In their bid to strengthen their squad with higher quality foreign players, Hamrun Spartans signed a three-year agreement with Genova International Sports Management. This was announced by Hamrun Spartans president Nunzio Antignani in the presence of new coach Giovanni Tedesco and team manager Gaetano Farruggio.

Nunzio Antignani, who stepped in as president mid-way through last season, will continue to lead the club while Joe Bugeja was confirmed as club administrator for the fifth consecutive year.

New coach Giovanni Tedesco thanked the club for this opportunity.

“I would like to thank the president and the committee for giving me this opportunity to join such an important club. We hope to bring back the enthusiasm and put Hamrun back where they belongs among the top clubs on the island.”

Tedesco would not be drawn in revealing his expectations for the coming season.

“We changed a lot and therefore it is too early to make predictions. We can only promise that we will give our hundred percent,” said the former Floriana and Birkirkara coach.

Tedesco’s technical staff will include team manager Gaetano Farruggio, physical trainer Antonio Romagnolo who has already worked with Tedesco at Foligno, Palermo and Floriana, pysiotherapist Michele Pellitteri who joins the club from Lazio while an agreement with a Maltese goalkeepers’ coach should be signed imminently.

The new Hamrun Spartans coach said that some of the key players will be staying at the club, including Triston Caruana, Daniel Zerafa, Karl Micallef and goalkeeper Jake Galea. Italian midfielder Marco Criaco will also extend his stay. New additions include Matthew Gauci, Azzopardi and Conor Borg.

“We now need to complete the squad with four or five players to have a more competitive squad. We need motivated players who are hungry for success. We will not rush as we have over a month left to decide,” said Tedesco.

Referring to Conor Borg – the former Floriana player who spent the past two years with the Primavera side of AS Roma, the Hamrun coach said that his signing shows the club’s ambition.

“A coach does not win alone: you need the fans, an organised club and the players. We will all work hard so that hopefully we will give Hamrun the trophy they have been longing for,” concluded Tedesco.

Nunzio Antignani said that this was the beginning of new adventure which will hopefully give the club satisfaction. He said that he was confident that with the appointment of Tedesco as new coach together with his staff and team manager Gaetano Farrugio, something good will happen.

He said that with the right players, coach and technical staff, Hamrun Spartans would have a good season which will satisfy the supporters’ expectations.

The Hamrun president said that having a particular objective at this stage was too early but the club will work day in day out to do well.

With regards to the prohibitions imposed by the Malta Football Association over salaries due to former players and coaches, Nunzio Antignani stressed that there is no problem to register new players as the club was working hard towards having the prohibitions lifted and that these were “95% solved.”