Changes in the technical setup of the National Teams

The Malta FA announces a number of changes in the composition of its technical staff in view of the next competitions involving the various categories. Former U17 coach Ivan Woods has been appointed as U21 National Team Coach and will also be replacing Alessandro Zinnari as Technical Coordinator across all categories, under the guidance of National Teams Head Coach Michele Marcolini.

The restructuring also brings in new faces in various coaching and support positions across different age categories.

Ivan Woods will be taking the role of U21 Coach, replacing interim coach Francesco Macri, who filled in after Gilbert Agius moved on to coach in Indonesia in November 2022. He will be assisted by Francesco Macri and Herman Bugeja.

In the Under 19 category, Paul Gatt has been appointed as Coach, succeeding Toze Mendes, who will be moving back to his native Portugal. Stefano Grima remains as Assistant coach with Alex Ramella taking over as new Goalkeepers Coach, replacing former national team goalkeeper Andrew Hogg.

Facundo Styk, the National A Team's match analyst, will now also lead the U-18 squad, which was previously led by Jonathan Holland.

In addition to his role as assistant to the U-21 Coach, Francesco Macri will also lead the U-17 team. Assisting him are Stefano Grima and Mario Capece in the Goalkeepers department.

Newly appointed coach Piero Panzanaro will take over as U-16 Coach while also joining Marcolini’s staff with the A Team.

Jonathan Holland will head the U15 squad, assisted by former Football Hubs coach Adrian Buttigieg.

Women's National Teams

Vince Galea has been appointed as the Women's U17 Coach and Women’s Technical Coordinator, a new role aimed at strengthening the unified approach in the women's national teams in the same way as done across the male teams. He will be assisted by former national team player Martina Borg and Michelle Zahra in the Goalkeepers department.

Upcoming Matches

A friendly match between Malta and Gibraltar is scheduled for Wednesday 6th September at the Ta' Qali National Stadium with kick-off at 20:00hrs. The match will serve preparation for the European Qualifier against North Macedonia on the 12th September 2023 at the Ta’ Qali National Stadium (kick-off 20:45).