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Prime Minister: ‘I Am Ready To Help Young Maltese Footballers Leave Their Comfort Zone And Play Overseas’

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Prime Minister Joseph Muscat has said the government is ready to help young Maltese footballers leave the comfort of the islands behind them and try their luck overseas.

“Coaches have told me that young Maltese footballers manage to achieve great results but get lost somewhere along the way,” Muscat told a political rally. “In other countries, these youths would go to specialised schools, detach themselves from their families and learn to fend for themselves, but in Malta, we lose these players when they turn 15 or 16.”

“I have heard stories of young Maltese players who were wanted by foreign clubs but who turned the offers down because they didn’t want to leave home,” Muscat continued. “We need to introduce a competitive mentality among our players, and the state is ready to help them if needs be.”

Muscat warned these youths not to expect instant luxurious lifestyles, but rather await a payoff in the long run as they learn to live and train as professionals and rub shoulders with players of a similar or higher calibre

“A move abroad often comes at great sacrifice to the players.” he said. “The players won’t be based at the luxury training centres of the top clubs and possibly won’t even earn as much as they would in Malta, but they’ll develop their skills.”

He hailed young footballers should follow in the footsteps of Malta’s under-17 waterpolo team, which recently qualified for the European Championships.

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Joseph Muscat with Malta’s U-17 waterpolo team

“These youths have been training practically everyday and have taken part in tournaments overseas against the very best in the business so as to improve their stamina,” he said. “Now, they have qualified for the European Championships for the very first time, after winning three out of their four qualification games by a handsome margin.”

The Prime Minister’s call echoes one recently made by Malta’s former captain André Schembri, one of only a handful of Maltese players who forged a career overseas in recent years.

Schembri has said that, with the right professional set-up, Malta has the potential to emulate Iceland, which qualified for the 2018 World Cup despite having a smaller population than Malta’s.

Cover photo: Malta’s U-19 team celebrates a victory over Lithuania in November 2018. Photo: MFA

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Tim is interested in the rapid evolution of human society and is passionate about justice, human rights and cutting-edge political debates. You can follow him on Instagram or Twitter/X at @timdiacono or reach out to him at [email protected]

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