2021–22 Maltese Premier League
| Season | 2021–22 |
|---|---|
| Dates | 13 August 2021 – May 2022 |
| Matches played | 102 |
| Goals scored | 279 (2.74 per match) |
| Top goalscorer |  Maxuell (10 goals) |
| Biggest home win | Floriana 3–0 Valletta (11 September 2021) Valletta 5–3 St. Lucia (30 October 2021) Hamrun Spartans 3–0 St. Lucia (28 November 2021) |
| Biggest away win | Sirens 1–6 Balzan (21 November 2021) |
| Highest scoring | Valletta 5–3 St. Lucia (30 October 2021) |
| Longest winning run | 4 matches Hibernians |
| Longest unbeaten run | 17 matches Hibernians |
| Longest winless run | 14 matches Sliema Wanderers |
| Longest losing run | 7 matches Sliema Wanderers |
← 2020–21 2022–23 →
All statistics correct as of 5 December 2021. | |
The 2021–22 Maltese Premier League will be the 107th season of the Maltese Premier League, the top-flight league football in Malta. Ħamrun Spartans are the defending champions, having won their 8th title the previous season.
On 9 April, the previous season was abandoned due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Malta.[1] Following the decision of the Maltese Football Association Executive Committee, the teams that had finished in the relegation places in the previous Premier League season would be relegated to the Challenge League due to having played the prerequisite 75% of matches for the seasons result to stand. However, as the Challenge League teams did not complete 75% of matches, they would not be promoted to the Premier League to replace the exiting teams, meaning that the 2021–22 season will have on 12 teams competing.[2][3][4]
The Premier League consists of two rounds. In the First Round, every team plays each opponent twice, once "home" and once "away" (in actuality, the designation of home and away is purely arbitrary as most of the clubs do not have their own grounds), for a total of 22 games. The league then splits into two groups. Teams that finish in positions 1–6 compete in the "Championship Group" and teams that finish in positions 7–12 play in the "Relegation Group".
Teams[]
Twelve teams will compete in the league.
| Team | In league since | City |
|---|---|---|
| Balzan | 2011 | Balzan |
| Birkirkara | 1990 | Birkirkara |
| Floriana | 1986 | Floriana |
| Gudja United | 2019 | Gudja |
| Gżira United | 2016 | Gżira |
| Ħamrun Spartans | 2016 | Ħamrun |
| Hibernians | 1945 | Paola |
| Mosta | 2011 | Mosta |
| St. Lucia | 2019 | Santa Luċija |
| Sirens | 2019 | St. Paul's Bay |
| Sliema Wanderers | 1984 | Sliema |
| Valletta | 1944 | Valletta |
Venues[]
| Ta' Qali | Ta' Qali | Paola | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ta' Qali National Stadium | Centenary Stadium | Tony Bezzina Stadium | |
| Capacity: 16,997 | Capacity: 3,000 | Capacity: 2,968 | |
|
|
|
Personnel and kits[]
| Team | Manager | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor |
|---|---|---|---|
| Balzan |  Paul Zammit
|
Joma | Investors Mutual Limited |
| Birkirkara |  André Paus
|
Nike | McDonald's |
| Floriana |  Gianluca Atzori
|
Joma | Harmont & Blaine, Boggi |
| Gudja United | Cyril Buttigieg
|
Macron | All Nuts, Handy Man, Green Finance |
| Gżira United | Darren Abdilla
|
Puma | |
| Ħamrun Spartans | Mark Buttigieg
|
Puma | J. Portelli Projects |
| Hibernians | Stefano Sanderra
|
Joma | Bezzina |
| Mosta |  Davor Filipovic
|
Macron | Dimbros, Nilmar |
| Sirens | Winston Muscat
|
Macron | Gillieru Harbour Hotel, Valyou Supermarket, AX Hotels, Café del Mar |
| Sliema Wanderers | Andrea Pisanu
|
Jartazi | NM group, Sixt |
| Santa Lucia | Giovanni Tedesco
|
Capelli Sport | Multivend, avanza |
| Valletta |  Danilo Dončić
|
Puma | Iniala |
- Additionally, referee kits are made by Macron, sponsored by and FXDD.
Managerial changes[]
| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure |
Date of vacancy | Position in table | Incoming manager | Date of appointment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sirens | Giovanni Tedesco
|
Resign | 27 May 2021 | Pre-season | Winston Muscat
|
27 May 2021 |
| Floriana | Vincenzo Potenza
|
End of Contract | 14 June 2021 | Gianluca Atzori
|
17 June 2021 | |
| Balzan |  Mark Miller
|
Mutual consent | 19 October 2021 | 9th | Paul Zammit
|
23 October 2021 |
| Santa Lucia | Oliver Spiteri
|
Sacked | 20 January 2022 | 11th | Giovanni Tedesco
|
12 January 2022 |
| Valletta |  Cardoso Mendes
|
3 February 2022 | 7th | Danilo Dončić
|
3 February 2022 |
First phase[]
League table[]
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hibernians (Q) | 17 | 10 | 7 | 0 | 28 | 13 | +15 | 37 | Qualification for the Championship Group |
| 2 | Floriana | 17 | 9 | 6 | 2 | 26 | 14 | +12 | 33 | |
| 3 | Birkirkara | 17 | 8 | 6 | 3 | 23 | 15 | +8 | 30 | |
| 4 | Ħamrun Spartans | 17 | 8 | 3 | 6 | 23 | 19 | +4 | 27 | |
| 5 | Sirens | 17 | 7 | 4 | 6 | 24 | 29 | −5 | 25 | |
| 6 | Gżira United | 17 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 28 | 24 | +4 | 24 | |
| 7 | Valletta | 17 | 6 | 3 | 8 | 22 | 25 | −3 | 21 | Qualification for the Relegation Group |
| 8 | Balzan | 17 | 6 | 2 | 9 | 27 | 26 | +1 | 20 | |
| 9 | Gudja United | 17 | 6 | 2 | 9 | 22 | 21 | +1 | 20 | |
| 10 | Mosta | 17 | 4 | 6 | 7 | 25 | 33 | −8 | 18 | |
| 11 | Santa Lucia | 17 | 1 | 9 | 7 | 21 | 33 | −12 | 12 | |
| 12 | Sliema Wanderers | 17 | 2 | 4 | 11 | 10 | 27 | −17 | 10 |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Play-offs (only if needed to decide champions, teams for relegation or teams for UEFA competitions).
(Q) Qualified to the phase indicated
Results[]
Top scorers[]
- As of 23 January 2022
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maxuell
|
Gzira United | 10 |
| 2 | Jurgen Degabriele
|
Hibernians | 9 |
| Jefferson Assis
|
Gzira United | ||
| 4 | Jake Grech
|
Hibernians | 8 |
| Luke Montebello
|
Birkirkara | ||
| 6 |  Sunday Akinbule
|
Mosta | 7 |
| Mario Fontanella
|
Valletta | ||
| Vitor
|
Sirens |
Hat-tricks[]
| Player | For | Against | Result | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mario Fontanella
|
Valletta | Sirens | 3–1 (H) | 17 October 2021 |
| Jefferson Assis
|
Gzira United | Hamrun | 4–1 (H) | 5 February 2022 |
Clean sheets[]
| Rank | Player | Club | Clean sheets |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Georgi Kitanov
|
Floriana | 6 |
| 2 | Glenn Zammit
|
Gudja United | 5 |
| Henry Bonello
|
Hamrun | ||
| 4 | Daniel Fernandes
|
Birkirkara | 4 |
| 5 | Amara Sylla
|
Birkirkara | 3 |
 Ibrahim Koné
|
Hibernians |
Discipline[]
Player[]
Club[]
- Most yellow cards: 51
- Sliema Wanderers
- Most red cards: 6
- Valletta
Awards[]
Monthly awards[]
| Month | Manager of the Month | Player of the Month | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manager | Club | Player | Club | |
| August | Stefano Sanderra
|
Hibernians | Jake Grech
|
Hibernians |
| September | ||||
| October | Winston Muscat
|
Sirens | Luke Montebello
|
Birkirkara |
| November | Stefano Sanderra
|
Hibernians | Jake Grech
|
Hibernians |
| December | Paul Zammit
|
Balzan | Jurgen Degabriele
| |
References[]
- ^ "Sports ban forces termination of domestic competitions". MFA. Retrieved 9 April 2021.
- ^ "MFA EXCO step up fight against money laundering and bad practices in Maltese football". Times of Malta. Retrieved 14 May 2021.
- ^ "MFA Exco approve proposals to increase of number of overseas players in matchday squads". Times of Malta. Retrieved 14 May 2021.
- ^ "New format proposed by MFA EXCO for expanded Challenge League". Times of Malta. Retrieved 14 May 2021.
- ^ "Valletta protest upheld". Malta Football Association. 26 November 2021. Archived from the original on 19 August 2013. Retrieved 26 November 2021.
External links[]
- Maltese Premier League seasons
- 2021–22 in European association football leagues
- 2021–22 in Maltese football