With the international commitments resuming in September, the Malta FA Technical Centre has finalised the coaching appointments for all national football teams, from the senior squad to the development teams.
The confirmation of the appointments for season 2021/22 caps a long and meticulous process by the Technical Centre spearheaded by Devis Mangia, the Head Coach of the National Teams and Technical Director.
There are no changes in the coaching staff of the Malta senior team with Mangia assisted by Davide Mazzotta and Guillermo Giacomazzi, Mario Capece confirmed as Goalkeepers’ Coach and Luca Pagani and Francesco Zanasi as fitness coaches. Facundo Styk occupies the role of Match Analyst, Alessandro Zinnari as the team’s Technical Co-ordinator and Keith Fenech as Team Manager.
The Under-21 and youth selections fall under the responsibility of Mangia and are supervised by Zinnari in his role as Technical Co-ordinator. Gilbert Agius, named as Malta Under-21 coach in March, heads the Under-21 side’s technical team with Francesco Macri as his assistant while Andrea Tedesco has been confirmed at the helm of the Malta Under-19 team with Stefano Grima as his assistant. Former Malta goalkeeper Andrew Hogg has been appointed Goalkeepers Coach of the Under-19 team, Angelo Petrelli is the new fitness coach while Giuseppe Di Santo has a dual role as U-19 assistant coach and match analyst.
Photo: Copyright domenic aquilina
At Under-17 level, Ivan Woods has taken over as coach with Herman Bugeja joining as assistant coach alongside Andrea Vella. The latter has retained his role as Malta Under-16 coach with Bugeja as his assistant along with Di Santo while the Under-15 team is under the guidance of Macri who is assisted by Charlie Xerri.
UNIFIED PHILOSOPHY
Commenting on the coaching appointments, Mangia said: “I am pleased that the coaching appointments for the national selections for season 2021/22 have been confirmed. The process followed a set of established criteria in line with the vision of the Technical Centre which is enshrined in the strategy of the Association.
“Despite the disruptions caused by COVID-19, we have persevered in our commitment to sustain the implementation of a unified game philosophy for all the national teams. In this context, the appointment of coaches who are not only qualified and competent but also share our enthusiasm and determination to raise the standards of our players and teams as well as their own is crucial to achieve our objectives.
PLAYER PATHWAY
“While results are important in football, consistency and continuity in the technical sector are also key to the long-term progress of Maltese football. It is also for this reason that a number coaches are working with different age-groups, especially in the development phase, as we remaining fully committed to supporting the player pathway and the development of coaches.”
SENIOR NATIONAL TEAM
Head Coach – Devis Mangia
Assistant Coach – Davide Mazzotta
Assistant Coach – Guillermo Giacomazzi
Goalkeepers Coach – Mario Capece
Fitness Coach – Luca Pagani
Fitness Coach – Francesco Zanasi
Match Analyst – Facundo Styk
Technical Coordinator – Alessandro Zinnari
Team Manager – Keith Fenech
NEXT COMMITMENTS
(HOME) 01.09.2021 FIFA World Cup 2022 – Malta vs Cyprus
(AWAY) 04.09.2021 FIFA World Cup 2022 – Slovenia vs Malta
(AWAY) 07.09.2021 FIFA World Cup 2022 – Russia vs Malta
UNDER-21
Coach – Gilbert Agius
Assistant Coach – Francesco Macri
Goalkeepers Coach – Charles Sciberras
Fitness Coach – Karl Attard
Match Analyst – Liam Sheridan
Team Manager – Sean Sullivan
NEXT COMMITMENTS
(HOME) 03.09.2021 UEFA U21 2021/23 – Malta vs Northern Ireland
(AWAY) 07.09.2021 UEFA U21 2021/23 – Russia vs Malta
UNDER-19
Coach – Andrea Tedesco
Assistant Coach – Stefano Grima
Goalkeepers Coach – Andrew Hogg
Fitness Coach – Angelo Petrelli
Match Analyst & Assistant Coach – Giuseppe Di Santo
Team Manager – Daniel Theuma
NEXT COMMITMENTS
(AWAY) 02.09.2021 INTERNATIONAL FRIENDLY – Bulgaria vs Malta
(AWAY) 05.09.2021 INTERNATIONAL FRIENDLY – Bulgaria vs Malta
UNDER-17
Coach – Ivan Woods
Assistant Coach – Andrea Vella
Assistant Coach – Herman Bugeja
Goalkeepers Coach – Sam Bartolo
Fitness Coach – Luca Pagani
Fitness Coach – Emerson Farrugia
Team Manager – Fabrizio Attanzio
NEXT COMMITMENTS
U-17 Trofeo Nereo Rocco in Italy U17
03.09.2021 – Rijeka vs Malta
04.09.2021 – Udinese vs Malta
05.09.2021 – Bologna vs Malta
UNDER-16
Coach – Andrea Vella
Assistant Coach – Herman Bugeja
Assistant Coach – Giuseppe Di Santo
Goalkeepers Coach – Sam Bartolo
Fitness Coach – Angelo Petrelli
Fitness Coach – Emerson Farrugia
Team Manager – Fabrizio Attanzio
UNDER-15
Coach – Francesco Macri
Assistant Coach – Carmel Xerri
GK Coach – Charles Sciberras
Fitness Coach – Karl Attard