Edward Aquilina is well known not only at Sliema, first as a player and now as a coach, but also at Valletta, where he led the side to 13 successes in a glorious four-year stay at the capital.
Aquilina was also one of four players selected by his former coach at Sliema, Hungarian Janos Bedl, to move to the United States National Professional Soccer League.
Edward has always been “a Blue” deep down in his heart, but there is something interesting to note about his early days.
He recalled: “My family hailed from Floriana. I remember they all rooted for the Greens – then there was a much bigger rivalry between Floriana and Sliema. I first registered with Floriana in 1960. My idol was Floriana and Malta left winger Pullu “Koku” Demanuele. I was so impressed and wanted to watch him every time he was playing, that when Floriana played, I used to stay one half on the Sliema side and another at the Valletta side of the Old Gzira Stadium, depending on which side Koku was in action. I wanted to see him all the time. I never imagined that I would be playing against him in 1962!
“But because we lived at Sliema near where the Fortina Hotel is today, we used to play in a field at Tigne which was called L-Ghalqa tal-Fatati (Field of Ghosts). I used to play together with my cousins Freddie Debono (goalkeeper) and Alfred Debono (Il-Paper), Tony Griffiths, Sylvan Debattista and others.
“It lasted till the following year. In 1961-62, Toni Sant negotiated my transfer from Floriana and the Greens did not take too long to release me. I was just 16 years old and four months when I made my debut on 6 January 1962 against Hibernians at the old Gzira Stadium.
Problem at college
“I had a problem at college because the school’s administrators would not give me permission to play football with Sliema. In fact, I was only active during the holidays, playing just against Hibernians (during the Christmas holidays) and Floriana (at Easter time) in the league.
“I came a regular first-teamer from the following season as a new squad was being built which included players like Lino Falzon from Mosta, Ronnie Cocks from Gzira, Leli Micallef from Birkirkara, Sliema youngsters Freddie Debono, Joe Aquilina, Charles Spiteri, and the experienced Robbie Buttigieg (he passed away recently), the Bonnici brothers, Sammy and Guzi, Sammy Nicholl, Jock Xuereb and Joe Cini. In that year we won the Trophy, beating Hibs 2-0 in the final, and I am very pleased to have been the scorer of the first goal on that day,” said Edward.
Aquilina recalls that three consecutive championship wins followed.
At the end of that season, with Janos Bedl coach at Sliema, I was approached to go for a trial at Leicester City in England, but on Janos Bedl’s advice, I was told to go to the Continent where the game would suit me better and a certain Raimond Schwab, a German agent, took control of my affairs.
He was also the agent of some well known players, among them Schnellinger, Haller and Brulles, all of whom were playing in Italy. I was given £3,000, a lot of money then. There were some offers but the money was not good enough and finally I received the US proposal which I accepted. That is, in brief, how I moved over to Pittsburgh Phantoms. With Freddie Debono and Ronnie Cocks also joining me on the trip to the US, Sliema had lost three stars at one go,” said Aquilina.
Joined Hibernians
When he came back from the US, Aquilina joined Hibernians. “I had an argument with Sliema. Hibs knew about it and approached me. Today I say I had rushed into agreeing to join the Paolites, although I must say I cannot complain, because they treated me superbly. Yet, I must admit that I could not adjust myself at Paola.
“In season 1969/70, I stopped playing for Hibernians. It was in March and the occasion was a league match during which I saw Fr Hilary, then Hibernians coach, leaving the dressing room at half-time saying that he could no longer do the job in the circumstances that prevailed. I said to myself: ‘If Fr Hilary can’t do it, then what am I doing here?’” he said.
He added: “I quickly requested a transfer. Valletta wanted me in exchange for their midfielder Twanny Gatt, but I was adamant that I would only join Sliema. Finally there was an agreement when Sliema agreed to pay Lm1,000 and gave Joe Cini to Hibs for the transfer to materialise. After that I played for Sliema till season 1978/79 where I ended my playing career.”
He said: “As a player with Sliema I won 20 honours in all, including six championships: with Hibernians I also won the championship and other trophies.”
After hanging up his boots, Edward turned his eyes to coaching. “In November of the following season, I was appointed Sliema coach. In the first two years, we finished second twice and reached a Trophy final, and in 1980 we also obtained those good results against Barcelona (1-0 at the Nou Camp, penalty goal near the end, and 0-2 at Gzira). Then, in the following years, I was at Qormi and then back to Sliema for my worst ever patch. In fact, Sliema were relegated that season. We had a fantastic first round but after losing our last match against Hibs, we lost all the second round matches except for a win against Zebbug. It was a big disappointment for me and I decided to quit,” he said.
MFA Ta’ Qali School
“In 1985-86, Fr Hilary and Dr George Abela convinced me to join the MFA coaching staff at Ta’ Qali. I do not regret having taken the decision to go back. Nowadays I am more than pleased to say that players like Gilbert Agius, Darren Debono, Jeffrey Chetcuti, David Camilleri, Rupert Mangion, Noel Turner, Brian Said, Sandro Zammit Fava and Sandro Gambin were all under my charge at one time or another. But after four years, I returned to competitive football with Qormi. I also coached Senglea and Marsa before I started my eventful four-year period at Valletta in 1994-95. With the citizens, I won two championships, all the five cups in 1996-97 and three trophies – 13 honours in all.
“After that I decided to stop once again as a matter of principle, but I was a club committee member for two seasons. It was a completely new experience, but I do not regret a moment of it.”
Coach at Sliema
“However, my great wish of becoming Sliema coach was still a dream at that time. It became reality when Robert Arrigo approached me in 2002, and I quickly accepted the challenge.
“In these two years, we have won the championship twice. We are now on course for the double (Sliema today play Marsaxlokk in the Trophy final). We also beat Skonto Riga of Latvia 2-0 here and lost 3-1 away to qualify for the second qualifying round of the Champions League last season.
“And we hope to do even better this summer,” he said.
Footballer of Year
I also asked Edward what the biggest disappointment in his career was. “The fact that I never managed to inscribe my name on the Footballer of the Year Trophy hurts me a lot. The fact is that when I was on the brink of winning that Trophy in season 1975-76, it was not awarded. I became involved in a dispute with the MFA. I remember we had travelled to Germany to play with the national team.
“On our way back, we were told to carry the bags which were presented to us by the Germans. We thought they were presented to us personally, but the MFA insisted that they were their property. And the players refused to carry them. I was not the captain but I accepted to speak on their behalf. Back in Malta, I was summoned before the Council and I was asked to explain my action by the then president of the MFA, Dr G. Mifsud Bonnici and I said that someone was not saying the truth.
“All I know is that I was suspended – the only one from the whole group of national team player who had all refused to carry the bags. Eventually, I even lost the chance to be named Footballer of the Year, although I am still proud that both In-Nazzjon and l-Orizzont that year had selected me as their Player of the Year.”
National team
His experience as a national team player is not so “full”. He said: “In those days, only a few matches were staged every season, but I still remember proudly my debut in a match against Libya at Manoel Island in 1965. We had won 1-0 and then we went went to Tripoli where we again won 1-0. I had then been dropped before the match against England – they told me I had failed a medical – but I was back for the famous match against Sweden in November of 1973. I still remember the great goal scored by Toninu Camilleri.
Aquilina believes that Maltese football can only improve if there is a “change in mentality”.
Last two years
Aquilina describes the last two years as a “great satisfaction”.
He said: “As I told you, Sliema had always been my club. After coaching Valletta successfully, I had always dreamt of being at the helm of the Wanderers. In two years, we have built a very strong team and the two titles won were only a dream which could only materialise through the efforts of the president, the players and everyone concerned. With a president like Robert, one can do anything. That is the reason why every top player nowadays wants to play at Sliema. He is a real gentleman and loves the club as if it was his own family. I am sure he will also be doing his best to improve its record not only in the domestic scene, but also in the Champions League where we will be competing once again next season. Here, we still have to decide what we have to do to continue strengthening the team. We need to do some re-touching, but the president will decide.”
‘I feel a lot of satisfaction in the knowledge that I was there when it started’
Edward Aquilina was one of four Maltese players who, in the 1960s, was selected to travel to the United States to play in the North American National Professional Soccer League.
He travelled together with goalkeeper Alfred Debono and winger Ronnie Cocks, also of Sliema Wanderers, as well as midfielder Charlie Williams of Valletta.
Aquilina recounted: “It was a dream. Imagine in those days, being still young, travelling on our own to the US. It was a big adventure for us all, but once we settled down in our new surroundings, it became a lot easier,” he said.
Edward said it was very tough. “We were not accustomed to their training standards. Remember that most of the players had come from abroad. With us in the Pittsburgh squad we had some well known players from Holland and Germany at that time.
There were the following from the Netherlands: Co Prins, who had won two titles with Ajax Amsterdam; Robert De Vries; Pieter de Groot, who had played for Sparta Rotterdam, even against Floriana; Theo Laseroms, also a former player of Sparta and member of the Dutch national squad.
Aquilina remembers the Pittsburgh team had a good start. “I also managed to convince them to give me the No. 10 jersey – during my whole career, I only allowed my younger brother Richard to take that number at Sliema.
“The four Maltese players were all regulars in the starting line up, but midway through the season, there was a big scandal in which the agent who had taken me to the US, Raimond Schwab, was involved.
“All the club players were summoned before the owners and we were asked to explain certain details which had appeared in our contracts. I remember that they insisted that it was impossible that each player was transferred for the same fee – with the same rubber stamp. At that time I was still an amateur and my fee was registered as $100,000, if I am not mistaken,” he said.
Added Aquilina: “When the scandal came out into the open, the first to get the sack was Janos Bedl, who was a close friend of Schwab. That was the beginning of the end and our stay there lasted just one season, though Charlie Williams remained there with a certain amount of success as well.”
Aquilina said: “It was definitely a great experience. No Maltese footballer had ever been away from the country to play for a foreign club. We lived as true professionals. Our home was a room, which I shared with my cousin Freddie Debono, in a five-star hotel and we had become used to travelling by plane from one state to another to play our away matches. It was something unbelievable for us in those days.
“But it was not easy. We had to fight hard to win our regular place in the side. There was stiff competition with so many top names among our ranks.
“In our contract we also had a clause included which said that we had to spend a number of hours marketing our skills and doing some juggling at the famous Macy’s shops where we also used to take pictures with youngsters and sign autographs for them.
“I was also involved in a programme for TV along with former Tottenham player Danny Blanchflower, advertising the game on television. I also have to mention that it was a former well known West Ham player, Phil Woosnam, who was behind the idea of introducing the game of football in the US,” he added.
Edward concluded his US story at the end of that season, when he returned to Malta. “In a way I was disappointed, but on the other hand, I feel a lot of satisfaction in the knowledge that I was there when it started.
“Of course, when I got back home, I was suspended by Fifa as, at that time, that US Professional League was not yet recognised by Fifa. I was therefore fined Lm50 by the MFA and had to pay a Lm250 deposit at the association’s headquarters with a guarantee