Betclic yesterday announced that they were extending their sponsorship to Birkirkara FC for yet another season.

The company and the club reached another agreement whereby Betclic will be forking out a substantial amount of money to remain one of the main sponsors of the Stripes.

Michael Mifsud, general manager of the company, said the company was glad to be associated with Birkirkara FC and through this sponsorship it was showing its confidence in the club’s integrity both in the administrative and technical fields.

He added that Betclic was now a worldwide company offering its services to around 12 million clients. He said it employs 1,000 employees and uses 25 languages. In Malta alone, the company is employing 300 persons.

Joe Zammit, Birkirkara FC president thanked Mifsud and Betclic for the sponsorship and added that without such financial support, it would be impossible for a club to remain in the Premier League, let alone in a challenging position.

He said that such a sponsorship will certainly strengthen the club and enable it to become more competitive through further investment.

He referred to the Europa League revenue which was much needed, but added that it was not enough to cover today’s needs.

He augured that the sponsorship would be extended for more years in future.

Also addressing the press yesterday was coach Paul Zammit, the club’s head coach.

Speaking just two days ahead of tomorrow’s top clash against Valletta, Zammit said he considered the match as “one of the others”.

He said: “Every match is a challenge and Saturday’s match is not different from the others. We have been working hard and we all hope to be able to obtain a good result. We are aware of the task ahead of us. Valletta are the best team on paper, but in this first round, we are assessing the potential of our squad. I feel that we have a strong squad and we should be challenging for the honours every year.”

Zammit also spoke in general about Maltese football, saying that a local club nowadays needs sponsorships badly to be able to adopt a professional attitude. “This is being done by Birkirkara FC and we are hoping to strengthen our set-up thanks to Betclic’s support,” he added.

The president also made it clear that, if needed, the club would not think twice to strengthen the team once again in the January transfer window, especially if it remains in a challenging position.

At the end, Peter Busuttil, general manager of the club, appealed to the fans of both Birkirkara and Valletta to attend tomorrow’s match at the Stadium and give their full support to their favourites.