Who would have thought of getting a suntan in London?

Well, it happened to the players of the Malta International Airport football team – and the rest of the contingent, including the journalists – during the European Airports Football Tournament that was held in East London last week.

It was 27-29 degrees Celsius, and the irony of it all is that we did our best to look for pockets of shade under some trees to lessen the heat, while most of the players and officials of the other teams preferred to bask in the sun for long stretches.

Matches were played over two days, the opening rounds at the West Ham Academy grounds where the youth teams of the London club play their games and the latter stages, including the semi-finals and final, at Upton Park, home of the English premier league club.

Fifteen teams from airports across Europe took part in this 14th edition, and competition was tough, at times also tense. The teams were divided in groups of four – except for the group involving the MIA team after the late withdrawal of Athens airport. The top two teams in each group qualified for the second phase, this time made up of two groups of four. Here again, the top two teams made it to the semi-finals.

The seven eliminated teams also continued playing for what is known as the Shield, in a similar format to that for the Championship.

The Maltese side started with a difficult win against Hannover, the only goal coming midway through the second half – each half was 20 minutes – from Shaun Magro. Strangely, matters were easier against a tougher Birmingham team, largely thanks to two early goals from the same Magro, while George Mallia added a third late in the game. The Maltese side qualified for the second phase without conceding a goal.

The first match of the second phase was against Stansted, and it turned out to be a nervous match mostly because the English team played rough football. Stansted took the lead in the first half but Mallia equalised with a superb freekick that gave the keeper no chance. It was probably the best goal of the tournament.

It was do or die against London City, as a defeat would have eliminated MIA from the competition. And the situation became even more difficult when London City took the lead early in the second half, and soon afterwards Jeffrey Zammit was sent off after receiving his second yellow card. Coach Simon Sultana risked a third striker and his decision turned out to be crucial as the substitute, Stephen Said, slotted home from close range to the delight of the Maltese squad.

MIA needed a victory with four or more goals against Cork to make it to the semi-finals – while London City and Stansted battled it out between them. The minutes ticked away as the Maltese side appeared nervous, and it was only late in the first half that the deadlock was broken with another Mallia freekick. A goal from Adam Debattista early in the second half opened the floodgates as more goals from Jean Paul Muscat and Stephen Said settled the issue at 4-0. Mallia added a fifth from the penalty spot.

London City, MIA and Stansted finished the group on five points each, but London City and MIA had a better goal difference to qualify for the last four.

This part of the competition was held at Upton Park. By now, all teams were visibly tired and lacking energy. And it showed in the Maltese side too as injuries started taking their toll. MIA found the going tough against Vienna and an early goal proved to be the match-winner for the Austrians, but the Maltese side left the pitch with heads held high.

The most disappointed was MIA CEO Julian Jaeger, who accompanied the MIA team during the tournament. But he has already set his thoughts to the next time. “Hopefully we’ll win it in Malta,” he said.

The competition was won by London City, which beat Birmingham in the semi-final and went on to defeat Vienna in the final. Both matches ended scoreless and were decided in a penalty shoot-out.

The Shield was won by Hannover.

George Mallia finished as top-scorer of the tournament with four goals.

Stephen Calleja was guest of MIA. Special thanks to Julian Jaeger, MIA CEO, Roderick Bajada, MIA head HR and administration, and Reuben Sciberras, MIA deputy head communications.

2012 edition to be held in Malta

The tournament came to an end with a dinner organised at the Legends Restaurant at Upton Park. The players could finally let go and, although tired after two days of football, they sang and made merry. At the end, the winning side was presented with the trophy and it was announced that the next edition, the 15th, will be held in Malta in 2012.

This was greeted with cheering by the Maltese contingent, who chanted popular songs in unison to conclude the evening.

It will be the second time that MIA organises the tournament. The first time was in 2000, when 20 teams had taken part.

Commenting on the 2012 event, MIA CEO Julian Jaeger said that “It is a pleasure to know that MIA’s bid to host the European Airports Football Tournament in 2012 has been accepted and we are looking forward to organising it in Malta in two years’ time. More than 500 people are expected to attend and it will be an opportunity for us to showcase Malta as a destination for similar events. We are hoping that we will break our own record when 20 European airports participated when it was held in Malta in 2000.

“As for this year’s tournament, it was disappointing for us to lose the semi-final against Vienna airport. The players gave their utmost but it was not meant to be. The atmosphere within the team was amazing, and it was due to the way the various players from different entities at the airport, such as MIA, Air Malta, Lufthansa Technik, the various concessionaires, the AFM and Immigration Police had worked together in the preparation for this championship. This was also due to the hard work carried out by coach Simon Sultana and the other MIA staff members who organised the MIA team’s participation at the EAFC. To conclude on another positive note, we were very pleased that George Mallia won the championship’s top goal scorer.”

The MIA team

The MIA team, led by coach Simon Sultana, included several players who are well-known faces in the local football scene.

George Mallia has recently won the Premier League championship with Birkirkara, and has played for the national side on several occasions.

The goalkeepers were Simon Agius (Sliema Wanderers) and Miguel Montfort (Pieta Hotspurs). Other players who play in top divisions were Clyde Camoin (Hamrun Spartans), Shaun Magro, Jean Paul Muscat and Mark Anthony Psaila (all Mqabba), Stephen Said (Attard), and Josef Tonna and Jeffrey Zammit (Rabat).

The rest of the squad was made up of Clayton Goodlum, Adam Debattista, Clifford Mifsud, Christian Mifsud, Alex Debono, Renald Galea, Simon Mizzi and Patrick Cuschieri.

The team manager was John Bray.