Sliema W. in bid to stage home leg at 'home' venue

Premier League club Sliema Wanderers are most likely to play the first leg of their Champions League first qualifying round tie against FC Skonto in Malta after all.

Livid about the MFA's decision to impose a Lm5,000 fee for the use of the National Stadium for Champions League matches, Sliema Wanderers president Robert Arrigo had said that his club requested that both legs take place in Riga, Latvia.

It seems that the feedback Sliema received from UEFA was not very encouraging and, with the deadline to name the venue of the home leg looming large, Sliema are now trying to get UEFA's go-ahead to stage the match at the Hibernians Ground.

The problem with their proposal is that the Hibs Ground does not meet the criteria established by UEFA for venues hosting Champions League and UEFA Cup matches.

John Bugeja, secretary of Sliema Wanderers, yesterday told The Times that his club were now considering local venues for the home leg. Sliema play their first tie against FC Skonto on July 16 with the second leg scheduled for a week later in Latvia.

"We have proposed to UEFA to play the home leg of our Champions League match at the Hibs Ground," Bugeja said.

An MFA spokesman said that clubs officially had to name the venues of the home ties by noon yesterday but Sliema were granted an extension.

The Wanderers are clearly reluctant to pay Lm5,000 for the use of the National Stadium.

On their part, Birkirkara and Valletta must pay Lm1,000 to host the first legs of their UEFA Cup matches at Ta' Qali. FA Trophy winners Birkirkara have been drawn against Hungary's Ferencvaros and Valletta take on Swiss side Neuchatel Xamax.

Sliema would have no other choice but to hold their match at the National Stadium if their bid to use the Hibs Ground fails. Only all-seated stadia qualify to host Champions League and UEFA Cup matches.

Bugeja said that Jesmond Mugliett, Minister for Youth and the Arts, has pledged to help Sliema in this matter.

Meanwhile, Sliema midfielder Massimo Grima has been suspended for three months by the Malta FA Executive Committee after failing a dope test. His ban starts on August 1.

The MFA are expected to announce their sanction against Grima in tomorrow's council meeting but well-placed sources yesterday confirmed the three-month ban.

Grima was quoted as saying that the substance for which he tested positive was contained in weight-loss tablets he was taking. The former Malta U-21 midfielder remains eligible to play for Sliema in European commitments.

Turner favourite for player of the year award

Sliema skipper Noel Turner is set to be officially declared as the winner of the MFA Player of the Year 2002-2003 award at tomorrow's council meeting at the Centenary Hall.

After the first voting procedure, the Sliema midfielder amassed 60 points, one more than Birkirkara striker Michael Galea.

In the past few weeks, the five candidates, namely Turner, Galea, William Camenzuli (Birkirkara), Nicky Saliba (Valletta) and Adrian Mifsud (Hibs) had their tallies revised via a points' system which takes into consideration the number of Premier League appearances, the number of yellow cards and red cards and also the number of international caps.

Turner's international status makes him the surefire favourite to collect his second MFA player of the year award after that of 1996. Galea's appearances for the senior national team have been few and far between in the last four years.

Alternattiva Demokratika disagrees with the Lm5,000 fee imposed on clubs for the use of the National Stadium for the Champions League ties. In a statement, the spokesperson for civil society, Michael Briguglio, said the fee adds extra financial burden on local clubs.