Milan line up January friendly against Birkirkara

Milan are poised to hold a seven-day training camp in Malta early next year. Well-placed sources have told The Sunday Times that the Serie A giants have also agreed to play a friendly against Birkirkara, the Malta champions, during their planned sojourn here between January 2 and 9.

Rumours about Milan's potential visit began to proliferate yesterday after high-ranking officials from Birkirkara held talks with delegations from the two clubs representing Milan supporters in Malta, namely the Milan Supporters' Club Malta and Cuore Rossonero.

Discussions centred on how the two local branches of Rossoneri fans can contribute towards the organisation and promotion of Milan's training camp in Malta.

The Sunday Times has learnt that it was John Borg, Birkirkara's international secretary and a respected member of the European Club Forum within UEFA, who set the wheels in motion for Milan's proposed winter training jaunt in Malta.

Contacted yesterday, Borg did not deny rumours about Milan's impending visit to Malta but refrained from elaborating on the matter.

Further enquiries yielded more information about various aspects of Milan's trip to Malta.

The friendly has been pencilled in for January 8 at the National Stadium.

A delegation from the Serie A club is expected here in the next few days with the aim of inspecting the facilities available.

Although Milan, winners of 17 Serie A titles and six-times European champions, have in theory accepted Birkirkara's invitation, the contract will only be sealed once the Serie A club had concluded their fact-finding mission here.

The initial plan is for Milan to fly out to Malta on January 2. Four days later, they will board a flight to Italy and play Juventus in a Berlusconi Cup tie.

After the match at the San Siro, the Milan contingent will head back to Malta to continue their training camp. The organisers are mulling over the idea of offering a limited number of VIP seats on the charter flights taking Milan to Italy and back to Malta on January 6.

Umberto Gandini, Milan's organisational manager and European Club Forum representative, played a key role in the club's decision to consider Malta as their winter camp destination.

Gandini embraces the concept of solidarity between clubs and his support for Birkirkara's proposal to host Milan next month is in line with his belief that small clubs deserve help from their bigger counterparts.

It is believed that Qatar and the United Arab Emirates were in the running to host Milan's training camp but it seems that no agreement has been reached with either of these two rich countries.

Not for the first time in the last decade, Birkirkara look set to enjoy the privilege of being involved in a friendly against one of the true giants of European football.

In December 1998, Birkirkara and Sliema Wanderers provided the bulk of players for the Malta League XI that lost 5-1 to Juventus in a match at the National Stadium.

Less than two years later, Birkirkara were at it again. Fresh from winning their first Premier League title in 2000, the Stripes teamed up with the Manchester United Supporters' Club (Malta) to lure Manchester United for a short pre-season training camp in Malta.

During their stay in August, United took on Birkirkara in a friendly at the National Stadium and won 5-1.

Milan are currently struggling for form in the Serie A. Gathering a maximum of nine points from their opening three matches, they succeeded in wiping out the eight-point penalty for their part in last summer's Italian football scandal.

However, Carlo Ancelotti's side found the going tough in the following weeks, taking only 10 points from their last 10 matches.

Milan, who are away to Cagliari this afternoon, travel to Udinese on December 23, the last Serie A day before the Christmas break.

Their first Serie A fixture of 2007 is a home match against Reggina on January 14.