Camilleri, Licari ruled out by injuries as Held names final squad

It's 9.15 a.m. and the national squad players are going through their motions under the watchful eyes of coach Siegfried Held, at the centre of so much controversy last week.

The national team's training session yesterday morning was probably Held's last at the Ta' Qali grounds as the former West Germany international's contract with the Malta FA expires after Wednesday's final EURO 2004 Group One qualifier against Israel in Antalya, Turkey.

Held has already made travel arrangements to return to Dortmund and the overnight showers and ensuing clouds hovering over the Ta' Qali area yesterday morning will have reminded the German of the weather he is likely to contract more often once he leaves this holiday island, as Malta has been described in that infamous article in Spiegel Online.

At the end of the last home session before the squad's departure to Turkey, Held normally reads out the names of those players selected in his final squad. This exercise is not regarded as a pleasant experience for coaches and players alike, as omission from the squad is hard to take for those who are left out.

Just ask veteran Joe Brincat, whose frustration at being axed from the squad travelling to Luxembourg for last month's friendly prompted him to announce his international retirement earlier than expected.

Injuries to several key players meant that Held's final squad was not the cause of heartache for some members as the German had the minimum number of players at his disposal.

David Camilleri and Malcolm Licari, both of Marsaxlokk, pulled up early in yesterday's session and were immediately ruled out of Wednesday's qualifier. Camilleri and Licari are both plagued by hamstring problems.

Newcomers Etienne Barbara and Michael Galea trained with the rest of the squad yesterday and both will make the trip to Antalya early today.

If yesterday's routine match between the members of the national team is indicative of the starting formation Held is pondering for Wednesday's qualifier, Barbara will make his debut in a central defensive position alongside Brian Said and William Camenzuli.

Justin Haber has been named in both the U-21 and senior squads as Held intends to promote him as the team's no. 2 in view of the absence of the suspended Saviour Darmanin.

Other important players who are out of the squad include Gilbert Agius (suspended) and Luke Dimech, George Mallia and Darren Debono, all injured.

Michael Mifsud is expected to join the squad in Turkey early this afternoon as he was due to turn out for the Kaiserslautern amateur team yesterday.

It also remains to be seen whether yesterday's session at Ta' Qali was the last under the current professional-semi-pro training scheme of some members of national team players. Speculation is rife at Ta' Qali that the national teams' training scheme will be discarded after Wednesday's match in Antalya but the Malta FA have so far not disclosed their future plans.

Presidents of the 10 Premier League clubs have been summoned for a meeting with MFA president Dr Joe Mifsud next Saturday at Ta' Qali. The players are also expected to discuss the matter with the MFA head in the coming weeks.

However, the biggest question mark hangs over the identity of Held's successor. Calls for the MFA to hand the national team's coaching job to a Maltese have grown louder and louder in the past few months, with Ray 'Zazu' Farrugia and Robert Gatt being bandied around as favourites to fill the vacancy if Mifsud decides to go local.

Other reports have tipped current MFA technical director Horst Heese and Mark Miller, the Malta U-21 coach, to take over the job after Held's departure.

Malta's 18-man squad:

Goalkeepers - M. Muscat (Hibernians), J. Haber (Birkirkara).

Defenders - J. Chetcuti (Sliema W.), C. Mamo (Sliema W.), B. Said (Sliema W.), D. Theuma (Valletta), E. Barbara (Marsaxlokk), W. Camenzuli (Birkirkara), D. Carabott (Marsaxlokk).

Midfielders - S. Giglio (Sliema W.), J. Holland (Floriana), N. Turner (Sliema W.), D. Bogdanovic (Sliema W.), M. Mifsud (Hibs).

Forwards - A. Mifsud (Hibs), M. Mifsud (Kaiserslautern), C. Nwoko (Birkirkara), M. Galea (Birkirkara).