Hermans renews call for amateur rule change

Malta’s 2-1 win over Switzerland in their opening match from this year’s National Futsal Friendly Tournament on Sunday night provided a welcome boost for national coach Vic Hermans who yesterday renewed his call for a change in regulations to enable amateur players to practise football and futsal.

“I’m happy with the result,” Hermans told a news conference.

“When I came here two years ago, my job was to improve futsal in Malta but I’m not happy with some things. The sporting culture on this island must improve, we have to change the sporting mentality.

“We have a lot of good players in Malta but we must find a way how to make the most of that talent not only for futsal but football as well.

“Amateur players in Malta should be eligible to play futsal and football. We must catch those players who drop out of football because they’re not in the first-team squad.

“I know that coaches of football clubs don’t allow their players to practise futsal. This was also the case in Holland and I understand them in a way but we need to find a way to work together because football and futsal are not in competition.

“Actually, futsal can help in the development of a football player.”

Hermans’s contract with the Malta FA runs out at the end of this season. The Dutchman gave a frank answer when asked if he has started talks over a contract extension.

“I’m here to oversee the development of futsal and when I see that I can’t do more, then my job is done,” Hermans said. “I will look into the mirror and ask myself whether I can give more.

“We have organised some courses for Maltese futsal coaches and maybe in the near future, it will be good for the national team to have a local coach in charge.”

MFA technical director Robert Gatt said plans are in the pipeline to restructure the format of the national futsal leagues. The MFA will also be looking at the player eligibility rules for futsal in the near future.

Xavier Saliba, scorer of Malta’s last-gasp goal against Switzerland, was overjoyed at the team’s victory at the Hibs Pavilion on Sunday, the first at home.

“Scoring the winning goal in the last minute was a sensational emotion,” Saliba said. “It was our first home win. We were compact as a team but the most important thing is that we played from the heart.”

Malta futsal captain John Cutajar is hopeful that Sunday’s victory will encourage more fans to attend matches from this futsal tournament.

“This positive result shows that the team has improved in the last two years,” Cutajar, a doctor by profession, said. “We were disappointed with the attendance for the Switzerland game but I was not surprised because we had lost all our home games before this victory.

“This win shows that there has been progress and I hope it encourages the sporting public to support our team.”

Malta, who played against Greece last night, wrap up their commitments against the United Arab Emirates tomorrow.