WATCH | Marcel Bonnici: ‘Ħamrun Spartans will not stop dreaming’

Ħamrun Spartans CEO Marcel Bonnici (Photo: James Bianchi/MaltaToday)

Marcel Bonnici has lofty ambitions for Ħamrun Spartans, the Maltese football club that made domestic history by qualifying to the league phase of the European Conference League.

Bonnici is the club’s CEO and as I sit down with him to discuss this achievement, he tells me he is not yet satisfied—he wants Ħamrun to shoot for the stars.

“I can sit here and tell you our targets for the season have been reached. But I will stick to the club’s philosophy in always remaining ambitious. We will not stop dreaming,” Bonnici tells me.

It is this philosophy which he hopes to ingrain in the squad, that is pushing the club towards breaking records and stacking up achievements, Bonnici argues.

But rewiring the club’s philosophy is just one cog in the Ħamrun machine.

He explains how since the club was taken over by the new administration, internal restructuring was carried out immediately. Bonnici says the new structure is split into three: The administrative arm, the technical arm and the operative arm, with him overseeing the wider operation.

“Maltese football this year celebrated its 125th anniversary, and clubs have always been run with a committee format. We changed it, as a management tool cannot remain relevant after such a long period of time, even if it was successful in the past,” he says, arguing the new structure makes operations run more efficiently.

On club president Joseph Portelli, Bonnici says beyond the controversial nature of the Gozitan development magnate, he has always had big ambitions.

“When Joseph said he wanted to see the club qualify for the group stages, it was seen as something overly ambitious. The same with Mercury Towers. But that is where you should start. It all starts with a dream,” Bonnici says.

Speaking on Ħamrun’s historic qualification to the league phase of the Conference League, Bonnici refutes suggestions it’s all down to the club’s financial standing.

“But if you look at the clubs who qualified across Europe, only a handful managed to do so with the budget that we had. For me it’s a source of pride. Even the clubs we played on our way. RFS’s squad is valued at €10 million, Maccabi Tel Aviv’s squad at around €30 million and we kept fighting till the last minute, Ħamrun’s squad value stands at around €4.75 million,” he said.

The CEO also details the tactics being deployed by coach Giacomo Modica on the pitch, with a 4-3-3 formation focused on high-intensity attacking football. Bonnici explains how the philosophy is directly inspired from Modica’s time as right-hand man to legendary coach Zdenek Zeman.

The following is an excerpt of the interview 

Historically the club has had a very strong fan base, and it has gone through turbulent periods, even getting relegated. But now you are back at the top, and you have made the historical step of European qualification. What does it mean?

When five years ago the president decided to take over the club, the choice was strategic. In my opinion Ħamrun was the natural choice because you have a strong fanbase, a passionate following despite the turbulent times of 30 years without silverware, and a team with high potential.

We laid out a strategy which needed time. In the first year we won the league. I’m not saying we didn’t work for it, but we weren’t going to panic if we didn’t win it. But the fact we won it made us realise that if we are diligent, we can bring success to the club.

The years rolled by, and in five years we won four leagues.

Do you think the model you created, and the success you have made through it, will see other clubs adopting it?

It was a road paved with success and failures. That we qualified to the league stage [of a European competition] was a result of all the different factors.

To get to that place, the club has to grow. The management has to grow, the mentality has to grow, the image has to grow, the professionalism has to grow, the discipline has to grow—these are all contributors. You also have to improve on the pitch from a tactical and technical standpoint.

But you cannot focus on just one aspect, you have to look at the wider project. You just cannot improve technically while ignoring the commercial aspect of the club.

I believe that was the most important thing – we grew across the board.

Now, how will European qualification impact the wider Maltese football ecosystem? There are two basic points I would like to get across.

The first: The better the product, the more people are attracted to the project. You cannot have a mediocre product and attract the right minds and investment in the club. The second: The more money is invested, the better the outcome.

Is it fair to speak about how Maltese football will improve, when it is you guys who managed to get that success? Obviously, rivalry is a crucial aspect to the game, but the same supporters who call you baqar (literal translation 'cows'; derogatory term used by Ħamrun football rivals to mock the club's big ambitions) now want to share in your success…

We enjoy saying that when we raise the bar, others have no choice but to follow suit. This has already happened. In this case we were the catalysts, but it could have been others.

To see that level improve is always a positive thing. The better the product is as a league, the more attractive it is, and that is a good thing.

You qualified to the league stage in Europe around two years after the Malta Premier League was formed. After your qualification, the MPL came out saying that one of their aims has been met, and almost attributing some of your success to the league’s restructuring. Did it actually make a difference to your European qualification?

To have an autonomous MPL, which is separate from the MFA, is a good thing and we will enjoy its benefits for years to come.

Last year, it was the first time the new format was deployed, and we won the league.

Now is there a link between the launch of the new format, and our qualification? Maybe, the period in which they happened. But I have to be honest; the format of the MPL had nothing to do with our qualification.

I insist the MPL will leave a positive impact on the Maltese football ecosystem, but to say that we qualified because of the MPL is not correct. We qualified because we invested.

Will the team’s approach change to cater for the European games?

We spoke about the different factors which led to our success, and a crucial factor was the choice for coach. We brought a football philosophy to the club, and someone with international experience who has learnt under Zdeněk Zeman.

With him, he has brought a football philosophy of hard work and intense training. We did this to ensure the team is in tiptop shape. […] If you play against Barcelona, you will never reach their level of technical ability, no matter how much you train. But if you train hard, you can come close to their fitness ability. The four rounds we played this season showed this.

Is there a specific type of football you want to play?

Under the coach we play 4-3-3 attacking football. Possession is the last priority. The philosophy is that you get to the opposing team’s box with the least number of passes possible.