Joe Mifsud succumbs to pressure, and partly revokes MaltaToday ban

Incumbent  MFA President Joe Mifsud has succumbed to pressure by MaltaToday and had to allow access into the MFA headquarters, after he had earlier blocked  journalist Charlot Zahra from entering the building to legitimately cover the election process.

MaltaToday challenged Joe Mifsud’s authority through the MFA press official Mark Muscat who informed the journalist that his accreditation had been “revoked” this morning as the AGM proceedings began.

But this order was subsequently overturned when senior staff members of MaltaToday  turned up at the MFA headquarters insisting that access to the paper’s journalists granted.

MaltaToday stressed with MFA official Mark Muscat that denial of access to journalists from covering an important election such as today’s is unheard of in a democratic country, and also raises serious doubts about the electoral process.

“If you don’t allow access to MaltaToday you are telling me that MFA has something to hide,” MT journalist Karl Stagno-Navarra told Mark Muscat who had just declared that he had “no reason” to give for the accreditation to be revoked.

Stagno-Navarra informed the MFA that it was scandalous that Joe Mifsud – a contestant in an election -runs the electoral process and abusively decides who can cover the event and not.

“Situations like this exist only in North Korea, where the leader is supreme and there is no opposition,” Stagno-Navarra told MFA officials, who subsequently decided to revoke the previous order and allow access to journalist Charlot Zahra.

Sports journalists condemn Mifsud's actions

Meanwhile, as Joe Mifsud faces a clear challenge to his unbroken 18-year reign at the helm of the Malta Football Association, the power-hungry football mogul has also been condemned by the National Sports Journalists Association (Ghaqda Kittieba Sports) for having repeatedly refused entry into the MFA to Illum sports journalist Mark Attard.

In a statement, the Gh. K. S. stressed that prohibiting a journalist in any circumstance goes against all principles of democracy and hinders freedom of speech.

Mifsud has sued Illum journalist Mark Attard for reporting claims by rival candidate Norman Darmanin Demajo on how Mifsud has spent TV rights earned for Malta international matches. Darmanin Demajo revealed documents on the June 2000 friendly between Bayern Munich and a Maltese team selection, for which a sum of money was allegedly paid to influence Mifsud’s vote in favour of the German bid to host the 2006 World Cup.

Darmanin Demajo claimed that in October 2000, the MFA had received a payment of $250,000 in its account, with Mifsud then producing a contract – which was a ‘certified true copy of the original’ – which however aroused suspicion in the way it was worded.

According to investigative reporter Andrew Jennings in a programme on Fifa on BBC’s Panorama, lucrative TV deals for matches were arranged between Germany's top club buyer and Joe Mifsud, one of FIFA's crucial voters.

“The deal was made by the German owned sports marketing company CWL… CWL had been paying money to the Maltese Association for years under existing contracts. But this one-off contract left the account number and sort code blank, but specifically named President Joe Mifsud. The payment was scribbled in, a quarter of a million dollars. The money was to be paid into a trust account in June. But our sources say that Dr Mifsud didn't tell anybody in Malta about his coup for another four months. Then, during a row about his dealings with CWL he produced a contract and the money then appeared in the Maltese FA's accounts.”

Mifsud's campaign turns political

Yesterday MaltaToday also revealed how Labour leader Joseph Muscat was angered at the news that One TV chairman Jason Micallef and former Lorry Sant henchman Ronnie Pellegrini have been campaigning to have Joe Mifsud re-elected as president.

It is understood that a 'secret agreement' was reached between Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi and Opposition leader Joseph Muscat that both political parties will stay away from interfering in the toughly contested election for the MFA presidency.

Tensions are high as the 109 delegates from clubs around Malta and Gozo will cast their votes later today and decide between incumbent Joe Mifsud who has been in office for 19 years and Norman Darmanin Demajo who is contesting the post for the second time.

Mifsud will give €10,000 in cash to all the 10 Premier League clubs to employ a full time club administrator. The money, derived from a TV rights deal Mifsud has negotiated on an international friendly to be announced later this year – perhaps against the Italian national team – is crucial for the incumbent to fend off the competition from Darmanin Demajo.