Le Méridien St Julians was the base of the Juventus team during their recent stay in the Maltese Islands. The five-day training camp was aimed at enhancing Juventus’ preparations for the second half of the Italian Serie A season.

Hotel Manager Ms Angela Saliba commented that the hotel team felt proud to host such a great line-up at the property. Preparations were ongoing for weeks before the actual Juventus’ arrival, with all hotel departments giving a helping hand. Although employees included a number of supporters of other Italian and English teams, this event helped in bringing employees closer. Ms Saliba did admit however that it proved challenging to convince staunch non-Juventus supporters to put on Juventus pins as an addition to their uniform.

Juventus fans lingered around Le Méridien St Julians to catch a glimpse of the players with some admitting to taking a whole week off from work in order to chance meeting one of their heroes. Mr. Joseph Zammit, Chief Security at Le Méridien St Julians commented that keeping the supporters of the Bianconeri at a distance from the line-up was a challenge; however he believes that all were ultimately happy as most supporters managed to get a photo opportunity or an autograph, while the contingent felt safe and also got the opportunity to relax. The Juventus team had some particular requirements throughout their stay. As can be expected, as athletes, specific nutritional intakes are vital. Andy Gaskin, Executive Head Chef and Reuben Grixti, Sous Chef at Le Méridien St Julians had numerous meetings with the Juventus’ Chef, Ilio Mariani, whereby specific recipes were discussed and purposely prepared. Certain branded items had to be imported accordingly, prior to the contingent’s arrival. The players were pleased with the food and beverage service on offer, also commenting that the quality competes very well with other restaurants around the world where they have been to.

Juventus’ coach, Claudio Ranieri commented on numerous occasions to the hotel staff that he and the team were impressed by the enthusiasm of Maltese fans. Although they had been told beforehand about the big number of followers in our island, they did not expect such a warm welcome. He described Juventus’ stay in the Maltese Islands as fruitful and said they will definitely return should such an opportunity arise.