Sliema Wanderers F.C.

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Sliema Wanderers
Sliema Wanderers F.C. logo.png
Full nameSliema Wanderers Football Club
Nickname(s)The Blues
The Wanderers
Founded3 November 1909; 112 years ago (1909-11-03)
Ground,
Sliema,
Malta
Capacity1,000
ManagerAndrea Pisanu[1]
LeagueMaltese Premier League
2020–21Maltese Premier League, 5th

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.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK Malta MLT Timothy Aquilina
3 DF Colombia COL Juan Morales
4 DF Brazil BRA Matheus Freitas
5 MF Malta MLT Kurt Shaw
6 DF Malta MLT Gabriel Aquilina
8 MF Malta MLT Mark Scerri
9 FW Malta MLT Omar Elouni
10 FW Ivory Coast CIV Inters Gui
11 FW Portugal POR Miguel Fernandes
17 MF Djibouti DJI Warsama Hassan
18 MF Malta MLT Edmond Agius
19 MF Malta MLT Jake Engerer
20 DF Malta MLT Sebastian Grech
No. Pos. Nation Player
21 MF Netherlands NED Danny Holla
22 GK Malta MLT David Cassar
23 MF Mexico MEX Carlos Flores
24 DF Malta MLT Jack Kind
25 MF Japan JPN Yuki Uchida
26 DF Malta MLT Luke Borg
30 FW Malta MLT Jean Paul Farrugia
61 DF Malta MLT Myles Beerman
71 DF Netherlands NED Julius Bliek
72 FW Cameroon CMR Rafael Kooh Sohna
88 DF Malta MLT Dejan Vuković
99 DF Sweden SWE Valmir Berisha

On loan[]

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

No. Pos. Nation Player
7 MF Malta MLT Jean Borg (at Mgarr United)

European record[]

Season Competition Round Country Club Home Away Aggregate
1963–64 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup Preliminary Round Wales Borough United 0–0 0–2 0–2
1964–65 European Cup Preliminary Round Romania Dinamo București 0–2 0–5 0–7
1965–66 European Cup Preliminary Round Greece Panathinaikos 1–0 1–4 2–4
1966–67 European Cup Preliminary Round Bulgaria CSKA Sofia 1–2 0–4 1–6
1968–69 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup 1. Round Luxembourg US Rumelange 1–0 1–2 2–2(a)
2. Round Denmark Randers Freja 0–2 0–6 0–8
1969–70 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup 1. Round Sweden IFK Norrköping 1–0 1–5 2–5
1970–71 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup 1. Round Denmark Akademisk BK 2–3 0–7 2–10
1971–72 European Cup 1. Round Iceland ÍA Akranes 0–0 4–0 4–0
2. Round Scotland Celtic 1–2 0–5 1–7
1972–73 European Cup 1. Round Poland Górnik Zabrze 0��5 0–5 0–10
1973–74 UEFA Cup 1. Round Bulgaria Lokomotiv Plovdiv 0–2 0–1 0–3
1974–75 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup 1. Round Finland Lahti 2–0 1–4 3–4
1975–76 UEFA Cup 1. Round Portugal Sporting CP 1–2 1–3 2–5
1976–77 European Cup 1. Round Finland TPS Turku 2–1 0–1 2–2(a)
1977–78 UEFA Cup 1. Round West Germany Eintracht Frankfurt 0–0 0–5 0–5
1979–80 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup 1. Round Portugal Boavista 2–1 0–8 2–9
1980–81 UEFA Cup 1. Round Spain Barcelona 0–2 0–1 0–3
1981–82 UEFA Cup 1. Round Greece Aris Thessaloniki 2–4 0–4 2–8
1982–83 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup 1. Round Wales Swansea City 0–5 0–12 0–17
1987–88 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup 1. Round Albania Vllaznia Shkodër 0–4 0–2 0–6
1988–89 UEFA Cup 1. Round Romania Victoria București 0–2 1–6 1–8
1989–90 European Cup 1. Round Albania KF Tirana 1–0 0–5 1–5
1990–91 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup 1. Round Czechoslovakia Dukla Prague 1–2 0–2 1–4
1993–94 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup Qualifying Round Sweden Degerfors 1–3 0–3 1–6
1995–96 UEFA Cup Preliminary Round Cyprus AC Omonia 1–2 0–3 1–5
1996–97 UEFA Cup Preliminary Round Georgia (country) Margveti Zestafoni 1–3 3–0 4–3
Qualifying Round Denmark Odense BK 0–2 1–7 1–9
1998 UEFA Intertoto Cup 1. Round Hungary Diósgyőr 2–3 0–2 2–5
1999–00 UEFA Cup 1. Qualifying Round Switzerland FC Zürich 0–3 0–1 0–4
2000–01 UEFA Cup 1. Qualifying Round Serbia and Montenegro FK Partizan 2–1 1–4 3–5
2001–02 UEFA Cup 1. Qualifying Round Slovakia Matador Púchov 2–1 0–3 2–4
2002–03 UEFA Cup 1. Qualifying Round Poland Polonia Warsaw 1–3 0–2 1–5
2003–04 UEFA Champions League 1. Qualifying Round Latvia Skonto Riga 2–0 1–3 3–3(a)
2. Qualifying Round Denmark Copenhagen 0–6 1–4 1–10
2004–05 UEFA Champions League 1. Qualifying Round Lithuania FBK Kaunas 0–2 1–4 1–6
2005–06 UEFA Champions League 1. Qualifying Round Moldova Sheriff Tiraspol 1–4 0–2 1–6
2006–07 UEFA Cup 1. Qualifying Round Romania Rapid București 0–1 0–5 0–6
2007–08 UEFA Cup 1. Qualifying Round Bulgaria Litex Lovech 0–3 0–4 0–7
2009–10 UEFA Europa League 2. Qualifying Round Israel Maccabi Netanya 0–0 0–3 0–3
2010–11 UEFA Europa League 1. Qualifying Round Croatia Šibenik 0–3 0–0 0–3
2013–14 UEFA Europa League 1. Qualifying Round Azerbaijan Khazar Lankaran 1–1 0–1 1–2
2014–15 UEFA Europa League 1. Qualifying Round Hungary Ferencváros 1–1 1–2 2–3

Managerial history[]

See Sliema Wanderers F.C. Managers

Manager Period
Malta Salvinu Schembri 1963–1964
Hungary János Bédl 1 July 1964 – 30 June 1966
Malta 1968–1978
Malta 1979–1983
Malta Robbie Buttigieg 1981–1982
Malta 1982–1986
Malta 1987–1989
Malta Martin Gregory 1999–2001
Nigeria Augustine Eguavoen 1 July 2000 – 30 June 2001
England Jeff Wood 2000–2002
Malta 2001–2002
Malta 2002–2006
Malta Ray Farrugia 2006–2007
Malta Stephen Azzopardi 1 November 2007 – 30 May 2010
Malta Mark Marlow 1 July 2010 – 30 June 2011
Serbia Danilo Dončić 3 February 2011 – 27 May 2012
Malta Clive Mizzi 27 May 2012 – 7 August 2012
Italy 1 July 2012 – October 2014
Malta Stephen Azzopardi October 2014 – December 2015
Italy 1 January 2016 – May 2016
Malta John Buttigieg June 2016 – present

Honours[]

Maltese Premier League Star full.svg Star full.svg

Maltese FA Trophy

  • 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[]

  1. ^ "Pisanu named as Sliema Wanderers coach". Times of Malta. 13 February 2020. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
  2. ^ Cassar Pullicino, J. (1956). "Social Aspects of Maltese Nicknames" (PDF). Scientia. 22 (2): 92.
  3. ^ https://usa.laliga.es/en/news/laliga-the-best-show-in-malta-1
  4. ^ https://timesofmalta.com/articles/view/bogdanovic-is-a-sliema-player-says-arrigo.146441[bare URL]
  5. ^ 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
  6. ^ https://www.uefa.com/insideuefa/national-associations/news/0197-0f8451582618-e945b5a4efe8-1000--mifsud-heads-back-to-malta/
  7. ^ https://timesofmalta.com/articles/view/sheriff-challenge-for-sliema-wanderers.86113[bare URL]
  8. ^ 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
  9. ^ https://timesofmalta.com/articles/view/mifsud-returning-home-as-sliema-stand-firm-over-clearance-issue.118658[bare URL]
  10. ^ https://timesofmalta.com/articles/view/mifsud-set-to-leave-sliema-for-norways-lillestrom.119787[bare URL]
  11. ^ https://timesofmalta.com/articles/view/Keith-Perry-stays-at-the-helm-of-Sliema-Wanderers.614690[bare URL]
  12. ^ https://timesofmalta.com/articles/view/John-Buttigieg-honoured-to-coach-Sliema.617451[bare URL]
  13. ^ https://sportsdesk.com.mt/index.php/2020/08/06/sliema-wanderers-sign-former-arsenal-midfielder-denilson/
  14. ^ https://bay.com.mt/once-a-gunner-now-a-wanderer-sliema-sign-denilson/
  15. ^ https://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2020-08-07/football/Sliema-Wanderers-sign-former-Arsenal-midfielder-Denilson-6736225911
  16. ^ https://www.maltafootball.com/2020/08/07/denilson-joins-sliema-wanderers/
  17. ^ https://lovinmalta.com/lifestyle/sport/qassam-denilson-former-arsenal-midfielder-set-to-join-sliema-wanderers/
  18. ^ https://www.tvm.com.mt/mt/sports/jeffrey-farrugia-jinhatar-president-ta-sliema-wanderers-fc/
  19. ^ https://www.maltafootball.com/2020/08/14/sliema-wanderers-sign-four-new-players-appoint-new-president/
  20. ^ https://www.maltatoday.com.mt/sports/football/107333/sliema_wanderers_official_keith_perry_resigns_as_club_faces_player_revolt_over_unpaid_salaries#.YaQZV2LMJPY
  21. ^ https://sportsdesk.com.mt/2021/02/04/watch-sliema-players-battled-poverty-due-to-unpaid-wages-says-coach-pisanu/
  22. ^ https://timesofmalta.com/articles/view/adrian-delia-aims-to-set-up-charitable-foundation-after-sensational.842424[bare URL]
  23. ^ https://www.maltafootball.com/2021/02/15/nm-group-announces-sliema-wanderers-sponsorship/
  24. ^ https://nmgroup.mt/news/nm-group-announces-sliema-wanderers-f-c-sponsorship/
  25. ^ https://sportsdesk.com.mt/2021/05/13/keith-perry-tipped-for-return-as-sliema-wanderers-plan-to-hold-agm-next-month/
  26. ^ https://www.maltafootball.com/2021/08/06/sliema-wanderers-sign-two-new-foreign-players/
  27. ^ https://sportsdesk.com.mt/2021/10/31/34270/
  28. ^ https://www.maltafootball.com/2021/10/24/santa-lucia-held-by-ten-man-sliema/
  29. ^ https://sportsdesk.com.mt/2021/10/17/watch-hibernians-go-top-after-brushing-aside-sliema-wanderers/
  30. ^ https://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2021-11-20/football/Premier-League-Sliema-finally-register-first-win-6736238466
  31. ^ https://sportsdesk.com.mt/2021/11/26/valletta-awarded-win-over-sliema-wanderers-as-protest-upheld-by-malta-fa/
  32. ^ https://sportsdesk.com.mt/2021/11/27/montebello-double-lifts-birkirkara-past-struggling-sliema-wanderers/

External links[]

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