Lecce official on Malta scouting mission

The sporting director of Serie A club Lecce will be in Malta on Sunday to run the rule over some up-coming players in the Premier League and discuss possible future initiatives with Pietà Hotspurs.

Pantaleo Corvino, whose contract as Lecce's sporting director has recently been extended until 2007, will watch Sunday's Championship Pool encounter between Pietà Hotspurs and Hibernians at Corradino.

This clash will give the Lecce official an opportunity to see two of Malta's brightest football prospects lining up against each other, namely Pietà's 18-year-old striker Cleaven Frendo and Andre Schembri, the Hibernians midfielder.

Corvino's imminent visit to Malta is the fruit of the good rapport his club has established over the years with Edward Schembri, the enterprising president of Pietà Hotspurs.

A few seasons ago, Pietà Hotspurs reached an agreement with Lecce for the transfer of emerging Bulgarian striker Valeri Bojinov.

Bojinov spent a few years playing for Pietà youth teams at the same time as his step-father Sacha Angelov turned out for the club's senior side in the local Premier League.

The 18-year-old Bojinov has more than lived up to his immense potential at Lecce, breaking through to the first team and earning recognition as one of the most interesting young talents in the demanding Serie A.

Bojinov's coming of age has also enhanced the exposure for Pietà and Maltese football as the Hotspurs' important role in his development before he moved to Lecce has been constantly mentioned in media reports on the Bulgarian striker.

Pietà clearly enjoy an excellent reputation for grooming young players and this has been further cemented by the loan transfer of 19-year-old goalkeeper Andrew Hogg to Serie B side Bari.

A few years back, another Pietà player, Gareth Sciberras, also underwent a trial with Lecce and Corvino is expected to gauge his progress in Sunday's match as well as that of others who might leave a good impression.

As for Schembri, 17, and Frendo, this is not the first time that they have caught the attention of foreign clubs.

Frendo enjoyed a spell with Serie B side Torino some four years ago and a host of clubs from the Italian peninsula have continued to monitor him since his return to Malta.

Schembri, on the other hand, this year had trials with Bari and England's Premier League club Aston Villa.

Meanwhile, well-placed sources have told The Times that Malta's accession to the European Union could open new horizons for the country's football.

Foreign investment

The possibility of Maltese players earning contracts abroad will be bolstered by their right to freedom of movement within the EU but local clubs could also attract foreign investment.

The Times has learnt that a group of Italian businessmen with close contacts with Maltese counterparts are assessing the local football market with a view of investing in an established Maltese club.

Other renowned foreign clubs may also be interested in securing twinning agreements with Maltese teams, the same sources said.