LA VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – Hamrun Spartans have officially announced the appointment of Giacomo Modica as their new head coach, reinforcing a long-standing tradition at the club of relying on Italian managerial talent. The appointment, revealed through the club’s social media channels, marks a fresh chapter as the Spartans gear up for the upcoming 2025/26 season and UEFA Champions League qualification.

Modica, a 61-year-old Italian from Mazara del Vallo in Sicily, brings with him a rich footballing pedigree and a deep connection to one of Italy’s most iconic tactical minds—Zdenek Zeman. Often referred to in Italy as “Lo Zemaniano”(the Zeman disciple), Modica spent years working alongside the legendary Czech-born coach, absorbing his trademark attacking philosophy and high-press style of football.

The signing of Modica—an individual who has not only worked under Zeman at elite Serie A sides such as Napoli, Roma, and Cagliari, but also carved out his own coaching path in Serie B and Serie C with teams including Messina, Lecce, and Cosenza.

As a player, Modica featured for several Italian clubs including Palermo, Padova, and Messina, where he once shared the dressing room with the late Salvatore Schillaci, Italy’s hero at the 1990 World Cup. During his stint at Padova in the early ’90s, Modica also played alongside a young Alessandro Del Piero, who would go on to become a global football icon.

Hamrun Spartans described Modica as a coach “with vision, experience, and passion,” and expectations are high as he takes over the technical leadership of the squad, particularly in preparation for their UEFA Champions League commitments.

– photo Hamrun Spartans Football Club –

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Source: medNews

LONDON (ENGLAND) (ITALPRESS) – A crucial day for the European destiny of Crystal Palace. The historic victory in the FA Cup final against Manchester City has given the Eagles a place in the next Europa League, but their participation is seriously at risk due to UEFA rules on multi-ownership.

John Textor holds 43% of the club but is also the majority shareholder of Lyon, which will play in the Europa League next season. Not even the hypothesis of a relegation to the Conference would be practicable: David Blitzer owns shares in both the English club and Broendby and since UEFA in these cases gives priority to the team that has placed better in the championship, it would be the Danes who play in the third continental competition.

Brighton, the first of the Premier League excluded teams, would take advantage of this scenario, but – “Daily Mail” reports – today a delegation from Crystal Palace will go to Nyon to try to convince UEFA that there is no link with Lyon and thus save their place in the Europa League.

– photo IPA Agency –

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Source: medNews

MADRID (SPAIN) (ITALPRESS) – “A lot of things happened, some too quickly, complicated for me to handle, but in the end I’m happy”. Alvaro Morata, interviewed by “Gazzetta dello Sport”, spoke again about his months spent at Milan, experience then interrupted in January with the transfer to Galatasaray.

“Inside there, things happened that I had never experienced in my career, and I’d rather keep them to myself. I didn’t feel comfortable anymore, and before becoming a problem, I left.”, specifies the Spanish striker who admits that things were not going “especially in terms of communication. I try to be respectful with everyone but there are certain things that I don’t like, and to avoid creating problems I left”.

Morata is on loan at Galatasaray until December 31, he hasn’t spoken with Tare and Allegri yet “or at least, not in the new roles. Because I often hear from Max because of the relationship that binds us. They are great professionals and if they took them it means that Milan wants to get back to winning and being important immediately and I hope that everything goes great for them. But I don’t know anything about me”.

– photo IPA Agency –

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Source: medNews

LIVERPOOL (ENGLAND) (ITALPRESS) – Liverpool insists on Florian Wirtz. According to English media, Bayer Leverkusen has rejected the Reds’ first two offers (100 million plus 15 in bonuses and then 130 million euros in total between the fixed and variable part) remaining firm on its initial request of 150 million.

This is why, according to “Kicker”, to bridge the gap, Liverpool is thinking of introducing technical counterparts such as Harvey Elliott and Jarrell Quansah: the first, in particular, has struggled this season to find space and with the arrival of Wirtz he risks playing even less.

But at Anfield they are working on several tables and negotiations are proceeding quickly with Bournemouth for Milos Kerkez, a 21-year-old Hungarian full-back who the Cherries value at just under 50 million. On the other hand, Caoimhin Kelleher is leaving: the 26-year-old Irish goalkeeper is about to move to Brentford for 15 million euros plus 6.5 in bonuses. His place will be taken by Giorgi Mamardashvili, already bought a year ago from Valencia and left on loan for a season to the Spanish team.

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BARCELONA (SPAIN) (ITALPRESS) – “Barcelona is my club. I saw what was happening from the outside and I always thought I could lend a hand to bring it back to the top levels”. Deco, a former Blaugrana player and now sporting director, is among those who has contributed most to the rebirth of Barça.

“I knew it would be difficult with these financial rules, because here we are not talking about economic problems but about financial fair play, whose rules in Spain are tougher than in the Premier League and other countries – he told the BBC – They are a problem for many clubs, but people only talk about Barça because we are a big club. You have to work on it, look for ways to improve the team, and the combination between the players from La Masia and the more experienced ones has been important”.

Barça won the Spanish Super Cup, Copa del Rey and La Liga, stopping in the Champions League one step away from the final. In recent weeks, the renewals of coach Flick and of various players have arrived, above all Yamal and Raphinha.

“We will not sell our best players and will instead grow with many of the players who are already here. We will then make two, three or four buyers but without madness. Rashford and Diaz? For now we have concentrated on the renewal of the contracts, then we will discuss the new grafts. Rashford and Diaz are strong, but they are both under contract so it wouldn’t be correct to talk about them. In any case, we don’t need many buyers”.

Barcelona has also regained its appeal. “When I talk to the players’ agents, everyone wants to come or stay. This is important. The club’s image is still positive. We are proud because Barcelona is still a great club, and the way we play makes the players want to come”.

But the biggest move was to secure Yamal until 2031. “The comparisons with Messi? Lamine is Lamine, Leo is Leo. Leo was the best player in the history of this club and, for me, the best player in history in general. Everyone goes crazy watching Lamine play, everyone would pay to see him in the stadium, he is special and wanted to stay because he believes in the project. He deserved a higher salary and will become one of the best in the world. But let’s not forget that he is only 17. Lamine, for quality, can write history like Leo. But to do that he must have a great team around him”.

One of the reinforcements that Deco was referring to could be Thomas Partey: according to the “Sun”, there is already a negotiation underway for the almost 32-year-old midfielder who has not yet reached an agreement with Arsenal to renew his contract that expires at the end of the month.

The player, who has an excellent relationship with Arteta, would be happy to stay in London but since it is most likely his last big contract, he would like a salary that is worthy of his qualities.

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Source: medNews

MADRID (SPAIN) (ITALPRESS) – Le Petit Diable still with the colchoneros. Atletico Madrid has made official the renewal of Antoine Griezmann until 2027. The 34-year-old French striker arrived at Atletico in 2014, five years after moving to Barcelona before returning in 2021. In total 197 goals that make him the best scorer ever in the history of the club ahead of Luis Aragone (173), in addition to winning a Spanish Super Cup (2014), a Europa League and a European Super Cup (both in 2018).

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Source: medNews

MANCHESTER (ENGLAND) (ITALPRESS) – “It’s an honour for me. This means that in recent seasons we have done a great job, both in the Champions League and in the league. For all of us it is a new competition and I am really looking forward to playing it”. Interviewed by Fifa.com, Pep Guardiola can’t wait to meet the new Club World Cup.

Manchester City is in the same group as Juventus, Al Ain and Wydad Casablanca “and even in the national championships you always have to deal with different coaches, cultures, styles of play and ways of playing. Surely at the Club World Cup you can meet teams from Oceania, Asia, South America… Different ways of understanding football and different players. It will be great”.

Coming off a disappointing season, City is aiming for the big target to redeem itself. “It would be great to win it, there’s no point in denying it. But there will be 31 other teams with the same objective. Usually when I take part in a competition, for example the Premier League, I never start thinking ‘We will win. I have to win’. You take it one step at a time”. Speaking instead of his approach, the 54-year-old Catalan coach admits: “the influence of my previous coaches has helped me to open my mind, especially my mentor Johan Cruyff”.

“He opened my mind and helped me imagine the way I would play”, Guardiola continued. “I’m pretty sure that without Johan Cruyff’s influence on my career as a footballer, it would have been difficult to become the coach I am today.” Meanwhile, City will be in the States without Mateo Kovacic: the 31-year-old Croatian midfielder has undergone surgery on his Achilles tendon. The English club has not commented on his recovery times but confirms that they will have to do without him at the Club World Cup.

Meanwhile, on the transfer market, to solve the left-back problem once and for all, the Citizens have reportedly set their sights on Rayan Ait-Nouri, a 23-year-old Algerian from Wolverhampton: the goal is to find an agreement before leaving for the USA and have him available immediately.

According to the English press, there have also been initial contacts with Lyon for the 21-year-old Rayan Cherki, 12 goals in 44 games last season, who has a valuation of over 40 million. He too, like the Milan player Reijnders and the aforementioned Ait-Nouri, could join City in time to play in the Club World Cup.

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Source: medNews

PARIS (FRANCE) (ITALPRESS) – Ousmane Dembelé, striker of PSG, has been named ‘Player of the Season of the UEFA Champions League 2024/25’. The UEFA Technical Observers Group has confirmed this: “In addition to the eight goals scored, Dembelé has also assumed the role of leader within Paris Saint-Germain, as we saw in the final, where he stood out for his great commitment across the pitch and offensive pressing”, explained the Observers Group.

“Furthermore, match after match, he put his opponents in difficulty with his intelligent movements, dropping deep to guarantee his team numerical superiority in midfield, giving breathing space to the maneuver”. The 28-year-old played a season at the highest level, and was also the competition’s top scorer with eight goals in total.

Among them, the decisive goal that started the comeback against Manchester City on matchday seven of the championship phase, the hat-trick at Stuttgart in the eighth and the decisive goals in the away victories against Liverpool and Arsenal in the knockout phase stand out.

“Since I was a child, since I started playing football, my dream was to play in the Champions League,” said the Frenchman. “It was incredible to reach the final and it’s even more incredible to win it. It’s an inexplicable feeling. I’m proud of the path we’ve taken and of everything I’ve done throughout my career to achieve this result. It’s all fantastic.”

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Source: medNews

VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – The Maltese government handed over its remaining stake in Malta Air to Ryanair for just €25,000, following a five-year-old agreement. The move marks the final step in Ryanair’s complete takeover of Malta Air, an airline set up in 2019 amid promises of economic growth. At the time, Ryanair’s holding company, Gulliver Holding Ltd, owned the entirety of the airlinès shares, with the exception of one so-called “golden share” retained by the Maltese government. That share gave authorities limited veto rights, primarily over the airlinès name and any potential sale. However, previously undisclosed details of the founding agreement reveal that this golden share was always intended to be temporary. A clause titled “Call Option,” signed on June 11, 2019, gave Gulliver the automatic right to purchase the golden share after five years, for a fixed sum of €25,000. Ryanair triggered this clause on May 16, 2024, notifying the Maltese government of its intent to exercise the option. Just under a month later, on June 12, 2024-five years and one day after the agreement’s signing-the deal was completed. The airline was launched with Ryanair operating six aircraft under the Malta Air brand, with plans to expand and develop maintenance facilities locally.
Following the government’s sale of its golden share in Malta Air to Ryanair for €25,000, Prime Minister Robert Abela characterized the transaction as a “commercial transaction” rather than a “deal,” emphasizing that the agreement was executed in line with the contractual obligations established in 2019.

foto: IPA Agency

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Source: medNews

RABAT (MOROCCO) (ITALPRESS) – A significant diplomatic development has taken place regarding the Western Sahara issue: the United Kingdom has officially recognized Morocco’s 2007 autonomy initiative as “the most credible, realistic, and pragmatic basis for a lasting resolution of the regional dispute.” This position was formalized today through a joint declaration signed in Rabat by the British Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, David Lammy, and Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita.

The joint declaration emphasizes the urgency for the parties involved to engage constructively and promptly in the political process led by the United Nations. “London recognizes the strategic importance of the Sahara issue for Morocco and the central role of King Mohammed VI in promoting the current positive momentum,” the document states.

With this stance, the United Kingdom joins a growing group of countries that officially support autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty as the only way out of the long-standing dispute. Three permanent members of the UN Security Council – including the United States and France – now explicitly back the Moroccan plan. In total, 124 UN member states, including 23 from the European Union, have expressed support either for Morocco’s sovereignty or its autonomy plan.

According to the declaration, resolving the dispute would help reinforce stability in North Africa, revitalize bilateral cooperation, and promote regional integration. In this context, the two countries reaffirmed their shared commitment to supporting the efforts of the UN Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy, emphasizing that a “durable and mutually acceptable solution” is essential for regional stability.

Beyond the political dimension, the declaration also signals a concrete willingness for economic cooperation. The UK announced that UK Export Finance could consider financing projects in Western Sahara as part of a £5 billion plan to support economic development in Morocco.

The United Kingdom also recognizes Morocco as a “strategic partner and vital gateway” for the development of the African continent, the document states, confirming its intention to strengthen bilateral cooperation also from a continental perspective.

The UK’s recognition further consolidates Morocco’s diplomatic leadership under King Mohammed VI, who has steered the Kingdom’s foreign policy toward a network of strategic alliances based on regional stability and South-South cooperation.

Both countries underline the central role of the UN-led political process and, as a permanent member of the UN Security Council, the UK shares Morocco’s view on the urgency of resolving this longstanding dispute.

“The time has come to find a solution and move forward on this issue,” the final communiqué reads, highlighting that resolving the dispute would decisively contribute to North African stability and the advancement of regional integration. With this move, London strengthens the international front in favor of Morocco’s proposal and confirms a well-established political and economic orientation aimed at long-term stabilization of the region, in line with the objectives of the United Nations.

Photo: MAP

Source: medNews