# 2023–24 Maltese Challenge League

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:
| 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 | Pre-season | Orosco Anonam | 15 May 2023 |
| Żurrieq | George Magri | Resign | 29 April 2023 | Pre-season | Saviour Debono Grech | 10 May 2023 |
| Żabbar St. Patrick | Emilio Cornago | End of Caretaker | 2 May 2023 | Pre-season | Joseph Spiteri | 20 May 2023 |
| Żebbuġ Rangers | Brian Spiteri | End of Contract | 3 May 2023 | Pre-season | Rodney Bugeja | 19 May 2023 |
| Pietà Hotspurs | Rodney Bugeja | End of Contract | 6 May 2023 | Pre-season | Manuel Caruana | 26 May 2023 |
| St. Andrews | Brian Said | End of Contract | 7 May 2023 | Pre-season | Ramon Zammit | 13 May 2023 |
| Żejtun Corinthians | Orosco Anonam | End of Contract | 15 May 2023 | Pre-season | Ivan Casha | 29 May 2023 |
| Swieqi United | Stephen Damato | Signed by Sirens | 24 May 2023 | Pre-season | 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.
| Luxol StadiumCharles Abela StadiumSirens StadiumCentenary StadiumVictor Tedesco Stadium | Pembroke | Mosta | San Pawl il-Baħar | Ta' Qali | Hamrun |
| Luxol StadiumCharles Abela StadiumSirens StadiumCentenary StadiumVictor Tedesco Stadium | Luxol Stadium | Charles Abela Stadium | Sirens Stadium | Centenary Stadium | Victor Tedesco Stadium |
| Luxol StadiumCharles Abela StadiumSirens StadiumCentenary StadiumVictor 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 | Qualification for the Top Six |
| 3 | Senglea Athletic | 15 | 8 | 5 | 2 | 20 | 9 | +11 | 29 | Qualification for the Top Six |
| 4 | Marsa | 15 | 8 | 4 | 3 | 32 | 17 | +15 | 28 | Qualification for the Top Six |
| 5 | Pietà Hotspurs | 15 | 8 | 3 | 4 | 23 | 13 | +10 | 27 | Qualification for the Top Six |
| 6 | Żurrieq | 15 | 8 | 3 | 4 | 18 | 17 | +1 | 27 | Qualification for the Top Six |
| 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 | Qualification for the Play-Out |
| 9 | Swieqi United | 15 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 18 | 16 | +2 | 21 | Qualification for the Play-Out |
| 10 | Tarxien Rainbows | 15 | 3 | 8 | 4 | 16 | 14 | +2 | 17 | Qualification for the Play-Out |
| 11 | Żejtun Corinthians | 15 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 17 | 18 | −1 | 17 | Qualification for the Play-Out |
| 12 | Luqa St. Andrew's | 15 | 4 | 4 | 7 | 21 | 24 | −3 | 16 | Qualification for the Play-Out |
| 13 | St. Andrews | 15 | 3 | 2 | 10 | 14 | 28 | −14 | 11 | Qualification for the Play-Out |
| 14 | Żebbuġ Rangers | 15 | 2 | 4 | 9 | 11 | 27 | −16 | 10 | Qualification for the Play-Out |
| 15 | Attard | 15 | 1 | 5 | 9 | 14 | 33 | −19 | 8 | Qualification for the Play-Out |
| 16 | Msida Saint-Joseph | 15 | 2 | 0 | 13 | 9 | 29 | −20 | 6 | Qualification for the Play-Out |

### 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 | — |

## 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 | |

#### 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 | — |

### 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 | 24 | 7 | 7 | 10 | 29 | 34 | −5 | 28 | |
| 7 | Luqa St. Andrew's (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 | Relegation to the 2024–25 Maltese National Amateur League |
| 9 | Attard (R) | 24 | 4 | 6 | 14 | 25 | 46 | −21 | 18 | Relegation to the 2024–25 Maltese National Amateur League |
| 10 | Msida Saint-Joseph (R) | 24 | 2 | 2 | 20 | 16 | 53 | −37 | 8 | Relegation to the 2024–25 Maltese National Amateur League |
* 1 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.

#### 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 | — | — | — |

### 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.

## Season statistics
### Scoring
#### Top scorers

    As of 28 April 2024
| 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 |
| 7 | Alan Abdel Rahman | Luqa St. Andrews | 10 |
| 7 | David Oliveira Souza | Zabbar St.Patrick | 10 |
| 10 | Johan Alberto Castano | Fgura United | 9 |
| 10 | Pavlidis Claudio Antunes | Pieta Hotspurs | 9 |
| 10 | Ivan Sousa Flora Francisco | Zurrieq | 9 |

#### 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) | Centenary Stadium, Ta' Qali | 10 December 2023 |
| Andre Carlos Penha Da Costa$^4$ | Melita | Fgura United | 4-4 (A) | Centenary Stadium, Ta' Qali | 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 |
| 8 | Jean Claude Debattista | Swieqi United | 7 |
| 8 | Ryan Caruana | Zurrieq | 7 |

### 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