The Malta Football Association has announced two significant additions to the Malta Women’s National Team technical structure, with former Italian international Patrizia Panico and Maltese coach Herman Bugeja joining the set-up ahead of the team’s upcoming international fixtures.
Panico, one of the most celebrated figures in Italian women’s football, takes on the role of Technical Advisor for the Women’s National Teams, while Bugeja, currently serving as Head of Coach Education at the Malta FA, has been appointed Assistant Coach of the Women’s National ‘A’ Team.
A legendary name in the women’s game, Panico earned 204 caps and scored 110 goals for Italy, making her the nation’s all-time leading scorer. During a 23-year playing career, she represented some of Italy’s most prominent clubs, including Lazio Women, Torres Calcio, and Bardolino (now Verona). She was inducted into the Italian Football Hall of Fame in 2015, having won numerous domestic honours and finished as top scorer in Italy’s top division on five occasions.
Following her retirement, Panico turned to coaching and quickly established herself within the Italian Football Federation, working with several male youth teams, a pioneering step in the development of women coaches in Italy. In 2021, she became Head Coach of Fiorentina Women, later serving as Assistant Coach at Olympique Lyonnais Féminin, one of the world’s most successful women’s clubs. Panico holds a UEFA Pro Licence, the highest coaching qualification in European football.
Herman Bugeja, also a UEFA Pro Coach, brings extensive domestic experience and a strong background in coach development. Since 2021, he has led the Malta FA’s Coach Education Department, delivering courses from Grassroots Leader Level through to UEFA C, B, A, and Pro qualifications. His career also includes coaching roles at Pietà Hotspurs, Birkirkara, and Hibernians, as well as involvement with several local youth academies.
The appointments of Panico and Bugeja are seen as key steps in strengthening Coach Manuela Tesse’s backroom team, further enhancing the technical and developmental direction of Maltese women’s football.
The Malta Women’s National Team will test their new structure immediately, with two upcoming international friendlies against Belarus at the Centenary Stadium. The first match will be played on Saturday, 25 October at 19:30, followed by a second encounter on Tuesday, 28 October at 19:00. Tickets are available via the Malta FA tickets portal, and both matches will be streamed live on the Malta FA YouTube channel.
Meanwhile, the Malta Women’s Under-19 National Team will also be in action this week in a double-header against Lebanon, also at the Centenary Stadium. The games will be played on Wednesday, 22 October and Friday, 24 October, both kicking off at 15:00, and will be broadcast live on the association’s YouTube channel.
These developments mark another important milestone in the Malta FA’s ongoing efforts to invest in and elevate women’s football at every level.
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