Michele Marcolini has been sacked as Malta’s national football coach, the Malta Football Association announced on Friday night.
The decision comes after Malta suffered a disappointing 2-0 loss against Moldova in the UEFA Nations League. A 1-0 win against Andorra a couple of days later boosted the mood, however was not enough to convince the MFA to allow Marcolini to see out his contract.
“The Malta FA communicates that national team coach Michele Marcolini has been relieved of his duties with immediate effect,” the MFA said in a statement.
“The decision was taken following recent performances of the National Team. Mr Marcolini’s contract is due to expire on December 31, 2024,” the association said.
Assistant Coach Davide Mandelli has also been relieved of his duties, the MFA said.
“The Association thanked both coaches for their professional contribution throughout their tenure with the national teams. Further announcements on filling the vacant positions will be made in due course following the next Executive Board meeting.”
Malta faces Moldova on October 13th in what is a crucial fixture for Malta’s promotion aspirations.
Marcolini came into the job after his fellow Italian national Devis Mangia was first suspended and then resigned after allegedly making sexual advances on a player in the squad. Mangia continues to deny the allegations.
Marcolini’s appointment had been greeted with scepticism, having never managed a club above Italy’s Serie C, and he only managed to muster 3 wins and 2 draws for Malta out of 16 matches.
The losses included a disappointing 7-1 loss in a friendly against Czech Republic last June, and last week’s loss in the key match to Moldova, where Malta rarely made any sort of threatening advance on their adversaries.