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Floriana F.C.

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Floriana
Full nameFloriana Football Club
Nickname(s)Tal-Irish, Il-Greens[1]
Founded1894; 130 years ago (1894)
GroundVarious
ManagerDarren Abdilla
LeagueMaltese Premier League
2023–24Maltese Premier League, 2nd of 14
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] Floriana has won 26 national leagues and 21 FA trophies. 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]

History

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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

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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

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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

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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]

Domestic successes

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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

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

  • UEFA Champions League
  • UEFA Cup Winners' Cup
  • Fairs Cities' Cup
  • UEFA Europa League
  • Intertoto Cup

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

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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

  • U/14 League Champions – twice
  • U/16 League Champions – six times, four of which in a row, 1993 to 1997
  • U/18 League Champions – six times, four of which in a row, 1996 to 2000

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

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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

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Current squad

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As of 15 September 2024[11]

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

No. Pos. Nation Player
4 DF Tunisia TUN Oualid El Hasni
7 MF Malta MLT Mattia Veselji
8 MF Malta MLT Jake Grech
9 MF Malta MLT Kemar Reid
11 MF Brazil BRA Thiaguinho Santos
12 MF Malta MLT Dunstan Vella
17 DF Malta MLT Owen Spiteri
19 MF Malta MLT Luca Accarino
20 MF Malta MLT Matías García
21 MF Malta MLT Carlo Zammit Lonardelli
No. Pos. Nation Player
22 FW Malta MLT Kyrian Nwoko
25 GK Spain ESP Saúl Gracia
27 FW Nigeria NGA Franklin Sasere
37 GK Malta MLT Reece Cutajar
45 GK Republic of the Congo CGO Christoffer Mafoumbi
55 DF Greece GRE Alexandros Kouros
70 DF Brazil BRA Fernandinho
77 DF Malta MLT Aleandro Garzia
79 DF Ivory Coast CIV Guy Serge Yaméogo
97 MF Brazil BRA Emerson Sousa

Out on loan

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

No. Pos. Nation Player
14 MF Malta MLT Eman Micallef (at Gudja United until 30 June 2024)
No. Pos. Nation Player

Non-playing staff

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Administration

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Position[12] Name
President Johann Said
Vice President, Head of Legal & International Relations Dr Shazoo Ghaznavi
Vice President Emmanuel Bezzina
Secretary & 1st MFA Delegate Dr Jacques Grima
Treasurer Edward Spiteri
Assistant Secretary Anton Vella
Head of u/19's & 2nd MFA Delegate Jordie Delia
Head of Media Ryan Agius
Head of Marketing & Commercial Relations Justin Muscat
Head of Events Lisa Aquilina
Head of Supporters Club Mark Edward Galea
Head of Nursery Raymond Vella
Committee Member Dione Borg
Clubhouse Manager Kenny Roberts
Club Administrator Julian Attard

Managerial positions

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Name Nat From To
Karim Bencherifa Morocco 1 July 2000 30 June 2002
Zijad Švrakić Bosnia and Herzegovina 2002 2004
Jimmy Briffa Malta 2005 2006
Joseph Grech Malta 2006 2007
Danilo Dončić Serbia 1 July 2007 30 June 2008
Zoran Popović Serbia 1 July 2008 9 Jan 2009
Antonio Carlos Vieira Brazil 1 July 2008 24 March 2009
Roddy Collins Republic of Ireland 1 July 2009 15 Dec 2009
Zoran Popović Serbia 2009 2010
Todor Raykov Bulgaria 1 July 2010 21 Feb 2011
Michael Woods Malta 2010 2012
Joe Brincat Malta 20 March 2012 2012
Mark Wright England 18 Aug 2012 18 Oct 2012
Stephen Azzopardi Malta 18 Oct 2012 25 Jan 2013
Iain Brunskill England 29 Jan 2013 8 May 2013
Ian Dawes England 9 May 2013 8 April 2014
Giovanni Tedesco Italy 8 April 2014 8 May 2015
Luis Oliveira Belgium 14 June 2015 8 May 2016
Giovanni Tedesco Italy 15 June 2016 4 December 2017
Nicolas Hernan Chiesa Argentina 15 December 2017 27 August 2018
Luis Oliveira Belgium 28 August 2018 14 November 2018
Guido Ugolotti Italy 14 November 2018 15 May 2019
Vincenzo Potenza Italy 15 May 2019[13] 23 December 2020[14]
John Buttigieg Malta 26 December 2020[15] 11 February 2021[16]
Darren Vella Malta 11 February 2021[17] 16 February 2021
Vincenzo Potenza Italy 16 February 2021[18] 14 June 2021
Gianluca Atzori Italy 17 June 2021[19] 10 May 2023
Mauro Camoranesi Italy 5 June 2023 15 May 2024
Darren Abdilla Malta 20 May 2024

Honours

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European record

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Matches

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Season Competition Round Club Home Away Aggregate
1961–62 European Cup Winners' Cup Preliminary round Hungary Újpest 2–5 2–10 4–15
1962–63 European Cup Preliminary round England Ipswich Town 1–4 0–10 1–14
1965–66 European Cup Winners' Cup First round West Germany Borussia Dortmund 1–5 0–8 1–13
1966–67 European Cup Winners' Cup First round Netherlands Sparta Rotterdam 1–1 0–6 1–7
1967–68 European Cup Winners' Cup First round Netherlands NAC Breda 1–2 0–1 1–3
1968–69 European Cup First round Finland Lahti 1–1 0–2 1–3
1969–70 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup First round Romania Dinamo Bacău 0–1 0–6 0–7
1970–71 European Cup First round Portugal Sporting CP 0–4 0–5 0–9
1972–73 European Cup Winners' Cup First round Hungary Ferencvárosi 1–0 0–6 1–6
1973–74 European Cup First round Belgium Club Brugge 0–2 0–8 0–10
1975–76 European Cup First round Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Hajduk Split 0–5 0–3 0–8
1976–77 European Cup Winners' Cup First round Poland Śląsk Wrocław 1–4 0–2 1–6
1977–78 European Cup First round Greece Panathinaikos 1–1 0–4 1–5
1978–79 European Cup Winners' Cup First round Italy Internazionale 1–3 0–5 1–8
1981–82 European Cup Winners' Cup First round Belgium Standard Liège 1–3 0–9 1–12
1988–89 European Cup Winners' Cup First round Scotland Dundee United 0–0 0–1 0–1
1991–92 UEFA Cup First round Switzerland Neuchâtel Xamax 0–0 0–2 0–2
1992–93 UEFA Cup First round Germany Borussia Dortmund 0–1 2–7 2–8
1993–94 UEFA Champions League Preliminary round Lithuania Ekranas 1–0 1–0 2–0
First round Portugal Porto 0–0 0–2 0–2
1994–95 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup Qualifying round Republic of Ireland Sligo Rovers 2–2 0–1 2–3
1995 UEFA Intertoto Cup Group 11 Austria Tirol Innsbruck 0–4 — 5th
Israel Hapoel Petah Tikva — 1–1
France Strasbourg 0–4 —
Turkey Gençlerbirliği — 0–3
1996–97 UEFA Cup Preliminary round Israel Beitar Jerusalem 1–5 1–3 2–8
1997 UEFA Intertoto Cup Group 12 Austria SV Ried 1–2 — 5th
Georgia (country) Tbilisi — 0–5
Russia Torpedo Moscow 0–1 —
Greece Iraklis — 0–1
1999 UEFA Intertoto Cup First round Wales Aberystwyth Town 2–1 2–2 4–3
Second round Finland Jokerit 1–1 1–2 2–3
2000 UEFA Intertoto Cup First round Norway Stabæk 1–1 0–2 1–3
2011–12 Europa League Second qualifying round Cyprus AEK Larnaca 0–8 0–1 0–9
2012–13 Europa League First qualifying round Sweden Elfsborg 0–4 0–8 0–12
2017–18 UEFA Europa League First qualifying round Serbia Red Star Belgrade 3–3 0–3 3–6
2020–21 UEFA Champions League First qualifying round Romania CFR Cluj 0–2[20] — —
UEFA Europa League Second qualifying round Northern Ireland Linfield — 1–0 —
Third qualifying round Estonia Flora 0–0 (2–4 p) — —
2022–23 UEFA Europa Conference League First qualifying round Moldova Petrocub Hîncești 0–0 0–1 0–1
2024–25 UEFA Conference League First qualifying round San Marino Tre Penne 3–1 1−1 4−2
Second qualifying round Portugal Vitória de Guimarães 0-1 0-4 0-5

League and cup history

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Season League Top Scorer Cup Youths
Div. Pos. Pl. W D L GS GA P Name Goals Sect. Pos. Cup
2000–2001 1st 5th 28 13 4 11 54 48 27 Democratic Republic of the Congo Rufin Oba 12 SF A 3rd RU
2001–2002 5th 28 10 6 12 39 38 25 Brazil Eduardo 'Bizu' Do Nascimento 9 R2 1st SF
2002–2003 8th 24 8 6 10 32 34 20 Georgia (country) Grigol Gvazava
Malta Nicolò Baldacchino 		6 SF 1st R1
2003–2004 6th 28 8 7 13 41 51 18 Brazil Eduardo 'Bizu' Do Nascimento
Malta Nicolò Baldacchino 		8 QF 2nd W
2004–2005 6th 28 7 7 14 28 39 16 Malta Nicolò Baldacchino 6 QF 4th SF
2005–2006 7th 24 6 9 9 36 37 18 Malta Adrian Mifsud 15 RU 6th QF
2006–2007 7th 24 9 7 8 41 30 22 Malta Adrian Mifsud 9 R1 5th QF
2007–2008 5th 28 10 6 12 40 42 22 Malta Ryan Darmanin 10 SF 6th QF
2008–2009 6th 28 7 6 15 25 44 16 Malta Ryan Darmanin 10 QF 8th RP
2009–2010 7th 24 10 6 8 35 41 25 Malta Ryan Darmanin 17 R2 4th RU
2010–2011 2nd 28 14 5 9 46 32 34 Nigeria Daniel Nwoke 13 W 4th SF
2011–2012 4th 32 16 6 10 47 35 33 Malta Christian Caruana
Sweden Andre Grabowski 		7 QF 5th SF
2012–2013 7th 32 14 10 8 48 38 38 Brazil Igor Coronado 13 R4 7th R2
2013–2014 7th 32 14 5 13 50 48 30 Brazil Igor Coronado 14 R4 9th R2
2014–2015 5th 33 13 11 9 58 51 36 Italy Matteo Piciollo 14 R4 B 7th R3
2015–2016 5th 33 18 4 11 60 42 39 Italy Mario Fontanella 20 QF 4th SF
2016–2017 5th 33 15 9 9 51 37 54 Italy Mario Fontanella 14 W 7th R2
2017–2018 5th 26 12 10 4 48 18 46 Italy Mario Fontanella 17 R3 9th QF
2018–2019 8th 26 9 5 12 28 25 32 Brazil Arthur Oyama 5 R3 C 4th R3
2019–2020 W 20 12 5 3 38 15 37 Brazil Tiago Adan 8 R3 C 4th R3
2020–2021 12th 23 7 6 10 26 34 27 Albania Kristian Keqi 5 QF C 4th QF
2021–2022 2nd 16 8 6 2 24 13 30 Romania Andrei Ciolacu 4 R3 ? 4th

References

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  1. ^ Cassar Pullicino, J. (1956). "Social Aspects of Maltese Nicknames" (PDF). Scientia. 22 (2): 92. Archived (PDF) from the original on 23 August 2021. Retrieved 24 February 2017.
  2. ^ "LaLiga: The best show in Malta | News | Liga de Fútbol Profesional 2016". Archived from the original on 16 July 2019. Retrieved 29 October 2018.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Armstrong, Gary; Mitchell, Jon P. (2008). Global and Local Football: Politics and Europeanization on the Fringes of the EU. Routledge. pp. 23, 29, 68. ISBN 9781134269198. Archived from the original on 8 September 2023. Retrieved 17 October 2020.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Armstrong, Gary; Mitchell, Jon P. (2008). Global and Local Football: Politics and Europeanization on the Fringes of the EU. Routledge. pp. 43–46. ISBN 9781134269198. Archived from the original on 8 September 2023. Retrieved 17 October 2020.
  5. ^ Armstrong, Gary; Mitchell, Jon P. (2008). Global and Local Football: Politics and Europeanization on the Fringes of the EU. Routledge. p. 31. ISBN 9781134269198. Archived from the original on 8 September 2023. Retrieved 14 September 2020.
  6. ^ a b c d Armstrong, Gary; Mitchell, Jon P. (2008). Global and Local Football: Politics and Europeanization on the Fringes of the EU. Routledge. pp. 44, 47, 50. ISBN 9781134269198. Archived from the original on 8 September 2023. Retrieved 17 October 2020.
  7. ^ "Charges expected against Floriana fans over mass celebration". Times of Malta. 27 May 2020. Archived from the original on 19 June 2020. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  8. ^ Armstrong, Gary; Mitchell, Jon P. (2008). Global and Local Football: Politics and Europeanization on the Fringes of the EU. Routledge. p. 13. ISBN 9781134269198.
  9. ^ Armstrong, Gary; Mitchell, Jon P. (2008). Global and Local Football: Politics and Europeanization on the Fringes of the EU. Routledge. p. 81. ISBN 9781134269198. Archived from the original on 8 September 2023. Retrieved 17 October 2020.
  10. ^ a b c Armstrong, Gary; Mitchell, Jon P. (2008). Global and Local Football: Politics and Europeanization on the Fringes of the EU. Routledge. pp. 48–50. ISBN 9781134269198.
  11. ^ "Squad". Floriana FC. Archived from the original on 30 August 2019. Retrieved 22 June 2019.
  12. ^ "FLORIANA FC 2020/21 CLUB ADMINISTRATION". Archived from the original on 25 January 2021. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
  13. ^ "Floriana appoint Potenza as coach". Times of Malta. 15 May 2019. Archived from the original on 5 April 2023. Retrieved 16 May 2019.
  14. ^ Aquilina, Kurt (23 December 2020). "Updated: Potenza resigns as Floriana coach". Times of Malta. Archived from the original on 24 December 2020. Retrieved 28 December 2020.
  15. ^ Camilleri, Valhmor (26 December 2020). "John Buttigieg appointed new Floriana coach". SportsDesk. Archived from the original on 26 December 2020. Retrieved 28 December 2020.
  16. ^ "John Buttigieg steps down as Floriana coach". Times of Malta. 11 February 2021. Archived from the original on 12 February 2021. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
  17. ^ Busuttil, Antoine (13 February 2021). "FLORIANA RETURN TO WINNING WAYS". MaltaFootball. Archived from the original on 13 February 2021. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
  18. ^ Camilleri, Valhmor (16 February 2021). "I could never turn my back on Floriana, says Potenza". SportsDesk. Archived from the original on 26 February 2021. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
  19. ^ Busuttil, Antoine (17 June 2021). "FLORIANA FC APPOINT GIANLUCA ATZORI AS THEIR NEW COACH". MaltaFootball. Archived from the original on 8 November 2022. Retrieved 25 July 2021.
  20. ^ Lia, Gianluca (19 August 2020). "Watch: CFR Cluj need two second-half goals to knock out Floriana". SportsDesk. Archived from the original on 22 August 2020. Retrieved 19 August 2020.
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