Courtesy: Times of Malta


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.




Courtesy: The Independent


Coach Hermans says amateur players should be allowed to play futsal

06 September 2011

Malta coach Vic Hermans said yesterday that local amateur football players should be allowed to play the game of futsal.

He conceded that football is the No. 1 game, but added: “If we want to see the game of futsal growing here in Malta, then amateur football players should be allowed to take part in futsal as well. I can say that many local coaches are not in favour of such an idea. As a coach, I fully understand their approach to this idea, but the MFA and the clubs should discuss the situation for an overall improvement.”

Hermans was speaking yesterday morning, after Sunday evening’s 2-1 win against Switzerland in the friendly tournament in which Greece and the United Arab Emirates are also taking part and before yesterday’s match against Greece. Malta’s final commitment is scheduled for tomorrow, the third and final day of the tournament, when it faces the United Arab Emirates at 8pm at the Hibernians Corradino Pavilion.

Hermans said it is important that Malta introduces a new sporting mentality. “There is a lot of talent, but we are not making full use of it. They should do what other countries are doing. Take for example, the Netherlands. It is considered a small country. Yet they are among the top teams in the world of football. Why cannot Malta produce more good players?” he asked.

He said the victory over Switzerland on Sunday evening showed and confirmed the progress of the team since his arrival here on a two-year contract. “I was very pleased with how we controlled the match.

“Only one thing went wrong. We were all disappointed with the poor attendance for this match,” he remarked.

Player Xavier Saliba, who scored the winner in the last minute against Switzerland, was euphoric: “It was a big sensational moment to score the winner in the last minute. It was our first ever win at home and we played our hearts out. I sincerely thank the coach for what he has been doing for us,” he said.

Captain John Cutajar said it was a positive result and performance. “This match showed that there has been significant improvement by the Malta team. We were disappointed with the small crowd that turned up. We expect more support in such matches as this will help us in our efforts to continue building on what we have started,” he said.




Posted by Luca Ranocchiari --> luca.ranocchiari@futsalplanet.com