The Council of the Malta Football Association approved amendments thanks to which players, even at the age of twelve, may be transferred on loan and that no compensation shall be due for loans of players under the age of sixteen.
This decision should enable children who were otherwise opting to quit football after not finding enough space with their club as they could not move to another nursery on loan or the nursery could not afford paying the compensation due.
Another important amendment to be approved focuses on medical tests for players under the age of seventeen. Players aged twelve to sixteen are now obliged to undergo a medical test at least once every three years. Records of these medical tests mush be retained by the nursery.
Meanwhile during the same Council Meeting, MFA president Norman Darmanin Demajo urged clubs to be careful and adopt a more diligent approach with regards to people willing to invest in clubs – making sure that they people were not just loaning money to clubs. He was speaking after former Floriana FC president Johann Said filed a request in court to seek damages from the MFA over money he is owed by Floriana.
Darmanin Demajo urged clubs to follow the example of Pietà Hotspurs who have included a clause in their statute which state that loans of a certain value must be approved by the AGM and that money given to the club cannot be returned.