The national squad will be leaving Malta tomorrow on its way to Antalya, Turkey, where it will have a four-day training camp in preparation for the forthcoming two matches against Greece and Norway.
In announcing the training camp, MFA president Dr Joe Mifsud said this was being done despite the fact that Malta had failed to avoid bottom place in the Group.
He said: “It is a fact that our chances of avoiding bottom place are very remote after the defeat at home to Moldova. Still, we must feel satisfied with having obtained two great positives – the biggest number of points ever and the best number of positive results in such competitions. And even if our chances are very remote, we will still be trying to obtain something positive from these two matches,” he said.
The MFA president said both games will be important, but especially that against Norway which could be decisive for the visitors. “Even UEFA has ordered that the last two matches – Malta-Norway and Turkey-Bosnia – will have the same time of kick-off, that is 8pm. Moreover, a large number of Norwegian supporters are travelling to Malta to support their team, especially if they would need a win to assure their qualification,” he added.
Dr Mifsud said tickets will go on sale as from today from the usual outlets, except Geraldu Kiosk in Valletta. The two Darmanin outlets in the city, in Zachary Street and in Republic Street, will be two other authorised outlets for the sale of tickets.
During his speech, Dr Mifsud also announced that the Hibernians Ground is in the process of having floodlights installed soon, while also saying that the Hamrun Stadium is also expected to have an artificial turf surface and a set of proper floodlights, possibly by the start of next season. In both instances, the MFA would be helping the clubs financially as these projects would help to alleviate the problem of lack of facilities in future.
The MFA president said that the Centenary Stadium, despite its new FIFA and UEFA-approved surface, is not yet available for international matches. “That is mainly why the Under 21 match against Bosnia is being played at the Hibernians Ground with an early (2pm) kick-off,” he stated.
Dr Mifsud went on to announce that the Centenary Stadium stand will be an all-seater while new substitutes' benches, a public address system and a scoreboard are also planned for this small stadium.