Karl Izzo, the new national team coach, has selected a comprehensive squad of players to prepare for the forthcoming qualification tournaments of the Euro Cham-pionships 2014.
The first tournament will be played in Denmark in April. Malta is in Group C along with Russia, Portugal, Israel, Bulgaria and Denmark.
The squad will be made up of two groups, Team A and Team B.
A meeting for players of both teams is being held on Monday at the ASA headquarters in Tal-Qroqq.
Further down is a list of the two squads as initially selected. They will be undergoing training sessions alternately.
The ASA also announced that Anthony Farrugia has been ap-pointed coach of the national U-17 team which will be participating in the European Junior Champion-ships 2013.
The championships are being organised in Malta in September.
Farrugia will also be the assistant coach of the senior national team.
Team A: A. Attard (Sirens), A. Bianchi (San Ġiljan), A. Borg Cole (Exiles), J. Brownrigg (Sliema), D. Camilleri (San Ġiljan), J. Camilleri (Neptunes), S. Camilleri (Neptunes), J. Gabaretta (Sliema), S. Gravina (Neptunes), A. Grech (Sirens), N. Lanzon (Neptunes), M. Meli (Sliema), J. Soler (Sliema), M. Stellini (Neptunes), T. Sullivan (Exiles), D. Zammit (Sirens), M. Zammit (San Ġiljan).
Team B: T. Agius (Neptunes), D. Borg (Exiles), P. Borg (Exiles), L. Caruana (Sirens), C. Cluett (Sliema), J.C. Cutajar (San Giljan), K. Dowling (San Giljan), N. Grixti (Sirens), B. Lanzon (Neptunes), N. Lubrano (Sliema), Z. Sciberras (Sliema), M. Spiteri Staines (Sliema).
ASA situation
It seems that the present situation within the ranks of the ASA is far from healthy.
This was confirmed last week by the association’s vice-president, Alan Bonello, who intimated that not all is rosy as far as ASA matters are concerned.
“Although we are now in 2013, for the ASA it is still technically 2012 because last year’s AGM has not been held. In my opinion, this does not make sense even though ‘officially’ we are still waiting for an auditor’s report before the AGM is held,” Bonello was quoted as saying in an ASA circular.
The vice-president vented his feelings when he stressed his “fears that the time to commence competitions will arrive before the AGM is held. Something must be done,” he lamented.
Meanwhile, to confirm that not all is well within the association, the winner of the ‘Player of the Year’ award for last season has not yet been officially announced.
When contacted about this delay way back towards the end of October, the ASA replied in writing that they wanted the sponsors themselves to announce the winner of this award in December.
However, news had filtered through long before that Neptunes prolific scorer Steve Camilleri had been voted the season’s top player in the Premier Division.