Balzan and Pembroke were drawn to face each other in the FA Trophy semifinals and this means that the winner of this encounter will be playing in their first ever FA Trophy final.
The other semifinal will pit Birkirkara, the holders and once again hot favourites, against Sliema Wanderers.
The first semifinal, that between Birkirkara and Sliema is to be played on Saturday 7 May. The Balzan-Pembroke clash will be played on Sunday 8 May. Both matches are scheduled to be played at the National Stadium, Ta' Qali, and will commence at 5pm.
Addressing a news conference this morning, Bjorn Vassallo, MFA Secretary General, said it was great to have two of the lower placed clubs in the Premier League – eighth placed Sliema and ninth placed Pembroke – among the last four in the competition.
He also confirmed that Sliema and Pembroke are out of contention for a place in the Europa League next season, adding that both had applied to take part, but then had withdrawn their application.
He also confirmed the recent news that the famous FA Trophy will be presented to the winners for the last time. "It was presented in 1933 to the MFA on behalf of those fans who had travelled to London to give their support to the English national team in a match against Italy. After 83 years, the trophy to be played for as from next season will be a new one. The new trophy will be presented by the English FA to the MFA on the occasion of the England-Malta game at Wembley Stadium in October.
The current trophy, which is presently in London to have the new one designed on similar lines, will then have its rightful place in the MFA Museum," said Vassallo.
The MFA secretary general also said that football was alive on these islands. "Despite the negative comments, and the small attendances, we are aware of the interest of the public in local football. Be it at the stadium, in the clubs, on the church parvis, in bars and restaurants, practically everywhere, you can hear several people speaking about the game of football which is still, by far, the number one sport on these islands," he added.
from The Malta Independent http://ift.tt/235RL2Y
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