The memorable 2-2 draw with Turkey last Saturday is still the talk of the town on this tiny island. The point won on that day meant that Malta had achieved a feat never heard of before – that of obtaining five points in a competitive group (European Championship or World Cup).
As Malta now prepares for tomorrow’s friendly against Armenia at Ta’ Qali, MFA president Dr Joe Mifsud yesterday thanked all those who, in some way or another, gave their contribution towards last Saturday’s success.
He said: “I must give thanks to those who deserve it. The national coach, the technical staff, the players, for their preparation and performance, the Southend Core, for their colourful atmosphere, all the fans at Ta’ Qali for their great support, TeamSport who produced the new jersey, the Police Commissioner and the members of the Corps who were present at Ta’ Qali on Saturday, as well as all the MFA officials, the employees and volunteers.”
The MFA president said before he embarked on his new three-year term, he had promised in his programme that the association would be working to improve levels so that the national team will obtain more points. He added: “I also said I also wished to see more spectators for national team matches as well as more enthusiasm and support from the stands. All this was evident on Saturday, and it shows that the targets are being reached.”
He added that there were several factors which registered the success. “It was the first positive result in a match against Turkey, the national team registered a record number of positive matches and a record number of points obtained in a competitive group.
“Our objective at the start of the competition was not to finish bottom of our group. At present, we are three points ahead of bottom placed Moldova and this target is obviously within our reach now. During the match, despite the tension that surrounded it, there were no serious incidents. There was one case when a fan jumped onto the track, but the police quickly apprehended him. On another occasion, some Turkish fans broke some seats at the Enclosure, but even here, the police were in full control in a few seconds. But these were minor incidents on a day which will remain remarkable for all Maltese football fans,” he said.
Dr Mifsud went on to exclaim that the result was no fluke. “We all worked very hard for it. And we assure everyone that we will continue with this rhythm. The Turkey match is now part of history and we have to look forward towards our forthcoming commitments. The first will be tomorrow when Malta faces Armenia in a friendly match. Then in October, we have two other Euro 2008 qualifiers, first in Budapest against Hungary and four days later against Moldova at Ta’ Qali.
“We will be doing our very best to continue achieving positive results. We want the Maltese to have something to shout about at Ta’ Qali,” he said.
Asked whether the MFA Executive Committee might recommend a better bonus than the one already agreed upon with the players before the start of the competition, in view of the fact that these players have achieved two records (positive results and number of points), Dr Mifsud said this might be done, but made it clear that the players had always been very happy with what the MFA had paid them when a bonus was paid out.