Santa Lucia FC appoint Alessandro Zinnari as coach

Santa Lucia FC have appointed Alessandro Zinnari as their new first-team coach, the Premier League club have announced on Wednesday. Zinnari replaces fellow Italian coach Enzo Potenza.

Zinnari has been working with the Malta Football Association for the past years but earlier this week the local governing body of football announced that they had reached an agreement with the Italian coach to terminate his contract.

In the past three years, Zinnari had been filling the role of Technical Coordination of the National Teams which has seen him coordinating the technical preparation across the different age group selections.

At Santa Lucia, Zinnari will be assisted by Alessandro Longo.

Zinnari and Longo both hold the UEFA A Licence but Zinnari is expected to start the course for a UEFA Pro Licence during the next season.

Zinnari and Longo have both put pen to paper on a two-year contract, with an option of a further season.

Contacted by the Times of Malta, Sta Lucia president Robert Micallef said that the appointment of Zinnari and Longo formed part of the club’s plans to launch a long-term strategy.

“Santa Lucia FC is looking to build a long-term strategy and that is why the club decided to complete the appointment of Alessandro Zinnari and Alessandro Longo as first-team coaches,” Micallef said.

“In fact, Zinnari and his coaching staff will be responsible not only for the first-team squad but also for the launching of a new strategy that will focus on youth development in view of the club’s plans to embark on a sporting project after they are awarded the Outline Development permit by the Planning Authority.

“In the coming days, the club is planning to issue a document that will give full details on the strategy the club is planning to undertake.”