Maltese journalists Matthew Mamo and Domenic Aquilina preview Thursday’s UEFA Europa League tie with Birkirkara FC
Domenic Aquilina is UEFA.com’s Maltese football correspondent and has been following the country’s national team and clubs across the world for more than a decade…
“This one is quite big for Maltese football. The Maltese public is certainly looking forward to it, it’s a big match this evening and I’m sure it will be almost a full house.
“Birkirkara have surprised quite a few critics, even here in Malta, even at this early stage of the season. They did well against Ulisses of Armenia, but I mean West Ham are a big club. They went to the Boleyn Ground and were a little unlucky. Everyone knows the strength of West Ham United.
“The funny thing is that, at the match, there will be Maltese nationals wearing the West Ham jersey.
“The link between the British and Maltese football is very long and historic, as Birkirkara are the official FA Trophy holders, which is the national cup of Malta. The FA Trophy itself was awarded to the Malta FA by the British, so it’s one of the most coveted silverware in Europe. It will be interesting to see how this friendly rivalry plays out on Thursday.”
“This one is quite big for Maltese football. The Maltese public is certainly looking forward to it, it’s a big match this evening and I’m sure it will be almost a full house.
“Birkirkara have surprised quite a few critics, even here in Malta, even at this early stage of the season. They did well against Ulisses of Armenia, but I mean West Ham are a big club. They went to the Boleyn Ground and were a little unlucky. Everyone knows the strength of West Ham United.
“The funny thing is that, at the match, there will be Maltese nationals wearing the West Ham jersey.
“The link between the British and Maltese football is very long and historic, as Birkirkara are the official FA Trophy holders, which is the national cup of Malta. The FA Trophy itself was awarded to the Malta FA by the British, so it’s one of the most coveted silverware in Europe. It will be interesting to see how this friendly rivalry plays out on Thursday.”
Matthew Mamo is based in the town of Dingli on Malta’s west coast and is an assistant producer with Net Television
"There is huge demand for tickets for Thursday evening. On social media there are a lot of people asking for tickets for the game. For Malta, having a Club like West Ham in the country is not a common occurrence. You saw the welcome West Ham got at the airport, the local fans are looking forward to this match and it is not only the Birkirkara fans, it’s a common sensation.
"You have to keep in mind that in Malta, Italian football and English football are the most followed leagues in the world and you have many thousands of fans who support one club or another from these two leagues.
"Even though they’re not the most popular, we Maltese understand that West Ham have a long, honourable history, so they look up to West Ham and British players. Of course we will all support our local team. Even though I as a journalist am a neutral supporter, having West Ham here is huge exposure for Maltese football.
"West Ham have the quality, of course, as Maltese clubs don’t have players who cost £13 million. Birkirkara will go out there and do their utmost to at least challenge West Ham and who knows, maybe there will be a surprise!"
The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of West Ham United.
"There is huge demand for tickets for Thursday evening. On social media there are a lot of people asking for tickets for the game. For Malta, having a Club like West Ham in the country is not a common occurrence. You saw the welcome West Ham got at the airport, the local fans are looking forward to this match and it is not only the Birkirkara fans, it’s a common sensation.
"You have to keep in mind that in Malta, Italian football and English football are the most followed leagues in the world and you have many thousands of fans who support one club or another from these two leagues.
"Even though they’re not the most popular, we Maltese understand that West Ham have a long, honourable history, so they look up to West Ham and British players. Of course we will all support our local team. Even though I as a journalist am a neutral supporter, having West Ham here is huge exposure for Maltese football.
"West Ham have the quality, of course, as Maltese clubs don’t have players who cost £13 million. Birkirkara will go out there and do their utmost to at least challenge West Ham and who knows, maybe there will be a surprise!"
The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of West Ham United.