Sciriha reiterates European aim at Andrade’s unveiling

Valletta’s latest forays into the transfer market are not only aimed at strengthening the team’s already bright prospects of reclaiming the Premier League title but also to improve their chances of making their mark in Europe.

Victor Sciriha, the president of Valletta FC, reiterated his ambitions at the unveiling of the club’s latest recruit, Brazilian striker Andrade who was presented with the City shirt by senior vice-president Giovanni Cappitta, yesterday.

“We are here to present our latest signing for this season, Andrade,” Sciriha told reporters at Browns Diner at the Valletta Waterfront.

“Now, there is no need to make further additions following the signings of Andrade and Ryan Fenech. Our squad was already strong before these two players joined but we didn’t want to stop there.

“Winning the league is not Valletta’s sole target as we also want to advance in Euro competitions. In past seasons, the uncertainty surrounding the recruitment of foreign players undermined our chances in Europe but we have been working to address this weakness.

“Denni and Ramon now have long-term contracts with the club and with the arrival of Andrade and Fenech, I believe we’re better equipped for the challenges ahead.”

Andrade has signed until the end of the season but Sciriha pointed out that the club will extend his contract if he makes the desired impact in his first three games.

In expressing his delight at the capture of Fenech, Sciriha also aimed a broadside at the “other club” who initially offered a “huge sum” to sign the midfielder.

“Despite interest from others, Fenech assured me that he always wanted to join Valletta,” Sciriha said.

“There was a club that offered a huge sum for Fenech. A Russian oligarch was prepared to finance the deal, they said. But this never happened. Ryan knew that our ap-proach was more serious. He has already shown his worth against Sliema by scoring two goals.”

Sciriha described Andrade as a top-class striker who has played at the highest level in countries like Japan, Brazil and Costa Rica.

For several months, Michael Mifsud was Valletta’s no.1 target on the back of his successful short-term spell with the club in the final months of last season but interest appeared to have waned in the past few weeks.

Indications that the Citizens had abandoned their pursuit of Mifsud, whose proposed move to Floriana fell through on Monday, were confirmed by Sciriha yesterday.

He told www.timesofmalta.com that he had offered Mifsud a four-and-a-half-year contract when they last met on December 31 but the player didn’t come back with an answer.

Sciriha added that the club decided to look at other options and expressed optimism that Andrade would vindicate Valletta’s faith in him.

Andrade said the prospect of playing for one of the most successful clubs in Malta was key to his decision to sign for Valletta.

“When my representative called to ask me if I would be interested in joining Valletta, I went on the internet to gather more information about this club,” Andrade, who last played for Brujas FC in Costa Rica, said.

“I read that Valletta were one of the most successful clubs here and had the best support. I felt that coming here could be a good step for my career. I’m prepared to do my best to help Valletta win the league.”

The Valletta faithful have taken Sciriha to heart in light of his unstinting efforts to lure the best players to the club but the president yesterday appealed to the fans to refrain from indulging in abusive chants and improper behaviour at the stadium.

“I have an appeal to make for our supporters,” Sciriha said.

“We are being hit by countless of fines because of the improper behaviour by some of our fans. Only yesterday (Tuesday), we faced a total of 18 charges at a MFA disciplinary hearing (Valletta were fined €2,024).

“Because of these hefty fines, our position with regards to the income we get from the MFA is worse than before (when the MFA retained a substantial portion of the gate-money). On the Friday before the game against Floriana, we’re going to hold a rally to encourage proper behaviour from our supporters.

“We urge them to avoid personal insults and derogatory chants. We have asked the MFA to hand us CCTV footage to identify the culprits but the surveillance system is still out of order.”

Jesmond Zerafa, the Valletta coach, pointed to the fierce competition for first-team places as key to the team’s consistency this season.

“The new signings improved our squad even further,” Zerafa said.

“The season is long and although we are in a strong position, everyone knows that football can throw up different situations and episodes.

“The key to our consistency so far has been the competition among the players. I cannot but thank the president because his investment in new players makes things easier for me.”

While describing Valletta’s unbeaten run and lofty placing in the table as “a dream”, Zerafa sounded a cautious note.

“Our position is a dream,” Zerafa said.

“Credit goes to the players because they’ve been working hard. We must not forget that the last two seasons brought heartache for Valletta despite being regarded as favourites.

“This goes to show that success is not easy and titles shouldn’t be taken for granted.”

Meanwhile, Sciriha is hopeful that government will soon give Valletta FC the green light to build a stadium and complex in the Ħal Farruġ area, limits of Luqa.

Describing this ambitious project as vital for the future of the club, Sciriha said he expects the contract for the acquisition of the land to be signed towards the end of this month.