The third edition of the Tipsport Malta Cup will take place in early January with the participation of four clubs – Czech First League sides Sigma Olomouc and Zbrojovka Brno, Slovak team Spartak Trnava, together with a yet-to-be-confirmed top-flight team from Austria.
The 2021 tournament was launched last week in Prague with the organisers reiterating their commitment to taking all the necessary health and safety precautions in response to the difficulties and challenges caused by COVID-19.
Václav Sochor, Tipsport’s Head of Communications, said: “We did not want to cancel the tournament straightaway, which would have actually been an understandable reaction to the pandemic at the time. Instead, together with our Maltese colleagues, we were determined to do everything possible to organise the 2021 Tipsport Malta Cup and create a showcase of a safe international sports event in these extraordinary circumstances.”
The two semi-finals are scheduled for January 6, 2021 leading up to the third-place game and final on January 9, with all matches being played at the National Stadium and broadcast live on Czech and Slovak TV channels.
The participating teams will be using their one-week stay in Malta between January 3 and 10 to conduct a training camp.
“Last year we had plans to expand the Tipsport Malta Cup and include more foreign participants in addition to the Czech and Slovak teams,” Helmut Amhof, from MFA SportsPlus Limited, said. “Although the health crisis has disrupted these plans, we can confirm the participation of a club from the top Austrian league in the upcoming tournament.”
Over 20 journalists from Czech and Slovak media houses are expected to travel to Malta to cover the tournament, adding to the prestige of this event which has the support of the Malta Tourism Authority (MTA).
“We are constantly striving to strengthen relations with other European nations, both in the footballing world as well as in tourism which is a crucial sector for our country,” Carlo Micallef, the Deputy CEO and Chief Marketing Officer of the MTA, said.
“This annual tournament is one of those platforms which help us to further promote Malta in European countries, specifically as an attractive winter destination.”
