Under-17 side to host UEFA mini-tournament starting on Saturday

The Malta Under-17 side will be engaged in Group 9 matches of the UEFA U-17 International tournament which is being hosted in Malta between Saturday 29th September and Thursday 4th October.

Besides Malta, the other teams in the group are Iceland, Portugal and Norway.

Our cadets will be coming up against stiff opposition but will no doubt perform to the best of their ability. Coach Branco Nisevic, assisted by Charles Scerri, has picked a squad from several premier and teams from other divisions. A number of players in the group have already had some experience at this representative level.

One hopes that the home factor will prove beneficial for our boys and that they are not overawed by the strength of the opposing teams. Maltese football followers are urged to attend for these matches in good numbers and give their all-out backing to our team.

It is to be noted that scouts from PSV Eindhoven of Holland and the French team Olympique Lyonnais, will be watching the tournament matches.

The programme of matches, five of which are to be played at the Centenary Stadium and another at the National Stadium, is as follows:

29th September 2012
13:00 Norway vs Malta at Centenary Stadium – Referee: Bardhyl Pashaj (ALB)
16:00 Portugal vs Iceland at Centenary Stadium – Referee: Alexander Harkam (AUT)

1st October 2012
13:00 Norway vs Iceland at Centenary Stadium – Referee: Bardhyl Pashaj (ALB)
16:00 Malta vs Portugal at Centenary Stadium – Referee: Radu Marian Petrescu (ROU)

4th October 2012
13:30 Portugal vs Norway at the National Stadium – Referee: Alexander Harkam (AUT)
13:30 Iceland vs Malta at Centenary Stadium – Referee: Radu Marian Petrescu (ROU)