Sliema Wanderers F.C.

Sliema Wanderers Football Club, nicknamed "tax-Xelin" (of the shilling),[2] is a professional Maltese football club.[3] It is the most successful team in Malta and hails from the seaside town of Sliema. It currently plays in the Maltese Premier League.

Sliema Wanderers
Full nameSliema Wanderers Football Club
Nickname(s)The Blues
The Wanderers
Founded3 November 1909 (1909-11-03)
GroundTigne Sports Complex,
Sliema,
Malta
Capacity1,000
ManagerAndrea Pisanu[1]
LeagueMaltese Premier League
2021–22Maltese Premier League, 12th of 12 (Relegated)

History

The club was founded in 1909. The club competed in the first ever Maltese Premier League season in 1909–10 and finished in second position to Floriana after the five-game season came to an end.

Ten years down the line Sliema Wanderers finally made their mark in Maltese football by winning the Maltese Premier League title in the 1919–20 season. Since then the team have gone on to win the title 26 times, a record for Malta; the last three being in 2002–03, 2003–04 and 2004–05.

Sliema Wanderers also hold the record for the most FA Trophy wins, with their first coming in 1935, when they overpowered Floriana with a 4–0 victory. The club have gone on to win this particular honour 20 times, most recently in 2000, 2004 and in 2009; the last title was won against Valletta 7–6 on penalties after the match finished 3–3 following extra time.

With all these honours, Sliema Wanderers are currently the most successful team in the history of Maltese football with approximately 113 honours. Sliema Wanderers train at the Tigne Sports Complex, in Sliema. Grant Tissot almost played for them, which would've been a major acquisition for such a club.

Sliema Wanderers also had a futsal team, which participated in Malta's top futsal league.

2000s

The 2000s saw Sliema Wanderers becoming a dominant club in the Maltese scene again.

Summer 2003 had President Robert Arrigo signing Maltese internationals Jamie Pace, Djibril Sylla and Daniel Bogdanovic.[4]

Season 2004-05 saw the Wanderers, under the presidency of Robert Arrigo, win their 26th Maltese Premier League title.[5] Part of this success was Michael Mifsud's return to his boyhood club after being leaving 1.FC Kaiserslautern on a free.[6]

Season 2005-06 started with a UEFA Champions League qualifier against Sheriff Tiraspol.[7] Much to Arrigo's chagrin, lost Michael Mifsud to Lillestrøm SK, in a move made possible by Nikki Dimech who acted as his representative, albeit being a lengthy transfer saga that was complicated by International Transfer Clearance issues and compensation fees.[8][9][10]

2010s

Sliema Wanderers clinched an Maltese FA Trophy in season 2015-16.

Keith Perry was confirmed as president in the beginning of season 2016-17 despite rumours.[11] John Buttigieg was appointed as Head Coach.[12]

2020s

The club endured a rough start to the 2020s. The club started off with a bang, signing former Arsenal F.C. midfielder Denílson.[13][14][15][16][17] Further players were signed and Keith Perry was appointed Chairman of the club, and Jeffrey Farrugia took over as president.[18][19] A sponsorship deal was struck with Catco Group, an oil investment company based in China and Tunisia. Catco Group however, failed to pay its dues, citing technical reasons. This gave way to unrest within the club, with captain Mark Scerri and head coach Andrea Pisanu making public statements regarding the financial situation of the club, proceeding with resignations such as Perry and team manager Alex Muscat.[20][21] Players went unpaid for months, with another sponsor, Sixt, finally paying the players directly just before Christmas.[22] Eventually a new sponsor was brought on board.[23][24] Farrugia was later ousted as Keith Perry returned in the President's seat in preparation for the upcoming season.[25]

Season 2021-22 was disastrous from a technical point of view. Despite signing two new players in Djibouti international Warsama Hassan and Japanese Yuki Uchida,[26] up until November 19, 2021, the club had not yet won a match, and sat at the bottom of the Maltese Premier League.[27][28][29] The first win came on November 20, stunning Valletta witha 2-1 result.[30] The dying minutes of the match however, proved fatal, as Warsama Hassan was introduced at 90 minutes. However, the player had just returned from Egypt, where he had featured for his [[Djibouti national football team in a match against Algeria. Warsama was supposed to be in quarantine, having returned from a Dark Red listed country. Valletta lodged a formal complaint, which was upheld by the Malta Football Association, awarding a 3–0 win to Valletta.[31]

Sliema Wanderers' next match was against Birkirkara F.C., resulting in a further loss.[32]

Players

Current squad

As of 19 February, 2022. Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK  MLT Timothy Aquilina
2 DF  MLT Alexander Muscat
3 DF  COL Juan Morales
4 DF  ITA Raffaele Schiavi
5 MF  MLT Kurt Shaw
6 DF  MLT Gabriel Aquilina
7 MF  MLT John Mintoff
8 MF  MLT Mark Scerri
9 FW  MLT Omar Elouni
10 FW  CIV Inters Gui
11 FW  UKR Ruslan Kisil
17 MF  DJI Warsama Hassan
18 MF  MLT Edmond Agius
19 MF  MLT Jake Engerer
No. Pos. Nation Player
21 MF  NED Danny Holla
22 GK  MLT Rashed Al-Tumi
23 MF  ITA Matteo Piciollo
24 GK  MLT David Cassar
25 MF  JPN Yuki Uchida
29 DF  PAN Óscar Linton
30 FW  MLT Jean Paul Farrugia
61 DF  MLT Myles Beerman
71 DF  NED Julius Bliek
72 FW  BRA Jean Carlos
77 MF  SEN Amadou Pape Samb
88 DF  MLT Dejan Vuković
91 MF  JAM Martin Davis
99 FW  SWE Valmir Berisha

On loan

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
7 MF  MLT Jean Borg (at Mgarr United)

European record
Season Competition Round Country Club Home Away Aggregate
1963–64 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup Preliminary Round Borough United 0–0 0–2 0–2
1964–65 European Cup Preliminary Round Dinamo București 0–2 0–5 0–7
1965–66 European Cup Preliminary Round Panathinaikos 1–0 1–4 2–4
1966–67 European Cup Preliminary Round CSKA Sofia 1–2 0–4 1–6
1968–69 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup 1. Round US Rumelange 1–0 1–2 2–2(a)
2. Round Randers Freja 0–2 0–6 0–8
1969–70 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup 1. Round IFK Norrköping 1–0 1–5 2–5
1970–71 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup 1. Round Akademisk BK 2–3 0–7 2–10
1971–72 European Cup 1. Round ÍA Akranes 0–0 4–0 4–0
2. Round Celtic 1–2 0–5 1–7
1972–73 European Cup 1. Round Górnik Zabrze 0–5 0–5 0–10
1973–74 UEFA Cup 1. Round Lokomotiv Plovdiv 0–2 0–1 0–3
1974–75 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup 1. Round Lahti 2–0 1–4 3–4
1975–76 UEFA Cup 1. Round Sporting CP 1–2 1–3 2–5
1976–77 European Cup 1. Round TPS Turku 2–1 0–1 2–2(a)
1977–78 UEFA Cup 1. Round Eintracht Frankfurt 0–0 0–5 0–5
1979–80 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup 1. Round Boavista 2–1 0–8 2–9
1980–81 UEFA Cup 1. Round Barcelona 0–2 0–1 0–3
1981–82 UEFA Cup 1. Round Aris Thessaloniki 2–4 0–4 2–8
1982–83 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup 1. Round Swansea City 0–5 0–12 0–17
1987–88 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup 1. Round Vllaznia Shkodër 0–4 0–2 0–6
1988–89 UEFA Cup 1. Round Victoria București 0–2 1–6 1–8
1989–90 European Cup 1. Round KF Tirana 1–0 0–5 1–5
1990–91 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup 1. Round Dukla Prague 1–2 0–2 1–4
1993–94 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup Qualifying Round Degerfors 1–3 0–3 1–6
1995–96 UEFA Cup Preliminary Round AC Omonia 1–2 0–3 1–5
1996–97 UEFA Cup Preliminary Round Margveti Zestafoni 1–3 3–0 4–3
Qualifying Round Odense BK 0–2 1–7 1–9
1998 UEFA Intertoto Cup 1. Round Diósgyőr 2–3 0–2 2–5
1999–00 UEFA Cup 1. Qualifying Round FC Zürich 0–3 0–1 0–4
2000–01 UEFA Cup 1. Qualifying Round FK Partizan 2–1 1–4 3–5
2001–02 UEFA Cup 1. Qualifying Round Matador Púchov 2–1 0–3 2–4
2002–03 UEFA Cup 1. Qualifying Round Polonia Warsaw 1–3 0–2 1–5
2003–04 UEFA Champions League 1. Qualifying Round Skonto Riga 2–0 1–3 3–3(a)
2. Qualifying Round Copenhagen 0–6 1–4 1–10
2004–05 UEFA Champions League 1. Qualifying Round FBK Kaunas 0–2 1–4 1–6
2005–06 UEFA Champions League 1. Qualifying Round Sheriff Tiraspol 1–4 0–2 1–6
2006–07 UEFA Cup 1. Qualifying Round Rapid București 0–1 0–5 0–6
2007–08 UEFA Cup 1. Qualifying Round Litex Lovech 0–3 0–4 0–7
2009–10 UEFA Europa League 2. Qualifying Round Maccabi Netanya 0–0 0–3 0–3
2010–11 UEFA Europa League 1. Qualifying Round Šibenik 0–3 0–0 0–3
2013–14 UEFA Europa League 1. Qualifying Round Khazar Lankaran 1–1 0–1 1–2
2014–15 UEFA Europa League 1. Qualifying Round Ferencváros 1–1 1–2 2–3

Managerial history

See Sliema Wanderers F.C. Managers

Manager Period
Salvinu Schembri 1963–1964
János Bédl1 July 1964 – 30 June 1966
Victor Scerri 1968–1978
Edward Aquilina 1979–1983
Robbie Buttigieg 1981–1982
Tony Formosa 1982–1986
Lawrence Borg 1987–1989
Martin Gregory1999–2001
Augustine Eguavoen1 July 2000 – 30 June 2001
Jeff Wood 2000–2002
Lawrence Borg 2001–2002
Edward Aquilina2002–2006
Ray Farrugia2006–2007
Stephen Azzopardi1 November 2007 – 30 May 2010
Mark Marlow1 July 2010 – 30 June 2011
Danilo Dončić3 February 2011 – 27 May 2012
Clive Mizzi27 May 2012 – 7 August 2012
Alfonso Greco1 July 2012 – October 2014
Stephen AzzopardiOctober 2014 – December 2015
Alfonso Greco 1 January 2016 – May 2016
John ButtigiegJune 2016 – 2019

Honours

Maltese Premier League

Maltese FA Trophy

  • Winners (21): 1934–35, 1935–36, 1936–37, 1939–40, 1945–46, 1947–48, 1950–51, 1951–52, 1955–56, 1958–59, 1962–63, 1964–65, 1967–68, 1968–69, 1973–74, 1978–79, 1989–90, 1999–2000, 2003–04, 2008–09, 2015–16

Maltese First Division

  • Winners: 1983–84

Maltese Super Cup Champions

  • Winners: 1996, 2000, 2009

References
  1. "Pisanu named as Sliema Wanderers coach". Times of Malta. 13 February 2020. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
  2. Cassar Pullicino, J. (1956). "Social Aspects of Maltese Nicknames" (PDF). Scientia. 22 (2): 92.
  3. "LaLiga: the best show in Malta | News | Liga de Fútbol Profesional 2016". usa.laliga.es. Archived from the original on 2019-07-16.
  4. "Bogdanovic is a Sliema player says Arrigo".
  5. "Making Sliema The most successful team was my primary aim – Robert Arrigo - The Malta Independent".
  6. "Mifsud heads back to Malta | Inside UEFA | UEFA.com".
  7. "Sheriff challenge for Sliema Wanderers".
  8. "Making Sliema The most successful team was my primary aim – Robert Arrigo - The Malta Independent".
  9. "Mifsud returning home as Sliema stand firm over clearance issue".
  10. "Mifsud set to leave Sliema for Norway's Lillestrom".
  11. "Keith Perry stays at the helm of Sliema Wanderers".
  12. "John Buttigieg 'honoured' to coach Sliema".
  13. "Sliema Wanderers sign former Arsenal midfielder Denilson - SportsDesk".
  14. "Once a Gunner, Now a Wanderer: Sliema Sign Denilson".
  15. "Sliema Wanderers sign former Arsenal midfielder Denilson - The Malta Independent".
  16. "Denilson joins Sliema Wanderers | maltafootball.com".
  17. "Qassam Denilson! Former Arsenal Midfielder Set To Join Sliema Wanderers".
  18. "Jeffrey Farrugia jinħatar President ta' Sliema Wanderers FC - TVM".
  19. "Sliema Wanderers sign four new players, appoint new president | maltafootball.com".
  20. "Sliema Wanderers official Keith Perry steps down amid player row over unpaid salaries".
  21. "Watch: Sliema players battled poverty due to unpaid wages, says coach Pisanu - SportsDesk".
  22. "Adrian Delia aims to set up charity foundation after sensational donation pledge".
  23. "NM Group announces Sliema Wanderers sponsorship | maltafootball.com".
  24. "NM Group announces Sliema Wanderers F.C. Sponsorship - NM Group Malta | Better than Accountants".
  25. "Keith Perry tipped for return as Sliema Wanderers plan to hold AGM next month - SportsDesk".
  26. "Sliema Wanderers sign two new foreign players | maltafootball.com".
  27. "Sliema Wanderers pile up further misery with Mosta defeat - SportsDesk".
  28. "Santa Lucia held by ten-man Sliema | maltafootball.com".
  29. "Watch: Hibernians go top after brushing aside Sliema Wanderers - SportsDesk".
  30. "Premier League: Sliema finally register first win - The Malta Independent".
  31. "Valletta awarded win over Sliema Wanderers as protest upheld by Malta FA - SportsDesk".
  32. "Watch: Montebello double lifts Birkirkara past struggling Sliema Wanderers - SportsDesk".
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