2023–24 Maltese Challenge League

Maltese Challenge League
Season	2023–24
Dates	16 September 2023 – 5 May 2024
Champions	Melita
Promoted	Melita; Żabbar St. Patrick
Relegated	Attard; Luqa St. Andrew's; Msida Saint-Joseph; Żejtun Corinthians
Matches played	195
Goals scored	501 (2.57 per match)
Top goalscorer	Andre Carlos Penha Da Costa; (17 Goals)
Biggest home win	Żebbuġ Rangers 6-0 Msida Saint-Joseph; (17 March 2024); Melita 5-1 Pietà Hotspurs; (27 April 2024)
Biggest away win	Attard 0-6 Żebbuġ Rangers; (7 April 2024)
Highest scoring	Fgura United 4-4 Melita; (17 December 2023)
Longest winning run	Melita; (7 Games)
Longest unbeaten run	Senglea Athletic; (12 Games)
Longest winless run	Msida Saint-Joseph; (13 Games)
Longest losing run	Msida Saint-Joseph; (11 Games)
	← 2022–23 2024–25 → All statistics correct as of 5 May 2024.

The 2023–24 Maltese Challenge League (referred to as the BOV Challenge League for sponsorship reasons) is the second-level league football in Malta. It is the fourth season that the competition has been running in its present form.

The top two teams (Melita and Żabbar St. Patrick) were promoted to the 2024–25 Maltese Premier League. The bottom four teams (Msida Saint-Joseph and three others) will be relegated to the 2024–25 Maltese National Amateur League.

Teams

The league consisted of sixteen teams; ten teams remaining from the previous season, four teams promoted from the 2022-23 Maltese National Amateur League, and two teams relegated from the 2022-23 Maltese Premier League.

Team changes

The following teams have changed divisions since the 2022–23 season:

To Maltese Challenge League

Promoted from Maltese National Amateur League

Relegated from the Maltese Premier League

From Maltese Challenge League

Promoted to the Maltese Premier League

Relegated to Maltese National Amateur League

Location of teams in 2023–24 Maltese Challenge League

Team	Location	Manager
Attard	Attard	Robert Magro
Fgura United	Fgura	Kevin Vella
Lija Athletic	Lija	Joseph Galea
Luqa St. Andrew's	Luqa	Edmond Lufi
Marsa	Marsa	Orosco Anonam
Melita	San Ġiljan	Clive Mizzi
Msida Saint-Joseph	Msida	Neville Galea
Pietà Hotspurs	Pietà	Manuel Caruana
Senglea Athletic	Senglea	Liam Mangion
St. Andrews	St. Andrew's, Malta	Vesko Petrovic
Swieqi United	Swieqi	Pablo Doffo
Tarxien Rainbows	Tarxien	Jacques Scerri
Żabbar St. Patrick	Zabbar	Emilio Cornago San Pedro
Żebbuġ Rangers	Żebbuġ	Rodney Bugeja
Żejtun Corinthians	Zejtun	Ivan Casha
Żurrieq	Żurrieq	Saviour Debono Grech

Kits

Team	Kit manufacturer	Shirt sponsor (front)	Shirt sponsor (back)	Shirt sponsor (sleeve)
Attard	Givova	Bilven Ltd, Searched		A to Z Electronics (Both)
Fgura United	Adidas	Fundazzjoni Sebħ, Trust Stamp, Euro Bridge, Iveco (Top Left)	EuroSport (Top), Rad Auto Dealer (Bottom)	Fundazzjoni Sebħ (Right), Hair Haven (Left)
Lija Athletic	Macron	Falzon Group Of Companies	TeamSport (Top), La Crema (Bottom)
Luqa St. Andrew's	Macron	Seduta Construction		Bilon Service (Right)
Marsa	Legea	F Schembri
Melita	Hummel	Atlas Insurance	Hub88 (Top), Burger King (Middle) Eurosport (Bottom)	I nouv (Right), VIBE (Left)
Msida Saint-Joseph	Legea	C.A.M.C. Security, MTZ Group (Top Left)	Sports Locker (Top), The Tub (Bottom)	Cuschieri Group (Left), KF Kebab (Right)
Pietà Hotspurs	Jartazi	Famalco.net, A1 Supplies, Xuereb Installation	Farstone Construction (Top)
Senglea Athletic	Givova	Palumbo, AUM, JCJuc Ltd
St. Andrews	Macron	Fiat, Frank Salt		atg (Left), Marsali (Right)
Swieqi United	Erima	Platin P Casino, BEHR	Eight Four Capital (Top)
Tarxien Rainbows	Erreà	Cassar, Dee Spas	Cargo Nigel (Bottom)	AEN (Right)
Żabbar St. Patrick	Erreà	The Shoreline	DL Group (Top), Kristal (Bottom)
Żebbuġ Rangers	Joma	The Convenience Shop, Coop Italia
Żejtun Corinthians	Erreà	Inno-hit		Magic Castle (Right)
Żurrieq	Erima	Trust Payment	Xace (Top), Corendion, D£, B.home (Bottom)	Tax ORB (Left), Firetech (Right)

Managerial changes

Team	Outgoing manager	Manner of departure	Date of vacancy	Position in table	Incoming manager	Date of appointment
Melita	Saviour Debono Grech	End of Contract	24 April 2023	Pre-season	Clive Mizzi	25 May 2023
Marsa	Ryan Fenech	End of Caretaker	24 April 2023		Orosco Anonam	15 May 2023
Żurrieq	George Magri	Resign	29 April 2023		Saviour Debono Grech	10 May 2023
Żabbar St. Patrick	Emilio Cornago	End of Caretaker	2 May 2023		Joseph Spiteri	20 May 2023
Żebbuġ Rangers	Brian Spiteri	End of Contract	3 May 2023		Rodney Bugeja	19 May 2023
Pietà Hotspurs	Rodney Bugeja		6 May 2023		Manuel Caruana	26 May 2023
St. Andrews	Brian Said		7 May 2023		Ramon Zammit	13 May 2023
Żejtun Corinthians	Orosco Anonam		15 May 2023		Ivan Casha	29 May 2023
Swieqi United	Stephen Damato	Signed by Sirens	24 May 2023		Pablo Doffo	26 May 2023
St. Andrews	Ramon Zammit	Sacked	21 October 2023	13th	Charles Muscat (Caretaker)	21 October 2023
Senglea Athletic	Edgar Degabriele	Sacked	21 November 2023	10th	Liam Mangion	30 November 2023
St. Andrews	Charles Muscat	End of Caretaker	21 January 2024	15th	Vesko Petrovic	21 January 2024

Venues

On 29 January 2024. The Malta Football Association introduced another three stadiums Charles Abela Stadium, Luxol Stadium and Sirens Stadium due to the final fixture of the first round that played five matches at the same time.^[1]

Pembroke	Mosta	San Pawl il-Baħar	Ta' Qali	Hamrun
Luxol Stadium	Charles Abela Stadium	Sirens Stadium	Centenary Stadium	Victor Tedesco Stadium
Capacity: 600	Capacity: 700	Capacity: 800	Capacity: 3,000	Capacity: 1,962

Regular season

During the regular season, each team plays each other once (either at home or at away). The top six teams qualify for the Top Six, while the bottom ten teams qualify for the Play-Out.

League table

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	Żabbar St. Patrick	15	10	3	2	21	9	+12	33	Qualification for the Top Six
2	Melita	15	9	4	2	32	21	+11	31
3	Senglea Athletic	15	8	5	2	20	9	+11	29
4	Marsa	15	8	4	3	32	17	+15	28
5	Pietà Hotspurs	15	8	3	4	23	13	+10	27
6	Żurrieq	15	8	3	4	18	17	+1	27
7	Fgura United	15	8	2	5	32	25	+7	26	Qualification for the Play-Out
8	Lija Athletic	15	6	4	5	26	24	+2	22
9	Swieqi United	15	5	6	4	18	16	+2	21
10	Tarxien Rainbows	15	3	8	4	16	14	+2	17
11	Żejtun Corinthians	15	4	5	6	17	18	−1	17
12	Luqa St. Andrew's	15	4	4	7	21	24	−3	16
13	St. Andrews	15	3	2	10	14	28	−14	11
14	Żebbuġ Rangers	15	2	4	9	11	27	−16	10
15	Attard	15	1	5	9	14	33	−19	8
16	Msida Saint-Joseph	15	2	0	13	9	29	−20	6

Source: Malta Football Association
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Play-offs (only if needed to decide champions or teams for relegation).

Results

Home \ Away	ATT	FGU	LJA	LQA	MSA	MEL	MSI	PIE	SEN	STA	SWQ	TAR	ZAB	ZEB	ZEJ	ZUR
Attard	—	1–2	2–3	—	0–6	—	—	2–1	—	1–1	—	—	0–3	—	1–1	—
Fgura United	—	—	3–0	—	1–2	4–4	—	0–4	—	2–0	1–3	—	2–3	—	—	—
Lija Athletic	—	—	—	3–1	—	2–3	3–2	—	0–2	—	2–2	0–0	—	—	4–1	4–0
Luqa St. Andrew's	4–1	0–3	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	2–2	2–2	4–2	1–3	—	2–0	—
Marsa	—	—	3–0	1–0	—	3–3	—	1–3	2–1	—	—	—	4–1	2–0	—	1–2
Melita	1–0	—	—	2–1	—	—	4–0	—	—	—	4–1	2–1	—	2–1	0–0	2–0
Msida Saint-Joseph	2–1	0–1	—	0–1	2–0	—	—	—	—	—	1–3	0–2	—	—	0–4	—
Pietà Hotspurs	—	—	2–2	1–0	—	2–2	1–0	—	0–1	0–1	—	—	—	2–0	—	2–0
Senglea Athletic	2–0	3–3	—	2–2	—	2–0	1–0	—	—	—	—	0–0	—	—	2–0	0–1
St. Andrews	—	—	1–2	—	1–4	0–3	3–2	—	0–1	—	—	0–3	—	3–1	—	2–3
Swieqi United	1–1	—	—	—	0–0	—	—	1–2	1–1	2–0	—	—	1–0	0–1	—	—
Tarxien Rainbows	4–2	0–1	—	—	3–3	—	—	0–1	—	—	0–0	—	—	—	0–0	0–0
Żabbar St. Patrick	—	—	1–0	—	—	4–0	1–0	1–0	0–0	1–0	—	1–1	—	1–0	—	—
Żebbuġ Rangers	1–1	1–3	1–1	1–1	—	—	3–0	—	0–2	—	—	0–0	—	—	—	0–5
Żejtun Corinthians	—	3–2	—	—	0–0	—	—	2–2	—	1–0	0–1	—	0–1	4–1	—	—
Żurrieq	1–1	1–4	—	1–0	—	—	1–0	—	—	—	1–0	—	0–0	—	2–1	—

Source: Malta Football Association
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.
For upcoming matches, an "a" indicates there is an article about the rivalry between the two participants.

Second phase

Top Six

The top six teams from the regular season face each other twice more (once at home and once away), with the top two teams earning promotion to the 2024–25 Maltese Premier League. Results from the regular season were carried over into this round.

League table

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Promotion
1	Melita (C)	25	18	5	2	56	24	+32	59	Promotion to the 2024–25 Maltese Premier League
2	Żabbar St. Patrick (P)	25	15	6	4	38	20	+18	51	Promotion to the 2024–25 Maltese Premier League
3	Marsa	25	11	7	7	44	30	+14	40
4	Pietà Hotspurs	25	11	5	9	35	31	+4	38
5	Senglea Athletic	25	9	8	8	28	27	+1	35
6	Żurrieq	25	10	5	10	27	36	−9	35

Updated to match(es) played on 28 April 2024. Source: Malta Football Association
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Play-offs (only if needed to decide champions).
(C) Champions; (P) Promoted

Results

Home \ Away	MSA	MEL	PIE	SEN	ZAB	ZUR
Marsa	—	0–4	3–0	4–1	1–3	0–0
Melita	1–0	—	5–1	2–1	1–1	5–0
Pietà Hotspurs	1–1	0–1	—	4–2	3–1	2–0
Senglea Athletic	0–0	0–1	1–0	—	0–0	0–3
Żabbar St. Patrick	2–0	0–2	1–1	3–2	—	2–0
Żurrieq	1–3	0–2	3–0	1–1	1–4	—

Updated to match(es) played on 7 April 2024. Source: Malta Football Association
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.
For upcoming matches, an "a" indicates there is an article about the rivalry between the two participants.

Play-Out

The bottom ten teams from the regular season face each other for the second time (either at home or away), with the bottom four teams being relegated to the 2024–25 Maltese National Amateur League. Results from the regular season were carried over into this round.

League table

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Relegation
1	Swieqi United	24	10	8	6	34	23	+11	38
2	Fgura United	24	10	7	7	39	32	+7	37
3	Lija Athletic	24	9	5	10	31	44	−13	32
4	Tarxien Rainbows	24	7	10	7	30	15	+15	31
5	Żebbuġ Rangers	24	8	5	11	36	34	+2	29
6	St. Andrews^[a]	24	7	7	10	29	34	−5	28
7	Luqa St. Andrew's^[a] (R)	24	7	7	10	32	40	−8	28	Relegation to the 2024–25 Maltese National Amateur League
8	Żejtun Corinthians (R)	24	6	9	9	23	24	−1	27
9	Attard (R)	24	4	6	14	25	46	−21	18
10	Msida Saint-Joseph (R)	24	2	2	20	16	53	−37	8

Updated to match(es) played on 28 April 2024. Source: Malta Football Association
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Play-offs (only if needed to decide teams for relegation).
(R) Relegated
Notes:

^ ^a ^b St. Andrews and Luqa St. Andrew's finished equal on points, A play-off decider determines the loser will be Relegation to the 2024–25 Maltese National Amateur League.

Results

Home \ Away	ATT	FGU	LJA	LQA	MSI	STA	SWQ	TAR	ZEB	ZEJ
Attard	—	—	—	1–2	—	—	—	1–0	0–6	0–1
Fgura United	1–0	—	1–1	0–1	—	—	1–1	—	—	1–1
Lija Athletic	0–2	—	—	—	—	—	—	0–4	0–4	1–0
Luqa St. Andrew's	—	—	0–1	—	2–0	2–2	0–4	—	—	—
Msida Saint-Joseph	1–1	2–2	0–2	—	—	1–3	2–3	—	—	—
St. Andrews	2–1	0–0	5–0	—	—	—	0–0	1–0	—	—
Swieqi United	0–2	—	4–0	—	—	—	—	0–1	3–1	—
Tarxien Rainbows	—	0–1	—	3–3	3–1	—	—	—	3–1	0–0
Żebbuġ Rangers	—	1–0	—	4–0	6–0	1–1	—	—	—	1–0
Żejtun Corinthians	—	—	—	1–1	2–0	1–1	0–1	—	—	—

Updated to match(es) played on 26 April 2024. Source: Malta Football Association
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.
For upcoming matches, an "a" indicates there is an article about the rivalry between the two participants.

Relegation tie-breaker

With both St. Andrews and Luqa St. Andrew's level on 28 points, a play-off match was conducted to the looser will be Relegation to the 2024–25 Maltese National Amateur League.

5 May 2024	St. Andrews	1–0 (a.e.t.)	Luqa St. Andrew's	Ta' Qali
15:00 CEST	Luke Anthony Borg 51' Clyde Cumbo 68' Luke Grech 70' Matthew Muscat 79' Brayan Samuel Nyetam Junior 118'		Omar Khatib 84' Alan Abdel Rahman 86' Fabien Lufi	Stadium: Centenary Stadium Referee: Daniel Portelli

Season statistics

Scoring

Top scorers

As of 28 April 2024^[2]

Rank	Player	Club	Goals
1	Andre Carlos Penha Da Costa	Melita	17
2	Augusto Rene' Caseres	Marsa	13
2	Duvan Mosquera Torres	Zebbug Rangers	13
4	Bledi Alla	Attard	12
4	Ofufu Ibeh	Fgura United	12
6	Camilo Andres Sanchez Gonzales	Luqa St. Andrews	11
7	Erjon Beu	Lija Athletic	10
	Alan Abdel Rahman	Luqa St. Andrews
	David Oliveira Souza	Zabbar St.Patrick
10	Johan Alberto Castano	Fgura United	9
	Pavlidis Claudio Antunes	Pieta Hotspurs
	Ivan Sousa Flora Francisco	Zurrieq

Hat-tricks

Player	For	Against	Result	Stadium	Date
Andre Carlos Penha Da Costa	Melita	Msida Saint-Joseph	4-0 (H)	Victor Tedesco Stadium, Hamrun	1 October 2023
Santiago Fabian Moracci	Tarxien Rainbows	Attard	4-2 (H)	Centenary Stadium, Ta' Qali	22 October 2023
Augusto Rene' Caseres	Marsa	Attard	6-0 (A)	Victor Tedesco Stadium, Hamrun	4 November 2023
Ivan Sousa Flora Francisco	Żurrieq	St. Andrews	3-2 (A)	Centenary Stadium, Ta' Qali	2 December 2023
Pavlidis Claudio Antunes	Pieta Hotspurs	Marsa	3-1 (A)		10 December 2023
Andre Carlos Penha Da Costa⁴	Melita	Fgura United	4-4 (A)		17 December 2023
Augusto Rene' Caseres	Marsa	St. Andrews	4-1 (A)	Victor Tedesco Stadium, Hamrun	27 January 2024
Rundell Winchester	Tarxien Rainbows	Lija Athletic	4-0 (A)	Victor Tedesco Stadium, Hamrun	11 February 2024
Donys Aldair Quintero Maldonado	Marsa	Senglea Athletic	4-1 (H)	Centenary Stadium, Ta' Qali	6 April 2024
Johann Bezzina	Żebbuġ Rangers	Attard	6-0 (A)	Victor Tedesco Stadium, Hamrun	7 April 2024
David Oliveira Souza	Żabbar St. Patrick	Żurrieq	4-1 (A)	Centenary Stadium, Ta' Qali	21 April 2024
William James England	St. Andrews	Lija Athletic	5-0 (H)	Sirens Stadium, San Pawl il-Baħar	28 April 2024

Notes

⁴ Player scored 4 goals

Clean sheets

Rank	Player	Club	Clean sheets
1	Matthew Grech	Żabbar St. Patrick	13
2	Gosef Mizzi	Melita	12
2	Glenn Zammit	Senglea Athletic	12
4	Andreas Vella	Tarxien Rainbows	11
5	Jamie Azzopardi	Zebbug Rangers	9
6	Christopher Farrugia	Marsa	8
6	Frederick Tabone	Zejtun Corinthians	8
8	Reeves Cini	Pieta Hotspurs	7
	Jean Claude Debattista	Swieqi United
	Ryan Caruana	Zurrieq

Discipline

Player

Most yellow cards: 12
- Camilo Del Castillo Escobar (Attard)
Most red cards: 2
- Lucas Vinicius Viana Prati (Lija Athletic)
- Josmar Galea (Żejtun Corinthians)

Club

Most yellow cards: 63
- Swieqi United
- Żurrieq
Most red cards: 6
- Lija Athletic

References

^ "BOV Challenge League match day 15 fixtures released". maltafootball.com. 29 January 2024.
^ "Tables & Statistics". maltafootball.com. 20 September 2020.

[table_note_STA0.077579848038768-2] St. Andrews and Luqa St. Andrew's finished equal on points, A play-off decider determines the loser will be Relegation to the 2024–25 Maltese National Amateur League.

[1] "BOV Challenge League match day 15 fixtures released". maltafootball.com. 29 January 2024.

[3] "Tables & Statistics". maltafootball.com. 20 September 2020.

[1]

[a]

[2]

v t e 2023–24 in Maltese football
« 2022–23 2024–25 »
Domestic leagues	Premier League Challenge League National Amateur League
Domestic cups	FA Trophy Super Cup
European competitions	Champions League Europa Conference League
List of Maltese football transfers 2023–24

v t e Maltese First Division/Maltese Challenge League seasons
First Division	2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20
Challenge League	2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24 2024–25
Clubs	Fgura United Lija Athletic Luqa St. Andrew's Marsa Marsaxlokk Melita Mġarr United Mqabba Naxxar Lions Pembroke Athleta Pietà Hotspurs Qrendi Rabat Ajax Senglea Athletic San Ġwann St. Andrews St. George's Swieqi United Tarxien Rainbows Vittoriosa Stars Żebbuġ Rangers Żejtun Corinthians