Milan vs Birkirkara on January 9

It's official. Milan will hold an eight-day training camp in Malta next month during which they will also figure in a friendly against Malta champions Birkirkara.

At the launch of Milan's tour yesterday, Victor Zammit, chairman of Birkirkara FC, spoke enthusiastically about his club's achievement in enticing the Serie A giants to choose Malta as their destination for the 2007 winter camp.

Yet, there was also a slight tinge of controversy to Zammit's speech as he criticised the Malta FA for charging Birkirkara what he described as a hefty fee to use the National Stadium for the friendly on January 9.

Flanked by Tonio Fenech, the Parliamentary Secretary for Finance, officials of Birkirkara FC and representatives of three Milan supporters' clubs in Malta, Zammit said this is the third time in the past eight years that the Stripes will play against a top European club.

"In 1998, a Birkirkara-Sliema XI faced Juventus at Ta' Qali, two years later Birkirkara marked their first Premier League title by playing against Manchester United and now, we're going to face Milan," Zammit said.

The thousands of Milan fans in Malta are surely thrilled by the prospect of watching their favourite players at the National Stadium.

By contrast, Juventus fans will be disappointed to learn that the Turin club had shown interest in a friendly vs Birkirkara a few months back but time constraints forced the organisers to reject the proposal.

Zammit acknowledged the crucial input of John Borg, Birkirkara's international secretary and a member of the European Club Forum within UEFA, in laying the groundwork for Milan's visit.

"The contacts with Milan were initiated by John Borg, our representative on the UEFA Club Forum," Zammit remarked.

"He advised us some months ago that there was a strong possibility that Milan would conduct their winter training camp here. At the time, Milan were considering other proposals from Dubai and Kuwait.

"Three weeks ago, we had confirmation from Milan that their choice had fallen on Malta. This initiative materialised thanks to the sterling work of Borg and Umberto Gandini, a sporting director at Milan."

Birkirkara have also enlisted the help of the clubs representing Milan supporters here - the Milan Supporters' Club Malta, the Gozo branch and Cuore Rossonero.

While Milan's stay in Malta is certain to trigger a wave of euphoria among football followers, the organising committee, chaired by Birkir-kara official Joe Zammit, yesterday made it clear that the squad's mindset is to have an intensive training camp here.

"Milan are coming not to honour some sort of protocol but to prepare for the second part of the season," the Birkirkara chairman maintained.

"In several quarters, Milan's unconvincing start has been blamed on their failure to do a proper pre-season due to the match-fixing scandal in Italy last summer."

Prior to signing the contract with Birkirkara FC, Milan sent a two-man delegation to inspect facilities. They have chosen the Radisson SAS Golden Sands Resort as their base.

The Serie A club's top brass have also requested the organisers to provide tight security.

The contingent, consisting of some 60 persons, will fly into Malta on a direct flight on the evening of Tuesday, January 2.

Training will be held behind closed doors but Milan have endorsed a request by the organisers to host a Gala Night at the Radisson Golden Sands on January 4. Between 900 and 1,000 guests will have the opportunity to rub shoulders with the players, including Paolo Maldini, Gennaro Gattuso and Kaka, coach Carlo Ancelotti and others.

The chance of flying on the same aircraft with Milan for the Luigi Berlusconi Cup match against Juve on January 6 is also likely to appeal to the die-hard Milan fan. A limited number of seats on the chartered flights to Italy and back, will be put on sale.

Milan will have a full-strength squad with the exception of defender Alessandro Nesta and Brazilian Serginho, both injured.

The National Lotteries and Good Cause Fund, the Malta Tourism Authority and Malta International Airport are among the main sponsors of Milan's tour of Malta.

Some 2,000 young players enrolled in local football nurseries will be the main beneficiaries of the support the organisers have secured from the government.

Thanks to a recommendation by Parliamentary Secretary Fenech, 2,000 tickets will be distributed to football nurseries while 100 disabled persons will also get the opportunity to watch the friendly.

The match, kicking off at 7.30 p.m., will not be aired live but a number of TV networks, including Milan Channel, Eurosport and Rai International have expressed interest in showing a delayed broadcast of the friendly.

Zammit yesterday took the MFA to task for imposing a hefty charge for the use of the stadium.

"To hire the National Stadium for the friendly against Milan, we must pay the MFA a significant sum of money, in advance," Zammit said.

"It's a situation where a local club, a member of the Malta FA, is working hard to organise a potentially memorable event and yet, the association charges us a hefty fee for the use of the stadium.

"I believe that the association should be more supportive of a club's efforts to bring such a high-profile team to Malta."

TeamSport, Birkirkara's technical suppliers, are in the process of printing a set of commemorative shirts, featuring the date of the friendly, to be worn by the Birkirkara players.

Michele Peresso Limited will supply trophies for the two teams and mementos for all players.

Ticket prices

VIP Enclosure Lm25; Enclosure Lm15; Millennium Stand Lm10; South and North Stands Lm5.

Tickets may be purchased from the Milan supporters' clubs, Birkirkara FC, La Stalla Pizzeria, Geraldu Kiosk, Misha and other outlets.

Paradiso released

Italian midfielder Angelo Paradiso will not have the opportunity to line up against Milan on January 9 after he was released by Birkirkara.

Zammit told reporters yesterday that discussions with Paradiso led to an agreement to terminate his contract with immediate effect.

The Birkirkara chairman said that Paradiso sustained an injury that requires a long period of recovery.