Prime Minister congratulates Malta Under-16 girls team

Prime Minister Joseph Muscat has congratulated the Malta Under-16 girls team following their positive performances in the UEFA Youth Development Tournament, played last week at the Centenary Stadium.  The Maltese girls, led by coach Dorianne Theuma, won their three matches convincingly, beating Gibraltar (5-1), Andorra (7-0) and Albania (4-0) to top the four-team group with maximum points, thus emulating their three-win record in last year’s tournament. Their excellent run earned them an invitation from the Prime Minister who hosted the entire squad, technical staff and Malta FA officials at the Auberge De Castille on Monday evening. “Well done to you, the MFA and the coaches for this success,” Dr Muscat said in a short speech. The Prime Minister added that the handsome wins achieved by the Under-16 girls’ team in this tournament have strengthened his conviction that, in the future, Malta will win the first team honour at senior level in women’s football. Ludovico Micallef, Senior Vice-President of the Malta FA who led the delegation together with fellow Vice-President Alex Manfrè, said the commendable results attained by the Malta Under-16 girls in last week’s tournament followed a similar experience in an Under-15 event in Thailand last December. “This progress doesn’t occur overnight but is the result of hard work and the investment made by the Malta Football Association in the women’s sector,” Micallef said. Dr Clifton Grima, the Parliamentary Secretary for Youth, Sport and Voluntary Organisations, joined the Prime Minister in congratulating the Malta U-16 girls’ team, coaches and the Malta FA for the positive results achieved in last week’s tournament.