Valletta FC president Victor Sciriha paid tribute to chief sponsors Insignia, saying their backing was pivotal to the club’s Premier League success.
Having trailed Birkirkara for most of the season, Valletta overhauled their rivals at the finish line, beating the Stripes 2-0 on the final day of the league to win the title by a single point.
“We wouldn’t be here today were it not for the good work we have done with our partners Insignia,” Sciriha told a news conference at the Hilton Hotel yesterday.
“The turning point came in January when I met the chairman of Insignia and we made the decision to bring in a new coach (Andre Paus) and new foreign players.
“We owe a lot to these people. I had a meeting with Insignia officials the other day as we plan to do bigger things next season.
“Our dream has always been to see Valletta progress in the Champions League.
“I’ve been at the helm of this club for seven years, winning four league titles. Now I hope that Valletta also lift the FA Trophy as I’ve never won the double. The players have promised that they will give their all.
“We work so hard for this club not for personal pride, we do it for the fans. If we win the Trophy, the celebrations will be even bigger than those of Saturday.”
Invited to give his reaction on Birkirkara’s decision not to file a protest against the result of Saturday’s game on the basis that just over three of the five minutes of stoppage time indicated by the fourth official had elapsed when the match ended, Sciriha said: “It’s their problem. The referee whistled the end of the match and the Birkirkara players headed to their dressing room.
“Had they (Birkirkara) decided to do it (the protest), it would have been ridiculous... matches are won on the field of play.
“I also don’t agree with most of you (journalists) when you say that Birkirkara were the most consistent team.
“In the last three months, we have played Birkirkara three times, beating them twice and drawing the other game.”
Sciriha also revealed that Hibs have turned down Valletta’s approach to sign Clayton Failla.
“We declared interest in wing-back Failla but we not only got a negative reply from Hibs, they also warned us not to approach the player,” Sciriha said.
“Maybe, if the approach was made by Birkirkara, their reaction would have been different. We experienced that a couple of years ago when we tried to sign Edward Herrera who then joined Birkirkara.
“But I’m not surprised really... it’s clear our rivals don’t want to see Valletta becoming more powerful. Everyone is against us but this only increases my motivation to see Valletta a stronger team.”
Rafael Carrascosa, the CEO of Insignia Global Cards Business, expressed his delight at Valletta’s title achievement.
“We wanted to establish a partnership with Valletta because they are a winning team and our company also has a winning mentality,” Carrascosa said.
“It has paid off as Valletta have been crowned champions. Seeing the joy of the thousands of people who were in Valletta on Saturday, I have to say that this was a fantastic achievement and we are proud to be part of it.
“This is just the beginning as we intend to consolidate our relationship with Malta and local football.”
Carrascosa refrained from quantifying the extent of Insignia’s financial support for Valletta but said: “It was a significant investment but when you see the happiness of the fans during the celebrations... that is worth all the investment.”
The Insignia CEO also said that they have teamed up with Valletta FC to organise a celebration party at Hastings Gardens on Sunday evening.