by The Malta Football Association Awards were held on Saturday, with Stephania Farrugia & Luke Montebello walking away with the highest individual honours. While the awards offer plenty of reason to cheer, the night itself rang dissonant in plenty of elements that warrant analysis for future editions.
The Winners
Stephania Farrugia and Luke Montebello were the recipients of the Footballer of the Year awards in the female and male categories respectively, following their campaigns this season. Stephania Farrugia’s defending abilities shone for Birkirkara as they secured the treble, as well as with Malta in their promotion to League B and their exploits since. On his part, Luke Montebello topped the scoring charts in the BOV Premier League, enabling Hamrun Spartans to clinch their tenth domestic league title.
In fact, Montebello was also among the top scorer accolade receivers, together with Andre Carlos Penha da Costa (Melita – BOV Challenge League), Kurt Borg (Mtarfa – Izibet Amateur League) and Salamatu Abdulai (Swieqi United – Assikura Women’s League).
In the youth categories, Swieqi United’s Kaysia Micallef grabbed the award for Best Youth League player, having topped the scoring chart in the Assikura Women’s League while being an instrumental creator for the Owls. The team clinched the double in the youth categories, with Micallef also featuring extensively at senior level too. Ensell Attard was the recipient from the men’s categories following his showings with Mosta.
Ann-Marie Said was recipient of the inaugural ‘Gozitan Achievement Award’, which is intended to reward Gozitan players for their efforts to play in more competitive Maltese leagues, while recognising the extra hurdles to do so. Having started with S.K. Victoria Wanderers, Said has since established herself at the higher levels of Maltese football with Birkirkara, including their success in the UEFA Women’s Champions League, as well as being one of the players heavily involved in Malta’s success on international level.
Marsaxlokk’s Yuri Messias was deemed to be the Best Foreigner. The best players in the BOV Challenge League and the Izibet Amateur League were deemed to be Matthew Debattista (Melita FC) and Kurt Borg (Mtarfa FC). Meanwhile, Owen Spiteri of Floriana received the BOV Best Young Player of the Year accolade. Mauro German Camoranesi was chosen as the Best Coach of the Season, following his runner’s up finishes with Floriana in the BOV Premier League and the FA Trophy.
Sirens received the Fairplay Award, while Fgura United were given the Social Responsibility Award for their various social initiatives. The President’s Award went to Mario Mifsud, recognising his effort to beat addiction and dedicating his efforts to raise funds for Caritas.
Former player Joe Cini was inducted to the Hall of Fame, recognising his stellar career including being the first Maltese player to score in the English division with Queen’s Park Rangers.
The public chose Birkirkara’s Kaiden Fenech’s strike as the Best Goal of the season.
Room For Improvement
While there is no doubt that a lot of effort goes into such ceremonies, there are various elements that struck dissonant.
It was quite strange to see Luke Montebello getting handed the traditional Footballer of The Year trophy by President Bjorn Vassallo and being invited to say a few words by the presenter, while none of this transpired for his counterpart for the women’s game, Stephania Farrugia.
It is understood that the Footballer of The Year Award is equal for both men and women, so the difference was striking. Certainly, Farrugia should have been presented with the same trophy. Additionally, there is no doubt that her anecdote on the journey in winning another treble with Birkirkara, winning the first UWCL match on home soil and the euphoric moments that the Malta Women’s National Team has had this season, could have been inspirational to any young player watching.
In a similar vein, the footage of the Women’s National Football Team and the Men’s National Futsal Team brought back fond memories and was a positive touch. However, a few words from at least the head coaches of either team would have made the moment somewhat more special. This especially in view of the work done to achieve these feats and also giving a platform to highlight their future aspirations. Once again, there’s little wrong with adding a few words for inspiration.
Joe Cini was inducted into the Hall of Fame, while it appears that last year’s decision to induct both a female and a male has been scrapped with little explanation. The complete omission of a Foreign Player of the Year award, and Best Young Player award for women’s football will also need to be addressed.
The Best Coach award is also reserved for BOV Premier League coaches, making any coach leading teams the women’s game, as well as the lower tiers in men’s football ineligible. It’s worth considering that these coaches could be making miracles with likely the least resources available and probably this is another category that merits re-evaluation.
There is also no clear understanding why the Fair Play Award was limited to just the men’s three leagues i.e. the BOV Premier League, the BOV Challenge League and the Izibet Amateur League. Surely, the teams participating in the Assikura Women’s League deserve consideration.
Besides the stark inequalities in recognition for women’s counterparts, there was also the strange lack of willingness to use the awards as a platform to promote the MFA’s work and vision.
For one thing, the Women’s National Team is heading into a crucial home fixture this Friday, against Bosnia & Herzegovina in the UEFA Women’s European Qualifiers. It did not even warrant a mention, not even after dedicating a whole feature on reaching the promotion that secured the ability to play such a fixture in League B.
There was not even a hint of the pitches inaugurated, nor the hosting of the U17 EURO last summer. There was not even a whiff of the plans to execute the strategy that dominated discussions just a few weeks ago as the election reached its head. Surely, that’s an opportunity missed and one that is worth addressing in future editions.
Perhaps the main take-away is that, while it’s great that award shows give an opportunity to celebrate the achievements, it’s important to recognise all of them. Finally, as one celebrates those highs, it’s a good moment to encourage one to dream of even better things in the future.
FULL LIST OF WINNERS
Assikura Best Youth League Player (Women): Kaysia Micallef (Swieqi United).
Best Youth League Player (Men): Ensell Attard (Mosta).
BOV Best Young Player of the Year: Owen Spiteri (Floriana).
BOV Challenge League Best Player: Matthew Debattista (Melita).
Izibet Amateur League Best Player: Kurt Borg (Mtarfa).
Fair Play Award: Sirens FC.
The Gozitan Achievement Award: Ann Marie Said (Birkirkara).
Foreign Player of the Year: Yuri Messias (Marsaxlokk).
President’s Award: Miguel Mifsud.
The Football Social Responsibility Award: Fgura United.
Top Scorers:
Premier League: Luke Montebello (Ħamrun Spartans).
Challenge League: Andre Carlos Penha da Costa (Melita).
Amateur League: Kurt Borg (Mtarfa).
Women’s League: Salamatu Abdulai (Swieqi United).
Coach of the Year Award: Mauro Camoranesi (Floriana).
Hall of Fame: Joe Cini.
Best Goal of the Year Award: Kaiden Fenech (Birkirkara F.C.)
Footballer of the Year – Women – Stephania Farrugia (Birkirkara).
Footballer of the Year – Men – Luke Montebello (Ħamrun Spartans).
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