Italian Serie A side Catania and Serie B leaders Torino will be taking part in a quadrangular tournament together with Hibernians and Qormi as part of one-week training camps which the two Italian clubs will be carrying out in Malta.
The triangular tournament – Trofeo Portomasolive.com – will be played on Friday 30th December at the National Stadium, Ta’ Qali.
Details about the tournament were revealed during a press conference which was held at the Portomaso Casino on Monday.
MFA Head of Marketing Norman Saliba explained that as part of the association’s work to maximise the use of its facilities, these are constantly being promoted abroad with the main objective being that of attracting top-level teams to Malta.
Calcio Catania and FC Torino will be spending a one-week training camp and after expressing the wish to play a friendly game while here, the association suggested the idea of a quadrangular tournament which would serve as an attraction for the local sporting public and as an opportunity for local clubs.
Catania, led by former Roma and Sampdoria striker Vincenzo Montella, are currently joint-sixth in the Serie A with 21 points from 15 matches. Torino, on the other hand, lead the way in the Serie B with 41 points from 20 matches. The Granata’s coach is Giampiero Ventura.
Hibernians and Qormi were invited to participate according to an established criteria – the two teams which were lying in the top two places in the Premier League at the time. Valletta turned down the invitation.
The tournament – Trofeo Portomasolive.com – will be sponsored by Tumas Group. The MFA thanked Yorgen Fenech for the sponsorship which includes the trophies and the mementos which will be presented to the participating teams.
The Malta Tourism Authority is also supporting the event by providing services to the visiting teams and journalists. Norman Saliba said this tournament will also help to promote Malta abroad.
Torino arrive in Malta on December 27 while Catania arrive two days later. The tournament will be played on Friday 30th with the following fixtures:
18:30 Qormi vs Torino
19:30 Hibernians vs Catania
20:30 Final 3rd/4th place
21:30 Final
All games will be 45 minutes long and in all games, except for the final for 3rd/4th place, penalties will be taken in case of a draw.
Ticket prices will be the same as those for BOV Premier League matches. West Side A will be reserved for Hibernians and Torino supporters while West Side B will be reserved for supporters of Qormi and Catania.
Torino leave Malta on January 3 and Catania on January 5.
Also present for the press conference were Stephen Abela on behalf of Hibernians, Marco Ciantar on behalf of Qormi, Portomasolive Duty Manager Jonathan Gregory and Portomasolive.com General Manager Anthony Farrugia.