Ħamrun Spartans’ heroics in the Conference League this season have instilled the belief that Maltese clubs can dream of playing at the highest level in UEFA club competitions. President Joseph Portelli told Valhmor Camilleri on the Sportsdesk podcast that he is determined to lead the team to higher objectives….
Playing in the League Phase of the UEFA Conference League has always been the primary objective of Joseph Portelli since he took over as president of Ħamrun Spartans.
Many thought that his aspirations of steering Ħamrun Spartans into the group stages of a UEFA club competition were something unrealistic to achieve, but the Gozitan tycoon defied the odds, and his heavy investment reaped dividends as the Spartans became the first Maltese club to reach the League Phase of the UEFA Conference League.
The Maltese champions continued to impress in the League Phase and were unlucky not to pick up points against stronger opponents like Jagiellonia, in Poland, and Swiss side Lausanne at the National Stadium.
Ħamrun’s efforts were finally rewarded late last month when they came from behind to beat Gibraltar’s Lincoln Red Imps 3-1 at the National Stadium, to become the first Maltese side to win a match in the League Phase of a UEFA competition.
Portelli said that success against Lincoln was a proud moment for him and added it injected a fresh spark to continue investing and steer the team to higher objectives.
“The dream of reaching the group stages of a UEFA club competition started five-and-a-half years ago,” Portelli said.
“When I took over as Ħamrun Spartans president, I convinced the committee that our dream had to be to steer the team into the League Phase of a UEFA club competition,” Portelli said.
“When I was president of Nadur Youngsters, I won 10 Gozitan league titles in the space of 12 years, and domestic success in Gozo is nice, but the amount of joy of winning the league trophy diminishes from one year to another.
“Winning the league title in Malta is great, as you are given the chance to play in the Champions League. Even at Ħamrun, winning titles continuously is brilliant, but when you succeed in reaching the League Phase in Europe, it injects fresh enthusiasm and then when you win points is the cherry on the cake.”
Portelli said that trying to reach higher objectives every year is what keeps him motivated to remain involved in Maltese football.
“I always set a target, and once it has been fulfilled, I immediately set an even higher goal,” he said.
“If I don’t dream of achieving higher goals, my motivation goes away and I would step down. And that is why now that we have reached the League Phase of the UEFA Conference League, our next goal is to reach the same stage in the UEFA Europa League.
“I believe that with a little bit of investment and improving slightly the level of the team, we can achieve that. If we fail, we can qualify again for the League Phase of the Conference League, where we will set our sights on a top-24 placing and a berth in the play-offs.”
Portelli said that one certainty for next season is the fact that he is going to increase the club’s transfer budget, thanks to excellent financial rewards the club is set to receive from their historical UEFA Conference League qualification.
“When I started five years ago, I won the league championship with a budget of €1 million,” Portelli said.
“Each year, I gradually increased my budget, and in my sixth year, the club has forked out €2.8 million in squad investment. Qualifying for the League Phase has reaped huge financial rewards for the club, as so far we are already guaranteed €4.5 million with two more matches still to be played.
“More importantly, this will be the first time that the club will finish with a profit, and that is very good, as that puts me in a position to continue to increase my transfer budget for next season.
“I am sure that I will be able to sign better players and make the team much stronger and more competitive to fulfil our dream of reaching the League Phase of the Europa League.”
Portelli believes one of the biggest problems that is hampering Maltese football from continuing to reach higher levels is the lack of natural football pitches and says that all Premier League clubs should unite and embark on an ambitious project to have more natural pitches available for them.
“One thing that I had said many times, recently, and I am sure that Malta Premier League chairman Dr Joseph Muscat is working on, is to have more natural-grass football pitches for top-flight clubs,” Portelli said.
“If Premier League teams want to see Maltese football progress in the same way as countries like Iceland, they need to unite and invest together in infrastructure.
“I believe that we need five or six pitches and a new football stadium.
“Playing at the National Stadium is a very frustrating experience, as in a ground that has a capacity of 16,500, you sometimes go out and play in front of 1,000 fans, other times even less.
“If you have a 6,000-seater, the vibe and energy created by the fans is much better and will match what we experience when we see football abroad.
“Clubs cannot afford to have such facilities as their budgets are small compared to foreign teams. But if they unite and each club gives its financial contribution to the project, I am sure that our football will improve considerably and we can attract much better players, and become more competitive in Europe.”
Infrastructure
Speaking of infrastructure, Portelli admitted that at the moment he has taken a step back from embarking on the Commercialisation project at the Victor Tedesco Stadium.
“I am really sorry for the Ħamrun Spartans fans because I really wanted to leave behind me something that could yield a small sum of revenue for the club,” Portelli said.
“However, to make the project I had in mind requires too much of an investment and the returns from it are very small, so it’s not worth it. And I cannot leave something to the club that could leave them with a major financial burden if something goes wrong.
“If the government intervenes and removes the Milk Factory from there and the Commercialisation Law is launched properly, then things will be different.
“Then I come in with my companies and turn the site around and make it profitable for me, and will allow me to agree with the club to help them receive some important revenue. So time will tell what will happen.”
Turning back on his first-team, Portelli describes coach Giacomo Modica as his best acquisition this summer and revealed that he managed to convince him to stay on for another season, despite the fact he received more lucrative offers from abroad.
“I never had a coach like Giacomo Modica,” Portelli said.
“He is a very serious person and has great skills to manage all the characters in the dressing room. It was not easy to lure him to Ħamrun Spartans, but we convinced him by telling him that he could be the first coach to lead the club to the League Phase of a UEFA club competition, something he had never achieved.
“Three weeks ago, I had a problem with him as he received a lucrative offer from abroad and it’s tough to keep someone who does not want to stay. But it was there that my project to take over an Italian team became crucial in convincing him to stay on.
“I told him that he would be interested in managing again in the Italian Serie C or Serie B again and I will give him that opportunity in the near future with the team I want to acquire.
“He was pleased with the proposal and he will remain with us this season and the next campaign too, and for me, he is the most significant acquisition the club has made so far this season.”
Portelli has been in the news lately for making public his intentions to invest in an Italian Serie D club.
The Gozo businessman confirmed that talks are ongoing with two Italian clubs but made it clear that he has no plans to quit Ħamrun Spartans anytime soon.
“The only time I was close to quitting Maltese football was when they voted against my proposal on the Premier League format,” Portelli said.
“That was the only time where I lost interest, and that year I didn’t invest well in the team, even though we still ended up winning the title.
“But my idea of acquiring a foreign team is a business venture for me, while Ħamrun Spartans are my passion.
“I want to acquire an Italian team in the lower tiers so that I will have the opportunity to guide it from Serie D to the Italian Serie A.
“I am looking for a team that has a great allure, and that is why I mentioned my dream was to take over Sampdoria.
“At the moment, I am in talks with two teams, and last week I almost close out the deal with one of them but the move fell through. But by next March, I want to close out the deal.
“I believe that this venture will be of great benefit for Ħamrun Spartans and Maltese football in general.
“It will be a great platform for the Maltese players to play at a higher level while at the same time, I can bring good players to help Ħamrun Spartans’ cause in Europe.”
Foreigners quota
Portelli said that he is in favour of the proposal that is currently being discussed by the Malta Premier League, which will see top-flight clubs next season have 11 foreign players in their starting formation.
“I believe it’s the right way forward,” Portelli said.
“If you are a Maltese player and you don’t have the same level of foreign players, then just go and play in the Challenge League.
“If Maltese players have the level, they will play. Look at Henry Bonello, Joseph Mbong, Matthew Guillaumier and Ryan Camenzuli, all players who are or were in my team but always proved that they have a high level to play regularly.
“It’s not fair that clubs are forced to play Maltese players even if they don’t have the level to play in the Premier League.”
Portelli concluded the interview by confirming that Henry Bonello, whose contract with the club expires at the end of the season, is going nowhere and will remain at the Malta champions.
“There is no way Henry Bonello is going anywhere; he is staying with us,” Portelli said.
“For me, he can play at least two more years at a high level, and I want to keep him at all costs.
“Henry is my player, and that will not change. He is one of the stars of the team and will continue to guard our goal, for the foreseeable future.”
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