MFA president calls on fans to rally behind national team

A sense of realism permeated a conference call at the Centenary Hall yesterday as Malta FA president Joe Mifsud and coach Dusan Fitzel spoke about the disappointing results of the national team in their opening three World Cup 2010 qualifiers.

Malta's lacklustre display in Saturday's 3-0 defeat to Denmark has deepened the gloom around the national team but with a home qualifier against Hungary coming up tomorrow, Dr Mifsud did his best to sound positive, calling on the fans and the media to rally behind the national team.

"As president of the Malta FA and fan of the national team, I'm disappointed with the results and performances in the last qualifiers," Dr Mifsud said.

"As president of the association, it's my duty to see what can be done to improve the level of the national team.

"We are in a very tough group and we knew that our first three qualifiers were very difficult. It looks like all the other nations are getting better as the group table shows.

"Wednesday's game is another stern test for us. The last time we played Hungary at home, we did well and obtained an excellent result (2-1 in the Euro 2008 qualifiers).

"The players are fully concentrated on this match. They are determined to raise their performance and, perhaps, gain a positive result. I honestly believe that our chances of doing well against Hungary would benefit from strong support at the National Stadium. I hope that the fans give their backing to the players like they did last month against Portugal."

A question about the Malta FA's reaction to Fitzel's lamentations about the limitations of Maltese football prompted Dr Mifsud to provide an insight into what he thinks are the main obstacles to the national team's long-term progress.

"If I can make an analysis of the situation, I'd say that first and foremost we have to always keep in mind that Malta is a small country," the Malta FA president said.

"The history of our national team shows that there were periods when we had a group of very talented players around whom we could build a team.

"Our problem is that as these players grow older, we find it harder to replace them. Some players in the current squad are not getting any younger, the likes of captain Gilbert Agius and Brian Said, but the younger ones need more experience and international exposure to make the grade. They can only do that by playing international games.

"Everyone knows that Malta is a tiny footballing nation and every time we manage to get a good result it is like a miracle. But we have to keep soldiering on and do our best to improve."

In acknowledging the widespread disappointment provoked by the national team's showings in the last few months, Fitzel shed light on his own struggles to come to terms with the current state of affairs.

"I don't speak Maltese but I've understood that the MFA president and everyone is disappointed about the results of the national team but I can tell you that I'm the most disappointed person," Fitzel said.

"My team has played three games, conceded 10 goals and scored none. As a professional coach, I'm always trying to teach my players, helping them to improve and when things don't work out, it becomes very painful.

"All supporters want their teams to do well but we have to be realistic. I can spend hours talking about the limitations of Maltese football."

Fitzel reiterated his dissatisfaction at his team's display against Denmark but claimed that it's his duty to rectify matters.

"Watching the DVD of our match in Denmark, I found no positives but it's my job to try and improve things," Fitzel said.

"I accept that in football, when a team wins, the players get the credit but in defeat, the focus turns on the coach."

Fitzel is hopeful that goalkeeper Justin Haber and Andrè Schembri will be fit to face Hungary tomorrow after both picked up slight injuries in Saturday's game at the Parken Stadium.

On Hungary, Fitzel said most of their current players were in the team that lost to Malta two years.

He expects the Magyars to be a tougher nut to crack this time round as "they will surely do their best to avoid the mistakes they committed when they played in Malta".

Determined approach

Striker Michael Mifsud hopes that tomorrow's qualifier against Hungary marks an upturn in the national team's fortunes.

"The match in Copenhagen was difficult for us," the Coventry City striker told reporters.

"Most of their players are engaged with clubs in top European leagues. We gave our 100 per cent but nothing is coming our way at the moment. That said, I'm confident of a better performance and a better result for Malta in the next qualifier."

Louis Agius, chairman of the South End Core, offered some words of encouragement to the players and fans.

"We're disappointed like everyone else but in these difficult times, being negative will not help to solve anything," Agius said.

"We at South End Core are not ready to throw in the towel. The negative results have strengthened our resolve to continue giving our support to the national team.

"My message to the players is for them to honour the Maltese shirt and I'm sure they will do their best to do that against Hungary."