Malta FA president Bjorn Vassallo congratulated the newly-elected vice-president Trustin Farrugia Cann and revealed that youth nurseries will once again benefit from solidarity funds while delivering the closing speech at the Malta FA General Assembly which was held on Thursday.
“Friends, first of all I would like to thank you for your attendance in this hall tonight. I would like to congratulate once again Trustin Farrugia Cann who was recently elected as the third vice-president of the Association and I wish him well in this new administrative role.”
“Trustin is a hard-working person who is convinced that he will leave a void in the refereeing field in our country, not only as an official on the pitches but also as an administrator, so much so that to this day he is still the president of the MFRA. Now he will have much more to do and he will work like all the other officials on the interests of Maltese and Gozitan football.”
“However, I would like to take this opportunity to thank you as always for the support you have given us at all times and to remind you that the Association is there for you and for your needs. We have just seen a presentation on financial spending in favour of members at every level of the pyramid, investments that are important for the Association, but which give us great satisfaction when we see you striving and working with dedication to move the game of football forward. And you give us the strength to continue to strive to always increase wealth for you. Through the new strategy we will continue to carry out and achieve objectives in the best interest of the game, its members and those who follow it. We have important events coming up and we must be well prepared, the months that will come at the end of the year and those that will lead us in the first quarter of the new year will be important.”
“This year was marked by the 125th Anniversary of the Association’s founding. An important event in the history of the MFA that we celebrated in the best possible way. And there is more to come. The culmination will be reached on December 8th with the Jubilee Cup final for both women and men. A one-off competition that is commemorating this special Anniversary that a few days ago saw the official opening of the National Football Centre. A project that had been in the works for many years and which has now been completed and which will be brought to life in a few weeks when it will begin to be used in a functional and complete manner. This was achieved thanks to the work of many people and to the vision that the MFA has to continue modernising the sports infrastructure in our country from where football can continue to expand.”
“On the level of further financial assistance, today I would like to announce that an agreement has been reached in principle so that the solidarity funds that were used to go to youth nurseries and that were lost for the majority of clubs apart from those in the Premier League following the agreement between UEFA and the ECA, will continue to be distributed and this after the Association worked so that through an agreement that will be concluded by the end of the year the funds will be available for the next three years as well. What is strategic is important, it will get us there, but solidarity has a much more abundant significance because it strengthens the common interest, without distinction or discrimination of any kind. That is why we will continue to work in this direction and we encourage you to always be there when we think of each other, with cohesion and equality as key forces.”
“This fills me with energy to continue and bring to fruition what we have started together. We cherish the unity between us, the respect towards the institution and its structures and strengthen the motivation that nothing should discourage us. We have done ambitious and great things together even in difficult and challenging moments, we remain united and convinced that the work and sacrifices will be rewarded with greater satisfaction for all of us and for the game that we love so much.”