Malta Veterans to face Manchester Reds in MUSC Malta Cup

A selection of Malta Veterans will be taking the pitch on June 13 (kick-off: 7.30PM) to face a team of ex-Manchester United players at the Centenary Stadium in the MUSC Malta Cup.

The friendly match organised by the Manchester United Supporters Club Malta will be the climax to a series of events commemorating the club’s 65th anniversary and will bring to Malta players like Jaap Stam, Ronny Johnsen, Sammy McIlroy and others in a star-studded list of 20 former United players who will face the Malta Veterans team which has been particularly active in recent years with matches in Malta and abroad.

Officially announcing the event on Tuesday, MUSC Malta president Joseph Tedesco said this will be the last event after a series of high-profile activities organised by them this year which brought to Malta big names like former United player and coach Mike Phelan.

“I’m very honoured that the Malta veterans have accepted our invitation to play this competitive friendly match against the Manchester Reds,” Tedesco said.

“I’m sure that even though it will be a friendly, it will be a competitive spectacle, especially when I saw the two line-ups.

“Five years ago, we had another match like this where a group of Manchester United legends played against ex-Valletta FC players in another interesting clash. This time, the line-up will maybe be a bit more prestigious on the side of Manchester United who will be playing against a side full of players who represented Malta at some stage. We’ve even got a trophy for this MUSC Malta Cup.”

Malta’s Man. United supporters’ club boasts the status of the oldest one in the world and this has etched their names in the English club’s history.

Tedesco said that due to the popularity the Maltese club has among the rest of the supporters’ clubs, several supporters are coming from overseas for the event and the MUSC president told the Times of Malta that such an event continues to bolster the supporters’ club’s relationship with the mother club itself.

“Relations with the mother club have always been very good,” he explained.

“Most football clubs around the world have evolved throughout the years but our dynamic has remained just as good and the fact that we’ll be celebrating our 65th anniversary says something.

“In order to be given the chance to host an event like this requires a level of trust. Of course, all expectations will be for us to take care of, but I’m surrounded by a team that is surely capable of pulling this off. These are events that take a lot of time and effort, but we do this with passion because apart from the fact that we are obsessed with Manchester United, we are also obsessed with their supporters.”

Carlo Mamo, representing the Malta Veterans team, lauded the supporters’ club’s efforts and said they are looking forward to the event.

“Obviously, we’re looking forward to taking part in this event against these ex-Manchester United players,” Mamo explained.

“We’re happy to be part of these celebrations commemorating the supporters’ club’s 65-year anniversary and while we’ll be enjoying ourselves, we will also be doing our best to provide enjoyment to all of those people who come to watch us play.”

The Malta Veterans squad will be composed of former National team players and others who have played at the top of Maltese football like Brian Said, Gareth Sciberras, and David Camilleri amongst others.

Tickets are on sale at tickets.mfa.com.mt or from the MUSC premises in Sta Venera.

The MUSC Malta Cup has also been made possible with the help of Visit Malta.