Second edition of Tipsport Malta Cup in January

The second edition of the Tipsport Malta Cup will be played at the National Stadium between January 25 and 27, 2020.

Four clubs, namely FC Banik Ostrava, FK Mlada Boleslav and FC Zbrojovka Brno, all from the Czech Republic, and Slovakian side FC DAC Dunajska Streda will be vying for the Tipsport Malta Cup.

The tournament, which is supported by the Malta Tourism Authority and sponsored by Tipsport, was launched during a well-attended press conference in Prague on Thursday.

All logistical aspects of the Tipsport Malta Cup and the training camps being held by the Czech and Slovakian teams in January are co-ordinated by MFA SportsPlus Limited. The visiting teams will be playing friendly matches against Maltese clubs with Hibernians and Balzan set to meet FK Mlada Boleslav and FC Zbrojovka Brno respectively. Discussions with other Maltese teams to play friendlies against the participants of the Tipsport Malta Cup are on-going.

“As MFA SportsPlus Limited, we are very pleased to be hosting the second edition of the Tipsport Malta Cup,” Helmut Amhof, from MFA SportsPlus Limited, said at the launch.

“We have excellent co-operation with Tipsport. Following the success of the first edition of the tournament, we are committed to further enhancing the quality of this event.

“The Malta Tourism Authority’s support is also a very important aspect of this project.”

Jimmy Attard, Senior Marketing Manager at the Malta Tourism Authority, said: “We are very pleased to be associated with this project.

“The Tipsport Malta Cup is a great opportunity to showcase the Maltese islands in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. We recognise the potential of tournaments of this kind and we believe that Malta is the ideal choice as hosting country.

“Sports tourism is a niche market and it is estimated that in 2019, over 15,000 people will have visited Malta to take part in sports events.”

Building on the encouraging media coverage for the 2019 Tipsport Malta Cup, the 2020 edition is again expected to receive significant media exposure in the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

The press conference on Thursday was also addressed by Tipsport representatives Lubomir Jezek and Vaclav Sochor, and former Czech Republic goalkeeper Jaromir Blazek, the tournament ambassador.

FC Zbrojovka Brno, the winners of the 2019 Tipsport Malta Cup, face FC Banik Ostrava in the first semi-final on January 25 at the National Stadium followed by the second semi-final between FK Mlada Boleslav and FC DAC Dunajska Streda.

The final and third-place matches are scheduled to take place on January 27 at the National Stadium. The matches kick off at 11.00 and 13.30.