September 2009
Wed 30
- Premier League Sliema W. vs Msida SJ 2-0, Hibernians vs Hamrun S. 4-2
- Birkirkara goalkeeper Jorge Febles Mora and Hamrun Spartans midfielder Manolito Micallef were both banned for two matches following incidents at the end of the BOV Premier League clash between Birkirkara and Hamrun Spartans on Saturday.
Mora is ruled out of the games against Dingli and Hibernians while Micallef will be missing the Hibernians and Floriana.
In the First Division Knock-Out, Nigel Rizzo of Melita was suspended for one match while Elton Azzopardi (Lija) was banned for one game in Division 2. Zurrieq official Salvu Bellizzi was handed a three-match ban.
In Division 3, Paul Psaila (Luqa) was suspended for one game.
In the Youth League, David Pace (Marsa) was banned for four matches, Christian Debono (Marsa) and Alexander Cauchi (Fgura) for three, Christian Scerri (Marsa) for two while Glenn Frendo (Hamrun), Carl Cremona (Marsa), Royter Degiorgio (Senglea) and Neil Spiteri (St. Patrick) for one.
Mon 28
- First Division Knock-Out St. George's vs Mqabba 3-0, Mosta vs Marsaxlokk 1-4
- Women's Super Cup Birkirkara vs Mosta 1-2
Mosta claimed their first major honour in women's football after defeating champions Birkirkara in the Women's Super Cup final on Monday.
Nora Agliano put Birkirkara ahead mid-way through the first half but Dorianne Theuma levelled matters. Rebecca D'Agostino notched the winner for Mosta in the second half.
Last year, Birkirkara won the Women's Super Cup after defeating Hibernians 2-0. They won the Women's First Division League by staying unbeaten and dropping just three points in draws. Finally the Stripes defeated Hibernians 4-0 in the Women's Knock-Out final. Mosta, on the other hand, finished in the runner-up position in the Women's First Division League.
- Floriana FC announced that Malta international defender Brian Said has joined the club on a permanent basis. Said was a free agent thanks to a clause which released him from his contract with Marsaxlokk.
The thirty-six year old defender started his career with St. Andrews, making his Premier League debut with the Saints in season 1991/92. In 1994/95, he played for Birkirkara Luxol following the merger of St. Andrews and Birkirkara. However one year later, he joined Floriana.
With the Greens, Said spent six years before moving on to Sliema Wanderers in summer 2001. With the Blues, he won three championships and three FA Trophies among other major honours.
Brian Said had joined Marsaxlokk last year.
In a statement, the club said "Brian Said will bring along a wealth of experience both on local and international level. Said is not new to the Floriana clan, since he previously donned the green and white shirt prior joining Sliema Wanderers. The committee would like to thank all involved for Brian's return to Floriana."
Sun 27
- Premier League Floriana vs Tarxien R. 1-1, Hibernians vs Dingli S. 2-1
- Second Division Gozo vs Sta. Venera L. 1-1, St. Andrews vs Mellieha 3-1, Rabat A. vs Gharghur 4-2
- Third Division Section A Luqa SA vs Siggiewi 3-1, Mdina K. vs Pembroke A. 3-2
- Gozo - First Division Kercem A. vs Sannat L. 0-2
- School is back and so is football! On Saturday 3rd October, 2009 boys and girls aged 4 to 13 years will have the opportunity for some moments of fun and, at the same time, experience the organized environment of the Hamrun Spartans FC Youth Nursery. The event is a unique opportunity for young kids to train for free at the Victor Tedesco Stadium, a venue where top local footballers play competitive matches. Everyone is invited to attend.
Children can wear a plain kit during these sessions. However, football shirts of other teams (including foreign) and football shoes with metal studs will not be allowed. The main pitch will be divided into four mini-pitches and practice sessions will be carried out by qualified coaches for the different age categories, as follows:
From 08:30 to 10:30: Boys born 2003/2004/2005, 2001, 1999, 1997/1996
From 10:30 to 12:30: Boys born 2002, 2000 and 1998
Sessions for girls (ages 4 to 13) will be conducted separately between 10:30 and 12:30.
Prior to the session, kids should be accompanied by their parents to the Nursery Centre (near the five-a-side pitch) where they will proceed to the main pitch. Parents can only watch their kids from the stands on the opposite side of the Nursery Centre.
The ambitious aim of Hamrun Spartans FC Youth Nursery for this year is to establish itself as one of the top nurseries in Malta, both in terms of organization and in terms of results.
For further information on this event and on Hamrun Spartans FC Youth Nursery, one may visit the nursery website www.hamrunnursery.com or contact nursery representatives on email addresses info@hamrunnursery.com or mariodebattista@onvol.net or phone numbers 79496363 / 79478302 / 79462811.
- As part of the activities for the beginning of the season, Luqa St. Andrew's Youth Nursery organised an Under-13 festival.
The triangular festival between the Luqa St. Andrews YN, Dingli Swallows YN and Mtarfa YN was a good opportunity for the kids to enjoy a nice day of football with friends before the end of the summer holidays.
Luqa St. Andrew's Youth Nursery would like to inform the public that the nursery is accepting applications for all those kids - boys and girls, aged between 6 and 17, who would like to form part of the nursery for the coming season.
All those interested are kindly asked to pick up an application from the Luqa F.C. sports complex, send an e mail on luqayn@gmail.com or contact us via mobile phone on 99869730.
One can even visit Luqa St. Andrew's FC's newly revamped website at www.luqasafc.com or visit our facebook page Luqa St. Andrew's Youth Football Nursery for the latest updates.
Sat 26
- Premier League Msida SJ vs Qormi 0-3, Birkirkara vs Hamrun S. 2-1
- First Division Knock-Out Melita vs San Gwann 2-2, Pieta' H. vs Vittoriosa S. 3-1
- Second Division Zurrieq vs Lija A. 2-2, Birzebbuga SP vs Zebbug R. 3-2
- Gozo - Melita Second Division Munxar F. vs St. Lawrence S. 0-5, Gharb R. vs Xaghra U. 1-5
- The futsal season kicks-off on Monday with the first two matches from the First Division League at the Corradino Pavilion.
Ten teams are taking part this season, namely Jeepers FC, Luxol Amazon Cinco, Naxxar Motors, Paola Downtown, Pentagon Properties BFC, River Plate Bidnija Futsal Club, Scandals Futsal, Southenders, champions White Eagles and ZC Excess Futsal (formerly known as Aluserv).
The competition will be played on a two-round league basis with the top four teams reaching the quarter-finals of the play-offs.
Fourteen teams, divided into two sections, will be playing in the Second Division which will kick-off on Friday.
The teams in Section A are Capital Boys, Kerygma Kristal, Korol Attrans, Lazio Supporters Club Malta, Los Street Boys, Paola Stars Futsal Club and Swing Kids while Fugazi 5, Headhunters FC, MaBu FC, Southsiders, Sliema Bilbao, Valletta St Paul's and Zurrieq FC (Futsal) are the seven teams in Section B.
Fri 25
- Premier League Sliema W. vs Valletta 0-1
- On the eve of their return to the BOV Premier League, Hamrun Spartans presented their new signings during a press conference which was held at the EuroSport store in Birkirkara.
Hamrun Spartans president Daniel Sullivan said that after the club was relegated to Division 1, Sylvano Comvalius was transferred to Birkirkara while Zoran Levnajic and Florin Anton were released. Steve Meilak, Kevin Borg and Ryan Fenech were loaned to Qormi, Dingli Swallows and Sliema Wanderers respectively.
Sullivan said that after being appointed as president, he put as his main objective that of a quick return to the Premier League. However with the club being re-instated in the BOV Premier League, the new target will be that of retaining their status in the top division.
The team was strengthened with the signing of Jonathan Holland from Birkirkara, Clyde Camoin from Floriana, Mark Barbara from Valletta, Timothy Fleri Soler from Hibernians and Luca Grech from Mgarr United. The Spartans signed two foreigners - Brazilian striker Marcelo Pereira, formerly of Mqabba and Marsaxlokk, and Czech defender Martin Hrubsa, who had started the season with Vittoriosa Stars. They could also sign a third foreigner with a player from Belgium and another from Germany currently on trial with the club.
The Hamrun president said that returning to the Premier League is a very interesting and important adventure for the club. Sullivan believes the players will be able to show that they deserve playing in the top division.
Team manager Stefan Sultana said that after the club was relegated to Division 1 at the end of last season, Hamrun aimed to strengthen the team for the First Division campaign as the club had already experienced such a challenge. However with the re-instatement of the club in the Premier League, he said he believed the club needed another two good foreigners in order to be able to take up this new challenge.
Sultana said Hamrun will be aiming for a top-six finish saying he believed that besides the top four, six teams in the Premier League were more or less on the same level.
Rupert Mangion will be the team captain while Gaetan Spiteri will be vice-captain.
Details were then given about the Stefan Sultana testimonial match which will be played on Friday 9th October. The game will put against each other a selection of Hamrun Spartans players of the eighties and nineties against former national team players.
Tickets are available for €10 from St. Joseph Band Club, St. Gaetan Band Club and Golden Harvest in Hamrun, Hamrun Spartans FC, Hamrun Spartans Youth Nursery, Jason Cristina (99839559), James Cutajar (99448035), Denise Mizzi (99803565), Frans Zammit - Ground Manager (79367154), Justin Camilleri (99035110) and Hamrun Liberty (Gary - 99409434). Part of the proceeds from this event will be going to Puttinu Cares.
- In the run up to the new season Zebbug Rangers Football Club signed new players, engaged a new coach, and continued upgrading its facilities, as it sets out on a mission to win the promotion to the First Division.
The Second Division side presented their 10 new signings for the 2009/2010 season at the Coldwell Banker Malta offices, Attard, on Tuesday 22 September. Zebbug Rangers also announced that Coldwell Banker Malta, the renowned international real estate agency, is the club's new official sponsor.
The team's new players for this season include Marlon Vella, James Galea, George Frendo, Gilbert Scerri, Mark Deguara, Stephen Calleja, Anthony Lagana, Silvan Privitelli, Joseph Saliba and Joseph Mercieca.
Zebbug Rangers' new coach Joe Gerada thanked the committee for choosing him to lead the squad and explained that all the players have been working hard to get ready for the upcoming season. With the newly signed players, the club achieved a good blend of youth and experience. Gerada expressed his satisfaction at the way the players are working together, affirming that they will all be doing their utmost to win the promotion.
This year the club will also continue working on the project to upgrade its football ground and facilities. With the help of the Malta Football Association, the Zebbug Rangers ground will soon be fitted with artificial turf, and the nearby club facilities are being renovated. President Joseph Pace thanked the MFA, the committee members, and the members of the club's youth nursery, who are all helping out to complete this project. He explained that the new facilities will enable the club's nursery to provide a better service to youths and children. The President also launched the club's new website www.zebbugrangersfc.com
At the end of the event, Kris Grima, Coldwell Banker Malta manager, presented the club with the new Zebbug Rangers kit bearing the new sponsor's logo. Coldwell Banker Malta is a member of the Famalco Group. This is not the first football club that the group's companies will be sponsoring, explained David Vella, the group's public relations executive. "We have always been committed to supporting local clubs because we firmly believe that such financial contributions are essential for the development of local sports."
Pace thanked Coldwell Banker Malta for their continued support. He also thanked other companies who are supporting the club – The Convenience Shop, Ultimate, Total Mobile, Three Matics, Noel Auto Dealers, and Quality Imp.
Thu 24
- The MFA Board of Appeals did not uphold the appeal submitted by Marsaxlokk FC and confirmed the decision of the Board to Investigate Corrupt Practices whereby Marsaxlokk FC were relegated from the BOV Premier League to the BOV First Division with immediate effect and fined €4000.
- The first edition of the Atalanta Football Camp Gozo 2009 which was held between September 19 and 21 was another successful event.
This event was organised by Atalanta's Settore Giovanile in collaboration with Atalanta Club Amici Malta and each particpant apart from a detailed technical report and certificate, was given also official Atalanta merchandise.
Other training opportunities will be organised next December when the 4th Atalanta Xmas Football Stage will once again take place during the Christmas holidays in Malta.
- The Malta Under-19 side shared the spoils in a goalless draw with Wales in a friendly match as part of the local side's preparation for the UEFA Under-19 mini-tournament which will be played in Malta in November.
On Tuesday, the Malta Under-21 side drew 1-1 with the same Welsh side at the MFA Training Grounds on Tuesday. Warren Chircop equalised for Edwin Camilleri's side twelve minutes from time.
Wed 23
- Msida St. Joseph presented the Premier League squad during an activity which was held in front of the club premises on Wednesday. New signings include Nigerian striker Olumuyiwa Aganun who returns to Malta after having played for the Saints in season 2003/04 where he scored nine goals in 21 matches.
This summer, the Saints lost a number of players including foreigners Pedro Dos Santos Calcado, Andre Rocha Da Silva and Marcos Aurelio with Matthew Camilleri, Stacey Vella, Kenneth Spiteri and Dino Cachia joining other Premier League clubs.
The new foreigners are Nigerian goalkeeper Ini Aktpan, Serbian defender/midfielder Zoran Levnaic, Argentine striker Emiliano Lattes and Nigerian striker Oluschola Olumuyiwa Aganun.
Aktpan played in Gozo in past season, namely for Kercem Ajax and Qala St. Joseph. Levnaic turned out for Hamrun Spartans last year after playing for Floriana. 25-year old Emiliano Lattes played for CA Platense, CA Unión, CD Guijuelo (Spain), CA Boca Juniors, CD Caspe (Spain), Moralo CP (Spain), FK Baník Most (Czech Republic) and CD Unión Criptanense (Spain).
Aganun spent the last six years in Austria after leaving Msida. He played for FC Wacker Tirol and Wacker Innsbruck before joining SC-ESV Parndorf 1919.
Veteran flank defender Roderick Baldacchino returns with the club after spending last season with Birzebbuga St. Peter's. Other new signings include goalkeeper Ludvic Fardell, defender Cedric Sciberras and midfielder Neville Arpa.
The complete squad is made up of:
Goalkeepers Ludvic Fardell, Manuel Bartolo, Ini Aktpan;
Defenders Stefano Grima, Tyrone Farrugia, Roderick Baldacchino, Matthew Borda, Cedric Sciberras, Darren Caruana;
Midfielders Lydon Micallef, Kevin Mifsud, Neville Arpa, Adrian Farrugia, Karl Ebejer, Adam Spiteri, Zoran Levnaic;
Strikers Kirstin Brincat, Andrew Formosa, Emiliano Lattes, Olumuyiwa Aganun.
Club President Mr. Robert Farrugia urged the fans to continue supporting the club and enjoy the season ahead.
- Friends of Hamrun Spartans and former national team striker Stefan Sultana together with Hamrun Spartans F.C. and the Victor Tedesco Stadium management board will be organising a testimonial match for the former Hamrun captain as a sign of appreciation after his glorious and loyal career with the club.
The event will be held on Friday October 9th at 19:00 and will be presented by Mrs. Louise Tedesco - the daughter of former Hamrun Spartans president Victor Tedesco. Entertainment will be provided before the game.
The testimonial game will be between a team of former Hamrun Spartans players and another of former national team players.
The Hamrun team will be made up of players who were part of the squad in the glorious days of the club in the eighties and early nineties including Michael Degiorgio, Raymond Vella, Alex Azzopardi, Marco Grech, Sean Sullivan, Emmanuel Brincat, David Camilleri, John Micallef, Ray Xuereb, George Xuereb, Rupert Mangion, Leo Refalo, Gejtu Refalo, Joe Zarb and Neville Galea together with Barry Gallagher and Ian Leigh who will be travelling to Malta for this occasion. Ronnie Attard will be acting as coach.
The former national team players will be those who played for Malta in the same period with Stefan Sultana including Charlie Scerri, Silvio Vella, Konrad Sultana, Joe Camilleri, Martin Gregory, Kris Laferla, Joe Galea, Ernest Barry, Reggie Cini, Nicky Saliba, David Carabott, Darren Debono, Jeffrey Chetcuti among others. Pippo Psaila will be the coach.
Hamrun supporters are encouraged to attend in order to show their appreciation towards the player for the service rendered to the club. On the other hand, all football followers will be able to salute one of the best strikers ever who holds the record of the best scorer of all times with 197 goals.
A number of distinguished guests have been invited, including the President of the Republic Dr George Abela.
Tickets are available for €10 from St. Joseph Band Club, St. Gaetan Band Club and Golden Harvest in Hamrun, Hamrun Spartans FC, Hamrun Spartans Youth Nursery, Jason Cristina (99839559), James Cutajar (99448035), Denise Mizzi (99803565), Frans Zammit - Ground Manager (79367154), Justin Camilleri (99035110) and Hamrun Liberty (Gary - 99409434).
Part of the proceeds from this event will be going to Puttinu Cares.
- Goalkeeper Justin Haber made his debut for Ferencvaros in a 4-2 win over Kecskemétet in a match from the Hungarian League Cup on Tuesday.
Haber joined "Fradi" on loan from Sheffield United late in August.
- Latvian striker Olegs Malašenoks joined Hibernians for a trial as the champions are still in search of a third foreigner.
Malašenoks currently plays for top division side FK Tranzits where he is on loan from FK Ventspils. He is a former Under-21 international and is one of the leading goalscorers in his country.
Tue 22
- The Malta Under-21 side continued its preparation ahead of next month's UEFA Under-21 Championship qualifier against France with a friendly match against the Wales Under-19 side at the MFA Training Grounds on Tuesday.
The game ended in a 1-1 draw with the locals notching the equaliser twelve minutes from time thanks to Warren Chircop after the visitors had taken the lead during the first half.
The Welsh Under-19 side will be in action once again on Thursday with a friendly match against the Malta Under-19 side which is currently preparing for the UEFA Under-19 mini-tournament which will be played in Malta in November.
- Marsaxlokk FC have submitted the appeal against the sentence given by the Board to Investigate Corrupt Practices who demoted the club to Division 1 and fined them €4000.
The hearing is scheduled for Thursday 24th at 19:00.
- Season 2009/10 for boys and girls from the Under-5 to Under-13 age groups at the Pietà Hotspurs Youth Nursery kicks-off on Sunday.
Mass will be celebrated at the Fatima Parish Church at 10:00. All boys and girls registered with the nursery are then invited for a party at the club premises.
Meanwhile the Pietà Hotspurs Youth Nursery is accepting new registrations.
All those interested can visit the nursery on weekdays between 17:00 and 20:00 or between 09:00 and noon during weekends.
For more information one can phone on 21238145 or email pietahfc@maltanet.net
- The closing activity of the Tarxien Rainbows Nursery and Michael Degiorgio Summer School of Football was held last week.
During this summer activity, more than 70 kids between the ages of 5 and 12 years took part. The kids were divided into 5 groups according to their age. Training sessions were held in the months of July and August.
The aim of the summer school was to increase their skills in soccer and at the same time have fun.
During the closing ceremony, the kids were addressed by the nursery President Mr. Louis Zammit who stressed on the importance of doing physical activity. He thanked Mr. Michael Degiorgio for setting up this summer activity for the third year running. An activity which once again turned out to be a success.
He also thanked all the sponsors, Go Mobile, Tuttosport, Azzopardi Holdings, Fred Bongusto Caterers and others for their support in this summer activity.
Following the speech, the nursery President and Mr. Degiorgio distributed certificates to all the kids.
Mon 21
- Second & Third Division Knock-Out Naxxar L. vs Sta. Venera L. 1-0, Gzira U. vs Zebbug R. 0-0, Pembroke A. vs Siggiewi 3-1, Lija A. vs Rabat A. 2-2
- Gozo - Independence Cup Victoria H. vs Sannat L. 7-0
- Gozo - Second Division Knock-Out Oratory Y. vs Qala SJ 1-3 aet
- The BOV Premier League will resume on Friday 25th September with the clash between Sliema Wanderers and Valletta, kick-off at 19:30. The Malta Football Association confirmed the fixtures for the coming week until October 2.
The programme for the weekend continues with two matches on Saturday when the two teams which were re-instated in the Premier Division - Msida St. Joseph and Hamrun Spartans take on Qormi and Birkirkara respectively. On Sunday, Floriana meet Tarxien Rainbows and Hibernians face Dingli Swallows.
Another two matches will be in programme on Wednesday 30. Two matches which form part of the first round of matches. Sliema Wanderers take on Msida St. Joseph and Hibernians face Hamrun Spartans.
Meanwhile due to works at the Centenary Stadium, this weekend's BOV Second Division and BOV Third Division matches will be played at the Victor Tedesco Stadium.
The BOV Second Division League kicks-off on Saturday with the games Zurrieq vs Lija Athletic and Birzebbuga St. Peter's vs Zebbug Rangers. On Sunday morning, St. Andrews take on Mellieha and Rabat Ajax face Gharghur.
The BOV Third Division Section A kicks-off on Sunday afternoon with Luqa St. Andrews vs Siggiewi and Mdina Knights vs Pembroke Athleta.
- Following the confirmation that Msida St. Joseph FC will be playing in the BOV Premier League, new coach Mark Marlow organized a half-day seminar for the players at the Le Meridien Hotel.
The players were first addressed by Marlow and then they had three lectures. The first one was delivered by Mr. Emmanuel Zammit and the subject was that of "The Rules of the Game", the next lecture was regarding "Doping in Football" and was delivered by Dr. David Attard. The seminar was concluded by Ms. Adele Muscat were she delivered a "Sports Psychology" session with the whole squad.
After several weeks of training and friendly matches, the team; spearheaded my its new mentor Mr. Mark Marlow is looking forward for the next weekend were they will start their BOV Premier League campaign.
- Msida St. Joseph FC will be holding a rally for supporters which will be followed by the presentation of the 2009/2010 Msida St. Joseph FC squad on Wednesday 23rd September in front of the club premises in Church Street Msida at 19:00.
All the Msida supporters are urged to attend.
John Hutchinson - Central Coast Mariners FC (Australia - A-League)
John Hutchinson was on target for Central Coast Mariners on Saturday as they defeated leaders Gold Coast United 3-0. He scored the third goal on 70 minutes. Central Coast Mariners are third in the table and now lie just two points behind joint-leaders Gold Coast and Sydney FC.
Manny Muscat - Wellington Phoenix FC (New Zealand - Australian A-League)
Manny Muscat played the whole ninety minutes in Wellington Phoenix's 1-1 draw with North Queensland Fury.
Andre Schembri - SK Austria Kärnten (Austria - Bundesliga)
Austria Kärnten defeated
Allerheiligen 2-1 away from home in the ÖFB Stiegl Cup (Austrian Cup).
Justin Haber - Ferencvaros (Hungary - Soproni Liga)
Justin Haber was not included as Ferencvaros lost 2-1 away to Debreceni. The Malta goakeeper may get his chance to start in the next game as goalkeeper Balazs Megyeri was sent off for Ferencvaros in added time.
Daniel Bogdanovic - Barnsley FC (England - League Championship)
Daniel Bogdanovic was once again ruled out injured as Barnsley were held to a 0-0 draw by Swansea in the first home game for new manager Mark Robins in charge of the Tykes.
Sun 20
- First Division Knock-Out Mqabba vs Balzan Y. 2-1, San Gwann vs St. Patrick 1-1
- Second & Third Division Knock-Out Mtarfa vs Attard 0-2, Senglea A. vs St. Andrews 1-1, Gudja U. vs Swieqi U. 7-0, Mgarr U. vs Birzebbuga SP 0-1
- Gozo - First Division Ghajnsielem vs S.K. Victoria W. 0-1, Xewkija T. vs Nadur Y. 0-1
Sat 19
- Sliema Wanderers presented the seven new players in their squad as they start the second year of a three-year plan on which the club embarked last season.
Sliema Wanderers president Steve Abela said that the first year was a big challenge for the club. A challenging year during which they managed to win two major honours - the U*BET FA Trophy and the BOV Super Cup together with the trophy marking the club's hundredth anniversary after winning the Sliema Wanderers Centennial Cup - a mini-tournament played against Sheffield Wednesday and Birkirkara.
Abela said that the club's objective is now to move a step further. He said that the committee believed that the new signings strengthened the team enough and that it is now up to the technical staff and players to achieve these targets.
Besides Josef Mifsud, Clayton Failla, Ryan Fenech, Jean Pierre Mifsud Triganza and the returning Clifford Gatt Baldacchino, the club has two new foreigners - Brazilian goalkeeper Michael Gustavo Siscoutto Lima and German striker Henry Isaac. The latter had started the season with Vittoriosa Stars.
The Sliema president revealed that the Tigne complex is nearing completion as the artificial turf pitch has been laid. In the coming weeks, the government is expected to hand over the complex to the club on a long-term lease. The complex, which forms part of MIDI's Tigne Point project, will include an 11-a-side football pitch on the roof of a shopping complex, two indoor pitches, dressing rooms, meeting rooms for the committee and technical staff and a bar.
Steve Abela said the club was looking forward to returning to Tigne as this meant that the Wanderers would be "returning home" after a ten-year absence. He said all Sliema teams - from the senior side to the nursery teams - would be training there. The football pitch will only be used as a training ground and not as a stadium due to its location in a premium residential area.
The Wanderers president revealed that the nursery is undergoing a restructuring process, both in terms of technical staff and coaches and administration. He said the club wanted to build on the nursery's past successes in order to make it once again the leading nursery. With the Sliema nursery also returning to Tigne, he said he hoped the Wanderers would be able to bring back Sliema children who moved to other nurseries while the Sliema nursery was based at the University Grounds.
Sliema mayor Nicky Dimech announced that as part of the local council's project to give due recognition to all Sliema sports clubs and associations for their successes, a presentation will be held on Tuesday at the club's premises.
Meanwhile Sliema Wanderers coach Stephen Azzopardi said that the temporary suspension of the BOV Premier League definitely disrupted the training programmes of all clubs, especially due to the fact that it was not clear when the competition was due to resume.
However his main complaint was on the fact that the Council of the Malta Football Association voted in favour of delaying the Premier League programme by two weeks meaning that there will be two programmes of matches in December and January during what was due to be a two-week break for Christmas and the New Year. Azzopardi said that this decision meant that the players would have no break at all during the season, after having just a one-week break in summer due to the early kick-off of European competitions.
Sliema president Steve Abela, on the other hand, said that national coach John Buttigieg and his assistant Carmel Busuttil turned down a request by the club to discuss the issue of national team players' training which is held three times a week, therefore disrupting clubs' preparation. He said they were only ready to meet the Sliema coach to discuss the matter.
- The MFA Technical Centre will be organising another instructional meeting for holders of UEFA ‘A’, UEFA ‘B’ and ‘A’ and ‘B’ Licence coaches on Monday 28th September 2009.
The meeting, which is planned to be a theoretical session, will be held at the Centenary Hall, Ta’ Qali and will commence at 17:30.
All coaches are kindly requested to be punctual.
- After the Council of the Malta Football Association announced that Hamrun Spartans will be playing in the BOV Premier League, the Executive Committee of Hamrun Spartans will be holding an important rally for members and supporters in order to update them with the latest developments at the club and with how the team is being strengthened.
The rally will be held on Friday 25th September at 19:30 at the VIP area of the Victor Tedesco Stadium.
Club members and supporters are urged to attend.
- Newly promoted Todos FC officially announce the launch of their newly-revamped website www.todosfc.com. The site, developed entirely by the Todos web team, sports a new fresh look with regular club news updates, live football news feeds, match reports, staff profiles, upcoming events, photo galleries, downloadable content and much more.
The site also links to the official club forum http://todosfc.forumfree.net where everyone from
friends and fans alike can interact with all that has to do with Todos FC.
Fri 18
- Second & Third Division Knock-Out Mdina K. vs Luqa SA 1-1
- The women's national team hosts Spain in the first game from Group 5 of the FIFA Women's World Cup 2011 qualifying round at the Centenary Stadium on Saturday, kick-off at 17:00.
This will definitely be a most difficult game for Pierre Brincat's side considering that Spain are one of the strongest teams in Europe in women's football and just failed to make it to the UEFA Women's Euro which was held over the past weeks after losing a play-off to the Netherlands.
Addressing the media on Friday, Brincat said Spain were probably the strongest opponent ever for Malta. A game which will offer him and his players a new challenge and experience. He said that unlike previous editions of World Cup qualifiers where teams were divided in two divisions meaning that teams in each group were more or less on the same level, this time there was an open draw with Malta being drawn with England, Austria and Turkey, besides Spain. Teams which are definitely much stronger than Malta.
He explained that teams in Europe could be divided into four levels. Germany are in a class of their own, then there were teams such as the Scandinavian sides, then there are teams of medium strength such as Slovakia and Ireland and finally the smaller teams.
Last June, the team hosted a UEFA Women's Friendly Tournament, beating Latvia 4-0 and Luxembourg 1-0, losing 0-1 to Bulgaria. Brincat said that following a well-deserved break for his players, the team started pre-season training in mid-July and has therefore been working hard for these qualifiers for the past eight weeks.
Since that tournament, the team lost four players - two due to study commitments and another two - Kathleen Saliba and Catherine Camilleri - who are injured. Brincat said he hoped the latter players will be available for the coming qualifiers.
On the other hand, three new players make it to the squad - defenders Corissa Vella of Sliema Raiders and Kim Parnis of Birkirkara and Sta. Venera midfielder Yanika Debono.
Pierre Brincat said that against Spain, the plan will be a cautious one. However he said the team will not be playing a game where they will just be trying to get rid of the ball as that would put more pressure on his players.
He revealed that unless there are injuries in the final couple of training sessions, the starting line-up should be: Sharon Costantino, Rebecca Chircop, Natasha Pace, Maria Azzopardi, Chantal Fenech, Rachael Cuschieri, Ylenia Carabott, Dorianne Theuma, Mandy Debono, Rebecca D'Agostino, Emma Xuereb in a 4-5-1 formation.
The women's national coach concluded with an appeal for support, saying that even during June's friendly tournament, the supporters which were present at the Centenary Stadium played an important role in the team's fine performance.
Malta captain Rebecca D'Agostino said that all players are aware that the game against Spain will be a very difficult one. She said that the team is prepared well physically following the pre-season training.
D'Agostino said that the team believed in themselves in recent outings and managed to obtain good results and performances, including against Bulgaria which were a stronger side compared to other teams they met.
The match will be controlled by Italian referee Silvia Tea Spinelli, assisted by assistant referees Cristina Cini and Romina Santuari. Fourth official will be Silvio Tanti.
Thu 17
- Second & Third Division Knock-Out Kalkara vs Xghajra T. 4-0, Kirkop U. vs Ghaxaq 1-3
- Msida St. Joseph and Hamrun Spartans will replace Vittoriosa Stars and Marsaxlokk respectively in the BOV Premier League while Vittoriosa Stars and Marsaxlokk will be taking their place in the BOV First Division and the Maltco Lotteries First Division Knock-Out.
The decision was taken during a meeting of the Council of the Malta Football Association on Thursday which was a continuation of another meeting of the Council on August 31 which had started discussing the issue.
The Council agreed that the results of BOV Premier League matches played so far are to stand, except for those of matches involving Vittoriosa Stars and Marsaxlokk. Msida St. Joseph and Hamrun Spartans will be playing the two matches from the first two rounds.
The BOV Premier League will resume in the weekend September 25th to 27th with the third round of matches, which were originally scheduled for September 14 to 16.
The five matches in programme that weekend will therefore be:
Msida St. Joseph vs Qormi;
Floriana vs Tarxien Rainbows;
Hibernians vs Dingli Swallows;
Birkirkara vs Hamrun Spartans;
Sliema Wanderers vs Valletta.
All programmes of matches, originally scheduled to be played in September, October, November and December, will therefore be shifted by two or more weeks and there will be no break for Christmas and the New Year as originally scheduled.
Meanwhile the Maltco Lotteries First Division Knock-Out will kick-off on September 20 while the games which were due to be played on September 19 - Marsaxlokk vs Melita and Vittoriosa Stars vs St. George's - have been postponed to October 24. The BOV First Division will kick-off as scheduled on November 20.
All these decisions were taken following a counter-proposal by the Council after the Executive Committee had proposed to resume the Premier League this weekend.
During the same meeting, the decision regarding the Marsaxlokk case was explained in detail. Letters by Pietà Hotspurs and Rabat Ajax regarding these decisions were also read. Both emphasised on the fact that the act of corruption committed by the Vittoriosa official took place in a BOV First Division match and not in the Premier League. Pietà demanded that they should replace Vittoriosa Stars in the Premier League since they finished third in the BOV First Division last season, one point behind Vittoriosa. Rabat Ajax, who finished second from bottom in Division 1 and were relegated to Division 2, said it was not fair that Vittoriosa have maintained their First Division status, meaning that they have been penalised.
However the Council voted in favour of the counter-proposal which among other points, stated that Msida St. Joseph and Hamrun Spartans had to replace Vittoriosa Stars and Marsaxlokk respectively in the BOV Premier League.
With the transfer market already closed, clubs including Hamrun Spartans and Msida St. Joseph will only be allowed to sign out-of-contract players.
- FIFA Referee Esther Azzopardi has been appointed to officiate in a UEFA Women’s Under-19 Qualifying Round Group 11 mini-tournament in Portugal between the 19th and the 24th September 2009. Besides Portugal, the other teams taking part will be Iceland, Switzerland and Romania.
FIFA Referee Marco Borg has been appointed to officiate in a UEFA Under-17 Qualifying Round Group 6 mini-tournament in Bulgaria between the 27th September and the 2nd October 2009. He will be accompanied by FIFA Assistant Referee Ingmar Spiteri. Besides Bulgaria, the other teams taking part will be Latvia, Sweden and Republic of Ireland.
FIFA Referee Chris Lautier has been appointed to officiate in a UEFA Under-17 Qualifying Round Group 12 mini-tournament in Wales between the 28th September and the 3rd October 2009. He will be accompanied by FIFA Assistant Referee Mariano Debono. Besides Wales, the other teams taking part will be Russia, Iceland and Bosnia-Herzegovina.
- First Division side St. Patrick continued to strengthen their squad with the signing of Birkirkara midfielder Luke Sciberras.
Sciberras made his Premier League debut for the Stripes in season 2007/08 and played four matches last season.
The Saints, under the guidance of coach Alfred Attard, had already secured the services of goalkeeper James Mercieca from Floriana, defenders Ryan Mifsud from Birkirkara and David Gauci from Hibernians, midfielders Bronwen Bugeja from Hibs and Yanis Tonna from Sliema together with Serbian striker Daniel Milovanovic.
- Season 2009/10 for the St. Patrick Youth Nursery kicked-off this week.
The nursery is currently receiving applications from boys and girls willing to join the nursery. As from the first week of October, Saviour Darmanin will be holding sessions for goalkeepers.
The Nursery was founded in 1988 by Manuel Gauci and Frankie Debrincat and is now one of the leading nurseries in the southern part of the island, holding an A Licence.
Wed 16
- Second & Third Division Knock-Out Marsa vs Mellieha 1-3
- The draw for the first round of the National League 100 Anniversary Cup was held on Wednesday at the MFA Headquarters, Ta' Qali. Sixteen out of the twenty teams in the BOV Third Division were involved in the draw.
This competition marks the hundredth anniversary since the first ever league competition was played in Malta in 1909/10.
The draw resulted as follows:
Zejtun Corinthians vs Gudja United
Mtarfa vs Attard
Siggiewi vs Santa Lucia
Qrendi vs Pembroke Athleta
Fgura United vs Naxxar Lions
Swieqi United vs Luqa St. Andrew's
Kirkop United vs Ghaxaq
Sirens vs Mdina Knights
Marsa, Kalkara, Mgarr United and Xghajra Tornados received a bye and therefore qualify automatically for the second round where they will be joining the twelve Second Division clubs and the eight teams who qualify from the first round.
First round matches were due to be held next week. However since the Centenary Stadium will be unavailable, these matches will be played later on.
Meanwhile Premier League and First Division clubs will enter the competition in the third round. From that round onwards, there will be no seeding.
- Malta national women's coach Pierre Brincat named the 18-strong squad ahead of this Saturday's 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup qualifier against Spain which will be played at the Centenary Stadium, Ta' Qali, kick-off at 17:00.
This will be the first of a number of difficult tests for the Maltese team. In fact, Malta was drawn in a group together with England who are ranked 9th in the world, Spain who are ranked 20th, Austria ranked 38th and Turkey who are ranked 57th. Malta is currently ranked 88th.
The team showed considerable improvement in recent months, placing second in a UEFA Women's Friendly Tournament which was held in Malta last June. Malta defeated Latvia 4-0 and Luxembourg 1-0, losing 0-1 to Bulgaria. This tournament was one of four tournaments, the team took part in over the past two years since the last UEFA Women's Championship qualifiers in 2006.
The players selected by Brincat are:
goalkeepers Sharon Costantino (Birkirkara), Michelle Zahra (Birkirkara);
defenders Maria Azzopardi (Hibs), Rebecca Chircop (Mosta), Chantal Fenech (Birkirkara), Natasha Pace (Mosta), Kim Parnis (Birkirkara), Corissa Vella (Sliema Raiders), Charlene Zammit (Hibs);
midfielders Orianna Bedingfield (Melita), Rachael Cuschieri (Birkirkara), Rebecca D'Agostino (Mosta), Yanika Debono (Sta. Venera), Mandy Debono (Hibs), Emma Xuereb (Gozo);
forwards Ylenia Carabott (Sliema Raiders), Dorianne Theuma (Mosta), Gabriella Zahra (Melita).
The Spanish team is made up of:
goalkeepers Ainhoa Tirapu de Goñi (Athletic Club), María José Pons Gómez (Espanyol);
defenders Ruth García García (Levante), Sandra Vilanova Tous (Rayo Vallecano), Marta Torrejón Moya (Espanyol), Melisa Nicolau Martin (Rayo Vallecano), Lucía Jiménez Contreras (Atlético de Madrid), Ana María Escribano López (Barcelona), Sonia Vesga Ruiz (Rayo Vallecano);
midfielders Silvia Meseguer Bellido (Espanyol),
Ana Romero Moreno (Rayo Vallecano),
Lorena Álvarez Osorio (Extremadura), Julia de la Paz Vera Valhondo (Transportes Alcaine), María José Pérez González (Charco del Pino),
Sonia Bermúdez Tribano (Rayo Vallecano);
forwards Veronica Boquete Giadans (Espanyol),
Raquel Peña Rodríguez (Tacuense), Adriana Martin Santamaria (Rayo Vallecano).
- The Malta Under-19 side, under the guidance of coach Silvio Vella and his assistant Raymond Schembri lost to Northern Ireland in two friendly matches which were played at the Centenary Stadium.
On Monday, Northern Ireland scored late in the game to register a narrow 1-0 win. On the other hand, the Irish defeated Malta 3-1 on Wednesday.
The team will be in action once again next week with two friendly matches against Wales on Tuesday and Thursday. Both matches will be played at the MFA Training Grounds.
- The new committee of the Marsaxlokk FC Youth Nursery is pleased to inform the general public that it will hold a meeting for both parents who are interested in enrolling their children within the folds of the nursery as well as parents whose children are already registered.
The meeting will be held at the Peter The Great Hall, Xatt Is-Sajjieda, Marsaxlokk on Friday 18 September at 19:00.
Parents are also welcome to enrol their children with the nursery during the meeting as well as on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 16:00 to 18:00 at the new football pitch in Marsaxlokk.
All training sessions will be held at the new state-of-the-art football pitch in Marsaxlokk which meets the highest UEFA standards.
- Zazu Football School was set up in February 2005, when Ray 'Zazu" Farrugia started teaching boys and girls aged 5-15 skills and coordination, which are the basics of the game of football. But Zazu insists on discipline and most of all character building. Besides training sessions, we organise seminars for young footbllers and their parents on various topics such as nutrition, laws of the game, staying healthy and making the right choices amonst others.
The icing on the cake after a long season is a trip abroad where kids get the opportunity to participate in training sessions and friendly games with foreign opposition, namely Manchester United and Bury FC.
So far two trainees went to training camps with English Premier League Clubs, in 2005 Miguel Ciantar to Newcastle United and this summer Dylan Meli visited Tottenham Hotspur.
Zazu FS will commence Season 2009-10 on the 28th September at San Gwann Football Ground.
For more information visit www.zazufootballschool.com, email info@zazufootballschool.com or phone 9947 7910 Andre Schembri - SK Austria Kärnten (Austria - Bundesliga)
Andre Schembri was included as a substitute on 54 minutes in Austria Kärnten's first league win as they defeated Austria Wien 2-1. They managed to take the lead eleven minutes later and then doubled the score before Austria Wien pulled one back.
Daniel Bogdanovic - Barnsley FC (England - League Championship)
Daniel Bogdanovic missed the 1-0 defeat to Watford and the 2-3 win over Derby County as he is ruled out for a few weeks due to an ankle injury.
Justin Haber - Ferencvaros (Hungary - Soproni Liga)
Justin Haber's new team Ferencvaros registered their second win in the Soproni Liga as they defeated second-placed MTK 2-1.
Andrei Agius - SS Cassino (Italy - Lega Pro Seconda Divisione Girone C)
Andrei Agius was not included in Cassino's 1-0 win over Noicattaro.
John Hutchinson - Central Coast Mariners FC (Australia - A-League)
John Hutchinson was substituted after 73 minutes as Central Coast Mariners lost 1-0 to Adelaide United.
Manny Muscat - Wellington Phoenix FC (New Zealand - Australian A-League)
Manny Muscat played the whole ninety minutes as Wellington Phoenix held Melbourne Victory in a 1-1 draw.
Udo Nwoko - Panthrakikos F.C. (Greece - Super League)
Pantharakikos suffered their third defeat as they lost 0-1 to Panathinaikos, therefore remaining at the bottom of the table.
Tue 15
- Second & Third Division Knock-Out Fgura U. vs Qrendi 0-2, Sirens vs Zurrieq 0-3
- The Board of Appeals of the Malta Football Association did not uphold the appeal presented by Vittoriosa Stars FC against the decision of the Board to Investigate Corrupt Practices taken on the August 24th whereby Vittoriosa Stars FC were relegated from the Premier Division to the First Division with immediate effect and fined €4000.
Vittoriosa now have the possibility of taking the case in front of the Independent Arbitration Tribunal.
On Monday, Marsaxlokk FC, who were also relegated from the Premier Division to the First Division and fined €4000, announced that they will be appealing against the decision.
- The Balzan Youth Football Nursery will be holding a parents meeting at the club premises - 'Solerville', Main Street, Balzan on Wednesday 23 at 19:00 to open season 2009/2010.
A circular is going be sent to all registered players' parents.
Those parents who wish to have their children from 6years to 12 years registered with our nursery can come also to this meeting.
An application form for new players can be obtained from this link.
Furthermore those parents who have children aged between 12 upwards who want to register their children with our nursery can do so by either contacting the persons below. Otherwise you can visit the nursery at the Balzan / Lija Ground
(next to Balzan /Lija School) on Wednesday evenings or Saturday mornings or the club premises everyday in the evening.
For further information please visit Balzan Youths FC website (nursery section) - www.balzanyouthsfc.net or contact Mr. Peter Cipriott on 79471297 or Mr. Frank Monreal on 79617721.
The Nursery will start functioning on Saturday 3rd October 2009.
- The Birkirkara F.C. Youth Nursery Technical Board held a seminar for its coaches on Saturday at the San Antonio Hotel and Spa in Bugibba.
Following an introduction by Mr. Paul Debono followed, there were presentations by Mr. Ivan Riolo, Mr. Emanuel Cachia, Birkirkara FC coach Mr. Paul Zammit and Nursery Head-Coach Mr. Franco Agius. The Seminar ended with a lunch for all nursery coaches and committee members.
The Birkirkara F.C. Youth Nursery Coaching Staff for this season will be as follows:
Tecnical Advisor: Charles Sciberras
Head Coach: Franco Agius
Under 19: Branko Nisevic
Under 17: Jeffrey Mifsud
Under 15: Franco Agius
Under 14: Stefan Ancilleri - Gino Sciberras
Under 13: Oliver Mallia - Brian Gatt
Under 12: Jeffrey Mifsud - Martin Vella
Under 11: Paul Debono - Mario Micallef
Under 10: Charles Sciberras - Simon Camilleri
Under 9: Darren Farrugia - Roderick Micallef
Under 8: Sandro Ciantar - Stephen Mercieca
Under 7: James Vella - Gilbert Micallef
Under 6: John Galea - John Micallef
Under 5: Franco Agius
Girls: Carmelo Sultana
Goalkeepers: Simon Grech
One of the first events organised by the Nursery is the meeting between parents and nursery administration and coaches. This meeting is an informational session that gives parents the opportunity to know what's ahead for their child's football season.
The meeting is scheduled for Friday 18th September 2009 at St. Theresa Girls Junior Lyceum, Mriehel, in front of Infetti ground, at 19.00. All parents and children (new and returning) must attend the meeting held prior to the start of the season.
The guest of honour for this meeting will be Mr. Andrea Bassi, Atalanta BC Settore Giovanile Pulcini Coach.
Mon 14
- Second & Third Division Knock-Out Santa Lucia vs Gharghur 0-3
- Marsaxlokk FC announced that they will appealing against the Board to Investigate Corrupt Practices' decision to demote the club to Division 1 as they pointed out a number of reasons why they cannot accept the board's decision.
Club president Robert Micallef and legal adviser Dr Ian Spiteri Bailey were speaking during a press conference which was held on Monday at the Southport Cafe, Marsaxlokk.
In his introduction, Dr Spiteri Bailey made it clear that Marsaxlokk FC were all out against any acts which go against the spirit of fair play and said he was convinced the club was never involved in such acts.
Dr Spiteri Bailey explained that the club was condemned for an alleged act by a third person, under the principle of vicarious liability, and therefore was carrying the responsibility for the act of a third person.
The Marsaxlokk legal adviser said that the process involved to search for evidence could have been much more transparent. He said that as a club, their main objective was that the whole truth would emerge from the process. However, according to Dr Spiteri Bailey, there were many hurdles - both due to particular regulations and also due to the board's actions.
He said that the club had presented a number of preliminary exceptions but the board did not decide whether to admit such evidence in the beginning but only at the end. The board was obliged to decide on these matters in the beginning of the process.
Dr Spiteri Bailey said that they were not given the opportunity to ask questions to Inspector Angelo Gafa, as one of their witnesses. He said this was not meant to be a counter-examination of the witness but they wanted to know more about what Inspector Gafa testified in court and what was he told by Msida St. Joseph goalkeeper Matthew Camilleri.
The Marsaxlokk legal adviser explained that for the Malta Football Association to obtain the official court documents, they had to apply to appear in the case as parte-civile. Their application was neither approved nor rejected but still, the association managed to obtain a photo-copy of the documents. He said they had asked the board whether this evidence could be admitted or not.
Dr Spiteri Bailey went on to question the various functions of the MFA Board to Investigate Corrupt Practices as he said this was wearing different hats as investigator, prosecutor and judge. The same board analyses the case prima facie, then investigates the case and brings people in front of the board to submit evidence, then prepares the charges and finally hands the sentence. He insisted that the board cannot be considered as independent or autonomous since it was bound by the statute and regulations of the Malta Football Association.
The Marsaxlokk legal adviser went on to say that although he agreed with what the board pointed out in their report that they wanted to fight corruption, while doing so they cannot deny the right of defence. He said that Marsaxlokk's version of facts was sidelined and therefore the club will continue fighting until the whole truth emerges.
Reference was made to evidence by Valletta FC president Victor Sciriha in front of the board, according to whom, Inspector Gafa had travelled to Switzerland with Sliema Wanderers officials, visited the UEFA headquarters thanks to an accreditation obtained by Birkirkara and then spent the rest of the time with officials of these two clubs together with Hibernians and Valletta. He said this was not acceptable considering that Inspector Gafa was awaiting for the go-ahead to start investigating a match involving one of those clubs.
Dr Spiteri Bailey questioned whether the whole case was based on an assumption since according to evidence, Matthew Camilleri said that when he was approached, he assumed it was something regarding the game. He also asked whether action was taken over statements by Msida president Robert Farrugia.
He concluded by saying the club was leaving all options open and that they will leave no stone unturned in order to get the whole truth.
Meanwhile Marsaxlokk president Robert Micallef said although the process so far took a long time, it was important to emphasise on the fact that everyone is entitled to a fair hearing. He said that corruption has always been and will always be there and pointed out that the solution of this case would not mean that there will no longer be any corruption in football.
Micallef assured Marsaxlokk supporters that he will not step down and criticised four Executive Committee members who first voted in favour of a Premier League with nine clubs and a few days later changed their mind, voting in favour of a Premier League with ten clubs.
Robert Micallef concluded by saying that now that the league has been temporarily suspended, the association should wait for the decisions of the Appeals Board and eventually the Independent Arbitration Tribunal before resuming the competition.
- The Malta Under-19 side lost 0-1 to Northern Ireland in a friendly match at the Centenary Stadium on Monday.
The Irish scored the only goal three minutes from time.
MALTA: Daniel Balzan, Yan Cauchi, Ismael Grech, Keith Fedele, Yessous Camilleri, Rowen Muscat, Steve Pisani, Elkien Cauchi, Lyden Micallef, Tristan Caruana, Randall Refalo. Subs: Noel Attard, Matthew Tabone, Ansil Briffa, Clifford Gauci, Quincy Bregnan, Ryan Sammut, Clyde Borg, Gary Caruana.
- The Malta Under-17 side lost 0-1 to the Republic of Ireland in a friendly match at the MFA Training Grounds on Sunday.
The Irish scored the all-important goal after just eight minutes following a shaky start from the Maltese.
Malta however had its fair share of scoring opportunities, going close with attempts by Sacha Borg, Terrence Agius and Siraj Arab. Goalkeeper Yenz Cini had a very positive performance in goal.
Starting line-up: Yenz Cini, Malcolm Vella, Brandon Borg, John Micallef, Christian Grech, Zach Muscat, Terrence Agius, Ian Scerri, Sacha Borg, Matthew Hammett, Siraj Eddin Arab.
In another match on Friday, Malta had lost 0-4.
Meanwhile the Under-19 side will be playing two friendly matches against Northern Ireland at the Centenary Stadium on Monday and Wednesday. Both matches kick-off at 18:00.
Sun 13
- Second & Third Division Knock-Out Zebbug R. vs Gudja U. 3-0, Mtarfa vs Rabat A. 1-4, Sta. Venera L. vs Zejtun C. 2-4, Attard vs Lija A. 0-2
- Gozo - Independence Cup SK Victoria W. vs Victoria H. 0-1, Nadur Y. vs Sannat L. 2-4
- The MFA Technical Centre will be holding a half-day Seminar for UEFA ‘C’ and YDD licensed coaches on Saturday 19th September 2009 at the Centenary Hall, Ta’ Qali, starting from 09.00 hrs to 12.00 hrs. The Seminar will be run by Martin Andermatt, a UEFA instructor.
It is mandatory for every UEFA ‘C’ and YDD qualified coach to attend one seminar every year in order to be issued with a coaching licence.
Participants are expected to attend in the proper attire for the practical part of the seminar.
Sat 12
- Second & Third Division Knock-Out Gzira U. vs Swieqi U. 3-3, Birzebbuga SP vs Kirkop U. 1-0
- Gozo - Second Division Knock-Out Oratory Y. vs Xaghra 1-0, Zebbug R. vs Qala SJ 1-4
- Ambitious League Two side Notts County are set to sign Malta international striker Michael Mifsud according to a report on skysports.com.
The Maltese international is a free-agent after his contract with Coventry City expired at the end of last season.
Skysports.com reports that the 28-year-old had been approached by Sheffield United, Leeds United and Charlton Athletic together with Turkish club Ankaragucu and Greek side Larissa this summer.
"It is understood Mifsud is locked in talks with The Magpies and could soon be unveiled as their latest high profile capture, following on from the likes of Sol Campbell and Kasper Schmeichel," claims the report.
In July, Munto Finance - a company linked with the Al Thani group, the Dubai-based investment group headed by the Qatari tycoon Abdullah bin Saeed Al Thani, took over the club. Former England manager Sven-Göran Eriksson was then announced as the new Director of Football.
- Season 2009/10 for the Lija/Iklin Youth Football Nursery got under way on Thursday with the pre-season Parents Meeting that was very well-attended with the presence of about 150 parents of children in the age bracket 6 to 13.
The members of the nursery will be covered by a new clause to be included in the Sports Plan Policy of the nursery aptly called 'member to member' which guarantees better protection in case of an accident involving a player with another player.
The football pitch where the training sessions are held will undergo a complete refurbishment and will have a new synthetic surface. The present dressing rooms will be replaced by modern amenities in line with the requirements of a modern club and nursery. The nursery has already prepared contingency plans for the period during which the necessary work on the ground will be underway.
For the first time a Parents Day will be held during mid-season and progress reports will be available on a monthly basis.
Football for girls is being given the utmost attention and the girls will also be divided in categories according to their ages.
As from this season, kits will be provided by Eurosport.
The first day of training was Saturday when the members of the nursery aged 6 to 13 met in front of the Lija Parish Church to attend Mass and then moved to the football ground accompanied by their coaches.
Meanwhile the other senior categories have already played their first league matches with mixed fortunes. The Under-15 side, newly-promoted to Section B, lost their first game while the Under-17 side registered a most comfortable win in Section C.
- Season 2009/2010 for the Qormi Youth Nursery started in August with pre-season training for the Under-17 and Under-15 sides. This season, the Under-17 will be competing in Section A after last year’s promotion.
The nursery is proud to say that players from the Qormi Youth Nursery are playing in the Premier Division.
The sessions for all other age groups will start during the last week of September, where the children can get to know each other and their coaches while the training sessions will kick off during the first week of October.
This year's committee is made up of Mr Victor Camilleri (Caccu) as President, Ms Dorianne Micallef as Treasurer and Ms Bernice Darmanin as Secretary.
For the first time in years, the Nursery has set up a Parents' Sub-Committee, where with their help, more recreational activities are organised for the children members of the nursery such as Halloween Party, Christmas Party, and other outings.
One of the nursery's main objectives for this season is to finish the project consisting of the building of dressing rooms, committee room and lecture room, clinic and kit room.
For those parents who would like any information how children can join the Qormi Youth Nursery nursery, one can send an e-mail on bd.secretary@gmail.com with their children’s details or visit the nursery from Monday to Friday between 17:00 and 19:00 together with a birth certificate and 3 passport-sized photos.
For more information, one can log on www.qorminursery.com
Fri 11
- Second & Third Division Knock-Out Mellieha vs Kalkara 4-1, Senglea A. vs Siggiewi 6-2
- Marsaxlokk FC were relegated from the BOV Premier League to the BOV First Division and fined €4,000 after former club official Peter Hartshorne was found guilty of attempting to bribe a Msida St. Joseph player before the BOV Premier League match between Marsaxlokk FC and Msida St. Joseph played on November 23, 2008.
The Board to Investigate Corrupt Practices found Peter Hartshorne guility of attempting to bribe a person in order to influence the result of the BOV Premier League match between Marsaxlokk FC and Msida St. Joseph played on November 23, 2008. This was in breach of Article 114(i)(c) and (ii) of the MFA Handbook - "Prohibitions for Member Clubs and/or their Members."
Hartshorne was given a life ban from any football activity and therefore could no longer be involved in some way or another in football.
Since Hartshorne was a member of the Marsaxlokk FC committee, Marsaxlokk are also found guilty of breaching Articles 114(i)(c) and (ii) and 115 of the MFA Handbook - "Prohibitions for Member Clubs and/or their Members."
Therefore Marsaxlokk will be:
(a) relegated with immediate effect from the BOV Premier League to the BOV First Division
(b) fined €4,000. Until the payment of this fine, the Marsaxlokk FC first team will not be allowed to participate in MFA competitions.
During a meeting of the Council of the Malta Football Association which was held on August 31, the Council had decided to suspend the BOV Premier League temporarily and continue its meeting on September 17.
Therefore during next Thursday's meeting a final decision will be taken on which teams will replace Vittoriosa Stars and Marsaxlokk FC in the BOV Premier League after the Council agreed that both the BOV Premier League and BOV First Division will be composed of ten clubs each.
Last month, Vittoriosa Stars were also demoted to Division 1 and fined €4,000 after they were found guilty of breaching the same articles.
Thu 10
- Second & Third Division Knock-Out Zurrieq vs Mdina K. 1-2, Mgarr U. vs Ghaxaq 5-4
- The coming days will be busy days for the Malta Under-17 and Malta Under-19 teams as both sides will be playing two international friendly matches.
The Under-17 side, fresh from its participation in the Torneo Nereo Rocco in Italy, will be facing the Republic of Ireland in two friendly matches on Friday 11 and Sunday 13 at the MFA Training Grounds.
On the other hand, the Under-19 side will be meeting Northern Ireland in two friendly matches on Monday 14 and Wednesday 16 at the Centenary Stadium, kick-off at 18:00.
Under-17 coach Charles Scerri and his assistant Ramon Zammit named the following squad:
goalkeepers Yenz Cini (Valletta), Carlos Dimech (Pieta);
defenders Steve Agius (Qormi), Lee Galea (San Gwann), Christian Grech (Pieta), Matthew Hammett (Hibs), John Micallef (Hibs), Zach Muscat (Pieta), Malcolm Vella (Hibs);
midfielders Terence Agius (Pieta), Sacha Borg (Floriana), Dylan D'Agostino (Valletta), John Debono (Naxxar), Brandon Gatt (Hibs), Brandon Muscat (Hibs), Ian Scerri (Hibs), Vjorn Sultana (Waterford);
forwards Siraj Eddin Arab (Valletta), Christian Briffa (Hibs), Michael Camilleri (Birkirkara), Ryan Dalli (Sliema).
- The closing activity for David Carabott's Sockids Summer School was held last week. During the Sockids Summer School more than 100 children between the ages of 5 and 15 attended. They were divided into 5 groups according to age.
The aim of the Sockids Summer School was to learn the basic skills of soccer and at the same time have fun. Training sessions were held during the months of July and August.
During the closing activity the kids were addressed by coach David Carabott who stressed on the importance to do physical activity to keep the body and mind healthy.
The guest of honour for this activity was The Malta Youth FA President Fr Hilary Tagliaferro. Fr Hilary spoke about how about 30 years ago he had a ten-year old David Carabott as part of his group at Centre Sport Edukattiv, the same way that the children were today. He encouraged kids to be disciplined in all the things they do in life being sport, school and, later on, family and work. He concluded by saying that by being disciplined they could achieve what David achieved in his soccer career.
After his speech, Fr Hilary distributed the sockids certificates to all the participants. The activity came to an end with the presentation of a memento to Fr Hilary from one of the kids of the Sockids Soccer School.
Applications are now being accepted for the forthcoming season. Training sessions will be held by David Carabott at Birkirkara, Zejtun and Marsaxlokk grounds. All sessions will be held on artificial turf pitches.
For more information you can contact David on 99061630, by email on sockidsmalta@gmail.com or by logging onto the website
www.sockidsmalta.com
Wed 9
- Former MFA General Secretary Joe A. Sacco passed away suddenly on Wednesday morning at the age of 69 years.
He started his career as a player, playing with the youth team of Gudja United in 1958 when he was an 18-year old, he made his debut for the senior team a year later in Division 3.
Sacco then served as a member of the Gudja United committee between 1962 and 1964 and between 1968 and 1974. He was then elected secretary of the club, representing them as MFA Council Member.
In 1982, he was appointed General Secretary of the Malta Football Association, serving for eighteen years in all. He served as a member of the UEFA Fair Play Committee and a member of the UEFA Fair Play and Ethics Committee. Following his resignation in 2000, he was appointed Honorary Member of the MFA.
Mass praesente cadavere will be said at Gudja Parish Church tomorrow Thursday, 10th September, 2009, at 8.30am.
May he rest in peace. God grant him eternal rest
- First Division side St. Patrick presented their new signings during a press conference which was held at the 5th Avenue Cafeteria in Zabbar.
The Saints, who earlier this summer appointed Alfred Attard as their new coach and Ludwig Bartolo as assistant coach and coach of the Under-19 team, secured the services of goalkeeper James Mercieca from Floriana, defenders Ryan Mifsud from Birkirkara and David Gauci from Hibernians, midfielders Bronwen Bugeja from Hibs and Yanis Tonna from Sliema together with Serbian striker Daniel Milovanovic.
Twenty-one year old Milovanovic arrived in Malta this summer and had short trials with Sliema Wanderers and Floriana. He started his career at the Hertha Berlin academy and then played for SV Wehen Wiesbaden in Germany before moving to Serbia where he played for FK Bezanija and FC Javor Ivanjica. Milovanovic, who holds dual-citizenship, played for the German Under-16 and Under-18 teams and then for the Serbian Under-19 team. He is now aiming to play for the Serbian Under-21 side.
Meanwhile Gordon Failla, Steven Dimech and Arnold Buttigieg returned with the club after being on loan with other teams.
Addressing the media, St. Patrick president Charles Caruana said that the season started on a negative note when former coach Winston Muscat left the club all of a sudden despite the two parties had already started preparing for the coming season. However Alfred Attard, who had started the season as assistant coach of Sliema Wanderers, accepted the Saints' offer to join the club.
Caruana said that the club is looking forward to continue developing its facilities following the installation of artificial turf last year. He thanked the Malta Football Association for providing funds amounting to €160,000 together with the Kunsill Malti ghall-Isport and the Good Causes Fund who also contributed for the project. The St. Patrick president revealed that the next project is the building of new dressing rooms and a stand for supporters. He said that with such facilities, the club will be able to continue attracting more young players to the club.
Charles Caruana said that hopefully a solution is found for the current situation of the local game so that the club could start the season as scheduled.
New coach Alfred Attard thanked the committee for having faith in him and said that he had accepted their offer as it was a challenge for him. Attard said that a number of players who were due to join the club moved elsewhere and therefore the club had to work hard to find suitable replacements. He said that he has now a very competitive side at his disposal.
Attard insisted that young players had a future at the club. He praised the club's nursery for being well-organised and said that the senior team will reap fruits from the work done by the nursery.
The St. Patrick coach said that the club's objective will not be only that of retaining the First Division status but to move a step further and admitted that if necessary, the squad will be strengthened further in January.
Speaking on behalf of the club's nursery, president Manuel Schembri said the nursery had developed from a small nursery to one of the leading nurseries in the southern part of the island and holds an A License. He said that the St. Patrick Youth Nursery makes sure that its coaches are of the highest standard and as from this season, Saviour Darmanin will be holding sessions for goalkeepers.
Schembri said that some of the nursery's products managed to establish themselves in the highest level of the game in Malta by playing in the Premier League and the national team.
He invited parents to enrol their children in the St. Patrick Youth Nursery and said that this season, the nursery will be making a particular drive to attract more girls to the nursery.
The club's sponsors for the coming season are The Wholesaler and Eurosport.
- Gudja Youth Nursery is relishing the prospect of having the opportunity to give its youngsters the basics in football by the continuous investment in Human Resources and Training Facilities for another season. In recent years the nursery have seen its fruit being spotted by top Premier League clubs and for this purpose appointed Mr. Leslie Burke as its head coach to guide his staff for a prospecting future. In the mean time work is progressing in the building of a synthetic pitch which would be finished by the end of September 2009, thanks to MFA and Gudja United FC.
For seasons 2009/2010 and 2010/2011, Gudja Youth Nursery have joined forces with Mc Donald's, with particular focusing on MIA restaurant, to educate its youngsters in their social role. For this reason, GYN is inviting parents and youngsters who are from 7 to 17 years old to register at Mc Donald's MIA on the 18th and 23rd September from 18:00 to 20:00. First timers would require birth certificate and 3 Passport photos.
For those who are familiar with Facebook can join the group, Gudja Youth Nursery, to keep updated with the latest events. For more information please contact secretary Rodianne Borg on 79933800 or Fabrizio Gerada on 79236116 / fabrizio.gerada@gmail.com
- The 2009/2010 season for the Hamrun nursery officially starts on 14 September 2009 with the celebration of mass to be held at the St Gaetan Parish Church at 5.00pm, followed by the first training sessions for all age categories to be held at the Victor Tedesco Stadium.
The season opening comes after a busy summer for the Hamrun nursery. A good number of kids had the opportunity to train under the watchful eyes of head coaches Marco Grech and Stefan Sultana in the summer school organised during the months of May and June. The Hamrun Nursery also participated successfully in an international tournament held in Wales between the end of July and beginning of August. The Under 15 and Under 17 squads have already started their pre-season training in August.
A number of innovations are in store for the new season as the Hamrun Nursery committee planned the months ahead throughout the summer months. The slogan for this season is "Let the coaches coach, let the children play."
The committee has drafted a Code of Ethics for parents, coaches and committee members in order to ensure a professional and serious approach by everyone concerned. Parents will confirm that they abide with the Code of Ethics upon enrolling their kids with the nursery whereas coaches and committee members have signed their respective Code of Ethics.
A Recruitment Day will be organised on Saturday 3 October 2009 at the Victor Tedesco Stadium. Boys and girls aged between 4 and 13 years will have the opportunity to attend training sessions organised throughout the morning for free. More details will be available towards the end of September.
More information about the Hamrun Nursery is available on the website www.hamrunnnursery.com. The Hamrun Nursery may be contacted on 79496363 or on email addresses info@hamrunnursery.com or mariodebattista@onvol.net
- In a well-attended meeting held earlier today, the Executive Board of the Naxxar Lions FC Youth Nursery laid out its plans for the forthcoming season and also the long-term plans.
Nursery Chairman, Mr Dione Drago welcomed the many parents who accepted the Nursery's invitation to attend the meeting and explained the plans behind the formation of the present Nursery Board and that for the first time in many years the board is working directly with the board of the parent club in order to have a continuity for our children. This is already evident today in that our senior team has a majority of players who are relatively young and most of whom have just terminated their participation in our Nursery teams.
Following Mr Drago's introduction, Nursery Head Coach and Senior Team Coach Mr Alex Delia gave a brief insight to those present as to how from the coaching aspect the Nursery has now a comfortable number of qualified coaches who will enable the Nursery to reach its goals for the future both in short-term as well as long-term, and hopefully we will in the very near future have a senior team formed solely of players from Naxxar. A couple of short presentations were then shown mainly concerning the scope behind a Nursery and what is expected from parents in order that we may guarantee a better future for all children attending our Nursery.
At the end a short question-time and discussion mainly concerning training-sessions which commence as from next Saturday 12th September together with membership information concluded the meeting, and there was a very positive response from the parents present which augurs well for the Nursery's present and future plans.
Tue 8
- It will be an uphill task for Malta as John Buttigieg's side takes on Sweden on Wednesday at the National Stadium, kick-off at 18:30. Malta met Sweden ten times with the Scandinavian side winning all ten matches. More worrying is the fact that Sweden scored 41 goals in all in these ten matches, conceding just two.
The last encounter between the two teams at Ta' Qali was just five years ago when Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored four in a 7-0 win over the team which was then managed by Horst Heese and assistant coach Carmel Busuttil in a World Cup qualifier. Since then, Malta played another two matches against Sweden. In June 2005 in Gothenburg, Sweden registered a 6-0 win while last June, as part of the 2010 FIFA World Cup campaign, they won 4-0.
On a more positive note, Malta did manage to obtain a couple of encouraging results against the Scandinavian giants, suffering narrow 1-2 defeats in November 1973 in Gzira and November 1985 at Ta' Qali in two World Cup qualifiers.
For Malta, the game against Sweden will be the penultimate game from these qualifiers. As anticipated by the then Malta national coach Dusan Fitzel just after the draws, this campaign turned out to be a most difficult one with Malta claiming just one point in eight matches - thanks to a goalless draw with Albania last February.
This game will be the first competitive match for new Malta coach John Buttigieg and his assistant Carmel Busuttil since they took over in August. The national team played two friendly matches - one against Georgia last month and another against Cape Verde last Friday. Malta registered a fine 2-0 win against Georgia to bring to an end a prolonged drought both in terms of wins and goals scored. But against Cape Verde, it was all back to square one as the team lacked ideas in a 0-2 defeat to the African republic.
Therefore the team's performance needs to improve considerably against the strong Swedish side.
Addressing the media on Tuesday, John Buttigieg said that the main problem against Cape Verde was the lack of concentration by his players. He said he was not that much disappointed with the team's performance but the team needed to improve against Sweden mainly by staying fully concentrated throughout the whole ninety minutes.
Buttigieg said that the fact that Sweden are back on track in the challenge for a place in the World Cup finals following the dramatic win over Hungary makes it more difficult for Malta as the visitors will be all out for the three points. He said that the strength of the Swedish side was the physical strength, determination and never-say-die attitude. Something which Maltese players sometimes lack.
After Wednesday's game, Buttigieg made three changes to the squad, including Hibs goalkeeper Mario Muscat, Sliema defender Alex Muscat and Valletta midfielder Gilbert Agius. The latter two were left out for the game against Cape Verde as they were recovering from slight injuries.
Goalkeeper Justin Haber, Andrei Agius and Jean Pierre Mifsud Triganza made way for these three players with the exclusion of Haber and Italy-based Andrei Agius raising a few eyebrows.
Etienne Barbara and George Mallia were dropped from the provisional squad while Luke Dimech, Terence Scerri and Daniel Bogdanovic were not included. John Hutchinson, on the other hand, was granted permission to stay in Australia.
Buttigieg is expected to make a number of changes from the team which faced Cape Verde.
Goalkeeper Andrew Hogg is expected to be preferred to Mario Muscat with Brian Said and Kenneth Scicluna starting as the two central defenders. On the right flank, the Malta has to decide whether to start with Alex Muscat and relegating Manny Muscat to the bench or starting with Manny Muscat and employing the Sliema defender as a right wing. On the other side, Clayton Failla should be preferred to Shaun Bajada with Ian Azzopardi being the other option.
Jamie Pace should take the role of witholding midfielder. On the right wing, the options are Roderick Briffa, Kevin Sammut or Alex Muscat while the other three midfielders should be Gilbert Agius, Andrew Cohen and Andre Schembri. Michael Mifsud will be once again the only striker.
The full squad at the disposal of Buttigieg is made up of:
goalkeepers Mario Muscat (Hibs), Andrew Hogg (Valletta);
defenders Manny Muscat (Wellington Phoenix), Alex Muscat (Sliema), Brian Said (Marsaxlokk), Jonathan Caruana (Hibs), Ian Azzopardi (Sliema), Clayton Failla (Sliema), Kenneth Scicluna (Valletta);
midfielders Jamie Pace (Valletta), Gilbert Agius (Valletta), Kevin Sammut (Valletta), Roderick Briffa (Valletta), Shaun Bajada (Birkirkara), Ryan Fenech (Sliema);
forwards Andrew Cohen (Hibs), Andre Schembri (SK Karnten), Michael Mifsud (unattached).
Sweden will be all out for the three points in their bid to secure a place in South Africa next year. The 2-1 win in Budapest put them back on track as they closed in on second-placed Hungary narrowing the gap to just one point. With three games to go for each team, Denmark lead the way with 17 points, followed by Hungary on 13 and Sweden on 12.
Midfielders Christian Wilhelmsson, Viktor Elm and Daniel Andersson and veteran striker Henrik Larsson are all out of the squad which travelled to Malta. The latter three were dropped as they are nursing injuries while Wilhelmsson was dropped due to his recent poor form.
Against Hungary, Sweden coach Lars Lagerback used the following players:
Andreas Isaksson - Mikael Nilsson, Olof Mellberg, Daniel Majstorovic, Behrang Safari - Rasmus Elm, Anders Svensson, Kim Källström, Samuel Holmén (85' Tobias Hysén) - Johan Elmander (72' Marcus Berg), Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
Johan Elmander, Mikael Nilsson and Behrang Safari failed to train on Monday but should be fully fit to play on Wednesday. Zlatan Ibrahimovic, on the other hand, is fully recovered although he was in doubt for the last game. Something which could concern the Swedish coach is the fact that Olof Mellberg, Andreas Svensson and Kim Kallstrom all have yellow cards and another caution on Wednesday would rule them out of the decisive clash against group leaders and rivals Denmark.
Tickets will be available at the gates at the following prices: West C Upper - €50; West C Lower €12; Millennium Stand €8 and North/South Stand €5.
Public Transport will be provided from City Gate, direct to the National Stadium at Ta' Qali, starting at 17:00. Return service from the National Stadium to Valletta at the end of the match starting at around 21:00.
The gates at the National Stadium will be open to the public two hours prior to match kick-off - that is at 16:30. Prior to the match, starting at 17:15, the MFA will be providing entertainment for the public present at the stadium.
Malta vs Sweden kicks-off at 18:30 and will be controlled by referees from Northern Ireland namely, referee Adrian Mc Court, assistant referees John Mc Dowell and Paul Munn and fourth official David Malcolm.
- The Malta Football Association appeals to the players, referees, fans and officials throughout the country to help praise and promote the spirit of the fair play on the FIFA Fair Play Days.
FIFA is holding its thirteenth FIFA Fair Play Days during the official match days from 5 to 9 September. This initiative has the personal support of FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter.
“Fair play is essential to our sport and to everyone involved in it,” declared Dr. Joe Mifsud. “We need to cherish and nurture the values of sporting spirit and work tirelessly to keep up the momentum. We are appealing to all football fans in Malta to help us celebrate FIFA Fair Play Days.”
President Blatter recognises the fundamental role of fair play in sport and the need to apply it to all sporting activities, including children’s activities. “Children need strong values to grow up with, and football, being a team sport, makes them realise how essential discipline, respect, team spirit, and fair play are for the game and for life,” he commented. “FIFA’s Fair Play campaign involves much more than simply promoting fair play on the pitch during a competition. FIFA is committed to encouraging fair play in society too, beginning with our future – with children,” he said.
These are the thirteenth Fair Play Days to be celebrated since their introduction in 1997. In previous years, activities have been held in dozens of countries around the world, from grassroots to top-flight football and in many community –based projects.
- Second & Third Division Knock-Out Santa Lucia vs Qrendi 3-1, St. Andrews vs Pembroke A. 2-1, Gharghur vs Fgura U. 4-0, Marsa vs Xghajra T. 1-1
- Gozo - Independence Cup Kercem A. vs Sannat L. 3-5 aet
- Gozo - Second Division Knock-Out Qala SJ vs Gharb R. 2-0
Mon 7
- Second & Third Division Knock-Out Zejtun C. vs Naxxar L. 0-0, Sirens vs Luqa SA 0-6
Sun 6
- Second & Third Division Knock-Out Lija A. vs Mtarfa 5-0, Gudja U. vs Gzira U. 0-0, Rabat A. vs Attard 2-0, Swieqi U. vs Zebbug R. 0-10
- Gozo - Independence Cup S.K. Victoria W. vs Xewkija T. 4-1, Nadur Y. vs Ghajnsielem 3-0
- Goalkeeper Justin Haber was left out of the eighteen-man squad named by Malta national coach John Buttigieg for next Wednesday's 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Sweden at Ta' Qali. Andrei Agius and Jean Pierre Mifsud Triganza are also out but Mario Muscat, Alex Muscat and Gilbert Agius are back.
This means that there are only two players based abroad - Manny Muscat of Wellington Phoenix and Andre Schembri of SK Karnten.
Defender Alex Muscat and midfielder Gilbert Agius missed last Friday's friendly match against Cape Verde as they were recovering from slight injuries while Mario Muscat was rested as Andrew Hogg and Justin Haber played a half each.
The players selected by Buttigieg are:
goalkeepers Mario Muscat (Hibs), Andrew Hogg (Valletta);
defenders Manny Muscat (Wellington Phoenix), Alex Muscat (Sliema), Brian Said (Marsaxlokk), Jonathan Caruana (Hibs), Ian Azzopardi (Sliema), Clayton Failla (Sliema), Kenneth Scicluna (Valletta);
midfielders Jamie Pace (Valletta), Gilbert Agius (Valletta), Kevin Sammut (Valletta), Roderick Briffa (Valletta), Shaun Bajada (Birkirkara), Ryan Fenech (Sliema);
forwards Andrew Cohen (Hibs), Andre Schembri (SK Karnten), Michael Mifsud (unattached).
Tickets are available from the following outlets:
Geraldu Kiosk – Valletta
Star Tourism – Bugibba
Eros Stationery – Paceville
Teamsport – Iklin
Gym at the Millennium Stand, Ta Qali
MFA Offices, Ta Qali.
Ticket-prices are as follows: West C Upper - €50; West C Lower €12; Millennium Stand €8 and North Stand €5. West B VIP tickets costing €75 are available only from the MFA Headquarters.
Tickets will only be available on Match Day from the stadium selling points prior to kick-off depending on availibility.
South End Core tickets are on sale from the following outlets for €5:
Teamsport Iklin, Rookies - Bugibba, Badger Karting - Ta' Qali, Dual Zone - Paola, Star Services - Bugibba, Extra Time - Mosta, 47 Summernights - Marsascala, Cafe Matteo - Valletta, KSU - University Campus, Zmerc Pub - Balzan or or ticket hotline 7940 3309.
A Public Transport service will be provided for the supporters from City Gate (outside Valletta), direct to the National Stadium at Ta' Qali, starting at 17:00. Return service from the National Stadium to Valletta at the end of the match starting at around 21:00.
The gates at the National Stadium will be open to the public two hours prior to match kick-off - that is at 16:30. Prior to the match, starting at 17:15, the MFA will be providing entertainment for the public present at the stadium.
Malta vs Sweden kicks-off at 18:30 and will be controlled by referees from Northern Ireland namely, referee Adrian Mc Court, assistant referees John Mc Dowell and Paul Munn and fourth official David Malcolm.
- During a press conference held by the Pembroke Athleta Football Club on Friday at the club premises in Pembroke, the club's newly appointed coach Charles Borg (UEFA 'B' licence) was introduced together with the club's newly acquired eight players for the season 2009/2010.
The club's sponsor, Eurosport have kindly accepted to extend their sponsorship for another season and the club's new kits were presented during the press conference by Fabian Catania from eurosport.
The presentation of awards to players was also included in this event. The club's committee expressed its confidence that this year's target of gaining promotion to Division 2 will be achieved.
Charles Borg explained that his connection with the youth sector of Juventus will be instrumental in helping the club's nursery to benefit from possible technical exchange programmes for both players and coaches.
A goalkeepers' school is also being introduced this year to be run by a qualified goalkeepers' coach which will also be open to outsiders.
The committee was also pleased to announce that the inauguration of the football ground's new turf installation will be held in January 2010. If all things go as planned, it will be UEFA president Michel Platini who will honour the club with his presence and officially inaugurate the football ground, together with Prime Minister Dr. Lawrence Gonzi and MFA president Dr. Joe Mifsud in the presence of many other distinguished guests.
It is also anticipated that the construction of further artificial turf pitches and other amenities will be completed within twelve months thanks to the Pembroke Athleta Sports Club, the Malta Tourism Authority and the Kunsill Malti ghall-Isport, as part of the master plan for the area.
Sat 5
- Second & Third Division Knock-Out Kirkop U. vs Mgarr U. 1-2, Ghaxaq vs Birzebbuga SP 1-0
- Gozo - Second Division Knock-Out Munxar F. vs Oratory Y. 1-1 (3-5 pen), St. Lawrence S. vs Zebbug R. 0-1
- Third Division side Zejtun Corinthians are aiming high this season following the amalgamation of the club with Zejtun Red Stars.
Addressing a press conference on Saturday at the Waterline Restaurant, club president John Bugeja said that until a few months ago, Zejtun was represented by two teams - Zejtun Corinthians in MFA competitions and Zejtun Red Stars in MAFA. The latter club, under the leadership of president Albert Mifsud, were one of the most successful clubs in MAFA, winning the various competitions.
Bugeja said that following the amalgamation between the two clubs, hard work was necessary in order to change the club's set-up and have a strong team which could aim high. Edward Darmanin was appointed as coach while the team has been strengthened with the signing of a number of players, namely Kenneth Abela, Edward Azzopardi, Gary Busuttil, Jason Cachia, Josuel Caruana, Andre Formosa, Carmel Formosa, Reuben Grech, Karl Vassallo and Darren Vella.
The Zejtun president said that the club retained some of the best players that were on the books of Zejtun Corinthians last season, saying that he was pleasantly surprised with their performance so far and that some of them should make it to the starting line-up for the club this season.
He said that over the past years the most talented players from Zejtun used to move to other clubs and said that it was now high time to stop this trend as such players should form part of the club's future.
John Bugeja thanked the Zejtun Local Council for their full support which encouraged the committee to keep on working hard towards achieving their targets. He finally thanked the club sponsors, namely Assikura, Body Medics, Bosch Power Tools, Waterline, Callus Landscaping & Gardening, Dark Dog, Supreme Travel, Fsadni Garage, Stone Decor, Tuttosport and Lighthouse Communications.
The Zejtun president concluded by saying that the club will be working hard to achieving a legal title on the football ground which will be used as their training grounds. He thanked the Local Council and the Zejtun Members of Parliament for their support.
On behalf of the Local Council, deputy mayor Joan Agius said that the amalgamation will strengthen further the club and wished them success in the coming season.
Coach Edward Darmanin said that over the past weeks, the atmosphere within the club was great. He said that together with the committee and players, the team will be doing its best to achieve its targets. On the other hand, newly-appointed captain Charlo Magro, formerly of St. George's, Hamrun Spartans and Marsaxlokk, said that he entered this new adventure with great enthusiasm and together with the rest of the players will be doing their very best.
Nursery chairperson Stephanie Fenech said that a lot of enthusiasm is now evident in Zejtun. She said that the nursery's committee will be working hard for the development of the young players within the nursery - both in terms of football and as persons.
- Qala Saint Joseph FC Youth Nursery will be holding a parents meeting on Thursday 10th September 2009, at 6.30pm, at club premises in Gnien il-Familja.
Parents of children who attended the Nursery in the previous season/s are being requested to attend this informative meeting, and anyone interested in bringing the children to join this nursery is more than welcome. For 2009/2010 season the Nursery will be having the following categories: Under 5, Under 8, Under 11 and Under 14.
Applications will be given during the meeting or else can be downloaded from the nursery website www.qalayouthnursery.webs.com. Registration fee for 2009/2010 is €30.
For more information one can send us an email on qalayouthnursery@gmail.com
- UEFA President Michel Platini and FIFA president Joseph Blatter are expected to visit Malta next year as the Malta Football Association celebrates fifty years of membership in UEFA and FIFA and hundred years since the first ever league championship was played in Malta.
Malta was accepted as a provisional member of FIFA in 1959 and was approved as a member in 1960. Malta joined UEFA in 1960. Meanwhile the first ever league championship was organised in season 1909/10.
Addressing a press conference on Wednesday, MFA president Dr Joe Mifsud gave details about some of the activities which will be marking these anniversaries. Dr Mifsud said that the main objective of these activities was to increase the popularity of the game in Malta.
An online quiz will be held for children in collaboration with General Soft Drinks while a set of five stamps depicting five different stadiums, which used to host MFA competitions throughout the years, will be issued. A souvenir book will also be published.
Among the events to be held in Malta are a UEFA seminar on marketing as part of the KISS Programme, two seminars for referees - one for the new referees on the FIFA list and another for the top referees in Europe and the UEFA Executive Committee meeting which will be held in January. This will be followed by a gala dinner at the Mediterranean Conference Centre in Valletta for which all presidents of the European football associations, FIFA president Joseph Blatter and representatives of member clubs will be invited.
Later this month, the draws for the National League 100 Anniversary Cup will be held. This knock-out competition will be open for all member clubs from the Premier League to the Third Division.
- Hamrun Spartans will be holding an Extraordinary General Meeting on Sunday 13th September at the club premises in St. Joseph High Road at 09:30.
The discussion will focus on the "current situation."
Fri 4
- Friendly Match Malta vs Cape Verde 0-2
- UEFA Under-21 Championship The Malta Under-21 side suffered a narrow 0-1 defeat to Belgium in another match from Group 8 of the UEFA Under-21 Championship qualifiers at the National Stadium on Friday.
The visitors were a better side during the first half, taking the lead on 33 minutes thanks to a goal by Richie Kitoko who hit home from close range.
The locals improved after the break and had a good chance of restoring equilibrium on 74 minutes through substitute Ben Camilleri who however hit high from the edge of the area.
In added time, the Maltese ended in ten men after Clifford Gatt Baldacchino received a second yellow card.
- During the last week of July, Luxol St. Andrew's U-11 team participated in the Welsh Super Cup in Aberystwyth, Wales. The event was very well organized, with over 1200 players competing, from various European countries. A friendly atmosphere was felt throughout the whole event, were values of sportsmanship and mutual respect were also evident, both on the field of play, and also at the University residences, where all the respective teams were based.
The Luxol team played a total of seven games and managed to achieve a very encouraging end result. The first phase was a round-robin stage comprising of two groups. Luxol's group stage was a very balanced affair, with only 1 or 2 goals separating all teams in all matches. Luxol's boys won four out of five matches, placing second in their group, and thus qualifying with the top four for the semi-finals of the Super Cup.
In the end they managed to secure the 4th place overall, out of a total 14 teams, only after suffering a last gasp goal at the hands of Wrexham's selection in the semi-final. All Luxol's players performance and commitment was praised by many opposing team officials, including the referees, and there were also a handful of top notch academy scouts taking a close look at the players.
- Paola Hibernians Football Nursery will be opening the football season for 2009 - 2010 next Tuesday 8th September 2009.
The occasion will start with a mass at the Capuchin Church (Sant Antnin) at Ghajn Dwieli Paola at 9.30am to be celebrated by the Club's Spiritual Director Can. Vincent Deguara, and afterwards all the boys and parents will have the opportunity of meeting their new coaches and the Technical Director Mr. Mick Wild at the Nursery premises and grounds at Ghajn Dwieli. The members and their parents will also have the opportunity of discussing the programme for Season 2009 – 2010 and will be given the training time-table to be followed during the season.
All members and parents are urged to attend the opening and new boys wishing to join Paola Hibernians Football Nursery are
also invited to attend. Registrations of new boys and newcomers will take part after the Mass.
- Premier School of Football will start its fifth consecutive year of football training sessions for children aged 6 to 14 years during the first week of October. As in previous seasons, training sessions will be held at one of the best synthetic turf pitches on the island at the Ta’ Xnakk Sports Complex in Targa Gap, Mosta.
Apart from the once a week training session focusing on improving individual technique, the school will continue with it’s holistic approach by organizing parents’ informative meetings and cultural activities for the children and their parents. For the first time since its inception, the school will also be looking to organize a goalkeeping session for children looking to improve their technique in this specialized role.
Applications for the new season, on a first come first served basis, are presently being accepted. A free training session without obligation is being allowed to those wishing to try before becoming members. Further information can be obtained by phoning 99459607/99470423 or by visiting the school’s website at www.premierschooloffootball.com
Thu 3
- Second & Third Division Knock-Out Siggiewi vs St. Andrews 0-2, Kalkara vs Marsa 2-1
- Following the 2-0 win over Georgia, Malta climbed six places in the FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking. Malta is now placed 140th.
Among the other European countries, Malta is still 49th. Ahead of Malta are Georgia (112, down 9), Estonia (114, down 2), Luxembourg (116, up 3), Armenia (125, down 2), Kazakhstan (136, down 6) and Azerbaijan (139, down 2). On the other hand, trailing Malta are Liechtenstein (151, down 1), Faroe Islands (163), Andorra (195) and San Marino (203).
Malta takes on Cape Verde on Friday in a friendly match before hosting Sweden in a World Cup qualifier on Wednesday. In October, Malta meets Angola in a friendly match before another World Cup qualifier against Portugal. Both matches will be played in Portugal.
- As part of the team's preparation ahead of next Wednesday's 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Sweden, Malta hosts Cape Verde in an international friendly match on Friday at the National Stadium, kick-off at 20:30.
In another friendly match last month, a brace by Michael Mifsud gave Malta a fine 2-0 win over Georgia. The first win for Malta in over fifteen months and a most positive debut for national coach John Buttigieg.
New Ferencvaros goalkeeper Justin Haber, defender Manny Muscat of Wellington Phoenix and Hibernians defender Jonathan Caruana are back in the squad after missing the game against Georgia. Defender Alex Muscat and midfielder Gilbert Agius are ruled out as both were recovering from slight injuries. Hibernians duo Mario Muscat and Etienne Barbara together with Birkirkara midfielder George Mallia were dropped. Valletta defender Luke Dimech was left out of the squad once again while once again there was no place for Barnsley striker Daniel Bogdanovic. Central Coast Mariners midfielder John Hutchinson was spared the trip to Malta due to the recent birth of his child.
Addressing the media on Thursday, Malta coach John Buttigieg said the game against Cape Verde was an important one for the national team. He said that just like any other international game, the team had to concentrate on this particular match, trying to obtain a good result and only once it is over, start to think about the next game. As it was the case with the game against Georgia, a positive result would boost the morale of the local players.
When asked about the absence of particular players, Buttigieg insisted that the national team is open to all as long as the players are committed to the national team. However he pointed out that a player who is doing well in the domestic league does not necessarily make the grade for the national team. Buttigieg also stressed on the importance of having national team players playing regularly for their clubs.
The players selected by Buttigieg are:
goalkeepers Justin Haber (Ferencvaros), Andrew Hogg (Valletta);
defenders Andrei Agius (Cassino), Ian Azzopardi (Sliema), Shaun Bajada (Birkirkara), Jonathan Caruana (Hibernians), Manny Muscat (Wellington), Brian Said (Marsaxlokk), Kenneth Scicluna (Valletta);
midfielders Roderick Briffa (Valletta), Clayton Failla (Sliema), Ryan Fenech (Sliema), Jamie Pace (Valletta), Kevin Sammut (Valletta);
forwards Andrew Cohen (Hibernians), Michael Mifsud (unattached), Jean Pierre Mifsud Triganza (Sliema), Andre Schembri (SK Karnten).
Cape Verde Islands are a relatively new country to international football. They joined FIFA in 1986 but it was only in 2000 that they took part for the first time in World Cup qualifiers. Cape Verde have already been eliminated from the 2010 qualifiers after finishing second in a group won by Cameroon. They defeated Tanzania at home, Mauritius - home and away.
Earlier this year, they beat Angola 1-0 away from home and Equatorial Guinea 5-0 at home. This was the biggest win ever for the Blue Sharks who are now ranked 112th.
- The Malta Under-21 side will be hosting Belgium in another match from Group 8 of the UEFA Under-21 Championship qualifiers at the National Stadium on Friday, kick-off at 18:00.
Malta has so far played two matches in the group. Following a 0-2 home defeat to Slovenia, the Maltese youngsters suffered a narrow 1-0 defeat to Ukraine away from home in June. Last month, Malta registered a morale-boosting 2-1 win over Albania in Durres in a friendly match.
Although Malta Under-21 coach Edwin Camilleri did not have the opportunity to watch Belgium in action, he is prepared for another difficult game. Although this is the first game in the group for Belgium, the team recently won the International Challenge Trophy - a tournament reserved for players under the age of 23 - by defeating England C 1-0.
The Malta coach said that besides winning the International Challenge Trophy, a number of players from their squad were part of the Belgian squad which placed fourth in the Olympic Games in Beijing last year.
He complained that the Belgian FA failed to send a DVD of one of the team's games. In fact, the Belgian FA was one of the few football associations not to co-operate in this regard. The only information he obtained was while he was in Belgium for a UEFA coaching seminar where he got to know more about their set-up.
Camilleri said he is expecting a similar game to the one played in Ukraine. He said he was quite sure they analysed the Ukraine vs Malta game and will try to take advantage of the weaknesses shown in that match. The team was not prepared to play the waiting game but will be trying to be create as much as possible.
Following a fitness test, Beppe Muscat and Julian Galea were ruled out of the game but Hibernians duo Ryan Camilleri and Ben Camilleri passed the fitness test and are part of the 18-man squad. Edwin Camilleri did not reveal the starting line-up as he is yet to decide on two players but said that there should be about four changes from the team which defeated Albania.
The Malta Under-21 coach said that the ultimate objective is that of preparing players for the senior team. He said that the current squad includes three players which were born in 1990 whereas the Belgian squad is entirely made up of players born in 1988. He said that it was highly motivating for an Under-19 player to be included in the Under-21 squad as it gives them an extra challenge.
Edwin Camilleri said that at this time of the season, there are First Division players who are yet to play a competitive game besides the players who do not play regularly for their clubs and therefore it was important to have a friendly match before this game.
Camilleri is worried that some of the players were still on a high after the 2-1 win over Albania and said that his job over the past days was to put their feet back on the ground.
Regarding the fact that the game was being played at Ta' Qali, rather than the Hibs Ground, he said that there were pros and cons. He said that for some of the players this could be too big an occasion but for others, this should be a boost.
The players selected by Camilleri for this game are:
goalkeepers Henry Bonello (Vittoriosa), Nicky Vella (Valletta);
defenders Steve Bonnici (Melita), George Gribbon (Melita), Timmy Fleri Soler (Hamrun), Steve Borg (Valletta), Tyron Farrugia (Msida), Joseph Zerafa (Birkirkara), Ryan Camilleri (Hibs), Clifford Gatt Baldacchino (Sliema);
midfielders Rowen Muscat (Birkirkara), Carl Pulo (Birkirkara), Mark Scerri (Sliema), John Mintoff (Sliema);
forwards Ben Camilleri (Hibs), Terence Vella (Mosta), Warren Chircop (Tarxien), Miguel Ciantar (Sliema).
- The Malta Football Association has just opened a clinic at the Centenary Stadium which will offer tests to all players registered with member clubs.
Tests for the time being are on a voluntary basis but the association's objective is to make these tests compulsory in the near future in order to make it possible to identify at an early stage any medical problems a player may have. After tests are carried out, results are given to the player who should then refer to his personal doctor or the club doctor for the analysis of results.
Speaking on Wednesday, MFA president Dr Joe Mifsud said that the association is assigning three days for each club to send their players to have their medical tests carried out for a nominal fee, starting from Premier League clubs in alphabetical order.
However unfortunately one of the first clubs to be contacted to have their players tested at the clinic, did not even bother to reply.
Dr Mifsud thanked the Kunsill Malti ghall-Isport for their help in obtaining the equipment for the clinic.
- On 5th September 2009, FIFA Referee Marco Borg will be controlling the FIFA World Cup Qualifying Round Group 7 match between Austria and Faroe Islands, to be played in Arnold Schwarzenegger Stadium - Graz, Austria.
The other members of the refereeing team accompanying him, all FIFA officials, are Ingmar Spiteri and Alan Camilleri as Assistant Referees, with Clayton Pisani as Fourth Official.
- The Junior Referees Seminar organized by the Malta FA’s Referees’ Board in preparation for the current season, was held on the 28th and 29th August 2009 at the Technical Centre, Ta’ Qali.
On Friday evening, after an opening address by the Chairman of the Referees’ Board, Mr Carmelo Bartolo, and an introduction by the Head of the Refereeing Department, Mr Patrick Fenech, a lecture on Reading the Game – The Coach’s Perspective by Mark Falzon was the first topic; followed by a practical demonstration on the field of play conducted by Gaetano De Gabriele.
The seminar continued with a full day on Saturday with theoretical sessions conducted by members of the Referees’ Board, namely Richard Stagno Navarra, Victor Mintoff, Patrick Fenech, Tom Restall and Emmanuel Zammit. There were also discussions in workshops which proved to be a good opportunity for our Third Class and Trainees to integrate with one another while sharing their views in this learning process, followed by the presentation of group reports and question time.
- The Malta Under-17 side defeated Settignanese 1-0 in a match from Group B of the 30th Nereo Rocco Tournament.
In the first twenty minutes, the Maltese looked shaky but then soon gained control. It was Valletta's Siraj Arab Eddin who scored the all-important goal on 28 minutes.
In the second half, the team dictated play and looked sharp for the whole 45 minutes. The Italians managed to repel attack after attack although the Maltese were very close to scoring a second goal with a great shot by Sacha Borg.
The morale is high and the boys are looking forward to their match against Bologna on Thursday at 19:00 at the Ferruccio Valcareggi Stadium B and Livorno on Friday 4 at 19:00 at the Ferruccio Valcareggi Stadium B. The semi-finals will be played on Saturday 5 and the finals on Sunday 6.
MALTA Yenz Cini, Gatt, Zach Muscat, Christian Grech, Malcolm Vella, Brandon Muscat (Dylan D'Agostino), Terence Agius, Ian Scerri (Ryan Dalli), Sacha Borg, Matthew Hammett, Siraj Arab Eddin (John Debono).
Wed 2
- Second & Third Division Knock-Out Pembroke A. vs Senglea A. 0-1, Xghajra T. vs Mellieha 0-4
- The Board to Investigate Corrupt Practices met this evening to finalise its investigation into the possible Marsaxlokk FC/Hartshorne corruption case.
A conclusion of the case will be announced as soon as the decision has been reached.
- The Malta 'A' national team and the Under-21 side will both be in action on Friday evening at the National Stadium as the senior side faces Cape Verde in an international friendly match while the Under-21 team faces Belgium in a UEFA Under-21 Championship qualifier.
For the senior side, the friendly match against Cape Verde, this will be an important test ahead of next week's 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Sweden.
After a series of disappointing results, Malta returned to winning ways in the friendly match against Georgia in mid-August when a brace by Michael Mifsud gave the boys in red a 2-0 win.
Addressing a press conference on Wednesday, MFA president Dr Joe Mifsud said that the association always aimed at giving the team the best possible preparation ahead of qualifiers and was in fact one of the few teams to make full use of the days reserved for international matches, including friendly matches whenever there are no qualifiers scheduled for those days.
He said the game against Cape Verde should be a good test for the national team considering that most of the Cape Verde players are based abroad.
The MFA president revealed that several hundreds of Swedish supporters will be travelling for next Wednesday's World Cup qualifier. He said the game against Sweden will be a very dificult match for the national team but still hopes that the team could obtain a good result, concluding with an appeal for support.
Malta's opponents on Friday - Cape Verde, are ranked 114th in the FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking. The squad at the disposal of coach José Rui Aguiar are:
goalkeepers Fredson Tavares 'Fock' (CS Mindelense), Ernesto Soares (AD Carregado - POR);
defenders Ricardo Silva (Paços Ferreira - POR), Pedro Cardoso 'Pelé' (West Brom - ENG), Adilson Monteiro 'Nhambu' (CS Mindelense), Fernando Neves 'Nando' (Banik Ostrava - CZE);
midfielders Odysseu Ramos 'Guy Ramos' (CFC Dordrecht - NED), Marco Soares (CUD Leiria - POR), Victor Moreno (CUD Leiria - POR), Dário Furtado (CSporting C. da Praia), Valter Borges (CCD Santa Clara - POR), Walder Amado 'Roni' (CF91 Dudelange - LUX), Adilson Araújo 'Gerson' (CA. Académica da Praia), Elvis Macedo 'Babanco' (CSporting C. Praia)
Pedro Moreira (CGD Fátima - POR);
forwards Cláudio Aguiar 'Lito' (CA. Académica Coimbra - POR), Rodirley Duarte 'Rodi' (CF.C. Porto - POR),
Eduardo Gomes 'Dady' (CCA Osasuna - ESP), Heldon Ramos (CGD Fàtima - POR).
The match will be controlled by Italian referee Luca Banti who will be assisted by assistant referees Philip Agius and Edward Spiteri and fourth official Chris Lautier.
Meanwhile for the Under-21 side, the game against Belgium, this will be the third match from the UEFA Under-21 qualifiers following a 0-2 defeat to Slovenia at the Hibs Ground in March and a narrow 1-0 defeat to Ukraine away from home last June. However last month, Edwin Camilleri's side came from behind to beat Albania 2-1 in a friendly match in Durres. For Belgium, this will be the first game in the group.
The Belgian squad is made up of:
goalkeepers Cyprien Baguette (Charleroi), Jo Coppens (Cercle Bruges), Simon Mignolet (St. Truidense);
defenders Naim Aarab (Larissa), Bart Biemans (Willem II), Jeremy Huyghebaert (Roeslare), Denis Odoi (St. Truidense), Daan Van Gijseghem (Excelsior Mouscron), Anthony Van Loo (Roeslare);
midfielders Mehdi Carcela Gonzales (Standard Liege), David Hubert (Genk), Herve Kage (Charleroi), Ritchie Kitoko (Udinese), Sven Kums (Kortrijk), Radja Nainggolan (Piacenza), Vadis Odjidja-Ofoe (Club Brugge), Vittorio Villano (Tubize), Stijn (PSV);
forwards Brecht Capon (Kortrijk), Romelu Lukaku (Anderlecht), Bia Mujangi (Charleroi), Joachim Mununga (Mechelen), Jell Vossen (Genk).
The match, which kicks-off at 18:00, will be controlled by officials from Moldova, namely referee Igor Satchi, assistant referees Vitalli Gorbatov ans Serghei Trofan and fourth official Veaceslav Banari.
Speaking on behalf of the South End Core, Louis Agius said the group's preparation was in full swing, not only for the Sweden game but also for Friday's matches. He said that unfortunately, attendance for friendly matches is usually low although the players also need local fans' backing in such matches. He said a pre-party before Malta vs Sweden will be held at the University campus from where transport will be provided to Ta' Qali.
Tickets for Malta 'A' vs Cape Verde and Malta U-21 vs Belgium will be available on the day from the gates prior to kick-off. Ticket prices will be as follows:
Millennium Stand A - Males €5; Women, children and senior citizens ticket €4
West Stand A & C - Males ticket €8; Women, children and senior citizens ticket: €4
Malta vs Sweden
Tickets are available from the following outlets as from today from:
Geraldu Kiosk – Valletta
Star Tourism – Bugibba
Eros Stationery – Paceville
Teamsport – Iklin
Gym at the Millennium Stand, Ta Qali
MFA Offices, Ta Qali.
Tickets will only be available on Match Day from the stadium selling points prior to kick-off depending on availibility.
South End Core tickets are on sale from the following outlets for €5:
Teamsport Iklin, Rookies - Bugibba, Badger Karting - Ta' Qali, Dual Zone - Paola, Star Services - Bugibba, Extra Time - Mosta, 47 Summernights - Marsascala, Cafe Matteo - Valletta, KSU - University Campus, Zmerc Pub - Balzan or or ticket hotline 7940 3309.
A Public Transport service will be provided for the supporters from City Gate (outside Valletta), direct to the National Stadium at Ta' Qali, starting at 17:00. Return service from the National Stadium to Valletta at the end of the match starting at around 21:00hrs.
The gates at the National Stadium will be open to the public two hours prior to match kick-off - that is at 16:30. Prior to the match, starting at 17:15, the MFA will be providing entertainment for the public present at the stadium.
Malta vs Sweden kicks-off at 18:30 and will be controlled by referees from Northern Ireland namely, referee Adrian Mc Court, assistant referees John Mc Dowell and Paul Munn and fourth official David Malcolm.
Tue 1
- Second & Third Division Knock-Out Mdina K. vs Sirens 2-1, Qrendi vs Gharghur 1-3
- The BOV Premier League has been temporarily suspended. This decision was taken by the Council of the Malta Football Association during a meeting on Monday. One of the main topics for discussion was the effect of the decision of the Board to Investigate Corrupt Practices to relegate with immediate effect Vittoriosa FC to the BOV First Division.
After that the MFA president informed the council of the decision of the board and the decision of the Executive Committee regarding the composition of the BOV Premier and BOV First Division leagues 2009/2010, a discussion on the number of clubs which should form these two divisions ensued. The council agreed that both divisions should be composed of ten clubs each.
In view of the fact that the decision in the Marsaxlokk FC case is still pending the council decided to suspend the BOV Premier Division league and decided to continue its meeting on the 17th of September 2009 hoping that by that date the board would have given its decision in the Marsaxlokk FC case.
At the same time the council urged the board to conclude the Marsaxlokk FC case as early as possible taking also into account the council meeting of the 17th of September.
- Nadur Youngsters FC secured the services of two strikers, 23-year old Brazilian Claudio Antunes and 21-year old Englishman Kyle Russell. These strikers will be the two foreigners for the season 2009/2010.
Early in this transfer market Nadur also secured the services of two defenders Charles Mercieca, who last season was playing with Ghajnsielem FC and Paul Camilleri which for a couple of seasons he was on loan with Kercem Ajax and Qala St. Joseph.
They will be making their debut on Sunday, 6th September against Ghajnsielem in the Independence Cup.
- The Malta Under-17 side is taking part in the 30th edition of the International Tournament Nereo Rocco in Florence which is being held between September 2 and 6.
Malta will be playing in group B together with three Italian sides - Livorno, Bologna, Settignanese.
Fiorentina, La Spezia, Dinamo Zagreb and Figline were drawn in Group A, Siena, Sangiovannese and Partizan Belgrade and Scandicci in Group C, Empoli, perugia, Poggibonsi and Ujpest Dosza.
Malta faces Settignanese on Wednesday 2 at 21:30 at the Ferruccio Valcareggi Stadium A, Bologna on Thursday 3 at 19:00 at the Ferruccio Valcareggi Stadium B and Livorno on Friday 4 at 19:00 at the Ferruccio Valcareggi Stadium B. The semi-finals will be played on Saturday 5 and the finals on Sunday 6.
The players selected by Charles Scerri and his assistant Ramon Zammit are:
goalkeepers Yenz Cini (Valletta), Carlos Dimech (Pietà);
defenders Christian Grech (Pietà), Matthew Hammett (Hibs), John Micallef (Hibs), Zach Muscat (Pietà), Malcolm Vella (Hibs);
midfielders Terence Agius (Pietà), Sacha Borg (Floriana), Dylan D'Agostino (Valletta), John Debono (Naxxar), Brandon Gatt (Hibs), Brandon Muscat (Hibs), Ian Scerri (Hibs), David Spiteri (Birkirkara);
forwards Siraj Eddin Arab (Valletta), Christian Briffa (Hibs), Ryan Dalli (Sliema).
- San Gwann FC Nursery will be organizing a recruitment week from Monday 31st August to Friday 4th September for boys and girls that were born from 1st September 2000 to 31st December 2005.
Applications to join San Gwann FC Nursery should be collected from the Nursery’s office at Triq il-Kampanella from Monday to Friday from 18:00 to 20:30 or from Ambrose General Store during business hours i.e from 09:00-12:00 and 16:00-19:00.
Children attending the first time must be accompanied by their parents. If you have any queries kindly contact us on 21389942 from 18:00 – 20:00 and ask for Christopher Sant or write to us on info@sangwannfcyfn.com
- Senglea Nursery organized its annual End of Season Presentation for the season 2008/2009 on Wednesday 26th August, in front of Senglea Nursery's club.
Present for this occasion were all Senglea Nursery players, the participants in the Summer Activities programme, relatives and friends. Present were also various distinguished guests including YFA President Fr. Hilary Tagliaferro, Senglea Mayor Mr. Casha, Senglea Archpriest Rev. Grech and the presidents and secretaries of all Senglea societies. A large crowd also gathered around the venue to watch the show.
In his speech, Senglea Nursery President Mr. Stephen Spiteri mentioned the role that the Senglea Nursery has in the community. Senglea Nursery's aim is to gather all Senglea children and youngsters together in order to enjoy themselves, in a safe and protected environmrny. For this reason, many activities organized by this nursery are open to all those wishing to participate and not only for those within the nursery. The most important happening in this regards is in Summer, when Senglea Nursery organises a six-week Summer Activities programme with indoor, outdoor and swimming competitions. All these activities are open to all those wishing to participate and are free of charge. Apart from the competitive games, these youngsters had the opportunity to train themselves in the tradional bocci game and regatta, rowing sports, besides learning band instruments.
Mr. Spiteri proudly mentioned the over 70 participants who took part in these Summer Activities, activities which are being organised for the second consecutive year and which last year were rewarded by the YFA and UEFA.
He thanked last season's players for their enthusiasm and dedication, which helped to obtain positive results and is hoping to obtain and improve them this season too.
Mr. Spiteri mentioned Senglea's new women's team, a team which has been training all throughout Summer in order to be competitive in this coming season.
He also mentioned his plans for a Waterpolo team to come into being. This project will take flight as soon as all the necessary permits are ready.
Sadly, Mr. Spiteri remembered Dylan Bugeja, an Under 17 player who died at such a tender age and that left such sorrow within the nursery, a Senglea Nursery player who will never be forgotten.
Fr. Hilary's speech was one of praise for a nursery who is working so much for Senglea's young community. He said he admired the professionalism of this nursery and for its collaboration with various other entities, including the church and the local council, in order to come up with the best results for these youths.
The distinguished guests, following their speech, awarded all Senglea Nursery's players and all the participants in the Summer Activities.
Fr. Hilary Tagliaferro, presented a trophy, given by Senglea Nursery, to Dylan Bugeja's parents as a sign of respect, due to the fact that even Dylan formed part of this nursery last season. Dylan's parents were greeted by a heartbreaking applause.
Following the Presentation, the evening continued with food and refreshment for all the guests at Senglea Nursery's Club and with a show by various famous Maltese singers who entertained the guests.
- In order to celebrate Swieqi United's entry into Maltese football, the club shall be organizing its first ever social event.
The Swieqi United FC barbeque will be held on September 16th at the Swieqi Tennis courts.
Entrance fee is 8 Euros and everyone is welcome to attend.