Floriana F.C.

Last updated

Floriana
FlorianaFClogo.png
Full nameFloriana Football Club
Nickname(s)Tal-Irish, Il-Greens [1]
Founded1894;130 years ago (1894)
Manager Mauro Camoranesi
League Maltese Premier League
2022–23 Maltese Premier League, 7th of 14
Soccerball current event.svg Current season

Floriana Football Club is a Maltese professional football club in the town of Floriana that currently plays in the Maltese Premier League. [2] In all, Floriana F.C. has won 26 national leagues and 21 FA Trophies (present and longest surviving main knockout competition). It is also the only team from Malta to have qualified from the qualifying rounds to the first round proper of the UEFA Champions League, in the 1993–94 season.[ citation needed ]

Contents

History

Floriana Football Club was founded in 1894 with the inauguration of the football ground officiated by Queen Alexandra. [3] The site was a cricket ground from 1890 until its conversion project. [3] Together with St. George's FC, is one of the two oldest clubs in Malta. [4] During that period, football in Malta was introduced by the British Servicemen who were stationed on the island, which was then a colony of the British Empire. [4]

The club is affiliated to the Malta Football Association which in turn is a member of both UEFA and FIFA. [5] The team's colours were green and red but after a friendly match against the Royal Dublin Fusiliers which plays in green and white, Floriana FC changed its colours to green and white. The team's nicknames are: Tal-Irish and Greens.

Floriana Football Club has won the major Maltese League championship 26 times and the FA Trophy 20 times.

Formation

Football was introduced in Malta at the end of the 19th century by the British troops stationed on the island. [3] At that time Malta formed part of the British Empire and, the Island was the base of British forces in the heart of the Mediterranean. [4] The forces' barracks, which were strategically located around the island of Malta, enjoyed large areas that were used as parade grounds, training areas and for sporting activities. [3]

The sports practised by the soldiers were mainly cricket, hockey and football. [3] The British forces in Malta were mainly stationed in Floriana, Cospicua, Mtarfa, Marsa and Sliema. [3] The locals who were influenced by the soldiers stationed in the area were introduced to these sporting activities. [4] The most popular sport amongst the residents of Floriana was football, [4] however some also practised cricket and hockey. [3] Floriana still has its hockey club, carrying the name Floriana Young Stars Hockey Club.

Club colours and mascot

Between 1894 and 1905 the club's colours were green/red quartered shirts, black shorts with green and red socks. [4] The official colours of the club as we know them today, green and white vertical striped shirts, white shorts and green/white horizontal striped socks, were introduced in 1905. [4] At that time the Royal Dublin Fusiliers were stationed in Floriana. [4] During that year, three friendly matches were held between this regiment and FFC. [4] At the end of the final match both teams exchanged their shirts and later the FFC changed their official colours to their green and white shirts. [4] The regiment left the Island for India in that same year. [4] The ties between Floriana and the Royal Dublin Fusiliers were so strong that the people hailing from Floriana were nicknamed after the Irish, "Tal-Irish". [4]

The club's mascot is the lion, which features prominently on the club's badge since 1936 together with the Latin motto "Ex Ludis Virtus", meaning "virtue out of the game". [6] In this regard the club's badge represents the fierceness of the lion together with the virtues of sportsmanship. The lion was chosen as the club's mascot for two general reasons attributed to history of Floriana.

First attribution is to the coat-of-arms of the Grandmaster of Order of St. John, Manoel de Vilhena, which has the lion on it. [6] Vilhena was the mastermind behind the construction of a fortification suburg of Floriana (originally known as Borgo Vilhena) to defend the capital city of Valletta from land attacks. [4] He even ordered the construction of a lion statue fountain, with his Grandmaster coat of arms being held by the lions hand, in the centre of Floriana's main square, St. Anne Square, which is still there today. [6]

Second attribution to the lion is the statue of St. Publius who is the patron saint of Floriana. The St. Publius' statue has a lion with it which shows how Publius was killed for his Christian preachings.

The first game won by the team was confirmed on the feast of the patron's village St. Publius, on 13 April 1910, which is to some considered a divine confirmation. [6]

2020 Win and COVID-19 national outrage

On 25 May 2020 Floriana FC were crowned champions of the BOV Premier League for the 26th title in their history and their first in 27 years, following a shortened season by a legal notice from the health authority in Malta to stop all contact sports on the Island because of the COVID-19 pandemic. In June 2020 a vote was taken in the MFA Counsel and declared all those on top of the table in all participating divisions will be declared champions. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the season was ultimately stopped earlier and Floriana was crowned champions of the league.

Celebrations were then hosted in the Fosos in Floriana, where a mass gathering of supporters broke social distancing rules and broke several Maltese laws by not staying in groups of six of less. The event sparked national outrage within the public in Malta and was featured on nearly all Maltese national newspapers. [7]

Floriana FC fans celebrate 2020 win Floriana FC celebrations 2020.jpg
Floriana FC fans celebrate 2020 win

Domestic successes

Since the foundation of the Malta Football Association, in 1909, [8] (fiv)and local competitions the club won a total of 108 honours, which includes 26 league titles and 25 Cup knock out competitions. The club has also achieved a number of impressive feats, such as four consecutive league championships, ten doubles (League plus Cup) and a League title with maximum points.

UEFA competitions

Over the years FFC participated in the various competitions organised by the European football body, UEFA, such as the:

In 1962, the club was the first to represent Malta in UEFA competitions in its Cup Winners' Cup against the Hungarian side Ujpest Dozsa. Over the years, FFC had the opportunity to meet some renowned European football clubs, including the likes of:

On two occasions FFC made it to the next round, 1993–94 Champions Cup and Intertoto Cup 1999–00.

Youth sector

In 1987 the club founded its youth sector, Floriana FC Nursery (FFCN), which is affiliated to the Malta Youth Football Association. [9] The club's youth sector may also be considered one of the most successful organisations of its type on the Island; not only has it produced a number of some of the finest footballers, but it has also won a number of league titles organised by the Association. The following are some of the major honours won by FFCN:

06 / 07 UNDER 14 Knock out competition

Today all the major six Premiership clubs in Malta have at least two players forming part of their squad, which have been raised by the Floriana Youth Nursery.

Rivalries

During their history Floriana has had three main rivals, these being St. George's FC, Sliema Wanderers and neighbors Valletta. [4] The rivalry against St. George's started from the beginnings of football in Malta circa 1890, before the rivalry with Sliema Wanderers FC developed (now referred to as the old firm rivalry).This rivalry peaked from 1922 onwards and lasted until the late 1970s, during which time both sides dominated the Maltese football scene. [4] Football hooliganism and direct conflicts between supporters were something usual. [4]

Today the rivalry has declined. Recently Floriana won their 20th FA Trophy against Sliema. This re-ignited the rivalry between both clubs, as Floriana won 9 finals in this cup competition against the Blues. [10]

The rivalry against Valletta is still alive, and is now considered the biggest fixture in the Maltese Premier League and one of the most classic derbies in Maltese football. [10] The rivalry stems from the close proximity of the two localities they represent, as well as the history and huge domestic success of both clubs. The matches between the two sides always attract big crowds to the stadium and the fans treat these clashes as cup finals. [10]

Players

Current squad

As of 22 January 2024 [11]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No.Pos.NationPlayer
1 GK Flag of Malta.svg  MLT Sean Mintoff
2 DF Flag of Malta.svg  MLT Adam Magri Overend
4 DF Flag of Tunisia.svg  TUN Oualid El Hasni
7 MF Flag of Malta.svg  MLT Mattia Veselji
8 MF Flag of Malta.svg  MLT Jake Grech
9 MF Flag of Malta.svg  MLT Kemar Reid
10 MF Flag of Argentina.svg  ARG Ulisses Arias
11 FW Flag of Brazil.svg  BRA Matheus
12 MF Flag of Malta.svg  MLT Dunstan Vella
14 MF Flag of Malta.svg  MLT Eman Micallef
17 DF Flag of Malta.svg  MLT Owen Spiteri
19 MF Flag of Malta.svg  MLT Luca Accarino
No.Pos.NationPlayer
20 MF Flag of Malta.svg  MLT Matías García
21 MF Flag of Malta.svg  MLT Carlo Zammit Lonardelli
22 FW Flag of Malta.svg  MLT Kyrian Nwoko
24 MF Flag of Italy.svg  ITA Lorenzo De Grazia
33 GK Flag of Bulgaria.svg  BUL Georgi Kitanov
42 DF Flag of Belarus.svg  BLR Maksim Valadzko
55 DF Flag of Greece.svg  GRE Alexandros Kouros
77 DF Flag of Malta.svg  MLT Aleandro Garzia
79 DF Flag of Cote d'Ivoire.svg  CIV Guy Serge Yaméogo
93 FW Flag of Greece.svg  GRE Christos Rovas
94 FW Flag of Cape Verde.svg  CPV Willis Furtado
99 GK Flag of Serbia.svg  SRB Nemanja Andrijanić

Out on loan

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No.Pos.NationPlayer
MF Flag of Malta.svg  MLT James Scicluna(at Żabbar St. Patrick until 30 June 2024)
No.Pos.NationPlayer
FW Flag of Malta.svg  MLT Daniel Agius(at Sirens until 30 June 2024)

Non-playing staff

Administration

Position [12] Name
PresidentJohann Said
Vice President, Head of Legal & International RelationsDr Shazoo Ghaznavi
Vice PresidentEmmanuel Bezzina
Secretary & 1st MFA DelegateDr Jacques Grima
TreasurerEdward Spiteri
Assistant SecretaryAnton Vella
Head of u/19's & 2nd MFA DelegateJordie Delia
Head of MediaRyan Agius
Head of Marketing & Commercial RelationsJustin Muscat
Head of EventsLisa Aquilina
Head of Supporters ClubMark Edward Galea
Head of NurseryRaymond Vella
Committee MemberDione Borg
Clubhouse ManagerKenny Roberts
Club AdministratorJulian Attard

Managerial positions

NameNatFromTo
Karim Bencherifa Flag of Morocco.svg 1 July 200030 June 2002
Ziya Yildiz Flag of Bosnia and Herzegovina.svg 20022004
Jimmy Briffa Flag of Malta.svg 20052006
Joseph Grech Flag of Malta.svg 20062007
Danilo Dončić Flag of Serbia.svg 1 July 200730 June 2008
Zoran Popović Flag of Serbia.svg 1 July 20089 Jan 2009
Antonio Carlos Vieira Flag of Brazil.svg 1 July 200824 March 2009
Roddy Collins Flag of Ireland.svg 1 July 200915 Dec 2009
Zoran Popović Flag of Serbia.svg 20092010
Todor Raykov Flag of Bulgaria.svg 1 July 201021 Feb 2011
Michael Woods Flag of Malta.svg 20102012
Joe Brincat Flag of Malta.svg 20 March 20122012
Mark Wright Flag of England.svg 18 Aug 201218 Oct 2012
Stephen Azzopardi Flag of Malta.svg 18 Oct 201225 Jan 2013
Iain Brunskill Flag of England.svg 29 Jan 20138 May 2013
Ian Dawes Flag of England.svg 9 May 20138 April 2014
Giovanni Tedesco Flag of Italy.svg 8 April 20148 May 2015
Luis Oliveira Flag of Belgium (civil).svg 14 June 20158 May 2016
Giovanni Tedesco Flag of Italy.svg 15 June 20164 December 2017
Nicolas Hernan Chiesa Flag of Argentina.svg 15 December 201727 August 2018
Luis Oliveira Flag of Belgium (civil).svg 28 August 201814 November 2018
Guido Ugolotti Flag of Italy.svg 14 November 201815 May 2019
Vincenzo Potenza Flag of Italy.svg 15 May 2019 [13] 23 December 2020 [14]
John Buttigieg Flag of Malta.svg 26 December 2020 [15] 11 February 2021 [16]
Darren Vella Flag of Malta.svg 11 February 2021 [17] 16 February 2021
Vincenzo Potenza Flag of Italy.svg 16 February 2021 [18] 14 June 2021
Gianluca Atzori Flag of Italy.svg 17 June 2021 [19] 10 May 2023
Mauro Camoranesi Flag of Italy.svg 5 June 2023

Honours

European record

Matches

SeasonCompetitionRoundClubHomeAwayAggregate
1961–62 European Cup Winners' Cup Preliminary round Flag of Hungary.svg Újpest 2–52–104–15
1962–63 European Cup Preliminary round Flag of England.svg Ipswich Town 1–40–101–14
1965–66 European Cup Winners' Cup First round Flag of Germany.svg Borussia Dortmund 1–50–81–13
1966–67 European Cup Winners' Cup First round Flag of the Netherlands.svg Sparta Rotterdam 1–10–61–7
1967–68 European Cup Winners' Cup First round Flag of the Netherlands.svg NAC Breda 1–20–11–3
1968–69 European Cup First round Flag of Finland.svg Lahti 1–10–21–3
1969–70 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup First round Flag of Romania.svg Dinamo Bacău 0–10–60–7
1970–71 European Cup First round Flag of Portugal.svg Sporting CP 0–40–50–9
1972–73 European Cup Winners' Cup First round Flag of Hungary.svg Ferencvárosi 1–00–61–6
1973–74 European Cup First round Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Club Brugge 0–20–80–10
1975–76 European Cup First round Flag of Yugoslavia (1946-1992).svg Hajduk Split 0–50–30–8
1976–77 European Cup Winners' Cup First round Flag of Poland.svg Śląsk Wrocław 1–40–21–6
1977–78 European Cup First round Flag of Greece.svg Panathinaikos 1–10–41–5
1978–79 European Cup Winners' Cup First round Flag of Italy.svg Internazionale 1–30–51–8
1981–82 European Cup Winners' Cup First round Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Standard Liège 1–30–91–12
1988–89 European Cup Winners' Cup First round Flag of Scotland.svg Dundee United 0–00–10–1
1991–92 UEFA Cup First round Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Neuchâtel Xamax 0–00–20–2
1992–93 UEFA Cup First round Flag of Germany.svg Borussia Dortmund 0–12–72–8
1993–94 UEFA Champions League Preliminary round Flag of Lithuania.svg Ekranas 1–01–02–0
First round Flag of Portugal.svg Porto 0–00–20–2
1994–95 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup Qualifying round Flag of Ireland.svg Sligo Rovers 2–20–12–3
1995 UEFA Intertoto Cup Group 11 Flag of Austria.svg Tirol Innsbruck 0–45th
Flag of Israel.svg Hapoel Petah Tikva 1–1
Flag of France.svg Strasbourg 0–4
Flag of Turkey.svg Gençlerbirliği 0–3
1996–97 UEFA Cup Preliminary round Flag of Israel.svg Beitar Jerusalem 1–51–32–8
1997 UEFA Intertoto Cup Group 12 Flag of Austria.svg SV Ried 1–25th
Flag of Georgia.svg Tbilisi 0–5
Flag of Russia.svg Torpedo Moscow 0–1
Flag of Greece.svg Iraklis 0–1
1999 UEFA Intertoto Cup First round Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg Aberystwyth Town 2–12–24–3
Second round Flag of Finland.svg Jokerit 1–11–22–3
2000 UEFA Intertoto Cup First round Flag of Norway.svg Stabæk 1–10–21–3
2011–12 Europa League Second qualifying round Flag of Cyprus.svg AEK Larnaca 0–80–10–9
2012–13 Europa League First qualifying round Flag of Sweden.svg Elfsborg 0–40–80–12
2017–18 UEFA Europa League First qualifying round Flag of Serbia.svg Red Star Belgrade 3–30–33–6
2020–21 UEFA Champions League First qualifying round Flag of Romania.svg CFR Cluj 0–2 [20]
UEFA Europa League Second qualifying round Ulster Banner.svg Linfield 1–0
Third qualifying round Flag of Estonia.svg Flora 0–0 (2–4 p)
2022–23 UEFA Europa Conference League First qualifying round Flag of Moldova.svg Petrocub Hîncești 0–00–10–1

League and cup history

Season League Top Scorer Cup Youths
Div.Pos.Pl.WDLGSGAPNameGoalsSect.Pos.Cup
2000–2001 1st 5th 2813411544827 Flag of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.svg Rufin Oba 12 SF A3rdRU
2001–2002 5th 2810612393825 Flag of Brazil.svg Eduardo 'Bizu' Do Nascimento9R21stSF
2002–2003 8th 248610323420 Flag of Georgia.svg Grigol Gvazava
Flag of Malta.svg Nicolò Baldacchino
6SF1stR1
2003–2004 6th 288713415118 Flag of Brazil.svg Eduardo 'Bizu' Do Nascimento
Flag of Malta.svg Nicolò Baldacchino
8QF2ndW
2004–2005 6th 287714283916 Flag of Malta.svg Nicolò Baldacchino6QF4thSF
2005–2006 7th 24699363718 Flag of Malta.svg Adrian Mifsud 15RU6thQF
2006–2007 7th 24978413022 Flag of Malta.svg Adrian Mifsud 9R15thQF
2007–2008 5th 2810612404222 Flag of Malta.svg Ryan Darmanin10 SF 6thQF
2008–2009 6th 287615254416 Flag of Malta.svg Ryan Darmanin10 QF 8thRP
2009–2010 7th 241068354125 Flag of Malta.svg Ryan Darmanin17 R2 4thRU
2010–2011 2nd 281459463234 Flag of Nigeria.svg Daniel Nwoke 13 W 4thSF
2011–2012 4th 3216610473533 Flag of Malta.svg Christian Caruana
Flag of Sweden.svg Andre Grabowski
7 QF 5thSF
2012–2013 7th 3214108483838 Flag of Brazil.svg Igor Coronado 13 R4 7thR2
2013–2014 7th 3214513504830 Flag of Brazil.svg Igor Coronado 14 R4 9thR2
2014–2015 5th 3313119585136 Flag of Italy.svg Matteo Piciollo14 R4 B7thR3
2015–2016 5th 3318411604239 Flag of Italy.svg Mario Fontanella 20 QF 4thSF
2016–2017 5th 331599513754 Flag of Italy.svg Mario Fontanella 14 W 7thR2
2017–2018 5th 2612104481846 Flag of Italy.svg Mario Fontanella 17 R3 9thQF
2018–2019 8th 269512282532 Flag of Brazil.svg Arthur Oyama 5 R3 C4thR3
2019–2020 W 201253381537 Flag of Brazil.svg Tiago Adan 8 R3 C4thR3
2020–2021 12th 237610263427 Flag of Albania.svg Kristian Keqi 5 QF C4thQF
2021–2022 2nd 16862241330 Flag of Romania.svg Andrei Ciolacu 4 R3  ?4th

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