UEFA President endorses Malta FA’s ongoing projects

The Malta Football Association’s projects to boost the technical level of Maltese football, increase grassroots participation and invest in the construction of new facilities and the renovation of existing ones, were on the agenda during the visit of UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin yesterday. Čeferin, making his first official visit to Malta since his election as UEFA President in 2016, had a meeting with the country’s Prime Minister Robert Abela and Dr Clifton Grima, the Parliamentary Secretary for Sport, at the Auberge De Castille in Valletta. This was followed by a visit to the Malta FA Football Complex in Ta’ Qali where the the UEFA President held talks with Malta FA President Bjorn Vassallo and the Association’s top officials. The discussion with the Prime Minister focused on the joint-efforts of the Maltese government and the Malta FA to renovate the local footballing infrastructure, both at national and club level, the preparations for the 2023 UEFA Under-19 Championship, to be held in Malta, and further opportunities to host other important UEFA events in the near future. The renovated pitches at the Malta FA Football Complex, completed at an estimated cost of over €2 million, will be complemented with the construction of a new state-of-art National Football Centre, incorporating a UEFA Category 1 stadium, in time for the 2023 UEFA U-19 Championship. This project is being co-financed by the Association and the Government of Malta. Speaking to the media after inaugurating the renovated pitches at the Training Grounds, the UEFA President paid tribute to the Malta FA’s ongoing drive to improve the footballing infrastructure, emphasising the importance of investing in football for its multiple benefits, including the promotion of friendship and education among children. The importance of promoting football at schools was also discussed during the meeting with the Prime Minister in light of the Football In Schools programme, a new project being undertaken by the Malta FA in collaboration with the Ministry of Education. For his part, Bjorn Vassallo, the Malta FA President, reiterated the Association’s commitment towards implementing the key initiatives included in its recently-launched strategy. Mr Vassallo expressed the Association’s gratitude to UEFA for its support, especially through the UEFA HatTrick programme, which is vital for the Malta FA not only to sustain itself but to implement important projects for the further development of Maltese football. During his visit to the Malta FA Football Complex, the UEFA President met with the members of the Malta Under-16 squad and those of the Association’s Girls Academy who were training on the renovated pitches. Later in the evening, Mr Čeferin watched the European Qualifier between Malta and Cyprus at the National Stadium in Ta’ Qali.