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14 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 3 MAY 2020 NEWS KARL AZZOPARDI THE coronavirus's radical change in our daily routines has left football fans with an unprec- edented void in their lives, at a time so crucial in bringing home the coveted silverware. Malta's football leagues are no exception, with the Mal- tese championships suspended around mid-March, yet with football fans now asking when and how the season is expected to resume. Even returning back to playing will offer coaches and players alike both physical and psycho- logical challenges. Orchestrating a return to football is based on various factors, with the situa- tion being a rather complex one, MFA President Bjorn Vassallo says. "There is no one-size-fits- all model for these difficulties," he says, after the executive com- mittee agreed to return on a final decision on its football leagues by the 25 May. "The MFA has been monitoring the on- going situation, and has drawn up multiple scenarios on which to base their decision when the time comes. The bottom line is that, at this stage, we will either have the authorisation to con- tinue or not," he said. The MFA's position on the rescheduling of the season is aligned with that of UEFA, which on Thursday said that of the two scenarios as- sessed by the Calen- dar Working Group, both envisage domestic football starting before UEFA club com- petitions, with one seeking to run the competitions in parallel; and the other to complete do- mestic matches before re-start- ing UEFA matches. UEFA club competitions in- clude the Champion's League and Europa League among oth- ers – prestigious competitions which give Maltese teams a much-needed source of finance if they progress through to the initial rounds. Vassallo however said that while the MFA supports the col- lective commitment to complete the season, "there is a limit on how far we can go and ultimately this is not within our control". While the association c o n c e n - t r a t e s on pro- viding a schedule and way f o r w a r d , coaches have the imminent headache of ensur- ing their players are up to speed, in order to hit the ground running at a time which could make or break a season. Coach and football analyst Alfred Attard said the circum- stances the footballing world finds itself would required that the MFA issue a two to three weeks' notice before resum- ing competitions. "Football is a team sport. Therefore, the team should be allowed to train col- lectively before starting official competitions," he said. Attard said that at Premier league level, players have to be mentally and technically pre- pared, with such preparedness impossible to achieve on an indi- vidual basis. Vassallo agrees, say- ing the MFA anticipates a mini- mum of seven to eight weeks will be needed to finish the season fully. Teams will also have no room for mistakes, according to At- tard. "While at the start of the season title-challenging teams have room for minor gaffes, if teams slip up in the return to football, it could mean they lose a chance at qualifying for Euro- pean competitions or winning trophies." Birkirkara F.C. physiotherapist Aaron Saliba said players at the club have been given individual- ised training programmes to get in shape for the remainder of the season. Asked if the risk of inju- ries increases in the eventuality that players return to playing, Saliba said the problem is three- fold. "Firstly, you risk injuries be- cause players are not at their optimal physical level. Second- ly, we will probably have to rush through field training from the moment the health authorities give the green light for full squad training up to the time when we actually play the first match," Saliba said. The third issue is that of over- loading players if teams are forced through the remaining games in order to finish the sea- son. And it is not only the physi- cality of the football player that will be challenging with a return to football, but also his or her psychological approach to the game. Sports psychologist Adele Muscat said while insecurities on aspects like fitness and tech- nique start to grow within the athlete's brain, top athletes are capable of regaining form. "High profile athletes are tough, they are at the top because they are resilient in getting to the top and are capable of adapting." Muscat also said in the same way people are looking forward to returning to their places of work once the pandemic pass- es, so are players. But it all boils down to personality. "Some will look positively at the situation, while others will have a negative standpoint. What players need to do is make the best out of the situation they are in." At the end of the day it is the player who walks the walk on the football pitch, and Floriana F.C. right fullback Alex Cini feels that the lack of squad training is the biggest downside to the sit- uation. "The routine of going to training every day after work was all of a sudden disrupted. Every player is now training at his own pace and time. Now, more than BRING IT BACK HOME Mulling a return to the beautiful game: How players, coaches and the MFA are adapting to an extraordinary circumstance Victor Sciriha, Valletta FC president Alex Cini, and Myles Beerman: raring to go and getting back in top form "You risk injuries because players are not at their optimal physical level. Secondly, we will probably have to rush through field training from the moment the health authorities give the green light for full squad training up to the time when we actually play the first match" "If teams slip up in the return to football, it could mean they lose a chance at qualifying for European competitions or winning trophies"