Maltese football fans fuming due to ‘potato football pitch’ for season opener

Aug 22 2022

Local fans of football were left fuming at the state of the pitch at the Tony Bezzina Stadium for the season opener.

The match concerned was Valletta versus Hibernians, which finished in a 1-1 draw. However, despite the usual passion for the game, the attention was diverted to the ground’s physical state, with some describing it as a literal ‘potato field.’

Many commented on the state of the pitch. ‘I hope that the pitches are way better come next weekend. I haven’t seen them in such a sorry state for years’ said one commenter.

Another said that ‘a ploughed field is in better state than the Hibernians ground. Shameful.’

‘With all due respect, this is not a ground which footballers play in in 2022. Not even a potato field looks like this.’ Another directed criticism at the Malta Football Association, saying that the players seemed to be playing ice hockey instead of football.

Still, one commenter also noted the positive atmosphere during the match despite the state of the pitch, highlighting how the experience can only be improved were this to be fixed.

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Football pundit Gary Neville says Malta is his favourite destination abroad

England coach Gary Neville says Malta is his favourite destination abroad

Aug 22 2022

Former Manchester United player and English football pundit Gary Neville stated that his favourite destination abroad is in fact the island of Malta.

During a casual interview, Neville was asked which country stole his heart and why. He went on to answer by saying that it used to be but it would probably still be Malta if pushed.

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In terms of reasons, he pointed to his friends as well as the tradition of the islands. The reason why he second guesses the answer is due to him also finding a passion for skiing and mountains – two things Malta is unfortunately not blessed with.

Gary Neville had co-owned, along with Welsh football coach and former Manchester United player Ryan Giggs, properties at Malta’s Golden Sands Resort. This gave them both enough time to get acquainted with it as well as establish some long standing connections.

One thing he had revealed he was fond of however was the Maltese heat, and this explains why he’s swerved in the other direction towards skiing and colder environments.

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Whopping €46,000 raised in Mgarr auction to carry Virgin Mary statue

Aug 22 2022

The Mġarr tradition of publicly auctioning the rights to lift and carry the statue of the Virgin Mary during the village feast reached a whopping €46,000 yesterday.

The auction has entered its 100th year, with two men representing two community groups participating in the auction in front of a massive audience.

Mġarr parish priest Fr George Schembri moderated the auction as the two groups continued raising up the stakes. The back and forth lasted around two minutes but racked up the massive monetary amount.

The group who won the rights was represented by deputy mayor Wistin Vella as the amount reached record levels. This smashed 2019’s record of €17,000, which was the last time the auction was held before the pandemic hit.

Fr Schembri informed Newsbook that the money will go to the church and will be mainly spent on community projects and charities. Meanwhile, TVM was informed by historian Mario Vassallo that the tradition has roots during the construction of the Mgarr parish church.

The community desired a statue of the Virgin Mary, but the parish priest insisted that funds be used to build the church. The community raised enough money to buy the statue without using Church funds.

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Photo Source: Talk.mt

Sleeping in separate bedrooms might be secret to happy couples

Aug 22 2022

Very often, having couples sleeping in different beds is perceived as there being trouble in romantic paradise. However, experts are suggesting the opposite could be the case.

Many couples, around 1 in 4, actually admit to sleeping in separate bedrooms and report a much healthier relationship. Sleep expert Wendy Troxel said that perhaps this is because there is a discrepancy between what objective measures show and the subject experience of sleep quality.

Whereas some people like sleeping in a bed shared with someone else, maybe due to a sense of safety and connection, many end up getting bad sleep due to someone tossing and turning next to them.

This means that the psychological benefits of sharing a bed no longer override the minor objective costs of getting bad sleep.

We spend around a third of our lives asleep. Insufficient sleep can lead to conflict and less empathetic. ‘Just because you’re married or partnered to someone doesn’t mean your sleeping habits should be perfectly aligned’ said Troxel.

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