Sliema Wanderers F.C.
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Full name | Sliema Wanderers Football Club | ||
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Nickname(s) | The Blues The Wanderers | ||
Founded | 3 November 1909 | ||
Ground | , Sliema, Malta | ||
Capacity | 1,000 | ||
Manager | Andrea Pisanu[1] | ||
League | Maltese Premier League | ||
2020–21 | Maltese Premier League, 5th | ||
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Sliema Wanderers Football Club, nicknamed "tax-Xelin" (of the shilling),[2] is a professional Maltese football club.[3] It is the most successful team in Malta and hails from the seaside town of Sliema. It currently plays in the Maltese Premier League.
History[]
The club was founded in 1909. The club competed in the first ever Maltese Premier League season in 1909–10 and finished in second position to Floriana after the five-game season came to an end.
Ten years down the line Sliema Wanderers finally made their mark in Maltese football by winning the Maltese Premier League title in the 1919–20 season. Since then the team have gone on to win the title 26 times, a record for Malta; the last three being in 2002–03, 2003–04 and 2004–05.
Sliema Wanderers also hold the record for the most FA Trophy wins, with their first coming in 1935, when they overpowered Floriana with a 4–0 victory. The club have gone on to win this particular honour 20 times, most recently in 2000, 2004 and in 2009; the last title was won against Valletta 7–6 on penalties after the match finished 3–3 following extra time.
With all these honours, Sliema Wanderers are currently the most successful team in the history of Maltese football with approximately 113 honours. Sliema Wanderers train at the Tigne Sports Complex, in Sliema. Grant Tissot almost played for them, which would've been a major acquisition for such a club.
Sliema Wanderers also had a futsal team, which participated in Malta's top futsal league.
2000s[]
The 2000s saw Sliema Wanderers becoming a dominant club in the Maltese scene again.
Summer 2003 had President Robert Arrigo signing Maltese internationals Jamie Pace, Djibril Sylla and Daniel Bogdanovic.[4]
Season 2004-05 saw the Wanderers, under the presidency of Robert Arrigo, win their 26th Maltese Premier League title.[5] Part of this success was Michael Mifsud's return to his boyhood club after being leaving 1.FC Kaiserslautern on a free.[6]
Season 2005-06 started with a UEFA Champions League qualifier against Sheriff Tiraspol.[7] Much to Arrigo's chagrin, lost Michael Mifsud to Lillestrøm SK, in a move made possible by who acted as his representative, albeit being a lengthy transfer saga that was complicated by International Transfer Clearance issues and compensation fees.[8][9][10]
2010s[]
Sliema Wanderers clinched an Maltese FA Trophy in season 2015-16.
Keith Perry was confirmed as president in the beginning of season 2016-17 despite rumours.[11] John Buttigieg was appointed as Head Coach.[12]
2020s[]
The club endured a rough start to the 2020s. The club started off with a bang, signing former Arsenal F.C. midfielder Denílson.[13][14][15][16][17] Further players were signed and Keith Perry was appointed Chairman of the club, and Jeffrey Farrugia took over as president.[18][19] A sponsorship deal was struck with Catco Group, an oil investment company based in China and Tunisia. Catco Group however, failed to pay its dues, citing technical reasons. This gave way to unrest within the club, with captain Mark Scerri and head coach Andrea Pisanu making public statements regarding the financial situation of the club, proceeding with resignations such as Perry and team manager Alex Muscat.[20][21] Players went unpaid for months, with another sponsor, Sixt, finally paying the players directly just before Christmas.[22] Eventually a new sponsor was brought on board.[23][24] Farrugia was later ousted as Keith Perry returned in the President's seat in preparation for the upcoming season.[25]
Season 2021-22 was disastrous from a technical point of view. Despite signing two new players in Djibouti international Warsama Hassan and Japanese Yuki Uchida,[26] up until November 19, 2021, the club had not yet won a match, and sat at the bottom of the Maltese Premier League.[27][28][29] The first win came on November 20, stunning Valletta witha 2-1 result.[30] The dying minutes of the match however, proved fatal, as Warsama Hassan was introduced at 90 minutes. However, the player had just returned from Egypt, where he had featured for his [[Djibouti national football team in a match against Algeria. Warsama was supposed to be in quarantine, having returned from a Dark Red listed country. Valletta lodged a formal complaint, which was upheld by the Malta Football Association, awarding a 3–0 win to Valletta.[31]
Sliema Wanderers' next match was against Birkirkara F.C., resulting in a further loss.[32]
Players[]
Current squad[]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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On loan[]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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European record[]
Season | Competition | Round | Country | Club | Home | Away | Aggregate |
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1963–64 | UEFA Cup Winners' Cup | Preliminary Round | ![]() |
Borough United | 0–0 | 0–2 | 0–2 |
1964–65 | European Cup | Preliminary Round | ![]() |
Dinamo București | 0–2 | 0–5 | 0–7 |
1965–66 | European Cup | Preliminary Round | ![]() |
Panathinaikos | 1–0 | 1–4 | 2–4 |
1966–67 | European Cup | Preliminary Round | ![]() |
CSKA Sofia | 1–2 | 0–4 | 1–6 |
1968–69 | UEFA Cup Winners' Cup | 1. Round | ![]() |
US Rumelange | 1–0 | 1–2 | 2–2(a) |
2. Round | ![]() |
Randers Freja | 0–2 | 0–6 | 0–8 | ||
1969–70 | UEFA Cup Winners' Cup | 1. Round | ![]() |
IFK Norrköping | 1–0 | 1–5 | 2–5 |
1970–71 | Inter-Cities Fairs Cup | 1. Round | ![]() |
Akademisk BK | 2–3 | 0–7 | 2–10 |
1971–72 | European Cup | 1. Round | ![]() |
ÍA Akranes | 0–0 | 4–0 | 4–0 |
2. Round | ![]() |
Celtic | 1–2 | 0–5 | 1–7 | ||
1972–73 | European Cup | 1. Round | ![]() |
Górnik Zabrze | 0��5 | 0–5 | 0–10 |
1973–74 | UEFA Cup | 1. Round | ![]() |
Lokomotiv Plovdiv | 0–2 | 0–1 | 0–3 |
1974–75 | UEFA Cup Winners' Cup | 1. Round | ![]() |
Lahti | 2–0 | 1–4 | 3–4 |
1975–76 | UEFA Cup | 1. Round | ![]() |
Sporting CP | 1–2 | 1–3 | 2–5 |
1976–77 | European Cup | 1. Round | ![]() |
TPS Turku | 2–1 | 0–1 | 2–2(a) |
1977–78 | UEFA Cup | 1. Round | ![]() |
Eintracht Frankfurt | 0–0 | 0–5 | 0–5 |
1979–80 | UEFA Cup Winners' Cup | 1. Round | ![]() |
Boavista | 2–1 | 0–8 | 2–9 |
1980–81 | UEFA Cup | 1. Round | ![]() |
Barcelona | 0–2 | 0–1 | 0–3 |
1981–82 | UEFA Cup | 1. Round | ![]() |
Aris Thessaloniki | 2–4 | 0–4 | 2–8 |
1982–83 | UEFA Cup Winners' Cup | 1. Round | ![]() |
Swansea City | 0–5 | 0–12 | 0–17 |
1987–88 | UEFA Cup Winners' Cup | 1. Round | ![]() |
Vllaznia Shkodër | 0–4 | 0–2 | 0–6 |
1988–89 | UEFA Cup | 1. Round | ![]() |
Victoria București | 0–2 | 1–6 | 1–8 |
1989–90 | European Cup | 1. Round | ![]() |
KF Tirana | 1–0 | 0–5 | 1–5 |
1990–91 | UEFA Cup Winners' Cup | 1. Round | ![]() |
Dukla Prague | 1–2 | 0–2 | 1–4 |
1993–94 | UEFA Cup Winners' Cup | Qualifying Round | ![]() |
Degerfors | 1–3 | 0–3 | 1–6 |
1995–96 | UEFA Cup | Preliminary Round | ![]() |
AC Omonia | 1–2 | 0–3 | 1–5 |
1996–97 | UEFA Cup | Preliminary Round | ![]() |
Margveti Zestafoni | 1–3 | 3–0 | 4–3 |
Qualifying Round | ![]() |
Odense BK | 0–2 | 1–7 | 1–9 | ||
1998 | UEFA Intertoto Cup | 1. Round | ![]() |
Diósgyőr | 2–3 | 0–2 | 2–5 |
1999–00 | UEFA Cup | 1. Qualifying Round | ![]() |
FC Zürich | 0–3 | 0–1 | 0–4 |
2000–01 | UEFA Cup | 1. Qualifying Round | ![]() |
FK Partizan | 2–1 | 1–4 | 3–5 |
2001–02 | UEFA Cup | 1. Qualifying Round | ![]() |
Matador Púchov | 2–1 | 0–3 | 2–4 |
2002–03 | UEFA Cup | 1. Qualifying Round | ![]() |
Polonia Warsaw | 1–3 | 0–2 | 1–5 |
2003–04 | UEFA Champions League | 1. Qualifying Round | ![]() |
Skonto Riga | 2–0 | 1–3 | 3–3(a) |
2. Qualifying Round | ![]() |
Copenhagen | 0–6 | 1–4 | 1–10 | ||
2004–05 | UEFA Champions League | 1. Qualifying Round | ![]() |
FBK Kaunas | 0–2 | 1–4 | 1–6 |
2005–06 | UEFA Champions League | 1. Qualifying Round | ![]() |
Sheriff Tiraspol | 1–4 | 0–2 | 1–6 |
2006–07 | UEFA Cup | 1. Qualifying Round | ![]() |
Rapid București | 0–1 | 0–5 | 0–6 |
2007–08 | UEFA Cup | 1. Qualifying Round | ![]() |
Litex Lovech | 0–3 | 0–4 | 0–7 |
2009–10 | UEFA Europa League | 2. Qualifying Round | ![]() |
Maccabi Netanya | 0–0 | 0–3 | 0–3 |
2010–11 | UEFA Europa League | 1. Qualifying Round | ![]() |
Šibenik | 0–3 | 0–0 | 0–3 |
2013–14 | UEFA Europa League | 1. Qualifying Round | ![]() |
Khazar Lankaran | 1–1 | 0–1 | 1–2 |
2014–15 | UEFA Europa League | 1. Qualifying Round | ![]() |
Ferencváros | 1–1 | 1–2 | 2–3 |
Managerial history[]
See Sliema Wanderers F.C. Managers
Manager | Period |
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1963–1964 |
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1 July 1964 – 30 June 1966 |
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1968–1978 |
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1979–1983 |
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1981–1982 |
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1982–1986 |
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1987–1989 |
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1999–2001 |
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1 July 2000 – 30 June 2001 |
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2000–2002 |
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2001–2002 |
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2002–2006 |
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2006–2007 |
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1 November 2007 – 30 May 2010 |
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1 July 2010 – 30 June 2011 |
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3 February 2011 – 27 May 2012 |
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27 May 2012 – 7 August 2012 |
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1 July 2012 – October 2014 |
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October 2014 – December 2015 |
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1 January 2016 – May 2016 |
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June 2016 – present |
![]() | This list is incomplete; you can help by . (February 2010) |
Honours[]
- Champions: 26 1919–20, 1922–23, 1923–24, 1925–26, 1929–30, 1932–33, 1933–34, 1935–36, 1937–38, 1938–39, 1939–40, 1948–49, 1953–54, 1955–56, 1956–57, 1963–64, 1964–65, 1965–66, 1970–71, 1971–72, 1975–76, 1988–89, 1995–96, 2002–03, 2003–04, 2004–05
- Winners (21): 1934–35, 1935–36, 1936–37, 1939–40, 1945–46, 1947–48, 1950–51, 1951–52, 1955–56, 1958–59, 1962–63, 1964–65, 1967–68, 1968–69, 1973–74, 1978–79, 1989–90, 1999–2000, 2003–04, 2008–09, 2015–16
Maltese First Division
- Winners: 1983–84
Maltese Super Cup Champions
- Winners: 1996, 2000, 2009
References[]
- ^ "Pisanu named as Sliema Wanderers coach". Times of Malta. 13 February 2020. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
- ^ Cassar Pullicino, J. (1956). "Social Aspects of Maltese Nicknames" (PDF). Scientia. 22 (2): 92.
- ^ https://usa.laliga.es/en/news/laliga-the-best-show-in-malta-1
- ^ https://timesofmalta.com/articles/view/bogdanovic-is-a-sliema-player-says-arrigo.146441[bare URL]
- ^ https://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2005-05-04/sports-others/Making-Sliema-The-most-successful-team-was-my-primary-aim-%E2%80%93-Robert-Arrigo-74962
- ^ https://www.uefa.com/insideuefa/national-associations/news/0197-0f8451582618-e945b5a4efe8-1000--mifsud-heads-back-to-malta/
- ^ https://timesofmalta.com/articles/view/sheriff-challenge-for-sliema-wanderers.86113[bare URL]
- ^ https://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2005-05-04/sports-others/Making-Sliema-The-most-successful-team-was-my-primary-aim-%E2%80%93-Robert-Arrigo-74962
- ^ https://timesofmalta.com/articles/view/mifsud-returning-home-as-sliema-stand-firm-over-clearance-issue.118658[bare URL]
- ^ https://timesofmalta.com/articles/view/mifsud-set-to-leave-sliema-for-norways-lillestrom.119787[bare URL]
- ^ https://timesofmalta.com/articles/view/Keith-Perry-stays-at-the-helm-of-Sliema-Wanderers.614690[bare URL]
- ^ https://timesofmalta.com/articles/view/John-Buttigieg-honoured-to-coach-Sliema.617451[bare URL]
- ^ https://sportsdesk.com.mt/index.php/2020/08/06/sliema-wanderers-sign-former-arsenal-midfielder-denilson/
- ^ https://bay.com.mt/once-a-gunner-now-a-wanderer-sliema-sign-denilson/
- ^ https://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2020-08-07/football/Sliema-Wanderers-sign-former-Arsenal-midfielder-Denilson-6736225911
- ^ https://www.maltafootball.com/2020/08/07/denilson-joins-sliema-wanderers/
- ^ https://lovinmalta.com/lifestyle/sport/qassam-denilson-former-arsenal-midfielder-set-to-join-sliema-wanderers/
- ^ https://www.tvm.com.mt/mt/sports/jeffrey-farrugia-jinhatar-president-ta-sliema-wanderers-fc/
- ^ https://www.maltafootball.com/2020/08/14/sliema-wanderers-sign-four-new-players-appoint-new-president/
- ^ https://www.maltatoday.com.mt/sports/football/107333/sliema_wanderers_official_keith_perry_resigns_as_club_faces_player_revolt_over_unpaid_salaries#.YaQZV2LMJPY
- ^ https://sportsdesk.com.mt/2021/02/04/watch-sliema-players-battled-poverty-due-to-unpaid-wages-says-coach-pisanu/
- ^ https://timesofmalta.com/articles/view/adrian-delia-aims-to-set-up-charitable-foundation-after-sensational.842424[bare URL]
- ^ https://www.maltafootball.com/2021/02/15/nm-group-announces-sliema-wanderers-sponsorship/
- ^ https://nmgroup.mt/news/nm-group-announces-sliema-wanderers-f-c-sponsorship/
- ^ https://sportsdesk.com.mt/2021/05/13/keith-perry-tipped-for-return-as-sliema-wanderers-plan-to-hold-agm-next-month/
- ^ https://www.maltafootball.com/2021/08/06/sliema-wanderers-sign-two-new-foreign-players/
- ^ https://sportsdesk.com.mt/2021/10/31/34270/
- ^ https://www.maltafootball.com/2021/10/24/santa-lucia-held-by-ten-man-sliema/
- ^ https://sportsdesk.com.mt/2021/10/17/watch-hibernians-go-top-after-brushing-aside-sliema-wanderers/
- ^ https://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2021-11-20/football/Premier-League-Sliema-finally-register-first-win-6736238466
- ^ https://sportsdesk.com.mt/2021/11/26/valletta-awarded-win-over-sliema-wanderers-as-protest-upheld-by-malta-fa/
- ^ https://sportsdesk.com.mt/2021/11/27/montebello-double-lifts-birkirkara-past-struggling-sliema-wanderers/
External links[]
- Sliema Wanderers F.C.
- Football clubs in Malta
- 1909 establishments in Malta
- Association football clubs established in 1909