Valletta players will be treated like foreign-based counterparts - MFA head

National coach John Buttigieg and Joe Mifsud, the Malta FA president, are convinced that the professional scheme still represents the best option to prepare our national teams for international commitments.

"A coach wants to have all the players at his disposal and I am no different," Buttigieg replied to a question about the absence of the majority of the Valletta players from the national squad's training sessions, at a news conference yesterday.

"My greatest concern is that the clubs here don't have the facilities to give their players the best training week in week out. It's no secret that in Malta, no club fully owns a football stadium and therefore their players can't make use of adequate facilities at all times.

"What I'm saying is not just about Valletta but it applies to all the clubs in Malta. Playing domestic league matches is one thing but international games against the strongest teams on the continent is another.

"Our players need to have the best facilities and professional treatment at all time so they can prepare properly for these matches."

The Malta FA's training scheme has been at the centre of a dispute between Premier League club Valletta and the governing body of local football in recent months.

Late last year, Valletta informed the Malta FA that their players will have to reduce their training schedule with the national coaches as the club had decided to launch its own professional scheme.

Protracted talks between Dr Mifsud and Valletta FC head Victor Sciriha failed to yield an agreement. The Citizens were recently told by the MFA that the players who don't turn up for training with the national squad, will be treated in the same way as those who are engaged with foreign clubs in so far as call-ups to the national squad are concerned.

"The level of European football is far superior to that of the domestic league and I believe that the training scheme has been an excellent tool for our teams to bridge the gap with our European counterparts," Dr Mifsud, the MFA president, said.

"If one had to compare Malta's results before the scheme was introduced and those recorded after, one would find a significant improvement in our performances. Now we are faced with a new scenario after Valletta decided to go for a professional training system.

"It's too early to say what will happen but we will monitor the players' fitness and those that fall short of the physical requirements will not be picked, it's as simple as that. However, I would have preferred that all the players in the national squad trained together on a regular basis."

Another headache for Buttigieg ahead of next month's friendly match against Finland is striker Michael Mifsud who has been without a club since the end of last season.

"I am seriously worried about Michael's situation," Buttigieg said. "He is a vital player for us and it's not a good thing that he is not playing at club level.

"We've been helping Michael Mifsud since the start of the season and I'm still willing to give him my support but I hope he finds a club sooner rather than later. Although his physical condition is good, Mifsud badly lacks match practice and this is essential to play international matches."

Earlier this month, Malta were drawn with Croatia, Greece, Israel, Latvia and Georgia in Group F of the Euro 2012 qualifying campaign. Buttigieg and Dr Mifsud will be travelling to Athens on March 7 for a meeting with the representatives of the other Group F nations. The aim of the meeting is to draw up the fixture schedule.

Asked whether he had any preference as to which team he would like to meet first, Buttigieg said: "I've been looking at various proposals but at this stage, everything is hypothetical as, like me, other national coaches have their preferences.

"Personally, I would rather have the fixtures' sequence determined by a simple draw rather than trying to do it during a lengthy meeting but we'll try to get the best possible arrangement."

Friendly matches

In the run-up to the Euro 2012 qualifiers, the national team will have three warm-up matches. After hosting Finland on March 3, Malta travel to Aachen to face World Cup finalists Germany on May 13. On August 11, Malta will play at home to Macedonia.

For the lucrative friendly against Germany, the Maltese players will wear a new kit after the Malta FA signed a new deal with Italian sportswear brand givova who will replace diadora as the national team's technical partners.

Meanwhile, it was also announced yesterday that the Malta FA is to hold a Football Physical Training Diploma in April. The three-month course, open to all University graduates in Physical Education and Physiotherapy, will feature several top-fitness coaches from the Italian FA and UEFA.