Sport Today

Success is all that matters

As the souvenir posters of the 'Team of 2001' were being rushed out and Joe Caruana Curran was pledging to go for "six out of six" that word 'boring league' came up.

It is a glib jibe. In sport too often it is the first refuge of the desperate and defeated.

For instance, rather than marvelling at the extraordinary deeds of Tiger Woods some complain that his domination is killing golf, when in reality it is doing just the opposite. It is the same with Manchester United in the Carling Premier League.

Rather than admiring Pete Sampras' historic seven Wimbledon singles titles some criticise his incomparable grass-court ruthlessness when they should acclaim his brilliance.

How wrong could those critics be?

Boredom is not seated in perfection and the execution of historic achievement.

Boredom emanates when the chasing pack accepts that there is no hope of emulating the standard to which they aspire.

Which is precisely what the rest of the teams seemed to be doing when they predicted that Valletta, with the capacity to buy big this summer, could reign for years to come.

Nowhere in the land is there a conveyor belt of youthful talent to match that at Valletta. Some may ask who? Rene Forace, Sharlon Pace who did not play much this season because of injury, Chris Oretan etc. They are all young.

No team in Malta comes close to rivalling their first-team blend of experience and youth or their ability to field a midfield of such balance and awesome power as Mraz, Agius, Oretan and Zammit.

In domestic terms it seems Caruana Curran has built a very strong team - a side every bit as impregnable as the great Sliema and Floriana dynasty of the Sixtees and Seventies which racked up league titles by the truckload.

The modern dangers of such lack of competition, however, are real.

You only have to witness the falling attendance's to realise that the Maltese desire for its national game is not entirely unquenchable.

And while the tribal nature of a few clubs still fills grounds week-in and week-out in the Premiership there is little doubt that the competition has also been devalued, not by Valletta's success but by the inexorable rise of the European monster.

The true prize in terms of money and kudos is no longer that glittering Premiership trophy, but entry to the Champions League.

Read full interview with the Valletta FC President Joe Caruana