Stefano Sanderra takes over as head coach at Ħamrun Spartans

Stefano Sanderra is set for a return to Maltese football as the Italian coach has been named as the new coach of Ħamrun Spartans.

The Italian coach was contacted by the former Malta champions to replace Giacomo Modica, who, suddenly, parted ways with the club on Thursday.

Sanderra is a familiar face in Maltese football as the experienced coach enjoyed a positive four-year spell with Hibernians, during which he steered the club to European football in each and every season, with the highlight reached in 2022 when he led the side to the league title.

After leaving Hibernians, Sanderra was appointed as coach of the Lazio Primavera where he enjoyed a lot of success.

In fact, Sanderra managed to steer the team to promotion to Primavera 1 and also won the Supercoppa Primavera 2 following a 4-0 win over Genoa.

In season 2023-24, Sanderra leads Lazio in the UEFA Youth League and the team manages to win five points.

During that campaign, he steers Lazio to third place of the Primavera championships and the semi-finals of the Coppa Italia, where they go down to Torino.

In January 2025, he stepped down from his post of Lazio head coach due to personal reasons but now Sanderra has the chance to revive his career at Ħamrun Spartans.

The main goal will be a strong run in the UEFA Conference League qualifiers, where they will face Faroe Islands side Runavik in the first qualifying round in two weeks.

But in the domestic front, the Spartans will be determined to challenge for all the domestic honours after a disappointing 2025-26 season, which saw the team miss out on all major trophies.