MFA heartened by strong ticket sales

The Malta FA has reported an encouraging response from fans since tickets for tomorrow's World Cup qualifier against Portugal went on sale.

Joe Mifsud, the MFA president, told reporters yesterday that tickets for the Millennium Stand are selling quickly while the bulk of the seats in the South Stand have been snapped up by the South End Core group.

Dr Mifsud said the match will be broadcast live in Portugal and will also be shown in several other countries, including Brazil, Ecuador, Malaysia and Indonesia.

The Malta FA head knows that Portugal are surefire favourites to kickstart their World Cup qualifiers with a win but hopes that our players will derive added motivation from the happy memories of their 2-2 draw with Turkey last year.

"A year ago, we were saying the same things about our game against Turkey but Malta produced a great performance and achieved a great result," Dr Mifsud said.

"The players will give their 100 per cent. We hope that the match will be entertaining for the fans and that the result will be a positive one for Malta."

"On Sunday night, the Maltese squad will fly to Albania on a chartered Air Malta flight ahead of the second World Cup qualifier scheduled for Wednesday," Dr Mifsud added.

"I am pleased that the South End Core have taken the initiative to organise a one-day trip to Albania to have more Maltese fans supporting the national team during Wednesday's game. I want to thank the South End Core for their significant efforts to boost support for the national team."

Dr Mifsud also called on local fans to refrain from taking fireworks to the stadium tomorrow. He also revealed that the Malta FA will take legal action against the person who threw a flare onto the pitch before last year's Euro 2008 qualifier against Norway. The decision was made after the local governing body of football was fined by UEFA over the incident.

The MFA president also announced that the association's website, www.mfa.com.mt, has been redesigned to offer viewers better visuals and easier access to local and international football news.

Louis Agius, the co-ordinator of the South End Core, said that Malta's match against Portugal represents a bigger challenge for his group than last year's Euro 2008 qualifier against Turkey.

"We are working to produce something better and bigger than we did during the game against Turkey in terms of choreographed support for the Maltese team," Agius said.

Agius also urged Maltese fans to join the South End Core on their one-day trip to Albania for Wednesday's qualifier. Those interested can contact Agius on 7940-3309.