November 2007
Fri 30
- Third Division Section A Fgura U. vs Xghajra T. 1-1
- Third Division Section B Kirkop U. vs Luqa SA 0-1
Thu 29
- The draws for the qualifying rounds of the 2008/09 UEFA Under-19 and the UEFA Under-17 Championships were held on Thursday.
In the UEFA Under-19 Championship, Malta was drawn in Group 4 together with France, the Republic of Ireland and Liechtenstein.
The mini-tournament will be played in Malta between November 21 and 26.
In the UEFA Under-17 Championship, Malta was drawn in Group 12 together with Russia, Slovenia and Turkey. The mini-tournament will be played in Russia.
The top two in each qualifying round section, plus the two third-placed sides with the best record against the top two in their group, will progress to the Elite round, which will be played in the spring of 2009.
- Details about the visit by Italian giants Juventus FC were revealed on Thursday during a press conference which was held at the Hotel Le Meridien, St. Julian's. Meanwhile tickets for the Valletta vs Juventus game will be on sale as from Friday.
Juventus will be coming to Malta for a short training camp thanks to an initiative by Renaissance Productions Ltd. The local event organisers had to fight off other bids from a number of countries who were interested in hosting Juventus.
The bianconeri will arrive in Malta in full force, including any injured players. President Giovanni Cobolli Gigli and Chief Executive Officer Jean Claude Blanc will also travel to Malta. The contingent arrives on January 6th at around 21:00. Coach Claudio Ranieri together with one of the players will immediately address a press conference.
On Monday 7th, between two thousand and three thousand Juventus fans will have the opportunity to attend an event which will be held at the Sky Club in Paceville. All players will be present for this event.
Fans will have the opportunity to watch the team in action in a training session, open for the general public, which will be held at the National Stadium on Tuesday 8th. All other training sessions will be held at the MFA Training Grounds.
The most-awaited event is the match between Valletta and Juventus which will be played on Wednesday 9th January at 20:00 for the Betfair Cup, a trophy presented by the online gaming company Betfair. Tickets for the game will be on sale as from Friday from Valletta FC (ticket hotline 99458140) and the Juventus Club Vero Amore Malta (ticket hotline 79480851). Tickets will be sold at Lm 12 for the North and South Stand, Lm 25 for the Millennium Stand, Lm 35 for the West Stand and Lm 45 for the VIP area.
A limited number of tickets at a discounted price of Lm 10 for the North and South Stands will be available from the nine Go Mobile outlets in Malta and Gozo as from Monday 3rd December.
The North Stand will be reserved for Juventus fans and those willing to buy tickets for this section may do so as from Monday from Fenech Buildings, Old Railway Track, Sta. Venera.
In the last couple of days of their stay, a number of players will be attending an activity at the Juventus Club Vero Amore and possibly, one or two players could also visit the Gozo branch of the Juventus Club.
RPL director Dr Anton Tabone, who together with Mr Amabile Zammit another director of RPL, are the masterminds behind the visit of Juventus, revealed that other initiatives related to charity are expected to be held as well as the club was very responsive with regards to these requests.
The contingent will leave Malta on Friday 11 or Saturday 12, depending on when the Serie A game against Catania will be played. Juventus will be flying from Turin to Malta and from Malta to Catania on an Airmalta chartered flight.
Dr Anton Tabone thanked the main sponsors Go and Betfair and admitted that this visit was made possible thanks to their support. He said that such events cannot take place without such support as they are very big business ventures. Dr Tabone thanked other sponsors namely Airmalta, the Malta Tourism Authority and the Hotel Le Meridien, Jaguar, Arkadia and Coca-Cola.
Speaking on behalf of Betfair, Steve Ives said that the company has been established in Malta for almost two years. He said that although such sponsorship is part of their marketing, Betfair wanted to be part of such an initiative. Ives said the company was delighted to present the inaugural Betfair Cup and hoped that this will become a regular fixture. The Betfair Fair Player award will also be presented in order to promote Fair Play.
GO's Head Corporate Communications & Public Affairs Mr Franco Alosio revelaed that GO will be promoting this event through all services offered by the company in order to keep its customers up to date with the latest information about this event. This will include a number of exclusive competitions.
Wed 28
- The Hamrun Spartans Supporters Club has just published the Official Calendar of Hamrun Spartans for the year 2008.
This calendar includes photos of the players who form part of the team for this season, as well as a short profile of the players and their autograph.
Together with this calendar a large poster of the team will also be on sale.
The photographs in this calendar and the poster itself were all taken by photographer Stephen Gatt.
The calendar will be on sale during the next match of Hamrun Spartans.
- Three Premier League players were handed a one match ban following the weekend's matches.
Brazilian midfielder Pedro Dos Santos Calcado was sent off in the 4-3 win over Mqabba while Sliema Wanderers striker Ivan Woods collected a fourth yellow card in the match against Pietà Hotspurs.
Both players are ruled out of the BOV Premier League clash between Msida St. Joseph and Sliema Wanderers on Sunday.
Hamrun's Roderick Fenech was also suspended after collecting a fourth yellow card.
St. George's coach Michael Woods was suspended for two matches in Division 1. Keith Darmanin (Vittoriosa) was suspended for one match.
In Division 2, Sergio Cappitta (Balzan) was banned for two matches while Clayton Giordimania (San Gwann) was handed a one-match ban.
Edgar Degabriele (Zebbug) was suspended for two matches in Division 3 while Jeremy Gatt, also of Zebbug) was suspended for one match.
In the Youth League, Clive Grima (St. Patrick) was handed a three-match ban while Leydon Farrugia and Ryan D'Amato (Birzebbuga) and Lee Cumbo (San Gwann) were banned for one match. St. Patrick coach Chris Muscat and San Gwann Kit-Manager Vincent Spiteri were suspended for two matches.
Tue 27
- Former Birkirkara coach Stephen Azzopardi was appointed as the new coach of Sliema Wanderers after the Blues and former coach Ray 'Zazu' Farrugia parted company by mutual consent.
Sliema Wanderers are currently second in the BOV Premier League but missed an excellent chance to take sole leadership on Sunday after suffering a surprise 0-1 defeat to Pietà Hotspurs.
After forming part of the staff at the MFA Technical Centre, Stephen Azzopardi coached Balzan Youths before joining Birkirkara in December 2001, leading them to win all major honours, namely the Premier League championship 2005/06, the FA Trophy 2002, 2003 and 2005, the Super Cup 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2006, the Super 5 Competition 2002/03, 2004/05 and the Lowenbrau Cup 2003.
Farrugia had joined Sliema just over a year ago, in October 2006, and managed to lead the Wanderers to a creditable second place in the BOV Premier League and a place in the final of the U*BET FA Trophy although they were beaten by Hibernians.
Mon 26
- Third Division Section A Attard vs Mdina K. 0-3
- Third Division Section B Gzira U. vs Sta. Lucia 2-1
Sun 25
- Premier League Msida SJ vs Mqabba, Pietà H. vs Sliema W. 1-0
- First Division Marsa vs Qormi 3-4, Senglea A. vs Mosta 2-1
- Second Division Sirens vs Mgarr U. 0-0, San Gwann vs Naxxar L. 2-0
- Third Division Section A Siggiewi vs Zebbug R. 0-3, Mtarfa vs Ghaxaq 0-4
- Gozo - First Division Ghajnsielem vs Qala SJ 5-1, Nadur Y. vs Kercem A. 4-0
- Malta was drawn with Portugal, Sweden, Denmark, Hungary and Albania in Group 1 of the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifiers. The draw was held on Sunday in Durban, South Africa.
It was definitely a tough draw for Malta considering the presence of Portugal and that of Nordic duo - Sweden and Denmark. After meeting Hungary in the 1996 World Cup qualifiers and the EURO 2008 qualifiers, the two countries will meet once again in this World Cup qualifying campaign.
The groups will be contested in a league system on a home-and-away basis, with the games to be played according to the international match calendar starting in August 2008. The nine group winners will advance to the final tournament, while the eight best runners-up will contest four play-off matches in November 2009 to determine Europe's other four finalists.
The other groups are:
Group 2: Greece, Israel, Switzerland, Moldova, Latvia, Luxembourg.
Group 3: Czech Republic, Poland, Northern Ireland, Slovakia, Slovenia, San Marino.
Group 4: Germany, Russia, Finland, Wales, Azerbaijan, Liechtenstein.
Group 5: Spain, Turkey, Belgium, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Armenia, Estonia.
Group 6: Croatia, England, Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Andorra.
Group 7: France, Romania, Serbia, Lithuania, Austria, Faroe Islands.
Group 8: Italy, Bulgaria, Ireland, Cyprus, Georgia, Montenegro.
Group 9: Netherlands, Scotland, Norway, Macedonia FYR, Iceland.
Malta's opponents
PORTUGAL: Malta met Portugal eight times with the only positive result being a 2-2 draw in Madeira in March 1987 in a match from the EURO 88 qualifiers. The first two clashes were part of the 1986 World Cup qualifiers with Portugal winning 3-1 at Ta' Qali and 3-2 at home. Despite the draw in Madeira, Portugal won 1-0 at Ta' Qali in the other match from the EURO 88 qualifiers.
Portugal won 1-0 at Ta' Qali and 5-0 at home in the EURO 92 qualifiers and then in the 1994 World Cup qualifiers, they won 1-0 at Ta' Qali and 4-0 at home.
Portugal have just reached the EURO 2008 finals after placing second in Group A, one point behind Poland and three ahead of Serbia and Finland. Also playing in the same group were Belgium, Kazakhstan, Armenia and Azerbaijan.
SWEDEN: Malta met Sweden nine times with all nine matches ending in defeats, including two heavy defeats in the 2006 World Cup qualifiers when Sweden won 7-0 at Ta' Qali and 6-0 at home.
In the 1974 World Cup qualifiers, Sweden registered a 7-0 win at home and a narrow 2-1 win at The Stadium. In the 1986 World Cup qualifiers, Malta lost 4-0 in Goteborg and 1-2 at Ta' Qali. Sweden then won 5-0 at home and 1-0 at Ta' Qali in the EURO 88 qualifiers. The two countries met also in a friendly match at Ta' Qali in 2001. Sweden won 3-0.
Sweden have qualified for the EURO 2008 finals after placing second in Group F, two points behind group winners Spain and six ahead of Northern Ireland and Denmark. The other teams in the group were Latvia, Iceland and Liechtenstein.
DENMARK: Malta and Denmark met six times. Following a 3-0 win for Malta in a friendly match in 1958, Denmark registered a 6-1 win in the European Championship qualifiers in 1962. Malta then hosted Denmark in the Rothmans Tournament in 1989 with the Danish claiming a 2-0 win.
The last two matches were part of the 2002 World Cup qualifiers. Denmark won 5-0 at Ta' Qali but could only register a narrow 2-1 win in Copenhagen.
Denmark missed out on the EURO 2008 finals after placing fourth in Group F with twenty points from twelve matches.
HUNGARY: Malta and Hungary met ten times, the last two clashes being part of the EURO 2008 qualifying campaign which has just finished. Malta won 2-1 at Ta' Qali but lost 2-0 in Budapest.
After losing 0-2 at The Stadium and 3-0 in Budapest in the 1972 World Cup qualifiers, Malta claimed its first positive result against Hungary thanks to a 2-2 draw with Hungary at Ta' Qali in the 1990 World Cup qualifiers. In Budapest, Malta held them in a 1-1 draw. Hungary registered two wins in friendly matches played in 1997 - 4-1 at Ta' Qali and 3-0 in Budapest. In the 2006 World Cup qualifying campaign, Malta lost 0-2 at Ta' Qali and 4-0 in Budapest.
Hungary missed out on the EURO 2008 finals after placing fifth in Group C with twelve points from twelve matches.
ALBANIA: This will be the first time the two countries will be meeting in a competition after meeting five times in friendly matches and games from the Rothmans Tournament.
The first three matches were played at Ta' Qali. Malta won 2-1 in 1995 and following a 1-1 draw in 1998, Albania won 1-0 in 2000. In two friendlies played in Tirana, Albania registered two 3-0 wins in 2000 and 2007.
Albania placed fifth in Group G in the EURO 2008 qualifiers after collecting eleven points in twelve matches.
- A mass is going to be celebrated in honour of Guzi Fava - founder of the Sliema Wanderers F.C. Nursery.
All past players, coaches and present members of the Sliema Wanderers F.C. Nursery are being invited to attend.
This will be held on Wednesday 28th November at 18:00 at the St Aloysius Sports Complex, Birkirkara.
Sat 24
- Premier League Floriana vs Hamrun S. 1-1, Birkirkara vs Valletta 0-1
- First Division Vittoriosa S. vs Mellieha 2-1, Tarxien R. vs St. George's 1-0
- Gozo - Second Division Oratory Y. vs Zebbug R. 1-3, SK Victoria W. vs Munxar F. 5-0
- On 5 November 2007, at a well-attended press conference held at the Vinovo Sports Centre in Turin, the forthcoming Juventus visit to Malta was officially announced to the public.
La Vecchia Signora, as the legendary and world-renowned Italian Football Club is known, will be in Malta for a training camp between the 6 and 12 January, 2008 and will also play Valletta on 9 January 2008. Coverage for this event has been widespread across Italy, in the media and in papers such as; Corriere dello Sport, E Polis Milano, Tuttosport and Gazzetta dello Sport.
In his address, Juventus CEO Jean Claude Blanc was very upbeat about the Malta training camp and was most complimentary towards Malta, favourably comparing our Islands to his team: "Malta é come la Juve.. c’é un mix di tradizione, c’é molto storia, e Malta é anche molto moderna, come vuole essere la Juve." (Malta is like Juventus in that the country has a long and rich history, steeped in tradition ... but Malta is also very modern too, as Juventus aspires to be).
Mr Blanc also stated that Malta is not only a high-class tourism destination but is also a country with top class training facilities, worthy of prestigious clubs like Juventus.
More details about the visit by Juventus are expected to be announced later this week.
Malta boasts one of the biggest Juventus supporters clubs in Europe, with around 20,000 supporters for this well loved team. This much anticipated event, organised by Renaissance Productions, is being supported by the Malta Tourism Authority. The MTA is in a continuous bid to market our islands in core markets such as Italy, also through campaigns promoting Malta as a hub of activities, events and initiatives, employing the concept of: “Malta … It’s ALL happening here!”
Fri 23
- Second Division Rabat A. vs Balzan Y. 0-1, Melita vs Zurrieq 0-1
- Despite two heavy defeats to Greece and Norway, Malta dropped only two places in the FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking which was published on Wednesday. Malta is now 139th.
On Saturday, the national team suffered a 5-0 defeat to Greece at the Olympic Stadium in Athens and last Wednesday, Dusan Fitzel's side was beaten 1-4 by Norway at Ta' Qali.
Among the other European countries, Malta is 48th, behind countries like Kazakhstan (110, up 12), Azerbaijan (118, down 2), Liechtenstein (123, down 4) and Estonia (128, up 2). On the other hand, Luxembourg (152, down 2), Montenegro (172, down 1), Andorra (174, down 1), Faroe Islands (195, down 1) and San Marino (197, down 1) are all behind Malta.
There are no scheduled fixtures for the national team although Malta will be playing three matches in the Malta International Tournament in February. Another one or two friendly matches will be played before the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifiers get underway next year.
- The format for the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa Preliminary Draw was announced on Friday. The draw will be held on Sunday in Durban, South Africa at 16:00.
FIFA General Secretary Jerome Valcke will be the Master of Ceremonies for the event, which begins with the Stage Three draw for the Asian Zone. The North, Central America and Caribbean Zone is the next confederation to come under the spotlight, with the first three stages of their preliminary campaign decided upon in Durban.
Approximately an hour into proceedings, Europe will be buzzing with anticipation when its 53 teams are divided into nine qualifying groups, before the evening rounds off with the draw for the African Zone, where 48 teams will be placed into 12 groups of four teams.
Fifty-three countries will be representing Europe in Stage One of the competition. The stage consists of 8 home-and-away groups of six teams and one home-and-away group of five teams.
The group winners qualify automatically for the FIFA World Cup while the 8 best group runners-up advance to Stage Two which will consist of four home-and-away play-offs.
The 53 teams are divided into six pots - 5 pots of 9 teams and 1 pot of 8 teams) based on the FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking of November 2007. The pots are therefore expected to be as follows:
Pot A: Italy, Spain, Germany, Czech Republic, France, Portugal, Netherlands, Croatia, Greece.
Pot B: England, Romania, Scotland, Turkey, Bulgaria, Russia, Poland, Sweden, Israel.
Pot C: Norway, Ukraine, Serbia, Denmark, Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland, Finland, Switzerland, Belgium.
Pot D: Slovakia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Hungary, Moldova, Wales, FYR Macedonia, Belarus, Lithuania, Cyprus.
Pot E: Georgia, Albania, Slovenia, Latvia, Iceland, Armenia, Austria, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan.
Pot F: Liechtenstein, Estonia, MALTA, Luxembourg, Montenegro, Andorra, Faroe Islands, San Marino.
The draw starts with Pot F and ends with Pot A. Each pot is completely emptied before moving on to the next pot.
The teams in Pot F are placed in position 6 (of Groups 1 to 8); the teams in Pod E in position 5; the teams in Pot D in position 4; the teams in Pot C in position 3; the teams from Pot B in position 2; and the teams from Pot A in position 1.
Groups are filled starting with Group 1 and ending with Group 9 (Group 8 in the case of Pot F).
Wed 21
- EURO 2008 Malta vs Norway 1-4
National coach Dusan Fitzel spoke about the national team's performance in the last two years since he took over as national coach in January 2006 while addressing the media after the game against Norway brought to an end the team's commitments in the EURO 2008 qualifying campaign.
"At first, it was very difficult but eventually I found a way how to deal with the players and officials," said Fitzel.
In this EURO 2008 qualifying campaign, Malta collected five points thanks to a win over Hungary and two draws - one with Moldova away from home and another with Turkey at Ta'Qali.
"In such qualifying campaigns, there are usually three top teams, three average teams and the bottom team. The reality is that Malta is still Malta. We have no chance to compete. We can just do our best to claim points in some of the games," said the Malta national coach.
Speaking about Wednesday's game and the game against Greece, Fitzel said "These last two games were very difficult for us. Against us, we had difficult opposition with strong, fast and skilful players. Today, we did quite well in the first twenty minutes but then a tactical mistake led to the first goal. At that point the players start to lose confidence and that makes it more difficult for me."
"After the break, the players understood we could fight back. We managed to score and the players started to believe in themselves but when Andre Schembri was sent off it was all over. Against such teams, it is always very difficult, let alone playing in ten men."
The Malta coach said he has already discussed the issue regarding the now-traditional November-break in the Premier League, due to the reseeding process, with the MFA president. He said that with the Centenary Stadium now boasting a high-quality artificial turf pitch and possibly the availability of another turf pitch at the Victor Tedesco Stadium next year, such a long break could be avoided.
Fitzel said that although the break meant that he could have the players constantly at his disposal, only games could really show where a player really stands.
He said he believes there are still a couple of players who have what it takes to play abroad. However Fitzel pointed out that some of players need to change their attitude.
"Some players have the will to succeed, others look at football just as something where they have fun," concluded the national coach.
- Hamrun Spartans launched a programme of activities which mark the club's Centenary Celebration (1907-2007) and the twentieth anniversary of the Hamrun Spartans F.C. Youth Nursery (1987-2007).
These activities are being organised by the Club’s three main sections - the Executive Committee, the Nursery and the Supporters Club. The Club’s Premier matches were included in the programme to ensure a great support will be given to team, the way the Spartans’ supporters are well known for.
The programme of events starts with the BOV Premier League game against Floriana on Saturday 24th November at the National Stadium, kick-off at 14:00.
On Sunday 25th, His Excellency Archbishop Mons. Paul Cremona O.P. will visit the Nursery at 10:00 and will unveil a Commemorative Plaque.
Hamrun Spartans players and officials will visit the Little Sisters of the Poor Home
and Fra Diego Institute on Saturday 1st December at 09:30. On Sunday 2nd December, Hamrun host Hibernians in another match from the BOV Premier League at the Victor Tedesco Stadium.
The Firetech Christmas Football Festival will be held at the Victor Tedesco Stadium on Saturday 8th December between 08:30 and 16:30.
The Spartans will then play another league match at the Victor Tedesco Stadium on Sunday 9th at 14:45.
A number of activities will be held on Thursday 13th between 08:30 and 13:00. Activities include an exhibition training session by the Nursery, a triangular tournament between members of the various committees - Nursery, ex-committee and Supporters Club, Under 18’s and Futsal. This will be followed by Nursery Fun Games and a match between Hamrun Spartans and the Hamrun Spartans Veterans.
A Gala Night Dinner will be held at the Crescent Room - Radisson Golden Sands Resort Ghajn Tuffieha on Saturday 15th December at 20:00. Limited tickets are available for Lm 15.
A commemorative mass to mark the nursery's 20th anniversary will be held on Sunday 16th at 09:00 at the St. Gaetan Parish Church.
The Spartans will be in action on Saturday 22 in another Premier League match against Sliema Wanderers at 14:00 while a Grand Christmas Dinner will be held at the Hotel Antonine & Spa (La Salita), Mellieha at 20:00. Tickets are available for Lm 7.50 - adults and Lm 3.75 - children.
On Saturday 29th, Hamrun take on Marsaxlokk in another Premier League amtcch at the National Stadium at 14:00.
The programme of events is brought to an end on Sunday 30th December with a Thanks Giving Mass at the Immaculate Conception Church which will mark the club's 100th anniversary. The Hamrun Boys Scouts will then march from the church to the Hamrun Spartans premises where a Commemorative Plaque will be unveiled.
All Club members are urged to attend these activities to commemorate both Anniversaries.
Tue 20
- UEFA Under-21 Malta vs Bosnia-Herzegovina 2-1
- Malta hopes to end its commitments in the Group C of the EURO 2008 qualifying round on a positive note as Dusan Fitzel's side hosts Norway at the National Stadium on Wednesday, kick-off at 20:00.
This game brings to an end what could be described as a positive campaign for the national team in which Malta collected five points thanks to a win over Hungary and two draws against Moldova and Turkey.
The national team is eager to bounce back from a 5-0 defeat to Greece at the Olympic Stadium in Athens. Despite an impressive first half performance, the Maltese players ended suffering the heaviest defeat since Fitzel took over the national team in January 2006.
Against Greece, the coach from the Czech Republic could not field his best formation due to the absence of Luke Dimech, Ivan Woods, Gilbert Agius and George Mallia. Dimech and Woods will be back against Norway after serving a one-match ban but Agius and Mallia will be unavailable once again.
To make matters worse, Malta will be lacking the experience of Brian Said after the Sliema Wanderers defender picked a second yellow card in Athens and is therefore suspended. Said has been deputising for Agius as captain but his absence means that there will be a new captain on Wednesday. With Michael Mifsud having a total of 53 caps, compared to Luke Dimech's 52, the Coventry striker will probably wear the captain's arm-band against Norway.
From the team which played in Greece, Fitzel is expected to make a number of changes. In central defence, Josef Mifsud should retain his place with Luke Dimech replacing Brian Said. In midfield, Ivan Woods should take the place of Peter Pullicino with Udo Nwoko, who played the full ninety minutes in Athens, being confirmed in the starting line-up.
The Maltese squad is made up of:
goalkeepers Justin Haber (Haidari), Andrew Hogg (Valletta)
defenders Ian Azzopardi (Sliema), Roderick Briffa (Sliema), Luke Dimech
(Macclesfield), Josef Mifsud (Valletta), Kenneth Scicluna (Valletta), Stephen
Wellman (Marsaxlokk);
midfielders Roderick Bajada (Sliema), Udo Nwoko (Leixoes), Jamie
Pace (Marsaxlokk), Peter Pullicino (Marsaxlokk), Kevin Sammut (Marsaxlokk), Gareth Sciberras (Marsaxlokk);
forwards Etienne Barbara (Sliema), Andrew Cohen (Hibs), Michael Mifsud (Coventry), Terence Scerri (Hibernians), Andre Schembri (Braunschweig), Ivan Woods (Sliema W.)
The test for the Maltese side is a difficult one considering that mathematically, Norway could still make it to the EURO 2008 finals despite the shock 2-1 home defeat to Turkey on Saturday.
At this point, Norway must win in Malta and hope that Bosnia-Herzegovina, who have lost four successive Group C matches, take at least a point off Turkey in Istanbul.
This will be the ninth clash between Malta and Norway. The Norwegians won seven matches with the other two matches, both from the Rothmans Tournament and both played at Ta' Qali, ending in draws. The last time, Malta played Norway at Ta' Qali was in February 2005 with the game ending in a 3-0 win for the visitors.
Malta vs Norway will be played on Wednesday at the National Stadium, Ta' Qali, kick-off at 20:00. The game will be controlled by Russian match officials namely, referee Yuri Baskakov, assistant referees Tihon Kalugin and Anton Averianov and fourth official Stanislav Sukhina.
Mon 19
- Second Division Sta. Venera L. vs Lija A. 1-3, Mgarr U. vs St. Andrews 0-0
- Sliema Wanderers defender Brian Said will be missing the final EURO 2008 qualifier for Malta against Norway at Ta' Qali on Wednesday as he is ruled out through suspension after collecting a second yellow card on Saturday.
Addressing a press conference on Monday, Malta coach Dusan Fitzel said the team gladly welcomes Luke Dimech and Ivan Woods who were serving a one-match ban, the absence of such an experience defender like Brian Said is a major disappointment.
Malta will therefore have a new captain on Wednesday as Said was acting as captain in the absence of Gilbert Agius, who is still recovering from an injury.
Fitzel said he hopes the players will rise to the occasion and provide a good display in order to end the qualifying campaign with a positive result. He said the game against Greece was now history and the only thing he and the players could do was to find out what went wrong and concentrate on the next game.
The national coach said that although Norway have almost compromised their chances of qualifying, they will be all out to win the three points and therefore the game will be a very difficult one for Malta.
"In most of our matches, we spend 80% of the game defending and then try to take full advantage of the chances we create. If we manage to do so against Norway and score the first goal, then our opponents will find it difficult. However we need to be fully concentrated," warned Fitzel.
Fitzel concluded by saying that this game will also serve as a test for next year's World Cup qualifying campaign in which he hopes to introduce more new faces in the squad.
The provisional twenty man squad is made up of:
goalkeepers Justin Haber (Haidari), Andrew Hogg (Valletta)
defenders Ian Azzopardi (Sliema), Roderick Briffa (Sliema), Luke Dimech
(Macclesfield), Josef Mifsud (Valletta), Kenneth Scicluna (Valletta), Stephen
Wellman (Marsaxlokk);
midfielders Roderick Bajada (Sliema), Udo Nwoko (Leixoes), Jamie
Pace (Marsaxlokk), Peter Pullicino (Marsaxlokk), Kevin Sammut (Marsaxlokk), Gareth Sciberras (Marsaxlokk);
forwards Etienne Barbara (Sliema), Andrew Cohen (Hibs), Michael Mifsud (Coventry), Terence Scerri (Hibernians), Andre Schembri (Braunschweig), Ivan Woods (Sliema W.)
Meanwhile Norway coach Åge Hareide has admitted he could "quit football" after a 2-1 home defeat to Turkey on Saturday.
"This was maybe the biggest setback of my career," he said. "I reached a new low after the game. Few words were exchanged in the dressing room; we all knew we had let everybody down. We will definitely go for the win, and can only hope that Turkey drop points at home."
Norway must win in Malta and hope that Bosnia-Herzegovina, who have lost four successive Group C matches, take at least a point off Turkey in Istanbul.
Malta vs Norway will be played on Wednesday at the National Stadium, Ta' Qali, kick-off at 20:00.
Tickets for the game will be on sale from the following outlets up to Tuesday at 19:00.
Darmanin Footwear - Republic Street, Valletta and Zachary Street, Valletta
Eros Stationery - Wilga Street, Paceville
Star Tourism - Pioneer Road, Bugibba
Teamsport - Gallarija Darmanin, Iklin
Teamsport - Cathedral Street, Sliema
MFA Health & Fitness Centre - Millennium Stand, Ta' Qali
Any remaining Tickets for the match will be on sale prior to the match at the MFA HQ Reception Desk (Floor 2, Millennium Stand) and from the ticket-booths of the National Stadium on Wednesday.
Match ticket prices are as follows:
West Side C - Lm10.00 (€ 23.29)
Millennium Stand - Lm 3.00 (€ 6.99)
South Stand (South End Core) - Lm 2.00 (€ 4.66)
North Stand - Lm 2.00 (€ 4.66)
The West Side A will be reserved for Norwegian supporters. About two thousand Norwegian fans will be travelling to Malta.
The gates at the National Stadium will open at 18.30. Public Transport from City Gate Bus Terminus to the National Stadium starts at 18.00. Public Transport will also be available from the National Stadium back to City Gate Bus Terminus at the end of the match.
- The Malta Under-21 side will be hosting Bosnia-Herzegovina in another match from Group 10 of the UEFA Under-21 Championship at the Hibernians Ground on Tuesday, kick-off at 14:00.
Malta is yet to collect its first points after playing five matches. The best performance was probably the first game against Romania at the Hibs Ground in which a stoppage-time goal denied Mark Miller's side a positive result.
The Under-21 side then lost 4-0 against Bosnia-Herzegovina and 0-2 to France at Ta' Qali before two defeats away from home against Wales and Romania. In fact, Malta lost 4-0 to Romania at the Ceahlaul Stadium in Piatra Neamt on Friday.
Miller will be unable to field his best formation on Tuesday due to the absence of Andrei Agius and Ian Zammit. Zammit collected a second yellow card on Friday and is therefore suspended.
The Maltese squad is made up of the following players:
goalkeepers Henry Bonello (Sliema), Michael Falzon (Hamrun), Luke Woods (Ware);
defenders Steve Borg (Mosta), Ryan Camilleri (Pietà), Jonathan Caruana (Hibs), Clayton Failla (Hibs), Tyrone Farrugia (Msida), Clifford Gatt Baldacchino (Mqabba), Edward Herrera (Pietà);
midfielders Edmond Agius (Hibs), Matthew Bartolo (Sliema), Dyson Falzon (Valletta), Paul Fenech (Birkirkara), Ryan Fenech (Hamrun);
forwards Angus Buhagiar (Tarxien), Steve Meilak (Hamrun), John Mintoff (Mqabba).
Tickets are sold at the gates for Lm 1.
Sun 18
- First Division Knock-Out St. Patrick vs Tarxien R. 1-3, Senglea A. vs Qormi 2-1
- Third Division Section A Xghajra T. vs Zejtun C. 2-1
- Third Division Section B Gzira U. vs Gozo 1-2
- Gozo - Second Division Munxar F. vs Gharb R. 1-1, St. Lawrence S. vs Xewkija T. 0-3
- The pitch of the Centenary Stadium has been certified to be FIFA Recommended 2-Star by a FIFA-accredited laboratory and from now onwards can be used to host international matches.
This was revealed during the last meeting of the Council of the Malta Football Association which was held on Tuesday.
MFA president Dr Joe Mifsud announced that facilities at the Centenary Stadium will be upgraded with the installation of seats for spectators, a new scoreboard sponsored by Bank of Valletta, benches for reserves and officials sponsored by Coca-Cola and a PA system.
Dr Mifsud presented the certificate to ground manager Mr Tony Zarb.
- Clubs will benefit from the agreement signed recently between the Malta Football Association and Melita Cable thanks to which a number of matches, mainly from the BOV Premier League matches are being screened live on Melita Sports. An experiment which was launched last year.
Thanks to this new two-year agreement, Premier League clubs will receive € 3,300 (Lm 1416.69) each, First Division clubs € 600 (Lm 257.58) each and Second and Third Division clubs € 400 (Lm 171.72) each.
The fifty one clubs will therefore receive a total of € 51,400 (Lm 22,066). Payments will be carried out at the end of the season.
Clubs will also benefit from the Hello telephony service without paying any rent and will get the basic Melita Digital TV service for free, only paying for the decoder.
In return, Melita will be given advertising space at the Millennium Stand and the company will be able to use one of the Executive Boxes.
Sat 17
- EURO 2008 Greece vs Malta 5-0
- Second Division Birzebbuga SP vs San Gwann 2-2, Balzan Y. vs Sirens 1-0 abandoned on 57 minutes due to floodlight failure
Fri 16
- UEFA Under-21 Championship Romania vs Malta 4-0
- Third Division Section A Qrendi vs Attard 0-0
- Third Division Section B Gharghur vs Gudja U. 1-1
- The national team will be aiming for another good performance on Saturday as Malta faces European champions Greece at the Spyro Louis Olympic Stadium in Athens in another match from Group C of the EURO 2008 qualifying round.
After losing to Moldova last month, the team can hardly avoid ending at the bottom of Group C. But still with two remaining matches, Dusan Fitzel's side targets a positive finale to the EURO 2008 campaign. A positive campaign, after all, considering that Malta managed to collect the largest number of points - five - ever in decades of participation in European Championship and World Cup qualifiers.
Unfortunately Fitzel will be unable to field his strongest formation due to the absence of a number of players. From the last game against Moldova, he will have to make at least three changes as Luke Dimech and Ivan Woods are ruled out through suspension while George Mallia is unavailable due to work commitments.
Captain Gilbert Agius is also missing as he is yet to recover fully from an injury.
With Justin Haber once again guarding the posts, the back-four should be Roderick Briffa, Brian Said, Kenneth Scicluna and Ian Azzopardi although Briffa could be shifted to midfield with Steve Wellman starting in defence.
One of the three changes could be the inclusion in the starting line-up of Andrew Cohen, who left a good impression when he was included as a substitute in the defeat against Moldova, playing an important part in the Malta come-back.
Either Kevin Sammut or Udo Nwoko could start on the flank with Peter Pullicino also probably starting in midfield together with Jamie Pace. Up front, Andre Schembri should support Michael Mifsud.
The players at the disposal of Dusan Fitzel are:
goalkeepers Justin Haber (Haidari), Andrew Hogg (Valletta);
defenders Ian Azzopardi (Sliema), Roderick Briffa (Sliema), Josef Mifsud (Valletta), Brian Said (Sliema), Kenneth Scicluna (Valletta), Stephen Wellman (Marsaxlokk);
midfielders Roderick Bajada (Sliema), Udo Nwoko (Leixoes), Jamie Pace (Marsaxlokk), Peter Pullicino (Marsaxlokk), Kevin Sammut (Marsaxlokk), Gareth Sciberras (Marsaxlokk);
forwards Etienne Barbara (Sliema), Andrew Cohen (Hibs), Michael Mifsud (Coventry), Terence Scerri (Hibs), Andre Scembri (Eintracht Braunschweig).
For Greece, Angelos Charisteas, Yourkas Seitaridis and Paraskevas Antzas are out of this game due to injuries.
The Greek squad is made up of:
goalkeepers Antonis Nikopolidis (Olympiakos), Costas Chalkias (Aris Thessaloniki).
defenders Sotiris Kyrgiakos (Eintracht Frankfurt), Traianos Dellas (AEK), Nikos Spiropoulos (Panionios), Loukas Vintra (Panathinaikos), Giannis Goumas (Panathinaikos), Vassilis Torosidis (Olympiakos), Christos Patsatzoglou (Olympiakos), Michalis Kapsis (APOEL)
midfielders Angelos Basinas (RCD Mallorca), Giorgos Karagounis (Panathinaikos), Stelios Giannakopoulos (Bolton Wanderers), Alexandros Tziolis (Panathinaikos), Konstantinos Katsouranis (SL Benfica)
forwards Dimitris Salpingidis (Panathinaikos), Nikos Liberopoulos (AEK), Theofanis Gekas (Bayer Leverkusen), Giorgos Samaras (Manchester City), Giannis Amanatidis (Eintracht Frankfurt).
This will be the eighth clash between Malta and Greece. In the three matches played in Greece, Malta lost 2-0 in Pireus in June 1971, 4-0 in Thessaloniki in June 1975 and 4-0 in Athens in October 1990.
The last time the two teams faced each other was back in March when a controversial penalty awarded by Portuguese referee Pedro Oliveira Alves Garcia and converted by Angelos Basinas on 66 minutes gave Greece a narrow win at Ta' Qali.
A large crowd is expected to turn out at the Olympic Stadium in Athens which can host up to 74,000 spectators. For the Greeks, this game will be an occasion to celebrate as this will be the last game on home soil in the EURO 2008 qualifying campaign after securing qualification thanks to the away win over eternal rivals Turkey.
The Greek players will be wearing a new team jersey specially designed for next year's finals with quite a few novelties: the word “Hellas” will be written in gold, while the first lyrics of the national anthem will be sewed on a thin, blue strip.
Greece vs Malta kicks-off at 20:30, 21:30 in Greece. The match will be controlled by officials from Estonia, namely referee Sten Kaldma, assistant referees Hannes Reinvald and Eduard Rozov and fourth official Kristo Tohver.
The squad returns to Malta on Sunday and continues the preparation for the game against Norway on Wednesday.
Thu 15
- UEFA Under-19 Championship Montenegro vs Malta 3-0
The Malta Under-19 side lost 3-0 to Montenegro in the third and final match from Group 13 of the UEFA Under-19 Championship mini-tournament which was held in Italy.
The former Yugoslav republic were leading 1-0 by the end of the first half.
- Gozo - First Division Victoria H. vs Nadur Y. 0-1, Sannat L. vs Xaghra U. 7-1
- The Malta Under-21 side takes on Romania on Friday in another match from Group 10 of the UEFA Under-21 Championship at the Ceahlaul Stadium in Piatra Neamt.
The Under-21 side is yet to pick its first points after playing four matches, losing to Romania and France at home and against Bosnia-Herzegovina and Wales away from our shores.
Ironically the best performance was probably in the game against Romania where the locals managed to control their opponents well until deep into stoppage time but a goal on the 95th minute gave the visitors the three points.
Since then Malta lost 4-0 against Bosnia, 0-2 to France at Ta' Qali and 3-1 to Wales.
Romania, on the other hand, are currently second in the group. They held France in a 1-1 draw away from home in June and after beating Malta at the Hibs Ground, they registered a 3-0 home win over Bosnia-Herzegovina, sharing the spoils in a 0-0 draw with France at home last month.
Missing from the squad for Malta are Valletta defender Steven Bezzina and midfielder Andrei Agius of Sicilian side Igea Virtus.
Romania vs Malta will be controlled by officials from Ukraine: referee Andriy Shandor, assistant referees Vasyl Olshanetskyy and Andriy Pryimak and fourth official Sergiy Berezka.
Wed 14
- The first ever women's league in Gozo, organised by the Gozo Football Association, kick-off on Saturday with the first two matches between four of the five teams which are taking part.
As a prelude for the league, the association organised a tournament between the five teams - Kercem Ajax, Nadur Youngsters, Munxar Falcons, SK Victoria Wanderers and Xaghra United - Saturday November 3rd.
The league kicked-off on Saturday 10 with SK Victoria Wanderers claiming an impressive 10-3 win over Nadur Youngsters. In another match, Kercem Ajax defeated Xaghra United 3-1.
Matches are being played on Saturdays at the Oratory Ground.
The league, which is being played on a 7-a-side basis, will be held over three rounds.
Tue 13
- Angelos Charisteas was left out of Greece's squad for the EURO 2008 qualifiers against Malta and Hungary.
Greece have already booked their place in the finals after beating Turkey in Istanbul. Therefore, coach Otto Rehhagel is expected to experiment with players and formations.
Vangelis Mantzios makes it to the squad after a fine performance in the Panathinaikos’ 2-1 win over AEK. Yourkas Seitaridis will withdrew from the squad due to an injury. Loukas Vyntra of Panathinaikos is expected to be called up instead.
Greece host Malta at the Olympic Stadium of Athens on Saturday and then face Hungary in Budapest on Wednesday.
Goalkeepers: Antonis Nikopolidis (Olympiakos), Costas Chalkias (Aris Thessaloniki).
Defenders: Sotiris Kyrgiakos (Eintracht Frankfurt), Traianos Dellas (AEK), Nikos Spiropoulos (Panionios), Loukas Vintra (Panathinaikos), Giannis Goumas (Panathinaikos), Vassilis Torosidis (Olympiakos), Christos Patsatzoglou (Olympiakos), Michalis Kapsis (APOEL)
Midfielders: Angelos Basinas (RCD Mallorca), Giorgos Karagounis (Panathinaikos), Stelios Giannakopoulos (Bolton Wanderers), Alexandros Tziolis (Panathinaikos), Konstantinos Katsouranis (SL Benfica).
Forwards: Dimitris Salpingidis (Panathinaikos), Nikos Liberopoulos (AEK), Theofanis Gekas (Bayer Leverkusen), Giorgos Samaras (Manchester City), Giannis Amanatidis (Eintracht Frankfurt).
Meanwhile Aston Villa striker John Carew will be back for Norway in their EURO 2008 qualifiers against Turkey and Malta after recovering from a knee injury.
Norway coach Aage Hareide named a 25-man squad including Blackburn Rovers midfielder Morten Gamst Pedersen and injured captain Martin Andresen for the final two Group C qualifiers, against Turkey in Oslo on November 17 and away to Malta on November 21.
Carew damaged knee ligaments in a Premier League game against Everton on Sept. 23 and missed Norway's 2-0 win over Bosnia-Herzegovina on Oct. 17.
Norway are currently second on 20 points from 10 matches, two points ahead of Turkey who slipped to third after a 1-0 defeat by Greece.
Goalkeepers Rune Almenning Jarstein (Odd Grenland), Thomas Myhre (Viking), Haakon Opdal (Brann).
Defenders Erik Hagen (Zenit St. Petersburg), Brede Hangeland (FC Copenhagen), Jon Inge Hoiland (Stabaek), Frode Kippe (Lillestrom), John Arne Riise (Liverpool), Vidar Riseth (Rosenborg Trondheim), Jarl-Andre Storbaek (Valerenga).
Midfielders Martin Andresen (Brann), Simen Brenne (Lillestrom), Christian Grindheim (Valerenga), Kristofer Haestad (Start), Morten Gamst Pedersen (Blackburn), Bjoern Helge Riise (Lillestrom), Per Ciljan Skjelbred (Rosenborg), Jan Gunnar Solli (Brann), Lars Iver Strand (Tromso), Alexander Tettey (Rosenborg).
Strikers John Carew (Aston Villa), Thorstein Helstad (Brann), Alexander Oedegaard (Viking), Steffen Iversen (Rosenborg), Sigurd Rushfeldt (Tromso)
Tue 13
- The Malta Under-21 side leaves Malta on Wednesday, destination Romania, where Malta takes on Romania on Friday in another match from Group 10 of the UEFA Under-21 Championship.
Under-21 coach Mark Miller named an 18-man squad for this game which will be played on Friday at the Ceahlau Stadium in Pietra Neamt, kick-off at 17:00.
Missing from the squad are Valletta defender Steven Bezzina and midfielder Andrei Agius of Sicilian side Igea Virtus. Agius has however made himself available for the game against Bosnia-Herzegovina which will be played at the Hibs Ground on Wednesday 21.
Goalkeepers Henry Bonello and Miguel Montfort, defenders Duncan Pisani and Kenneth Spiteri, midfielders Thomas Paris and Dylan Zarb and striker Christian Caruana were therefore dropped from the squad.
The players selected by Miller are:
goalkeepers Michael Falzon (Hamrun), Luke Woods (Ware);
defenders Steve Borg (Mosta), Ryan Camilleri (Pietà), Jonathan Caruana (Hibs), Clayton Failla (Hibs), Clifford Gatt Baldacchino (Mqabba), Edward Herrera (Pietà);
midfielders Edmond Agius (Hibs), Matthew Bartolo (Sliema), Dyson Falzon (Valletta), Paul Fenech (Birkirkara), Ryan Fenech (Hamrun);
forwards Angus Buhagiar (Tarxien), Stephen Meilak (Hamrun), John Mintoff (Mqabba), Ian Zammit (Valletta).
The team is still searching for its first point after playing four matches. Malta has already hosted Romania in June, losing 0-1 with a goal on the 95th minute.
Romania vs Malta will be controlled by officials from Ukraine: referee Andriy Shandor, assistant referees Vasyl Olshanetsky and Andriy Pryimak and fourth official Sergii Berezka.
The squad returns to Malta on Saturday 17 and will continue its preparation for Tuesday's game against Bosnia-Herzegovina.
Mon 12
- UEFA Under-19 Championship Italy vs Malta 2-0
The Malta Under-19 side lost 2-0 to hosts Italy in the second match from Group 13 of the UEFA Under-19 Championship mini-tournament which is being held in Italy.
The Maltese were on the back foot in the initial stages and conceded a goal after 14 minutes when Alessandro Morbidelli latched on to a cross from Andrea Poli to plant past goalkeeper Nicholas Vella.
Thirteen minutes later the host team were awarded a penalty and Stefano Chuka Okaka netted the second goal from the spot-kick.
The Maltese acquitted themselves better in the second period. Play was restricted to midfield exchanges, although on one occasion Beppe Muscat forced the Italian goalkeeper into a fine save.
- Third Division Section A Ghaxaq vs Fgura U. 1-0
- Third Division Section B Luqa SA vs Kalkara 1-1
- Michael Mifsud was sent off after just eight minutes for Coventry in the game against West Brom after he hit with the arm in the face an opponent during an aerial duel. Coventry lost 0-4.
Sun 11
- FA Trophy Senglea A. vs Msida SJ 4-3 aet, Floriana vs Mellieha 7-1
- Second Division Rabat A. vs Melita 2-1, Naxxar L. vs Zurrieq 1-0
- Gozo - Second Division Xewkija T. vs Oratory Y. 5-2, Zebbug R. vs SK Victoria W. 1-1
- Malta international striker Udo Nwoko earned a point for Leixoes in a match from the Portugese Liga as he notched the equaliser for a 1-1 draw away from home against Belenenses on Friday.
Nwoko was included as a substitute on 79 minutes and hardly thirty seconds later, he levelled matters for Leixoes.
Thanks to this draw - the seventh in ten matches, Leixoes are joint-ninth with ten points.
On Sunday, Andre Schembri was on target for Eintracht Braunschweig as they held Fortuna Dusseldorf in a 1-1 draw.
The Malta international striker put Eintracht ahead on 17 minutes but one minute from time, Fortuna notched the equaliser.
They are now thirteenth with nineteen points from sixteen matches.
Sat 10
- UEFA Under-19 Championship Croatia vs Malta 3-0
- FA Trophy Marsa vs Dingli S. 0-7, Qormi vs Tarxien R. 1-5
- Gozo - Second Division Gharb R. vs St. Lawrence S. 0-2
- Hibernians striker Andrew Cohen is the BOV Player of the Month following solid performances during the month of October.
In the BOV Premier League, Cohen was instrumental in the Hibernians victories over Pietà Hotspurs and Msida St. Joseph, where his influential midfield contribution helped them in the 4-0 demolition of otherwise difficult opponents.
Cohen also spearheaded Malta’s comeback from three-nil down to the narrowest of defeat in the match against Moldova. Coming on as a substitute, he set up Malta’s first goal and was fouled in the opponent’s penalty area to be awarded a penalty which was converted for Malta.
This bright patch in recent matches led to the picking of Cohen as the BOV Player of the Month for October.
Emily Grech, Manager of Bank of Valletta’s Paola Branch presented the BOV Player of the Month Trophy to the winning player. The player chose the Capuchin Friary in Floriana as the beneficiaries of the donation related to this award.
Fri 9
- The Malta Under-19 side suffered a 3-0 defeat to Croatia in the opening match from Group 13 of the UEFA Under-19 Championship mini-tournament which is being held in Italy.
Croatia was leading 1-0 at the end of the first half.
Malta faces hosts Italy on Monday and Montenegro on Thursday. The three matches are being played at the Stadio Comunale in Jesi.
- Second Division Lija A. vs Mgarr U. 1-2, San Gwann vs Sta. Venera L. 1-1
- The national team will be going for a short training camp in Antalya, Turkey before the final two EURO 2008 qualifiers against Greece in Athens on Saturday 17 and Norway at Ta' Qali on Wednesday 21. The squad will travel to Antalya on Sunday.
Addressing a press conference on Friday, MFA president Dr Joe Mifsud said these two games are of utmost importance for the national team. He said that although the results were not always positive, the team's mentality is now a positive one and the players will be doing their best to do well in both games.
After the defeat to Moldova, Malta will probably end at the bottom of the group. However Dr Mifsud said that the association was still satisfied that the national team managed to obtain a record number of positive results and secure a record number of points.
For the game against Greece, Luke Dimech and Ivan Woods are ruled out through suspension after collecting a second yellow card in the game against Moldova. To make matters worse, George Mallia is unavailable due to work commitments while captain Gilbert Agius is still unfit after suffering an injury back in September.
Sliema Wanderers defender Ian Azzopardi is recovering from an injury but should make it for these games.
Malta coach Dusan Fitzel said that the foreign-based players will be joining the squad in Turkey for the training camp, except for Michael Mifsud who will stay in England due to a league match with Coventry to be played on Monday. He will join the rest of the squad in Greece.
Fitzel said that once again the preparation leading to these games was not ideal. In fact whereas before the previous two matches against Hungary and Moldova, there was a congestion of fixtures in the BOV Premier League, this time, players only played on game in three weeks. To make up for this lack of games, the national team met the Under-21 side in a friendly match.
Malta will be facing Greece after the European champions have secured a place in the final phase of the competition with a 1-0 win away from home against Turkey. Therefore for Otto Rehagel's side, the game against Malta, which also happens to be the last home game, will be marked by celebrations.
A large crowd is expected to turn out at the Olympic Stadium in Athens which can host up to 74,000 spectators. A number of Maltese supporters will be present in Athens as well.
Greece vs Malta will be played at the Spyro Louis Olympic Stadium in Athens on Saturday 17, kick-off at 20:30. The Malta squad leaves Malta on Sunday, at 14:25 on flight KM 490 to Zurich and will be back home on Sunday 18 at 10:45 on flight AZ 886 from Rome.
As regards the game against Norway, Fitzel said it will be difficult to predict the approach that the Norwegian side will be taking against Malta as it depends highly on the outcome of the game between Norway and Turkey in Oslo on Saturday 17.
With a win over Turkey, Norway would secure the second place in the group. On the other hand, in case of a draw, Norway would be under pressure to beat Malta in order to maintain the runner-up spot.
Fitzel admitted that ideally Norway would beat Turkey in order to be more relaxed for the game against Malta.
The Malta coach concluded with thanks to the supporters, saying that with their help, Malta can do even better.
Malta vs Norway will be played on Wednesday 21 at the National Stadium, Ta' Qali, kick-off at 20:00.
Tickets for the game will be on sale as from Saturday 10 from the following outlets:
Darmanin Footwear - Republic Street, Valletta and Zachary Street, Valletta
Eros Stationery - Wilga Street, Paceville
Star Tourism - Pioneer Road, Bugibba
Teamsport - Gallarija Darmanin, Iklin
Teamsport - Cathedral Street, Sliema
MFA Health & Fitness Centre - Millennium Stand, Ta' Qali
Match ticket prices are as follows:
West Side C - Lm10.00 (€ 23.29)
Millennium Stand - Lm 3.00 (€ 6.99)
South Stand (South End Core) - Lm 2.00 (€ 4.66)
North Stand - Lm 2.00 (€ 4.66)
Pre-Sale of tickets will continue up to 19.00 on Tuesday, 20th October, 2007. Any remaining Tickets for the match will be on sale prior to the match at the MFA HQ Reception Desk (Floor 2, Millennium Stand) and from the ticket-booths of the National Stadium on Wednesday, 21st October, 2007.
The West Side A will be reserved for Norwegian supporters. About two thousand Norwegian fans will be travelling to Malta.
The gates at the National Stadium will open at 18.30. Public Transport from City Gate Bus Terminus to the National Stadium starts at 18.00. Public Transport will also be available from the National Stadium back to City Gate Bus Terminus at the end of the match.
At around 18.15 – Events Services Ltd will again provide top musical entertainment by Clint Bajada. He will be assisted by Peter Busuttil as Master of Ceremonies.
The twenty-man squad which leaves Malta on Sunday is made up of:
goalkeepers Justin Haber (Haidari), Andrew Hogg (Valletta);
defenders Ian Azzopardi (Sliema), Roderick Briffa (Sliema), Josef Mifsud (Valletta), Brian Said (Sliema), Kenneth Scicluna (Valletta), Stephen Wellman (Marsaxlokk);
midfielders Roderick Bajada (Sliema), Udo Nwoko (Leixoes), Jamie Pace (Marsaxlokk), Peter Pullicino (Marsaxlokk), Kevin Sammut (Marsaxlokk), Gareth Sciberras (Marsaxlokk);
forwards Etienne Barbara (Sliema), Andrew Cohen (Hibs), Michael Mifsud (Coventry), Terence Scerri (Hibs), Andre Scembri (Eintracht Braunschweig), Ivan Woods (Sliema).
Ivan Woods is however not available for the game against Greece.
- The Under-21 side will be playing another two matches from Group 10 of the UEFA Under-21 Championship.
Malta faces Romania at the Ceahlau Stadium in Pietra Meamt, Romania on Friday 16 at 17:00 and then hosts Bosnia-Herzegovina at the Hibs Ground on Tuesday 20, kick-off at 14:00.
Speaking during a press conference on Friday, Under-21 coach Mark Miller described the current situation as "tough times, tough games in a tough group." Malta is in fact yet to collect its first points after playing four matches.
After a narrow 0-1 defeat to Romania at the Hibs Ground, the team lost 4-0 in Bosnia-Herzegovina, 0-2 to France at Ta' Qali and 3-1 to Wales in Wrexham.
The game against Romania will definitely be a difficult one but Miller said that against Bosnia-Herzegovina, Malta could finally obtain a positive result.
"I do feel that the game against Bosnia is a game from which we could get our first positive result. The players need to show character. Against Wales, there were some good individual performances but once again silly goals and lack of concentration were the key factors in our defeat. If we play like we did against Romania, we could finally get our first points," said Miller.
The provisional squad for these two games is made up of:
goalkeepers Henry Bonello (Sliema), Michael Falzon (Hamrun), Miguel Montfort (Pietà), Luke Woods (Ware);
defenders Steve Borg (Mosta), Ryan Camilleri (Pietà), Jonathan Caruana (Hibs), Clayton Failla (Hibs), Clifford Gatt Baldacchino (Mqabba), Edward Herrera (Pietà), Kenneth Spiteri (Birkirkara);
midfielders Edmond Agius (Hibs), Matthew Bartolo (Sliema), Dyson Falzon (Valletta), Paul Fenech (Birkirkara), Ryan Fenech (Hamrun);
forwards Angus Buhagiar (Tarxien), Stephen Meilak (Hamrun), John Mintoff (Mqabba), Ian Zammit (Valletta).
Missing from the squad are Valletta defender Steve Bezzina and midfielder Andrei Agius who plays for Igea Virtus in Sicily. Bezzina is injured but Agius has to choose between club and country. Although the player was released for these matches, he fears losing his place in the Sicilian team as he would be missing a number of matches.
- The Hibernians Ground will have floodlights which will provide sufficient light for domestic and international matches to be played during the evening even in winter.
This was revealed by MFA President Dr Joe Mifsud during a press conference on Friday.
Dr Mifsud said the UEFA Under-21 Championship qualifier between Malta and Bosnia-Herzegovina on November 20 will be one of the last international matches to be played in the afternoon as new floodlights will be installed at the Hibs Ground.
This will make it possible for such international matches and matches from the BOV Premier League and Division 1 to be played later than usual. In fact, for example, Premier League matches at the Hibs Ground kick-off as early as 12:45 in November/December and 13:00 in January.
These new floodlights will be partly financed by the Malta Football Association.
The MFA president said that certification for the pitch of the Centenary Stadium will be issued later this month. From then onwards, international matches could be played at the Centenary Stadium as well.
Facilities at the Centenary Stadium will be upgraded with the installation of seats for spectators, a new scoreboard, benches for reserves and officials and a PA system.
Dr Mifsud also said that next year, the pitch of the Victor Tedesco Stadium could be replaced by a artificial turf pitch, also partly financed by the Malta Football Association.
The association has recently sent a circular to all clubs asking them to apply for funds to improve their facilities with artificial turf pitches, floodlights, maintanance of dressing rooms, etc.
These funds are made available through a UEFA programme meant for the building or development of facilities.
Thu 8
- Third Division Section A Mdina K. vs Mtarfa 6-0
- Third Division Section B Kirkop U. vs Pembroke A. 2-2
- These will be busy days for the South End Core as they prepare to support the national team in the final two EURO 2008 qualifiers against Greece away from home and Norway at Ta' Qali and the rugby national team in the match against Latvia.
Addressing a press conference on Thursday at TeamSport - Iklin, Louis Agius said that the last game against Moldova was the real test for the South End Core as despite a number of constraints, including the bad weather, supporters still turned out in large numbers for the game with 3200 out of the four thousand tickets reserved for South End Core were sold.
The South End Core is now preparing for the two EURO 2008 qualifiers against Greece at the Olympic Stadium in Athens on Saturday 17 and against Norway at Ta' Qali on Wednesday 21. On Saturday 17, the South End Core will also lend its support to the rugby national team in the FIRA European Nations Cup against Latvia at the Hibs Ground.
For the game against Greece, the South End Core, together with Fantasy Tours and Events Services, organised a tour for local supporters who were willing to travel abroad for this away fixture. The tour will be held between Thursday 16th and Sunday 20th November. The price for a single adult is Lm149/€347.35 which includes flights, all taxes, transfers, accommodation in 3-star hotel on a Bed & Breakfast basis, match ticket and the services of an experienced tour leader. The response for this tour was very good and there are only few places left.
On the same day that Malta faces Greece, the rugby national team will be in action agaisnt Latvia. Louis Agius said the South End Core was approached by the Malta Rugby Football Union and since the group is committed to support Malta national teams, not only in football but also rugby and possibly other sports, the SEC will be supporting the rugby national team.
The rugby game kicks-off at 14:00 but pre-parties will be held at Rookies Sports Bar, Zmerc Pub and Ryan's Pub. A number of the now-popular black T-shirts of the South End Core will be distributed during these pre-parties. After the game, fans are encouraged to return to these pubs to watch on big screens, the EURO 2008 qualifier between Greece and Malta.
On Wednesday 21, before the game against Norway, another pre-party will be held on campus from where transport will be provided to Ta' Qali. A number of new choreographies will be used during the game.
Agius said the South End Core's work is being appreciated by all and they were even approached by the organisers of the Legends match which was held last week. However, he said that the main objective of the group was that of supporting Malta and had there been the participation of a Maltese team in the event, they would have supported it. They even suggested the inclusion of a Maltese veterans' team in a possible triangular tournament.
Meanwhile tickets for the rugby match are already on sale from Rookies and Zmerc while tickets for Malta vs Norway will be on sale as from Saturday from Rookies, Ryan's, Zmerc, Extratime, 47 Summer Nights, Dual Zone, Premier Shop - Zejtun, KSU and all Vodafone outlets including Gozo.
The South End Core website www.southendcore.com attracted 5,000 unique visitors so far, including a number of visitors from the UK, USA and Canada. Through the website, there were also requests for the South End Core T-shirt.
Agius said that the group is considering the introduction of a membership card and the issue of merchandise such as T-shirts, scarves and flags. He thanked fans and the media for their support.
"Hopefully the South End Core will be once again the 12th player on the pitch, and the 16th player in the case of rugby, after the support played an important part in the national team's comeback against Moldova," he concluded.
Meanwhile national team manager Ivan Vella thanked fans for supporting the national team and said that he hoped that in the game against Norway and future national team matches, the atmosphere at Ta' Qali will be the same as it was in the games against Turkey and Moldova.
MRFU public relations officer Nick Gatt said that after the SEC had asked one of the local rugby clubs, Kavallieri RFC, to support its initiative, it was now the turn of the MRFU to ask the SEC for help.
The rugby national team is currently in England on a training camp before travelling to Croatia for the first of a two FIRA European Nations Cup qualifiers against Croatia away from home next Saturday. Malta then hosts Latvia on Saturday 17.
- The MFA Technical Centre will be organising another Instructional Meeting on Monday 12th November 2007 for holders of Foundation, YDD and CCC Licence coaches.
Since this will be a theory session at the Centenary Hall, it will commence at 17.30 hrs.
All coaches are requested to be punctual for this Instructional Meeting.
- The first instructional meeting organised from the Malta Football
Coaches Association for the UEFA 'A', MFA 'A', UEFA 'B' and MFA 'B'
licence coaches is being held on Monday 12th November, 2007 and not on
Monday 19th November, 2007. This is being held at St. Aloysius College
at 19.30.
The theme for this meeting is 'Goalkeepers' Training' and is being
conducted by Mr. Saviour Darmanin, a qualified coach and a member of
the MFCA.
Wed 7
- The Malta Under-19 side will be taking part in Group 13 of the UEFA Under-19 Championship mini-tournament between Saturday 10 and Thursday 15 November. The mini-tournament will be played in Italy.
Taking part in the tournament, besides Malta and hosts Italy, are Croatia and Montenegro.
Malta faces Croatia on Saturday 10, Italy on Monday 12 and Montenegro on Thursday 15. The three matches are being played at the Stadio Comunale in Iesi.
Malta Under-21 coach Edwin Camilleri named the following 20-man squad:
Goalkeepers: Thomas Galea (Hibs), Nicholas Vella (Valletta)
Defenders: Steve Bonnici (Melita), Adrian Borg (Mosta), Owen Bugeja (Floriana), Kane Farrugia (Sliema), Timmy Fleri Soler (Hibs), Chris Mackay (Pieta), Jonathan Scerri (Hibs), Julian Tonna (Hibs)
Midfielders: Osbert Ellul (Hibernians), Daniel Gatt (Pieta), Beppe Muscat (Sliema), Karl Pulo (Pieta), Mark Scerri (Sliema)
Forwards: Nathan Busuttil (Pieta), Miguel Ciantar (Sliema), Julian Galea (Melita), Glanville Goodlip (Pieta), Dylan Kokavessis (Pieta).
- Malta international striker Michael Mifsud scored again for Coventry City as they came from behind to beat QPR 2-1 at Loftus Road.
New QPR signing Akos Buzsaky put them ahead on 50 minutes but Mifsud levelled matters on 61 minutes. Kevin Kyle notched the winner for Coventry.
Coventry are now fifth on 24 points, three behind third-place Bristol City and one behind Charlton. Wolves and Stoke City follow with 23 points.
- E-motion Signworks is the new sponsor of Zurrieq FC Futsal.
The presentation was held on Friday at the Sergeant Mess at the Corradino Pavilion where club president Frankie Sammut was presented with the new Legea kit by Alison Debono, on behalf of Sports Experience.
E-motion Signworks director Wesley Davies wished Zurrieq FC Futsal success for the coming season.
All the team's players were present, including new signings Mark Farrugia (goalkeeper), Ian Attard, Noel Sciberras and coach George Magri.
Zurrieq FC Futsal will be working hard this season in order to achieve their main objective which is being promotion to Division 1.
The club's official website is www.zurrieqfcfutsal.com
Mon 5
- Third Division Section B Gudja U. vs Kalkara 2-2, Sta. Lucia vs Gharghur 0-3
- Juventus F.C. will be coming to Malta for a training camp between the 6th and 12th January 2008. This was confirmed on Monday at a joint press conference held at the Juventus Media Centre in Turin, between Renaissance Productions Ltd. and Juventus F.C.
The press conference was addressed by Dr. Anton Tabone, Renaissance Productions Ltd Director together with Juventus Managing Director, Jean-Claude Blanc and Commercial Director Marco Fassoni.
During the press conference, Jean Claude Blanc said that it will be an important time for Juventus as they prepare to embark on the second important part of the season and that the mild weather of Malta. Blanc also referred to the fact that Malta is practically black and white, referring to the over 20,000 local fans.
RPL Director Anton Tabone said that anticipation in Malta was already sky-high. Last week Team Manager Gianluca Pessotto was in Malta to finalise arrangements. Dr Tabone said that he hoped that this would not be an isolated event but that it will be the start of a long-term partnership.
During their stay in Malta Juventus will also be playing a friendly match against Valletta F.C. on the 9th January.
- Pentagon Properties (Babylonia) Futsal Club, set up in 2001, is this season participating in the MFA Second Division Futsal League. Although set up earlier, this club formerly called Babylonia did not start participating in the national Futsal leagues until season 2004/5.
Relations with their main sponsor started in the spring of 2006 and since then the club has changed its name. The committee members are Mr. Stephen Briffa as President; Mr. James Aquilina (team founder) as Secretary; and Mr. Malcolm Bondin as Treasurer. Mr. Pierre Galea is the club’s Honorary President.
The management and organization of this Futsal club has definitely left a good impression. During the spring of 2006, the club gained it most useful asset when Mr. Kevin Mifsud joined as coach. Since the start of this relationship between Mr. Kevin Mifsud and the committee there has been a shared common vision for this club. With the coach's experience and the assistance of the committee members, a friendly ambiance has been created amongst all those involved in this club.
This club has also three secondary sponsors to whom it is very grateful for their support: MZ Investments; Samantha’s Stationery and Gift Shop, Qormi; and Gutenberg Press.
During the past summer, Pentagon Properties (Babylonia) Futsal Club participated in the Indoor Futsal Summer League at Corradino and made it to the final. The team performed very well and the new players signed in during the summer quickly felt part of the club. On October 12, 2007, the club’s committee invited all those involved: players, family and sponsors to the official presentation of the team 2007/8. During a wine and pizza party held at Extra Time at Ta’ Qali, the players were presented with training kits, away kits and sports bags.
Sun 4
- FA Trophy Mqabba vs Vittoriosa S. 3-2, Mosta vs Hamrun S. 0-2
- Second Division St. Andrews vs Balzan Y. 1-2, Zurrieq vs Birzebbuga SP 1-1
- Gozo - GFA Cup Qala SJ vs Zebbug R. 1-0 aet, SK Victoria W. vs Oratory Y. 3-0
- Malta international striker Andre Schembri scored one of the goals in a 2-1 win for Eintracht Braunschweig over Rot-Weiss Oberhausen in a match from the Regionalliga Nord on Saturday.
Eintracht are now fourteenth with 18 points from fifteen matches.
The former Hibernians and Marsaxlokk striker played eleven league matches so far, scoring four goals.
Meanwhile Justin Haber's Haidari FC lost 0-2 to Aigaleo FC Athens in a match from the Greek B League on Saturday. Haidari are currently joint-ninth with nine points from seven matches.
After scoring three goals in the first two matches, Daniel Bogdanovic missed Cisco Roma's 1-1 draw with Real Marcianise in the Italian Serie C2 Girone C due to an injury. Cisco Roma are currently fourth with 19 points from 12 matches.
Luke Dimech's Macclesfield Town suffered a heavy 5-0 defeat to Mansfield Town in a match from League Two. The Silkmen are eighteenth with fourteen points from fourteen matches.
- Gzira United are pleased to announce the launching of their re-vamped website at www.gziraunited.com.
The website includes all the latest news from the club, activities, fixtures, results and information about the players in the squad. The New website also offers 'update service' by email where supporters can subscribe to receive updates before and after every match, plus club updates.
"I am pleased that a small club such as ours can keep it’s members and supporters informed in real time about all that is happening within the club" Tyrone Demanuele, Club President said.
Sat 3
- FA Trophy St. George's vs Pietà H. 2-3, Valletta vs St. Patrick 4-0
- Malta international striker Michael Mifsud was once again the hero for Coventry as he notched a brace in a 3-1 win away from home against Stoke City.
After a lifeless first half, against the run of play, the Sky Blues took a two-goal lead through Michael Mifsud and Dele Adebola, and though Liam Lawrence pulled a goal back from the penalty spot for the Potters, Mifsud scored again to secure the three points for Coventry.
Watford lead the way with 32 points, followed by Bristol City on 27, WBA on 26, Charlton and Wolves on 22, Ipswich and Coventry on 21.
Meanwhile Coventry are confident a takeover of the crisis-striken club will go through "in the near future".
They are around £38million in debt and have been linked with a possible takeover by former footballer Ray Ranson.
A statement on the club's official website read: "Coventry City can confirm that the club is hopeful of a positive outcome to the possible takeover in the near future. Talks are continuing with interested parties and the club is also finalising discussions with existing shareholders, who are integral to the outcome of any deal."
Fri 2
- UEFA Women's Mini-Tournament Malta vs Luxembourg 1-1
- Second Division Sirens vs Rabat A. 0-1, Melita vs Naxxar L. 1-0
- The Malta women's national team shared the spoils in a 1-1 draw with Luxembourg in the third and final match from Group A2 of the friendly UEFA Women's Mini-Tournament which was held in Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina.
Cristina Correia put Luxembourg ahead during the first half but Natasha Pace levelled matters for Malta.
On Wednesday, Malta lost 2-1 to hosts Bosnia-Herzegovina after taking the lead with a goal by Rebecca D’Agostino.
Bosnia-Herzegovina won the tournament as they had defeated Luxembourg 3-2 in another match.
- After scoring two goals on his debut for Cisco Roma on Sunday, Daniel Bogdanovic scored once again on Thursday as the Roman club defeated Val di Sangro 2-0 in another match from the Serie C2 Girone C.
Cisco Roma move joint-third with Marcianise on 18 points.
Bogdanovic had scored twice on Sunday in the 3-2 win against Andria away from home.
- Compunet Ltd, BioDevices and SmartHomes are for the second year in a row, Qrendi FC’s main sponsors. This was announced last Sunday during a press conference held at the ITEX fair in Ta’ Qali, where a number of players and committee members were presented with a complete new football kit consisting of match kit, tracksuits, rain jackets and sweaters showing the companies’ logos, prominently on the front.
Mr. Andrew Debattista, on behalf of the companies, congratulated Qrendi FC committee for the hard work of last season and augured well for the upcoming one.
Fri 2
- During this Christmas period, precisely between 27th and 30th December 2007, Italian Serie A team, Atalanta B.C. in collaboration with Birkirkara F.C. Youth Nursery will be organising for the second time in Malta, a four day Football Stage at the New Infetti Artificial Pitches in Bontadini Street, Birkirkara.
This event is open to all children living in Malta and Gozo aged between 7 and 12 (born in 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999 and 2000) and consists mainly of an hour and a half training session (six in all) delivered by professional Italian youth coaches working at Atalanta B.C. This year's programme will include also goalkeeper's training.
The fee of Lm 35 (€ 81.35) per participant includes:
- Six training sessions (1 ½ hour each) under the guidance of Italian youth coaches
- Full training kit
- Technical report
- Various Atalanta B.C. merchandise
Mr Stefano Bonaccorso, Mr Massimo Biffi and Mr Andrea Pandolfi, all professional coaches who work with youth teams at Atalanta in Zigonia will be amongst the coaches present during this stage, with the former tutor involved also at FIGC Youth sector level.
The number of children participating is on a first come first served basis. Therefore, all those interested in attending may contact Mr Franco Agius (79438515) or Mr Henry Bray (99468248) for further details. It is surely the ideal gift for this Christmas and a memorable experience for all football lovers!