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In 1973, a destitute Malta FA refused German kits and boots, but that was long before the era of sponsorships and promotions.
Last May, Malta’s national team coach Horst Heese managed to obtain football boots from Adidas, when Malta played Germany (0-7) in Freiburg. Apparently Mario Muscat, who has played in goal for Malta 57 times, did not wear them as he is personally sponsored by a different brand. He alleged that he was axed from the squad that met Iceland yesterday because of this episode while Heese insists that it was a technical decision, which in blunt terms means “poor form”. The national coach’s decision upset Muscat so much that he made it known that he will not wear the national team jersey as long as Heese is in charge.
During these days, national associations employ experts specifically to negotiate sponsorships with different firms, but the situation was totally different thirty odd years ago, especially with the Malta FA.
Believe it or not, the Malta FA then refused a donation of a full kit for the whole squad, at a time when the local body was penniless and certainly without a sponsor.
When I was national coach in the early seventies, the players knew little about sponsorships. They did not have agents, and very few appeared in promotional slots. They certainly did not have personal sponsors.
UEFA still believed in amateurism then, so much so that it had organised an international competition specifically for amateurs. In one of the editions that were staged, Malta was drawn to meet England and Germany. England’s manage was Charles Hughes who later became Director of Coaching at the Football Association, while the Germans were under the guidance of Jupp Derwall, a long-serving assistant to the more famous Helmut Schoen who, during the seventies had won the European Nations and World Cup titles for Germany. Derwall succeeded Schoen, and won the European championship in 1980.
I was appointed by the MFA to prepare the Malta team for this tournament and selected a few useful players who went on to have an impressive career - Robert Gatt, John Holland, Charles Scerri, Julian Holland, Richard Aquilina, Vince ‘Maxi’ Magro, Joe Micallef, and Tony Giglio were amongst those in my squad.
The team would have been stronger but Floriana FC elected to register George Ciantar, George Xuereb and Edwin Farrugia on professional forms a few weeks before the list was supplied to UEFA…
Offenbach 1973
In June 1973, we travelled to Offenbach for the match with the strong German side and during a training stint, held on the eve of the match, Maxi Magro complained that his boots were useless. As he did not have a second pair and among the few spares there were no small sizes, I went to Jupp Derwall, who was watching our session and whom I had known for a number of years, and asked him to help me solve Magro’s misery.
“I have a problem, Jupp,” and explained that one of my players had problems with his footwear. “Kein problem, kein problem,” he said and called the boot room geezer to attend to our needs.
I promised to return the ‘used’ boots but this guy told the players to keep them and in fact gave them a few more. For their colleagues!
That same evening, during an evening reception held at the Mayor’s offices, Jupp Derwall informed me that he had sent me a number of new and costly boots and designer running shoes for the boys - then secretary Frankie Attard, God bless his soul, had long decided that the goods were for the Association.
Herr Derwall, on being told that the Malta FA did not actually live in luxury and that our lot were pure amateurs who performed for the glory of sport, promised to use his influence to help.
Salina 1973
During that summer I felt I needed more challenges and was offered a contract by Valletta FC to coach and train the seniors, reserves and juniors. The Citizens failed to win any serious honours during the previous eleven years so one would understand my satisfaction at the end of that - we won all three championships we participated in.
Malta played England in the UEFA tournament for Amateurs sometime in December 1973 and I was informed that Derwall had come over to study the English side. He had made arrangements for a complete team’s kit to be flown to Malta, which included football boots, tracksuits, kit bags… the lot. He went to visit the Malta team that was housed at some place in Salina, thinking that I was still in charge of the Malta Amateur side.
The head of the Technical Board, the late Laurence Xuereb, informed Derwall that I was managing Valletta FC. Jupp then explained that he had brought a full kit for the local FA. Imagine his surprise when he was told that the generous offer was refused.
“I am a sportsman not a businessman,” replied the bewildered and angry Derwall, who instructed an officer from the German Embassy to return the goods to Frankfurt, on the first available possibility. Jupp himself told me all this as I entertained him to dinner that same night. While Derwall’s intentions were totally honourable, the attitude of the local officials was deplorable.
What a way! ‘Sans class’ as someone would say!
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