Football passion, charitable acts make Borg a happy man

The euphoria generated by AC Milan's presence on the Maltese islands has slowly started to fade after the Rossoneri returned home yesterday afternoon.

For seven days, the Milan fans were in dreamland, their enthusiasm no doubt a key ingredient of this memorable experience.

All this was possible thanks to those people from Birkirkara FC who had the willpower to take up the challenge, both financially and logistically, of hosting a training camp for one of Europe's football heavyweights.

Prominent among them is John Borg, the club's international secretary. 'Crusher', as Borg is widely known, laid down the groundwork for Milan's much-publicised visit.

Now established as a key member of the European Club Forum within UEFA, Borg exploited his close ties with Umberto Gandini, Managing Director at Milan, to throw Malta's name in the ring when he learnt of the Rossoneri's intentions to hold a winter training camp abroad.

As the mastermind of this venture, Borg had unrestricted access to the Milan squad during their sojourn here. No prizes for guessing that Borg's popularity has soared significantly over the past eight days, what with images of him accompanying the Milan squad appearing on all local media.

"For me, this training camp represents the realisation of a lifetime dream," Borg told The Times yesterday.

"It is the first time I've been involved in the organisation of an event of such magnitude but I hope it's not the last.

"The experience we've gained while planning for this training camp is invaluable. It's been a busy period for the organising team because we didn't have much time to prepare.

"Milan's confirmation only came a few weeks ago. We worked our socks off to put together a solid logistical plan.

"Overall, I think the organisation was excellent but we've also taken note of a few aspects which could have been better.

"There can't be a better judge of the organisation of this event other than Milan themselves and they only had words of praise to say about their experience here. They were genuinely impressed about the efficiency and hospitality afforded to them. This excellent feedback makes me believe that Milan will visit Malta again in the near future.

"Now that this incredible experience has come to an end, I want to express my gratitude to the other members of the organising team, namely Joe Zammit, Mark Gauci, Pierre Camilleri and Gilbert Agius, the sponsors and all those who contributed to the success of this event."

Invited to recount his personal experience during the past eight days, Borg said: "My duty was to ensure that the needs of the distinguished guests were attended to. I made myself available 24 hours a day. It's been hard work and I've never felt so tired but it was worth it.

"Milan treated me like one of their own and that gave me great satisfaction.

"Everyday during breakfast, Carlo Ancelotti, the Milan delegates and myself reviewed the programme for the day to ensure that everything went smoothly.

"I was very impressed with the players' behaviour. They know what their responsibilities are and they respected them to the full. They were always punctual.

"There was also the usual good-humoured banter among the players. The atmosphere was very jovial, especially on those days when Giuseppe Favalli and Gennaro Gattuso celebrated their birthdays.

"From a personal perspective, I really feel privileged to have had the opportunity of observing the impeccable organisation of a top club."

As far as football talent goes, most of the Milan players are up there with the best in the world. Top players, the likes of Paolo Maldini, Kaka, Gattuso, Clarence Seedorf and Filippo Inzaghi enjoy celebrity status but they have gained Borg's admiration thanks to their humble approach.

"Football-wise, the highlight of this experience was that moment when I entered the National Stadium and saw the stands packed with fans," Borg said.

"The atmosphere was great and the match lived up to expectations as a spectacle of football. I was also genuinely touched by the message on one banner in the Birkirkara side. It read: 'Another success. Well done Crusher'."

Away from the football pitch, the Milan players and coaches carried out generous acts with disabled persons. One particular episode will stay with Borg forever.

"Ancelotti and Kaka agreed to visit a family at their home in Pembroke," he said. "A member of this family is a young Milan fan, Daniel. He suffers from a very rare condition.

"This family has been basically living in total darkness for some 15 years as exposure to any form of light could prove fatal for Daniel.

"Kaka, Ancelotti and myself spent about 20 minutes at their home and it was such an emotional experience. There are no words to describe what I felt.

"I could not hold back the tears on seeing Daniel's happiness when he met his idols.

"The same goes for Ancelotti and Kaka. They hugged Daniel on several occasions.

"For only 20 seconds, Daniel put on special glasses so he could take a commemorative photo under dim light. After that brief interlude, it was back to darkness with only the flickering flames of candles scattered around the house, being the only source of lighting.

"It was such a poignant experience, one which has changed my perspective towards life. Life is indeed hard for Daniel and his family but I'm so pleased that the visit of Kaka and Ancelotti made them so happy.

"I also promise Daniel's family that, through my involvement in football, I will do my best to support them."

Expenses, counterfeit tickets

At the launching of Milan's Malta tour late last month, Victor Zammit, the Birkirkara chairman, observed that the expenses required to hold a venture of this size are so high, that their priority was to balance the books.

Without disclosing the estimate of the total expenditure, Borg is confident that the organisers will not lose money out of this venture.

"We've made our projections but we can't come up with a precise amount until we've settled the bills," Borg said.

"The cost of this event runs into hundreds of thousands of Maltese liri but the excellent response from the sponsors and the general public makes me confident that we will not make a loss."

More than 17,000 people watched the friendly on Tuesday. Borg revealed that the organisers discovered more than a hundred counterfeit tickets before the match.

"The only sore point on Tuesday was the discovery of a hundred or so fake tickets," Borg said.

"The victims of this callous act included several children. Unfortunately, these persons were unable to watch the game from the seat indicated on the ticket but they were still allowed inside.

"We have done our utmost to assuage the disappointment of those unlucky souls who purchased counterfeit tickets. The children have been allowed to see Milan's training session today (yesterday) free of charge."

With Milan now back in Italy, Borg will take a deserved break knowing that his efforts have enhanced the lives of so many people on the Maltese islands.