Afric selects players for qualifiers
Malta coach Sergio Afric, who in August was awarded an extension to his contract for the next two years by the Aquatic Sports Association, has selected his squad for the upcoming LEN European Championship qualifiers. The list includes 13 players, all...
Malta coach Sergio Afric, who in August was awarded an extension to his contract for the next two years by the Aquatic Sports Association, has selected his squad for the upcoming LEN European Championship qualifiers.
The list includes 13 players, all hailing from clubs who played in Division One last summer.
Afric will also have a group of eight age-group players who will be training with the national team with the prospect of future selection for the senior side.
This year the national team played in the A Championships in Turkey but could do very little against the might of Spain, Slovakia and Turkey.
Afric will now shift focus on the Group A qualifiers which get underway on October 30 with a home match against Poland before an away tie against Turkey on November 20.
Malta host Turkey on June 18 before travelling to Poland on July 2 for the remaining qualifer.
2012 finals
The finals of the 2012 European Championship will be played in The Netherlands.
Croatia, Italy, Serbia, Hungary and Montenegro, along with the host country, won the right to participate at the finals thanks to their high placing in this year’s competition which was played in Zagreb.
Group A: Turkey, Malta, Poland.
Group B: Germany, Slovenia, Portugal, Bulgaria.
Group C: Spain, Macedonia, Belarus.
Group D: Russia, France, Switzerland.
Group E: Greece, Great Britain, Georgia.
Group F: Romania, Slovakia, Ukraine, Israel.
The group winners and runners-up qualify for the play-offs to determine the six other teams to participate in the 2012 Championships.
The squad
Exiles: Alan Borg Cole; Timothy Sullivan.
Neptunes: Steve Camilleri; Jordan Camilleri; Niki Lanzon; Sean Gravina.
Sirens: Peter Borg.
Sliema: John Soler; John Brownrigg; Mark Meli; Clint Debono; Ryan Coleiro.
San Ġiljan: Andrea Bianchi.
Age group players selected: Christian Cluett, Michael Spiteri Staines, David Abela (all Sliema); Zac Mizzi, Benji Giorgio (both Neptunes); Dino Zammit (Sirens); Jean Claude Cutajar (Marsascala); Kai Dowling (San Ġiljan).