The Malta FA is delighted to announce that the Malta Women’s National Team technical set-up has been boosted by the additions of Patrizia Panico and Herman Bugeja.
Panico, a renowned Italian former footballer, will be joining as Technical Advisor of the Women National Teams, while Bugeja, who is Head of Coach Education at the Association, has been named Assistant Coach of the Women’s National ‘A’ Team.
Panico is a well-known name in women’s football, having amassed 204 caps for the Italian National Team, scoring 110 goals in the process, the nation’s all-time top goalscorer. During her 23-year career in Italian football, she played for clubs such as Lazio Women, Torres Calcio, and Bardolino (now Verona), among others. She was named in the Italian Football Hall of Fame in the 2015, having won numerous honours during her career, including being top scorer of the Italian top flight on five occasions.
Following her retirement, she transitioned to coaching, joining the Italian Football Federation, where she coached several male youth teams. In 2021, she was named Head Coach of the ACF Fiorentina Women’s team, and last season served as Assistant Coach of the Olympique Lyonnais Féminin. She is a UEFA Pro Coach.
Photos courtesy of Malta FA
Bugeja is a renowned coach in Maltese football, with him currently also Head of Coach Education at the Malta FA, a role he has occupied since 2021. Bugeja is a UEFA Pro Coach, and provides a range of courses at the Malta FA, ranging from the Grassroots Leaders Course, all the way to UEFA C, UEFA B, UEFA A, and UEFA Pro courses.
Throughout his career, he has also served as member of the coaching staff of a number of local youth teams, including Pieta’ Hotspurs FC, Birkirkara FC, and Hibernians FC, among others.
These two appointments will help bolster Coach Manuela Tesse’s technical set-up, allowing for further development of the Malta FA’s Women’s Football department and the Malta Women’s National Team.
The Malta Women’s National ‘A’ Team has two international friendlies against Belarus coming up over the coming days, both at the Centenary Stadium. The first encounter will be on Saturday 25th October, with kick-off at 19:30hrs. This will be followed by another clash on Tuesday 28th October at 19:00hrs. Tickets for both matches are available from the Malta FA tickets portal, and the matches will also be live on the Malta FA YouTube channel.
In addition to this, the Malta Women’s Under-19 National Team is also in action this week with a double-header against Lebanon, also at the Centenary Stadium. The two sides will first face off on Wednesday 22nd October at 15:00hrs, before meeting again on Friday 24th October, with the same kick-off time. The matches will be live on the Malta FA YouTube channel.