by Birkirkara have taken the one-club philosophy to a whole new level by appointing Jose’ Borg as head coach of the men’s senior team until the end of the season, while there will be no changes from his obligations as head coach of the women’s senior team.
The club put out the official statement this evening, stating that Borg will undertake the duties of the head coach of the men’s team until the end of the season. The Stripes’ men’s team had been operating under the interim tutelage of Brian Chetcuti, since Giovanni Tedesco stepped down as head coach in November.
According to the public statement, the club decided to internally promote Jose’ Borg following the expiry of the maximum sixty-day period of Chetcuti’s involvement as interim coach. Going forward, Brian Chetcuti will act as Jose’ Borg’s assistant coach. Birkirkara’s men’s team currently sit in seventh place with 21 points in the BOV Premier League.
The added responsibility splits the focus of the coach in leading the women’s team with that of the men’s. However, according to the club, “Mr. Borg’s current responsibilities with the club’s women’s team will remain unchanged, and the club is committed to supporting the women’s team in achieving its season’s objectives.”
Questioned as to how the club will deal with a potential clash between the men’s and women’s team matches, the response from the club was that requests to the MFA have been already made to avoid clashes in fixtures so that the coach can attend to both duties accordingly.
This Friday presents the first such case as the men’s team will be competing against Valletta in the BOV Premier League at 19:00, while the women’s team meet Mgarr United for the Assikura Women’s League encounter at 20:30.
Despite increased competition in the women’s league, Borg has been successfully steering the women’s team toward their twelfth and record-equalling title. They currently sit top of the Assikura Women’s League table with a 7-point lead over Swieqi United. However, the direct confrontation nature of the final phase mean that things could switch quickly should the Stripes hit a dip in form.
Birkirkara’s decision continues to instigate more disruption into the coaching situations of clubs competing in the Assikura Women’s League. Three teams (Hibernians, Mgarr United and Mtarfa) changed their head coaches in January. Meanwhile, the future of Saviour Darmanin at Swieqi United remains open to speculation following his absence on Saturday, while Jose’ Borg will now be taking new duties within the club aside from the senior women’s team.
Lead Image: Lara Schembri
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