MFA ExCo meeting: Charles Agius appointed Director of Refereeing; updates of participation in Lega Pro

Charles Agius has been appointed Director of Refereeing of the Malta Football Association until the end of the current football season.

Agius, a former FIFA referee and a long-serving member of the Malta FA Referees’ Committee, succeeds Kevin Azzopardi. The interim appointment of Agius was announced during a meeting of the Malta FA Executive Committee, held on Friday.

At the same meeting, Bjorn Vassallo, the Malta FA President, spoke in detail about the extensive restructuring process being undertaken by the Association.

The new organisational chart is based on two pillars, football and administration. It will encompass new sectors, including a new division providing dedicated services to clubs and Member Associations, in line with the Malta FA’s strategic plan as approved by the Executive Committee. The plan is for the new organisational structure, which will be presented to the Malta FA Council members at the next meeting, to come into effect in January 2020.

Vassallo also provided an update on the plans and on-going discussions to establish a professional club to compete in the Italian Lega Pro championship. As part of this project, which is primarily intended to enhance the standards of up-and-coming Maltese players and subsequently those of the national teams, the newly-established club will also have an Under-19 team taking part in the U-19 competitions.

Recently, Vassallo headed a Malta FA delegation at a meeting with top Lega Pro officials, led by President Francesco Ghirelli, in Florence. The discussions between the two entities were described as positive with efforts to create the professional club gaining momentum.

The Malta FA is also laying the groundwork for another large-scale project, the creation of the Inħobb il-Futbol Foundation which will focus on long-term football development and talent optimisation. 

BETTER TERMS AGREED FOR WOMEN’S NATIONAL TEAM PLAYERS

The Malta FA has concluded a Memorandum of Understanding with regards to financial allowances and performance bonuses for players who are called up to the women’s national squad for international matches.

The agreement follows discussions with representatives of the senior women’s national squad. At present, the Malta women’s team is competing in Group B of the qualifying round of the 2021 UEFA Women’s Euro.