The Malta national team lost to Luxembourg 0–5 on aggregate over two matches last March, missing the chance to gain promotion to League C of the UEFA Nations League. The result, painful in itself, once again brought to the fore the question of player resources and the quality of development of local players.

Against this backdrop, Maltese coach Ramon Falzon publicly called for a review of the homegrown player quotas in the Maltese Premier League in an interview in The Malta Independent on Sunday. In his view, if the country wants to climb the FIFA ranking, serious steps must be taken without delay.

A Coach Forged by Australian Football

Ramon Falzon spent more than a decade in Australia, where he worked within the A-League youth development system, served on the coaching staff of the national team, led the Western Australia men’s team, and managed Perth Azzurri SC in the National Premier League (NPL). He received the Ron Tindall Coach of the Year award three times (2018, 2019, 2021). Falzon returned to Malta for personal reasons, bringing with him experience from an environment where football is structured in a fundamentally different way.

“In 10 Years, There Will Be No One Left to Play for the National Team”

The essence of Falzon’s position can be reduced to a simple formula: either quotas or research. He is convinced that the current system does not adequately protect Maltese homegrown players and warns of the consequences of inaction. “With the current approach, in 10 years the national team will effectively cease to exist. There will either be no players at all, or almost none with Maltese surnames,” he stated. At the same time, Falzon does not advocate blindly copying extreme measures from elsewhere, but insists on bringing the issue to a head.

How Many Foreigners Maltese Regulations Allow

The current Maltese Premier League rules allow up to eight non-homegrown players — those who did not receive their training at local clubs — to be fielded simultaneously. A squad list of 28 players may include up to 14 such players, and if loan players are involved, that figure rises to 16.

The matchday squad may include up to 11 non-homegrown players (previously the limit was nine), but their number must not exceed the number of homegrown players.

The 2023 Relaxation as the Backdrop for Criticism

In the summer of 2023, the Malta Football Association expanded squad lists from 24 to 28 players, increased the opportunities for recruiting foreign players, and reduced the minimum number of homegrown players required to be on the pitch from four to three. It is precisely this relaxation that became the starting point for Falzon’s criticism.

Figures That Speak Louder Than Words

The contrast between Australia and Malta in the FIFA ranking is striking. Australia sits 27th in the men’s ranking and 15th in the women’s, as it prepares for the 2026 World Cup. Malta is ranked 162nd among men and 89th among women, alongside Eswatini, Grenada, and South Sudan.

How Australia “Protected Its Own” and What It Gained in Return

The Australian experience forms a clear chain of cause and effect.

• Following elimination at the 2010 World Cup group stage, the federation committed to developing homegrown talent and restricted the national team coaching staff to Australian coaches only.
• NPL clubs introduced a strict limit: no more than three foreign players in the squad, plus a mandatory presence of six young players (three under 23 and three under 20).
• A short-term drop in quality was accepted as a deliberate “price” for the restructuring.
• Over the long term, competitiveness improved: Australia has qualified for every World Cup since 2006, reaching the Round of 16 on two occasions.

An even more radical step was the recent requirement that all professional goalkeepers in the country be Australian. Falzon described this measure as “extreme,” but emphasized that it reflects a principled commitment to protecting talent.

The Talent Is There, but It Disappears After the Age of Fifteen

Based on Falzon’s observations, the raw talent of Maltese and Australian young footballers at U15 level is broadly comparable. However, from the age of 15, their paths diverge. Maltese players, he argues, fall behind in three areas: training standards, match intensity, and the professionalism of the training process.

The defensive habits of Maltese clubs widen the gap further. Slowing the tempo and relying on a destructive style prevent players from regularly developing the skills required at the international level. In Australia, by contrast, an attacking style is regarded as an unconditional value. Falzon recalled how, after a tactical 1–0 victory achieved through defensive play, even the club president expressed dissatisfaction with the approach.

Small Countries That Have Found the Formula

Curaçao, an island nation with a population of around 156,000, has secured a place among the 48 participants in the upcoming World Cup. This fact refutes the argument that small size condemns a nation to perennial underachievement.

Meanwhile, interest in Maltese football is growing faster than one might expect from a country with a population of half a million. Broadcast ratings for Maltese Premier League matches already surpass viewership figures for many popular television series and even live game shows, which, according to https://livegameshows.org/, have also been actively expanding their audience in recent years. The paradox is that public demand is outpacing the quality of the product on the pitch, and it is precisely this gap between audience attention and the level of play that makes reform all the more urgent.

For Malta, however, Falzon considers Iceland a more relevant benchmark. Iceland also competes within the UEFA system, yet managed to make its debut at Euro 2016, sensationally defeating England, and went on to qualify for the 2018 World Cup. The Icelandic breakthrough was the result of structural reforms and a shift in football culture.

From Ball Pressure to Natural Grass

Falzon also drew attention to everyday but significant details. Among his observations:

• Balls used in children’s and youth matches are often inflated to incorrect pressure (PSI), posing a health risk to young players when heading the ball.
• The artificial pitches on which children train are frequently more than ten years old and in poor condition.
• Basic infrastructure requires regular updating and quality control.

None of the three pitches used for top-flight matches has a proper natural grass surface. Falzon dismissed references to the Maltese climate as “an excuse,” pointing to Perth, where summer temperatures regularly exceed 40°C and a depleted ozone layer makes conditions even harsher. Nevertheless, natural grass in Perth is considered the norm, and abandoning it is simply unthinkable.

Delay Will Come at an Ever-Higher Cost

Falzon emphasized that with every year of inaction, the gap between Malta and its competitors only widens. He called for either tightening homegrown player quotas or, at the very least, commissioning a professional study into the optimal development model. “The biggest shift that needs to happen in Malta is a mental one,” the coach stated, adding that change will not happen overnight, but that a start must be made today in order to see at least the first results within two to three years.