Football occupies a central place in the country's sporting culture. It is like another religion for us. But inspite of all this, it continues to face a range of structural and competitive problems that sometimes limit its growth. Those who say that no progress has been made are being unfair. But though having passionate supporters and a long-standing league system, progress at both club and national level has been made but maybe at a slow pace.
Financial constraints is one of the major issues. Every club is aware of it, talks and grumbles about it but year after year the budget remains unrealistic. At least for the absolute majority of the clubs. Most Maltese clubs operate with modest budgets, relying heavily on sponsors or individual donations. Gate receipts are low, television revenue is limited, and commercial income remains underdeveloped. As a result, clubs often prioritize short-term survival over long-term planning. Financial instability can lead to unpaid wages, frequent changes in squad personnel, and a lack of investment in youth systems or infrastructure.
Youth development itself remains inconsistent. While there are nurseries and academies across the island, coaching standards and facilities vary widely. In many cases, young players do not receive sufficient technical, tactical, or physical preparation to compete at higher levels. The pathway from youth football to regular first-team football is unclear, causing many promising players to stagnate or drop out of the game altogether. This is because the set up needs a complete overhaul. We've been saying it for ages but nothing has been done in this delicate area. This is the most important, the grassroots, the place from where we can reap the dividends.
The heavy reliance on foreign players is also creating a debate. Imports have raised the general level of the league and made it more competitive, but they often limit opportunities for local players. Clubs seeking immediate results may prefer experienced foreigners rather than investing time in Maltese youth, which weakens the long-term prospects of the national team.
Another problem that Maltese football is facing is infrastructure. Some stadiums and training facilities are outdated and overused, affecting player development and fan engagement. We urgently need to delve into all these problems and list them according to priority. There are big challenges lying ahead but if we work hard we can overcome them.
'Happy but we can do more'
- Daniel Portela, coach Floriana FC
'I am very happy and satisfied with today's win. It wasn't an easy match considering that we started very badly conceeding a goal after 29 seconds.' These were the first comments that Floriana coach Daniel Portela gave to TMI. He continued. 'We are doing our best and to be honest the pitch didn't help us. But I gave instructions to the players that to keep them away from our area we had to attack more. And that's what we did. Obviously for sure we can do more but we also lost many chances. In the end the best team won.'
'The boys showed character in the second half'
- Branko Nisevic, coach Hibernians FC
'Today I saw a lot of positives from the match against Sliema. It was another difficult match but we managed to turn it around , from being one goal down to winning by three goals to one.' This is how Hibernians coach Branko Nisevic described the match. He added. ' Though we reached one of the objectives to score goals but we are still conceding. We only kept two clean sheets during this season and we must improve on that. In the first half we were a bit erratic by the second half the boys showed character and as time passed they believed more in themselves. Congratulations to all of them for this important win.'
CURIOSITIES
v The league encounter between Sliema Wanderers and Hibernians generates goals. In fifteen out of the last thirty meetins three or more goals have been scored. The last four encounters have produced eighteen goals.
v Valletta and Hamrun figured out a goaless draw in the main match of MD18. It was the first time that the Spartans failed to score after nine consecutive matches. In fact the last time that they failed to score was on the 5th October, 2025 against Sliema, a match which they lost by a 2-0 scoreline.
v Floriana registered their second win of the Closing Round from as many matches and once again Jake Grech was the star of the show. He scored a gem of a goal which proved to be the winning goal. And to cap it all, he was chosen as the MVP of the match. This was the 6th time during this season, the highest number from all players.
CLOSING ROUND TABLE
Gżira Utd. 6
Floriana 6
Valletta 4
Ħamrun S. 4
Birkirkara 3
Naxxar L. 3
Hibernians 3
Marsaxlokk 3
Sliema W. 3
Tarxien R. 0
Żabbar SP 0
Mosta 0
RESULTS - MD 18
Żabbar SP - Naxxar L. 1-2
Valletta - Ħamrun S. 0-0
Tarxien R. - M'Xlokk 1-2
Sliema W. - Hibernians 1-3
Floriana - Mosta 2-1
Gżira Utd. - Birkirkara 2-0
NEXT MATCHES - MD 19
Saturday 31st January
Victor Tedesco Stadium
2.00pm Tarxien R. - Gżira Utd.
Tony Bezzina Stadium
4.30pm Ħamrun S. - Sliema W.
Centenary Stadium
4.30am Birkirkara - M'Xlokk
7.00pm Hibernians - Mosta
Sunday 1st February
Tony Bezzina Stadium
2.00pm Valletta - Naxxar L.
4.30pm Żabbar SP - Floriana
CLEAN SHEETS
Ħamrun S. 10
Valletta 9
Birkirkara 8
Marsaxlokk 6
Floriana 6
Gżira Utd. 6
Sliema W. 5
Mosta 4
Żabbar SP 3
Hibernians 2
Naxxar L. 2
Tarxien R. 0
TOP SCORERS
L. Villela (Hibernians) 11
Y. Messias (Valletta) 8
P. Emanuel (Mosta) 8
J. Grech (Floriana) 8
C. Padilha Mendonca (Hibernians) 7
M. Jah (Floriana) 6
S. Bah (Sliema W.) 6
A. Penha da Costa (Gżira Utd.) 6
Vitinho (Naxxar L.) 5
J. Bonilla (Gżira Utd.) 5