‘First experience working in football was a baptism of fire’ – Managing Director Luke Vassallo

Eurocargo Logistics Managing Director (MD) Luke Vassallo on Monday shared his first experience working with the Malta Football Association (MFA) for the UEFA Euro Under-19 tournament which was held in Malta over July.

The tournament, held from 3rd July until 16th July, saw eight teams compete for the title, with Italy eventually being crowned champions after beating Portugal in the final. During that time, Mr Vassallo was chosen to serve as Team Liaison Officer for the Norwegian national team, which took part in the tournament and was knocked out in the semi-finals by finalists Portugal.

As Team Liaison Officer, he worked closely with and supported the team’s coaching and management staff, and also acted as the “main point of contact” between the team and the Local Organising Committee.

Speaking about the whole experience, Mr Vassallo said: “For whatever reason since I was young, I always got annoyed at situations that didn’t happen to me. It dragged me to grey and dark spaces.”

“As I grew and started getting to know myself, I became a little more introspective and started digging and questioning. It’s a journey, and I’ve still got a lot to catch up on about myself,” he added.

Over time, he realised that he “was not doing anything about those situations” he wanted to be in, instead just being a “hater in the window”.

He then recalled how earlier this year, he was given the opportunity to contribute to the tournament, an opportunity he had been following for a while, and was “adamant to not sit and watch, but to run and chase”.

“At least I would have tried, and if unsuccessful, I would have learnt something along the way,” Mr Vassallo continued.

While he acknowledged that he was lucky to be chosen to help the MFA during the tournament, he also explained that “luck is always part of the game, but you have to play to get lucky”.

“My first experience working in football was a real baptism of fire. What a ride! An amazing journey that I will treasure dearly,” he said.

He concluded by saying: “The intended message here is, you want something? Go and get it. You miss it? Fail forward. You will never know if you just sit and watch.”

Mr Vassallo is an experienced manager with a history in working in the logistics and the supply chain industry. He has led Eurocargo Logistics as MD for more than seven years. He states that he believes that “a common purpose at the workplace and employee engagement are key elements” within a successful business.