The prestigious Champions League, hosted recently by the Federation of International Sports Table Football in Athens, saw the participation of various Maltese players, one of whom, Hansel Mallia, going on to leave his indelible mark on the tournament.

The experienced Mallia played for Fiamme Azzurre Roma and the Italian team went on to win the tournament after beating home side Atlas in the final.

There were 16 teams taking part, divided into two groups.

Valletta Subbuteo Club rep-resented the country in the Champions League.

Valletta managed a joint fourth place in their group, the same as Perugia on six points.

However, Perugia went through to the quarter-finals having won the direct encounter against the Malta champions 3-0.

In other group matches, Valletta beat Atlas 2-0 and Olympia 3-1 but lost to Weiner Neustadt (Austria) 2-1 and Pisa (Italy) 1-0.

The group was topped by Pisa with 11 points followed by Atlas and Neustadt, both eight, Perugia and Valletta, six, and Olympia two.

The city team was composed of Derek Conti (captain), Samuel Bartolo, Joe Borg Bonaci, Mario Camilleri, Joe Zammit Pavia and Chris Thomas.

Roma eliminated Neustadt in the last eight and Stembert, of Belgium, in the semis.

In the other semi-final, Reggiana, with Massimo Cremona in the side, were beaten by Atlas who had Mark Gauci in their squad.

The final was a one-sided affair as Roma took a 2-0 half-time lead and never looked back.

They went on to win the match 3-1 with Mallia playing a prime role in his team’s success.

Fiamme Azzurre Roma were making their first showing in the tournament.