On Tuesday 18th February 2025, the Malta FA held a press conference at Centenary Hall ahead of the upcoming International FIFA Windows, highlighting the key objectives for the National Team set-up, particularly the Men’s ‘A’ Team and the Women’s ‘A’ Team.
Speaking during the presentation, Malta FA President Bjorn Vassallo reiterated the respective objectives of the national teams. The Men’s ‘A’ Team is pushing for an improved performance in the European Qualifiers which will then lead to better results, as well as an improvement in the FIFA World Ranking. The Women’s ‘A’ Team is seeking promotion back up to League B of the UEFA Women’s Nations League, after the success that the team achieved under Head Coach Manuela Tesse last time out.
President Vassallo added that for the youth teams, the aim is always to create a “solid pathway” for them to progress to the respective senior teams. In this respect, he highlighted that the Association is also working to increase the number of players playing abroad.
Malta National Team making strides
“In today’s competitive football landscape, we feel players need to play in stronger leagues and develop. Players, especially at a young age, those that have talent and more so the mental toughness to become better than they are, need to challenge the status quo and make the step up,” he continued.
He also revealed that two players, James Carragher and Ilyas Chouaref, who play for Wigan Athletic FC (ENG) and FC Sion (SUI) respectively, have now become eligible to play for the Men’s ‘A’ Team through their lineage.
“We have created an upbeat atmosphere and a very positive mentality around our national teams. I’m flanked by two coaches (De Leo and Tesse) with a high profile and a wealth of experience, and I feel reassured by their mindset and comments as we are setting higher objectives backed by a determination and conviction that we can attain our targets,” President Vassallo remarked.
“We look at our players and we want them to truly believe that they have the potential to do better than what we have done in the past,” he stated.
President Vassallo stated that since 2025 marks the Malta FA’s 125th anniversary, it is a year where the National Teams are pushing hard to make it “one to remember.”
Head Coach De Leo remarked that the Men’s National Team has a long cycle ahead and that they are fully aware that there will be hurdles and a lot of hard work needed. “But we are approaching this challenge with great determination and motivation,” he continued.
Men’s team Head Coach optimistic on future
“During the short period of time I’ve been here, we’ve had many private conversations with the players – in just a few days we managed to meet 37 players. This is an important step to start building a relationship, this is something I believe in before we embark on a new project. We’ve also had online calls with the foreign-based players. Our conversations have been very open and honest,” he added.
“Confidence, commitment and an enterprising approach are very important principles. We need to genuinely believe that whatever we need we can find it inside us, convinced that we have the ability to do what we set out to achieve. The players are very well aware of this mentality,” Head Coach De Leo affirmed.
The Men’s ‘A’ Team will start its European Qualifying campaign for the 2026 FIFA World Cup with a home match against Finland on 21st March, which will then be followed by an away game against Poland on 24th March. Gabriel Mentz will not be eligible to play the opening three Qualifiers after being handed a three-match ban by UEFA following his red card in the last UEFA Nations League match against Andorra.
From her part, Head Coach Tesse stated that the Women’s ‘A’ Team has learnt from the previous campaign in the UEFA Women’s Nations League, and is now more confident.
“I’m sure that this UEFA Women’s Nations League will be a good experience for our team, because we sometimes underestimate how strong we are. We do not need to think that we are underdogs. This is not a reset, but a restart of our philosophy,” she said.
Exciting programme ahead for Women’s National Team
The Women’s ‘A’ Team will start its UEFA Women’s Nations League campaign with an away match against Cyprus on 21st February at the AEK Arena, which will then be followed by an encounter against Andorra at the Centenary Stadium on 25th February. Tickets for the Andorra match are available to purchase, while both matches will also be shown live on TVM Sport+.
As revealed in the provisional call-up for the current international window, the Women’s ‘A’ Team has been boosted by the inclusion of three players currently playing their football abroad, with these being Jana Barbara who plays for FC Schalke 04, Fiona Buttigieg who plays for Luton Town, and Ocean Grange, of French club RC Roubaix Wervicq Féminin.
“I have been following the new players for over a year and a half, so we have been monitoring them very closely,” Head Coach Tesse stated.
She remarked that she is particularly proud of the local women’s league this season, “which has improved a lot, and can help the National Team significantly.”
She made reference to a number of upcoming tournaments and fixtures for the Women’s National Teams across different age groups, noting that these will serve as opportunities for Malta to play against strong teams to continue improving the level.
Sports Editor
Veteran Journalist
Leave a Reply