Frankie Is an Icon in Malta and at the Dana Cup
Frankie Goes to Hollywood was the name of the famous British pop band from the 1980s. Frankie Ciantar from Malta never went to Hollywood – he went to the Dana Cup in Hjørring.
His first visit was in 2002, and since then he has become a familiar face at the large football tournament in Hjørring. He is also something of an icon back home on the Mediterranean island, where anyone with even a small passion for football knows Frankie.
"In the beginning, I came with teams from Pietà Hotspurs. Since then, I have organised trips for the KFF academy and major clubs such as Hamrun Spartans, who have won 11 national championships, and Floriana, who have won the championship 27 times," says Frankie Ciantar, who since 2009 has been employed by the Malta Football Association as kit manager for the national teams.
"Football has always been my life. I discovered the Dana Cup completely by chance. A good friend encouraged me to search online for football tournaments in Scandinavia, and that is when I discovered the Dana Cup. I have returned to Hjørring every year since then – except for the two years when the world was shut down due to Covid."
This year, three teams from Malta are taking part, and when they return home, planning for the 2027 trip will already begin, says Frankie with a smile. At home, he even has his own small football museum.
"I collect national team shirts, and I have every Maltese national team shirt from 1940 onwards," he explains, proudly showing pictures of his impressive collection.
