pisani will be the Fourth Official.

Sun 10

• JJ Aquilina is once again the coach of Valletta FC, less than ten days after quitting the job citing work commitments.
  Immediately after his resignation, there was a lot of speculation about who could replace Aquilina with former Msida coach Joe Grech being mentioned as the main favourite.
  However following a meeting between Valletta president Charles Camilleri and JJ Aquilina, the latter accepted to stay at the club for another season.
  Valletta will be resuming training on Monday.
• Portugese defender Nuno Miguel Dos Santos Gomes agreed to join Marsaxlokk on a one-year long contract.
  Nuno Gomes was lured to Malta by Birkirkara. However after doing well in his trial with the Stripes, Marsaxlokk stepped in and they managed to secure his services.
  Gomes is one of four new Marsaxlokk players who made their first appearance in a friendly match against Pietà Hotspurs on Saturday. The others are Floriana goalkeeper Reuben Gauci, former Sliema and Msida midfielder Kevin Sammut and former Pietà defender/midfielder Gareth Sciberras.
  Marsaxlokk won the friendly 1-0, a goal by Cleaven Frendo.

Sat 9

• Pietà Hotspurs will be having three new foreigners on their books this season.
  Two of these are the sons of Georgi Deanov - Ilyan and Martin. Both had played for the Hotspurs in past.
  The elder brother, Ilyan, played for Pietà for four years in Division 1 between 1990 and 1994.
  On the other hand, Martin started his football career with the Rabat Depiro Youth Nursery before moving to Pietà Hotspurs where he first played with the club's youth sector until making his Premier League debut in 1998. He played for two years with the senior side before moving to Bulgaria where he has been playing with Belasitsa in the Bulgarian First Division.
  The third foreigner is expected to be Nigerian striker Daniel Nwoke. Nwoke has been playing with Msida St. Joseph for the past three years after playing for Naxxar Lions in the Premier League in 2001/2002.
  Last season, Pietà had two foreigners from Bosnia-Herzegovina - Senad Repuh and Sanin Ortas and in the final part of the season, they signed young African striker Isse Adan Abshir.
• Msida St. Joseph started their pre-season training for the coming season training under the guidance of new Bulgarian coach Todor Raykov.
  Raykov replaces Mario Petrone who is supposed to join Polictechnica Chisinau in Moldova - a club controlled by former Torino and Msida president Roberto Goveani.
  Msida are expected to sign 23-year old striker Michael Valenzia. A product of Sliema Wanderers, Valenzia played for Lija Athletic in Division 1, Balzan Youths in the Premier League and St. Andrews in Division 2 last season.
  This news was not denied by vice-president Antoine Portelli when asked for his comments.
  Msida, who have already lost Clint Micallef and Kevin Sammut after being on loan with the club from Birkirkara and Sliema respectively, are expected to have new foreigners in squad.
  Last season, Msida had Manuel Boni, Daniel Nwoke, Patrick Giua and Manrico Porceddu on their books.

Fri 8

• Euro Challenge Cup Sliema W. vs Hibernians 2-2
• Champions Sliema Wanderers will be facing Hibernians in the opening match of the BOV Premier League. This emerged from the draws of the National League fixtures which were held at the Centenary Hall on Friday.
  Meanwhile, another big clash in the BOV Premier League on Day 1 is that between Birkirkara and Valletta.
  First Division champions Hamrun Spartans will be facing Marsaxlokk while the other team which won promotion from Division 1 - Mosta take on Msida St. Joseph.
  The other match is Floriana vs Pietà Hotspurs.
  Match Sequence:
  Floriana: PIE VAL HIB MSI HAM MXL MOS SLI BKR
  Pietà Hotspurs: FLO HIB HAM MOS BKR VAL MSI MXL SLI
  Birkirkara: VAL MSI MXL SLI PIE HIB HAM MOS FLO
  Valletta: BKR FLO MSI MXL SLI PIE HIB HAM MOS
  Hibernians: SLI PIE FLO HAM MOS BKR VAL MSI MXL
  Sliema Wanderers: HIB HAM MOS BKR VAL MSI MXL FLO PIE
  Hamrun Spartans: MXL SLI PIE HIB FLO MOS BKR VAL MSI
  Marsaxlokk: HAM MOS BKR VAL MSI FLO SLI PIE HIB
  Mosta: MSI MXL SLI PIE HIB HAM FLO BKR VAL
  Msida St. Joseph: MOS BKR VAL FLO MXL SLI PIE HIB HAM
  The BOV Premier League kicks-off on August 5. The first round ends on October 23 while the second round resumes on 18. The first phase comes to an end on February 12 with the first Championship Pool and Relegation Pool matches being played on March 4. The last match will be played on May 14.
  In the BOV First Division League, the two teams who were relegated from the Premier League will be facing each other in their first match. Newly-promoted Tarxien Rainbows and St. Andrews face Naxxar Lions and Senglea Athletic respectively.
  Naxxar Lions vs Tarxien Rainbows, St. Andrews vs Senglea Athletic, Marsa vs Mqabba, Lija Athletic vs St. Patrick, San Gwann vs St. George's
  The BOV First Division League kicks-off on September 21 and comes to an end on May 14.
  In the BOV Second Division, after being relegated from Division 1, Balzan Youths will be facing Gzira United in the first match. Gozo, on the other hand, take on Gharghur who won promotion from Division 3. Division 3 champions Gudja United face Dingli Swallows.
  Mellieha vs Vittoriosa Stars, Gzira United vs Balzan Youths, Qormi vs Zebbug Rangers, Dingli Swallows vs Gudja United, Attard vs Melita, Gharghur vs Gozo
  The BOV Second Division League gets underway on September 24 and comes to an end on May 8.
  After being relegated to Division 3, Rabat Ajax hope to start their climb back to Division 2 with a match against Mgarr United. Sta. Venera Lightenings face Xghajra Tornadoes in their first match.
  Rabat Ajax vs Mgarr United, Ghaxaq vs Santa Lucia, Birzebbuga St. Peter's vs Pembroke Athleta, Xghajra Tornadoes vs Sta. Venera Lightnings, Ta' Xbiex vs Zurrieq, Siggiewi vs Luqa St. Andrew's, Kirkop United vs Zejtun Corinthians, Sirens vs Kalkara First match for Fgura United is against Rabat Ajax
  The BOV Third Division League kicks-off on September 25 and comes to an end on May 7. The Third Division play-offs will then be played on May 14, 18 and 21.

Thu 7

• The Malta Football Association presented players and clubs with various trophies, medals and certificates during the Annual Awards ceremony which was held on Thursday.
  The awards included those for Fair Play, the championships for the Youth League and the Futsal League, the top scorers in the various leagues and the best players.
  In a short speech, MFA president Dr Joe Mifsud spoke about the association's work over the past season. He pointed out that there was an increase in the number of spectators for league matches in the various divisions, except for Division 3.
  Dr Mifsud also revealed that after the association secured a sponsorship for the National League and the Super Cup by Bank of Valletta plc, the FA Trophy and the Second & Third Division Knock-Out will soon have a sponsor as well.
  Hibernians striker Andrew Cohen won the MFA Footballer of the Year award 2004/2005.
  Cohen, who was also the top scorer in the Premier League with 21 goals, placed first ahead of Valletta's Gilbert Agius and Brian Said of Sliema Wanderers.
  Four goalkeepers won the Best Player Award in four of the other six categories.
  
  Senglea Athletic goalkeeper George Attard won the Division 1 Best Player award ahead of Gilbert Martin (Marsa) and Victor Bellia (Naxxar).
  Tarxien Rainbows goalie Anthony Curmi won the Best Second Division Player award. He placed first ahead of Melvin Farrugia (Zebbug) and Edward Herrera (Melita).
  The winner of the Best Third Division Player award was Gudja United goalkeeper Matthew Xerxen. The runner-up was David Brincat (Sta. Lucia) with Keith Portelli (Luqa) placing third.
  Valletta goalkeeper Miguel Montfort was voted Best Youth Player. Edward Herrera (Melita) placed second ahead of Dylan Zarb (Valletta).
  Jane Coates of Mosta won the award for Best Female Player. Dione Tonna (Hibernians) and Jackie Ellul Soler (Melita) placed second and third respectively.
  James Navarro (Konica Minolta Gunners) won the Best Futsal Player award ahead of Reuben Grech (Net Stars) and Raymond Vella (El Mundos).
  Twenty-seven clubs who took part in the last 25 years of Premier League football were presented with a memento to mark this anniversary.
  Former international referee Lorry Sammut was presented with a memento from UEFA for his service.
• Dragan Zivkovic is the new coach of First Division side Senglea Athletic.
  Zivkovic has been working in Malta for the past nine years - first as goalkeepers' coach with the national team. He then coached Naxxar Lions and Rabat Ajax.
  Senglea will be aiming for promotion to the Premier League as the club is hoping to celebrate the hundredth anniversary in style.
  The team will be starting pre-season training on July 25.
  Meanwhile Roland Sollars has been appointed as the new coach of Pembroke Athleta.
  Sollars had coached the Melita youths, Sirens and the Hibernians ladies team. He was also assistant coach with Marsaxlokk in the Premier League.
  On the other hand, Edward Darmanin is the new coach of Third Division side Birzebbuga St. Peter's.
• As from the season 2005/2006 the MFA is launching season tickets for the Premium Seats situated at the Millenium Stand in the National Stadium in TA` Qali. The Premium Seats are situated in a gallery just below the canopy and are segregated from the other seats.
  The owner of a Premium Seat will have the allocated seat reserved for all events held at the National Stadium. These events also include non football events.
  There are four types of Premium Seats available:
  Premium: Lm250
  Premium Plus: Lm 300 (includes a parking bay in the underlying garage)
  PremiumFriends: Lm1250 (five seats and one free parking space in the underlying garage)
  PremiumGroup: Different prices are available depending on group size.
  There is also a limited availability of Executive Boxes. Situated at the upper level of the Millenium Stand, these come furnished and include a kitchenette, air conditioning and refrigerator. Seating is available for twenty persons, and four parking bays in the underlying garage are included.
  Executive Boxes and Premium Seats are serviced by a lift leading to all levels.
  For further information contact Robert Grech on info@mfa.com.mt, 21222697, 21232581 or via fax on 21245136.

Wed 6

• Euro Challenge Cup Hibernians vs Birkirkara 2-1
• The finalists for the fourth edition of the Westin Malta Football Awards were revealed during a press conference which was held at the Westin Dragonara Resort. The awards will be presented on July 16.
  The finalists in the different categories are:
  Best Defender William Camenzuli (Birkirkara), Massimo Grima (Valletta) and Brian Said (Sliema)
  Best Midfielder Essien Mbong (Hibernians), Noel Turner (Sliema) and Stefan Giglio (Sliema)
  Best Goalkeeper Murphy Akanji(Sliema), Reuben Gauci (Floriana) and Mario Muscat (Hibernians)
  Best Forward Gilbert Agius (Valletta), Andrew Cohen (Hibernians) and Ivan Woods (Sliema)
  Best Player in Gozo Daniel Bogdanovic (Ghajnsielem), Brian Meilaq (Ghajnsielem) and Elton Vella (Kercem)
  Best Player in Futsal League Nebjosa Mijalovic (Hibernians), Dragan Milovanovic (Serbia) and Branco Pantelic (Serbia)
  Best Female Player Rebecca D'Agostino (Birkirkara), Fiona Mangion (Sta. Venera), Dionne Tonna (Hibernians) and Dorianne Theuma (Hibernians)
  Most Promising Youngster Cleaven Frendo (Marsaxlokk), Alex Muscat (Sliema) and Andre Schembri (Marsaxlokk)
  Best Coach Edward Aquilina (Sliema), JJ Aquilina (Valletta) and Stephen Azzopardi (Birkirkara)
  Best Foreign Player Haruna Doda (Birkirkara), Essien Mbong (Hibernians) and Precious Monye (Birkirkara)
  Best Local Player Gilbert Agius (Valletta), Andrew Cohen (Hibernians) and Ivan Woods (Sliema).
  Meanwhile representatives from media organisations and clubs together with the members of the organising committee voted for the Best Goal of the Season - another award which will be presented in this year's edition.
  Pietà Hotspurs midfielder Silvan Ciscaldi won the award with his goal against Sliema Wanderers. Gilbert Agius (goal for Valleta against Hibernians) and Daniel Bogdanovic (goal for Marsaxlokk against Pietà) placed second and third respectively.
  
  On the other hand, voting for the Powerade Public Best Player Award is being carried out by sms.
• Premier School of Football has recently been set up to offer youngsters aged 7 to 13 years the possibility to learn and improve the technical abilities required for the game of football in a professional manner and outstanding surroundings.
  Mr Alex Delia, a qualified coach with over 9 years of coaching experience with youngsters will run the school; which will mainly concentrate on the technical development of the players, giving special individual attention to the enhancement of the boys' self-belief and character building.
  The training season will commence in September 2005 and regular once a week training sessions will be held at the school's synthetic turf pitch situated at Targa Gap, Mosta.
  Boys showing an interest to attend the school in September are presently being invited to attend training sessions free of charge. Several training sessions have already been held and applications have already started coming in.
  Parents wishing to register their child are kindly requested to call on mobile numbers 99470423 or 99459607 for further details.

Tue 5

• The MFA Technical Centre will be organising another Instructional Meeting on Monday 11th July 2005 for holders of Foundation, YDD and CCC licence coaches.
  This meeting will be a theoretical lecture delivered by Dr Aaron Formosa and it will be held at the Centenary Hall, Ta' Qali. It is scheduled to start at 17:30.
  All coaches are advised to be punctual for this instructional session.
• FIFA Instructor Mr Manuel Lopez Fernandez of Spain will be the main lecturer during a four-day seminar for referees will be held between July 7 and 8 at the Centenary Hall, Ta' Qali.
  Mr Lopez Fernandez will be dealing with a number of topics namely Communication - Referee and his Assistants; Law 12 - Fair and Unfair Challenges, Handling the Ball; Determining Offside; Amendments to Laws of The Game (besides those on Laws 11 and 12); Reading the Game – Positioning and Pre-match Talk – Uniformity in given Instructions.
  Referees will then be divided into workshops and reports about these discussions will then be delivered.
  MFA president Dr Joe Mifsud and vice-president Mr Carmelo Bartolo will be addressing the referees as well.
• Attard Youth Nursery will be taking part in the Regio Haarlem Cup between July 24 and 30.
  The Nursery will be taking part in the under 8, 10 and 14 categories. Teams from at least 13 countries will participate in this year's edition of the Regio Haarlem Cup.
  The tournament will take place at Haarlem (Holland).

Mon 4

• Euro Challenge Cup Sliema W. vs Birkirkara 3-0
• Bank of Valletta will be the official sponsor of the Malta Football Association's National League and the Super Cup for the coming three seasons - 2005/2006, 2006/2007 and 2007/2008.
  The sponsorship will be therefore covering the Premier, First, Second and Third Division Leagues and the Super Cup competition.
  The agreement was formalized during an official signing ceremony at the BOV Head Office in Sliema on Monday. The agreement was signed by Tonio Depasquale, Chief Executive Officer and Igino Xuereb, Chief Officer Operations, on behalf of Bank of Valletta and Dr Joe Mifsud, President, and Alex Manfre, Treasurer on behalf of the Malta Football Association.
  Addressing the media, MFA President Dr Joe Mifsud expressed the MFA's satisfaction at the positive conclusion of this agreement that will see the largest Maltese bank supporting Malta's prime sporting event.
  "We are all extremely satisfied that Bank of Valletta is associating itself with Maltese Football and we are confident that this new collaboration will be beneficial to both parties. Bank of Valletta's continuous efforts to add value in its sector are in line with the MFA's efforts to keep raising the level of Maltese football. We are proud to have such a prestigious name supporting us through the coming three football seasons and we are sure that having BOV as the Official Sponsor will contribute towards the success of the National League."
  The MFA president revealed that last season the number of spectators for league matches increased by around 9,000 for a total of 112,000.
  Dr Mifsud announced that the competitions will be officially referred to as the BOV Premier League, BOV First Division League, BOV Second Division League and the BOV Third Division League. Concurrently the Super Cup competition will be known as the BOV Super Cup. The Player of the Month will be awarded once again with the award now being called the BOV Player of the Month.
  As part of the BOV Player of the Month Awards, Bank of Valletta will be donating a sum of money to a charitable institution chosen by the player who wins the award.
  Addressing the press conference, Tonio Depasquale expressed his satisfaction at the successful conclusion of this agreement with the Malta Football Association.
  "We are pleased that Bank of Valletta will now be associated with Malta's most popular and followed sport. Our aim is to support the success of Maltese football. We acknowledge that football is widely followed and that there is a lot of talent in Malta that deserves support and encouragement."
  Mr Depasquale said that this sponsorship also supports the BOV brand. "We are committed to support out customers to be successful. Similarly through this sponsorship we are providing out support and contributing towards the success of the most popular sport in Malta," said Mr Depasquale.
  The BOV Chief Executive Officer announced that BOV has also develop[ed a branded National League Logo and a logo for each Division and the Super Cup competition. "This branding exercise is intended to enhance the uniformity withing the different levels of the National Football league as well as to reinforce the various leagues' association with BOV as the new official sponsor for the forthcoming three seasons."

Sat 2

• Valletta FC coach JJ Aquilina was forced to quit the club after just one season due to work commitments.
  Aquilina led Valletta to a creditable fourth place last season after a heavily disappointing seventh place for the Citizens in the previous season.
  The club will be discussing the matter urgently with the aim of appointing a new coach in the coming days.
• Goals by Terence Scerri and Andrew Cohen gave Hibernians a 2-0 win over champions Sliema Wanderers 2-0 in a friendly match at the Hibernians Ground on Friday.
  This was the first outing for the two teams this season, before the two teams take part in the Euro Challenge Cup next week.
  Sliema had Italian defender Mauro Di Lello and Daniel Bogdanovic were making their first appearance for the Blues while Serbian midfielder Goran Njamculovic was included as a substitute for Hibernians during the second half.