ABSTRACT
A sunny, breezy, Tuesday evening sees 1,000 fans awaiting the pitch entrance of the hosts – Malta – and visitors Slovenia. The 5.45 p.m. kick-off provides panoramic views for those sitting in the stadium located at the high point of the southerly shore of Grand Harbour. Four flags fly in front of the changing room before this April game, one the national flag of Malta, the other that of Slovenia. Another proclaims UEFA and one advertises a FIFA Fair Play campaign. Running along one touch-line are hoardings advertising Budweiser beer. Behind the evergreens are two enormous cranes used to lift the cargo from large ships. Surrounded in its immediacy by an industrial estate, the stadium is identifiable to visitors instructed to take a left turning adjacent to the Minaret that stands as the only mosque in Malta, built in 1980 and funded by Libya’s Colonel Gadaffi. The stadium belongs to Hibernians FC from the adjacent village of Paola. The Hibs have played here since 1962.
