On a memorable night in St. Joseph High Street, surrounded by more than 1,500 supporters celebrating the club’s historic qualification to the UEFA Conference League group stages, Ħamrun Spartans presidnet Joseph Portelli made an announcement that hinted at even bigger ambitions beyond Malta.
Speaking during the celebration, the Spartans president revealed he had plans to one day take over a football club in Italy’s Serie B or Serie C. But Portelli was quick to make his position clear, his commitment to Ħamrun remains unchanged.
“I’m not leaving Ħamrun,” he told the crowd. “This is my club, and I remain fully dedicated to everything we’ve built here.”Standing beside him was his son, Tristen Portelli, who is expected to play a central role in this future project.
This wasn’t the first time Portelli’s interest in Italian football came to light. In 2022, he made a serious effort to acquire Lucchese 1905, a historic club based in Tuscany competing in Serie C. The news first broke through Italian football journalist Gianluca Di Marzio and was later acknowledged by Lucchese itself in an official statement.
The club confirmed that discussions were taking place with potential investors, including Portelli, though no agreement was ever finalised. “There are subjects interested in joining the club structure,” the statement read, while adding that nothing had yet produced “definitive results.” The club also declared a temporary silence with the media until any real developments emerged.
Though the Lucchese takeover did not materialise, it marked an important moment for Maltese football. Portelli’s attempt was not simply about ownership, it was about expanding the influence of Maltese football, creating new pathways for players and professionals to operate beyond the local scene.
Joseph Portelli is best known for his success in the real estate sector, having founded J Portelli Projects in 1996. In recent years, however, his name has become equally prominent in football. Since taking charge of Ħamrun Spartans, the club has gone through a period of dramatic transformation, winning domestic titles and now even writing history in Europe.
The idea of investing in a club abroad is not a departure from that mission, but rather an extension of it. Portelli has consistently spoken about building something sustainable, not just for Ħamrun but for the broader Maltese football community. The potential to lead a club in Italy represents a continuation of that vision, a belief that Maltese football can operate at a higher level, and that its people can take on leadership roles beyond the island.
For now, no concrete move has been confirmed. The Lucchese episode remains a chapter of what could have been. But Portelli’s recent public comments make one thing clear, that the ambition has not faded. He still sees a future in which Maltese football holds a stronger presence in European football, not just on the pitch, but in the boardroom as well.
