Newly appointed national coach Pietro Ghedin, of Italy, is convinced that there is a better future for Maltese football.

Speaking to the press for the first time since his official appointment, he said that he was not here on holiday. “I am here committed to work from morning till evening in the hope that the desired results will eventually come. I am very happy to be back here after almost 20 years, otherwise, I would not have accepted the offer.

“Today I can freely say that I have matured since I left in November 1995. After that I worked at the top levels having experienced two World Cups and two European Championships with the Italian national team, an Olympic tournament as well as being the national coach of the women’s team,” he added.

He added: “Now that I am back, I am grateful for the support being given to me by the players, the association and Technical Director Robert Gatt whom I consider as a brother. I thank all those who have accepted me again and given me such a warm welcome. Now I pledge to do my best to show that I merit the job entrusted to me.

“I must say that I had been offered to come back earlier when Dr Joe Mifsud was president, but at that time, I could not accept the offer because of my commitments in Italy. I have accepted to come now because I am convinced that the changes in the MFA set up will be of great benefit to Maltese football in general. I firmly believe Norman Darmanin Demajo and Bjorn Vassallo form a winning team.”

Ghedin has already seen a lot of players in action, especially in the Premier League. “I have watched around 15 matches so far at different levels. But I still have to watch other players like those of the first division and others to be able to make the right choices. I have been particularly impressed with the Under 14 team. It is an excellent squad and which, I think, has a bright future. All there is to it is that everyone will have to work and show the will to do well. Unless we all show commitment in what we do, we can remain at home,” he added.

Asked about the professional system for the national team, Ghedin quickly replied that he was prepared to work with all the clubs’ coaches. “We have to work, discuss and take decisions together. Sometimes we will argue and will not agree, but at the end we will have to make peace and continue looking ahead in the best interests of Maltese football,” he stated.

The coach had words of praise for the current national team players. “They are extraordinary boys, according to what I have seen in the first few training sessions together. My first impressions are that they are all very honest persons. We are all aware that we have a difficult group ahead of us in the World Cup qualifiers. Yet, we have to be prepared. We have to make our presence felt on the field of play. We can win and we can lose against any opponent. What is important is that we have to show that we are working towards improving the standards of Maltese football. First we will prepare for the upcoming two matches – v. Luxmebourg next month and then v. San Marino in August,” he remarked.

Ghedin, who said that he continued to follow Maltese football since he left Malta, went on to thank Robert Gatt for being so helpful. He also thanked the FIGC president Abete for having accepted to terminate his contract with the Italian federation amicably so that he could be appointed Maltese national coach. He also thanked the MFA officials who negotiated with the FIGC.

MFA president Norman Darmanin Demajo explained that the current training system for the national team is discussed and agreed upon before the start of every season. “At present we have the players half day on Monday and full day on Tuesday. But we will now have to see what Ghedin’s ideas are. We are, of course, open to discussion. But I want to assure the clubs that players selected to form part of the national team squad can only be of benefit to the clubs themselves as well as the national team by training in the excellent MFA facilities. This, of course, unless the clubs have their own professional system,” he said.

It was here that he revealed that he was confident that within five to six years, there will be about 20 Maltese youngsters playing football abroad.

Darmanin Demajo said the MFA had full trust in Ghedin. He said: “He is a disciplined man and is able to have a good rapport with those working with him or under his charge. We are confident that he will bring about the desired change in Maltese football. From our part, we will be showing maximum commitment and we have the will to win. The rest depends on the Italian coach,” said Darmanin Demajo. I am sure Ghedin will not let us down.”